More And More Floods
They just keep coming as the BBC reports here.
There have been times in my life, when I can remember lots of floods, including the massive and tragic North Sea Flood of 1953.
But they do seem to be getting more common, even if not as bad as those of 1953. And then we had superstorm Sandy in New York.
i can’t prove it, but I do think that two man-induced factors don’t help.
I was taught at school, that in rain forests there was constant circulation of the water by evaporation and rain and it was a stable system, that calmed our weather. So what are we doing, destroying rain forests!
And then there’s the burning of fossil fuels, which certainly increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Local flooding in some places of the UK, could well be caused by the passion for concreting everything, without giving the water anywhere to run.
If we looked after the planet better, we might get a few less problems.
We could also take a lead from the Dutch and build proper defences, often paired with large much-needed infrastructure.
As an example to increase the size of Heathrow is complete folly. If we do build a new airport in the South East, it should probably be built in the Thames Estuary and paired with a very large tidal barrier for London.
Coalition At War Over Wind Farms
This headline is on the front of today’s Sunday Times. The row is also reported here in the Telegraph.
It is to be expected.
I must be one of the few green individuals, who is totally opposed to onshore wind farms. Offshore ones are a different matter.
I’ll give you a simple personal example, which is not about wind farms, but about visual intrusion. My previous house had one of the best views in Suffolk. But it wasn’t perfect, as a water tower on the horizon spoilt the view. Now I only joked about it and on some of the photos, I air-brushed it out. And it was after all several kilometres away on the outskirts of Haverhill. If they decided to knock it down, I’d have bought drinks all round. Now that was one water tower, how would I have felt about a line of wind turbines on the intervening ridge. It would have probably made my house unsaleable.
So I can understand why people get upset about visual intrusion.
But let’s face it too, most who live in the countryside are some of the most energy wasteful people you could want to meet. Many have large uneconomical vehicles that they drive up and down from London every weekend. And they often live in large energy-inefficient houses. So asking them to accept wind turbines is like asking a vegan to eat meat every day.
No wonder the countryside, which generally votes Tory, doesn’t want wind turbines.
In fact I find it rather surprising that anybody, anywhere in the world, wants wind turbines on a beautiful landscape. It’s just like sticking fake moles all over the Mona Lisa.
I am surprised that wind farms haven’t come under physical attack from their opponents. But I can’t find any incidents on the Internet.
Offshore wind farms though should be developed.
There is so much less visual intrusion and I believe innovative designs can make them bigger and at less cost per watt. I’m possibly back to my old favourite of the Balaena.
Henry Blofeld Is In Fine Form
I woke early today and after sorting my e-mails, I went back to bed to listen to Test Match Special from India. It wasn’t just England’s batsman, that were in fine form, but Henry Blofeld was as well, as have gave an amazing talk on his memories of India during the lunch break.
He told the tale, about how he nearly played for England in 1963 in India, when the team was decimated by the dreaded Delhi Belly. This link points to the paragraph containing the tale in Wikipedia, but it is much less colourful than Blowers account.
He also told how in 1976, he was one of five, who took a vintage Rolls-Royce all the way to India by road, travelling through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. As it was such an immaculate vehicle, it was treated by everyone with the respect it deserved. Try doing that journey now. But it was done by many in those days. My cousin, John, did it around the same time in a Thames Trader gown van. There was even a regular bus to India called something like the Overland Trail.
Henry Blofeld until recently used to wear a pith helmet whilst reporting cricket tours like India.
He must be one of the last great British eccentrics. Hopefully, his talk will appear on the BBC iPlayer after play finishes for today. It’s well worth a listen. It’s here.
Incidentally, C who was a barrister, appeared several times in front of his elder brother, the judge, Sir John Blofeld.
Why Britain Doesn’t Have Revolutions
The BBC on its web site has published an article outlining an interesting theory about why Britain has not had a violent revolution in recent centuries.
Apparently, it’s all down to our political cartoonists.
Most of the article, is based on an interview with Lord Baker, who is an avid fan, despite having suffered at their hands a few times.
The New BT Vision Is So Annoying
Leave it on a radio channel and every so often it reverts to this advertising screen.
The New BT Vision Is So Annoying
It didn’t pay for adverts. And when you switch that screen off, it never gets the program headings correct.
Incorrect Program Information
I have complained, but I’ve not received any details on how to correct the faults.
Another Clue In The Mystery Of The Rogue Central Heating
Yesterday, I had a guy from G4S call looking for a Mr. Smith, who supposedly lived in the flat above my house. It was about non-payment of an energy bill to British Gas.
Now, there is no flat above my house, I’ve never dealt with British Gas and the guy said he was looking for a prepayment meter, which doesn’t exist.
So after an amicable discussion, he made a few notes and left.
The whole episode got me thinking. When I moved into this house, some of the wiring was unusual to say the least. So did someone crudely split the house into two separate flats to maximise his income.
This would certainly explain the very dodgy and crude wiring in the heating manifold.
So perhaps, I’m wrong to blame Jerry in this instance, when it appears it was some amateur, who had a possible grudge against me.
An Island Gets Lost
The Australians have also proven that an island has got lost. The story is here on the BBC. Wikipedia has an explanation, in that it thinks Sandy Island might be a copyright trap.
Shooting Animals
They were discussing shooting animals on Richard Bacon on Radio 5 this afternoon.
I remembered an incident from my past.
I was in the hallway of a stately home and standing in front of a massive stuffed polar bear with Lord Xxxx. We both agreed it was magnificent. He then put forward the view that they shot big game a hundred or so years ago, to prove that they had seen it.
Now we use the camera! Much more civilised.
I think Lord Xxxx was right, as we all like to show off to our friends, the things we have seen.
Girls Will Be Girls
I took this picture of Milo in the cafe working hard.
Girls Will Be Girls
She’s actually stamping Eggs Milk Butter on all the takeaway cups.
Gangs And Young Girls
I was born in 1947, and at my primary school in North London, there were girls who hung around with Teddy Boys. Just look at John Borman’s film, Hope and Glory, which is a true reflection of children’s behaviour during the Second World War.
The Anonymous Widower 