After a quiet period earth seems to be waking up! There is always on going seismic activity but I believe this is the first major activity in a populated region? With an autocratic dictatorship I guess they are Trumps BFF? But due to the rest of the world thinking they are shits there is little news getting out. In Bangkok there was a high rise under construction that collapsed with many deaths – I suspect that there are many more in Myanmar itself. Pictures on the BBC show a major bridge collapsed. I hate heights and used to hate driving over the bridge in Plymouth and the Seven one – fucking nightmares are waiting for me!
PRESS
The RWPress got a budget they have yerned for – cuts to benefits, increased spending on defence, cuts to the civil service, no overt tax rises. And they now slate Reeves not a budget for hitting the poor! No mention of the mess the last government made, or Trump’s impact on the world economy. She should have gone for a wealth tax – the Pimlico plumber keeps threatening to leave – time for him to FO! But I guess his ego could not stand anonymity? My paper says that 3 million households could lose £1720 in benefits – 3 million! If they are working they are not being paid enough, if their rents are too high cut them! But 3 million on benefits means that we have a fucked up economy and thus society. I think the Tories had appointed a common sense czar – Ester Mcfuckingvie! – I think her main task was to promote an anti-woke war, especially with regard to sexual genders (I am sorry for those struggling as individuals or families – but as far as the general population goes “who gives a fuck”? Only JK Rowling and a few others? My views are limited due to ignorance of the issues but that does not stop others so – Sport, if born with a penis you can only compete as a man unless a special scenario is created; Toilets – bring on cubicles for all – pissing on a wall in view of others is medieval! Public toilets barely exist anymore and establishments should have cubicles – with CCTV if necessary for the communal areas. I am not sure if there are other issues? Hospital wards I know nothing about so no comment.
Education is always more problematic! Unisex toilets makes sense. However education has to take on yet another roll – countering the insiduous penetration of misogynist social media.
CANADA
I have never been – although I did get the migration papers back in the 1970’s – of course I did not have the bottle to follow through! But I retain a romantic memory of dreams of paddling through lakes and wide open spaces. Should Canada be threatened by Trumps absurd claims that it should become the USA’s 51st state. At least he got the number right this time – unlike with Alaska. The capital of Canada is situated further away from the US than its main cities for a reason. 1775 and 1812 were dates when the USA invaded Canada, unsuccessfully. Now Trump coverts the treasures below the Canadian soil. Every move he makes is stimulated by money – I fucking hate him!
ENERGY
Local generation might not suit the big energy companies BUT ….. it seems to me to be so sensible. In my village we have the potential for wind with a couple of turbines on the hill, there are solar farms around anyway, and more houses could have them. And then there is a small stream which had a mill long ago. I doubt that the village would be self-sufficient 24/7 but with battery storaage I am sure that the summer months could be covered – especially with increased efficiency, and lastly Hinckley is just down the road! And finally small scale tidal islands could be created on the Severn Estuary.
GARDEN
Hanging baskets planted with mixed begonia – I will not hang them quite yet – it should rain a little later and once hung they have to be watered everyday. Heater is on in the greenhouse for the tomatoes – so they will need waterint every day! Snake plant given to Aaron – below
I will split the remaining plant and the one in the bedroom to grow more!
Temperatures of 5C night to 16C day. So I might risk a bit more planting basil, sweet peppers, and then maybe buy a cucumber plant or 2. We are due a hot summer.
I have rosemary and lavender plants to put out tomorrow – by the path I think. Roses are looking good too – maybe 10 different ones, from almost black to deep red and also yellow and pink. Herbs are looking good, well rosemary and sage and bay are, the rest need a little more time – I need to weed/repot mints and then wait and see what else comes up – I think fennel will reseed (it was growing along the road in the gutter! and I hope the chicory and evening primrose make a welcome appearance.
Saw 2 brimstone butterflies yesterday which was great – I need to put the bee hotel up – by the kitchen side window I think – facing east for early morning warmth and avoiding heat of the day during our long hot summer.. On which, will the water companies whose reputation is trashed already by sewage and rising costs, cope with the negative publicity when they impose hosepipe bans and worse?
NET ZERO
Climatic events can occasionally be violent and sudden’ish. However the main global events will be gradually but even more devastating. Sea level is creeping up putting nations such as Tuvalu and the Maldives under threat of inundation. The melting of floating ice will not in itself cause a problem but allow glaciers to deliver ice to the sea more quickly. Melting glaciers is a much more dangerous and unpredictable. 2 billion people rely on glaciers indirectly for their water supply. E.Africa has lost 80% of its glaciers; Europe 40%; Andes 40%. Melting and retreating glaciers reduce the albedo effect and lead to greater warming. Permafrost is also melting, releasing methane and destabilising communications and buildings. Highly populated regions such as the valleys of the great rivers sourced in the Himalayas are in danger of fluctuating water supply which would devastate agriculture and thus human survival. These are facts not supposition – the World Meteorological Organisation published its annual State of the Worlds Climate last week.
