Is on track to hit New Orleans on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Sunday. A storm surge of 3m is expected in many areas and winds in excess of 130kph. Oil production has been ceased in many rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. And another depression developing in mid-Atlantic whilst Hurricane Nora hits the eastern Pacific region with high winds and rainfall near Puerto Vallarta and Baja California Peninsula.
NEW ZEALAND – COVID RESPONSE
It is interesting to see how restrictions can work. The outbreak there is slowing. The government identifies sites of interest and all who have visited these sites and their contact have to self isolate. These sites are updated and published every 2 hours. The government there are reasonably confident they can contain the outbreak and return to ‘normal’ soon.
CUMULUS CLOUDS
Super day – blue skies with cumulus humilus gradually being depleted as the afternoon warms up. Temperature t-shirt weather – just nice to sit in garden. Montbretia and begonia adding an orange tinge, a few bees, hover flies and wasps around. A buzzard wheels across the sky – is it hunting or just enjoying the power of flight? I have huddles in flower, mints also in flower, I have left some stinging nettles, but still no sign of butterflies. The sun is out, bit of a breeze but not enough to deter a couple of damsel flies. I am pleased to see that the herbs in flower are attracting different types of bee and hoverfly.
Similarly the birds are missing from the feeders – this may well be because I stoped filling them up for a while as the pigeons and jackdaws where cleaning them out in minutes. It may also be because other sources are blooming – blackberries (especially those by Lee’s house) are blooming.
I need to sort the raspberries out – or at least weed out the nettles and ivy! Maybe even mow the path through the herbs in the front garden!. Thinking about propagating some mints – eau de cologne has long runners already. Maybe start with 3in. pots in greenhouse? Make sure I have labels!
COVID AUGUST
As we have seethe government is on holiday and has left a big ‘DO NOT DISTURB’ notice in Whitehall. However the covid virus seems to be on the rise again. Figures in Scotland have risen from 799 on 2 August to 3190 on Sunday, which coincides with the schools going back there. Deaths per day across the country have risen to their highest since 18 March, and hospitalisations are nearing the 1000 per day mark. Well below figures in the Spring but still too high.
COVID STATS
POPULATION
I started teaching in 1976 and population was a major issue. Population Concern published great posters. Since then the world population has gone up from 4.2 billion to 7.6 billion. All those extra mouths to feed, bodies to house and clothes, excrement to be disposed of. Population growth has ceased to be an issue in much of Europe with a birth rate below 2.1, but immigration has become a major issue. In the same time period the population of Africa has almost trebled, SE Asia doubled.
A GREEN AGENDA
is urgently needed. Not piecemeal statements which will be picked over by the rightwing press like flies on a corpse, but a comprehensive document which cane sold to the public. One which shows that the main costs will be born by the wealthy not the poor. although how Steve Baker (rightwing MP will manage a U Turn on that will be interesting.
RAIN IN GREENLAND
Be frightened – Guardian
WEATHER
I guess the weather may put people off a staycation next year. I am quite happy with the weather this year, plenty of rain for the garden and enough sun to ripen the tomatoes. Not great for sitting around outside though!
AFGHANISTAN
The government correctly recalled parliament for a debate about this disaster. They had days to prepare and yet, their main argument was that the Labour Party did not propose better ideas. They really do not get the idea of an opposition! They also faced fierce opposition from their own side as MP’s were allowed back into the chamber. This trend may increase as backbenchers make their views heard about the governments preponderancy for making statements that include unsubstantiated statistics, fiscal and otherwise.