But – hey, all this is irrelvant to those wanting to make political and financial gains like our right wing political parties and basically most of Americas! According to Ed Milliband the government is set on meeting its green commitments. This makes absolute sense. Until we large scale storage we will always rely on other energy sources during grey windless periods – but the rest of the time we have cheap green energy. A no brainer!
SPRING IS SPRUNG
Well during the day it is – temps up to 19C here so … I have put in tomato seeds and some bulbs. Next up are some aubergine seeds and californian poppy and some lavendar seeds. The rest can wait until next month.
TOO EARLY?
Trump must be wondering whether his bombast is working? Actually there is no way he would have self doubt – BUT he should.
Truce in Gaza was just an illusion/ploy by the Israeli Government to get some hostages home. Their killing spree continues without comment by the. USA.
Ukraine ceasefire seems unattainable without Russia being willing to withdraw, at least partially.
The US economy is looking shaky. stock markets down, GDP$ down, inflation rising, trade balance up, $ down against basket of currencies down, consumer spending down.
Of greater concern was his call for a judge to be impeached for having the temerity to question his ruling on Venezuelan migrants. This has been condemned by the head of the Right Wing US Supreme Court.
Meanwhile Tesla shares continue to be down 44% on the year. Meanwhile Chinese competitor BYD claims to have developed a battery that can be charged in 5 minutes (although it longevity is questioned). Sales of Tesla are down considerably (By 80% in some countries) across the world. And whilst Space X is very profitable we have yet to see real competition. Twitter remains at a low share price. Trump says he will hunt down the protesters against Tesla – strange behaviour in public by a president.
What is next? An invasion of Greenland would be simple to accomplish, but massively unpopular worldwide, and pobably at home apart from the MAGA lobotomists.
In the UK the government announce plans to cut £5billion from benefits. A projected cost of £70billion in sickness benefits seems too high. Mental problems are not easy to identify and measure – but I suspect that a decent income and affordable rent/living space would cure many! Yes the rich have mental problems, but taking away concerns about finance, having a financial cushion, security of tenure – would I suspect take many out of the equation. I hope I am not being heartless or naive here? My answer to the problem would be to address the housing debacle that the last government promoted. Make companies over a certain size pay their workers according to a fixed formulae – e.g. a minimum of 10% of CEO salary or guaranteed profit sharing. Start ups and small firms would have partial exemption.
A lot of my thoughts appear to be “hippy” – but they are sensible! It works for Riverford Foods, and John Lewis (Ok a few blips here – but is is heartening to see the model being adapted for long term growth? Provisos here!)
FACT CHECKING
We all have access to the internet – a friend mentioned why he did not want to purchase an EV Car. On fact checking – his arguments were not always correct! Cost of servicing, battery life and charging availability were all false. He does have genuine concerns that are relevant, but his argument against is no where near as strong as he made out!
Today we see in the news Badenoch spouting ignorance and hyperbole about net zero by 2050. So a fact check for you https://www.carbonbrief.org/factcheck-how-scary-sounding-numbers-are-being-used-to-mislead-the-uk-about-net-zero/
Her argument for not meeting it is that other countries will not. That is LAME. The same argument is used against recycling. But every little bit helps!
Tomatoes
Weather is still freezing at night – frost last night, but looks like warming up by Wednesday 17C day time and 5/6C at night, so I will get planting seeds – I have a heater for the greenhouse if necessary! – so that will be the tomatoes, red pepper, and some herbs like basil. I also have ordered some pots for the snake plant which needs splitting. The size they are at, are going for £125+ online at at the garden centre! I have given a couple away to Holly and Kate, and Aaron has asked if he can have one. They make a great present as they are quite prectacular when over a metre high with a dozen leaves. I am not being tight but it costs me a pot and soil, and the reciepiant things the world of them!. Martin is coming round to cut the top off the wisteria before it takes the roof off – but the smell of that and the honeysuckle it cohabits with is amazing at dawn – worth standing by it for a few deep breaths to strt the day.
So a steak for lunch with roasties, carrots, broccoli and courgettes fried in garlic butter, I have also made baguettes which are hopefully rising so I can cook them when he leaves and gets home with them still warm for Felix (who loves them – more than me!)
I just entered my FIT – solar panels reading which looks quite small for the last 3 months, but hopefully we will have a sunny spring. I still do not understand why the clocks go back at the start of November – approx 45 days before winter solstice, yet go forward in 2 weeks – over a hundred days after the WS!