Snow joke

As I woke up to a winter wonderland here in southwest England this morning, I was grateful for the weather forecast.

Snowy view by Sue Nethercott

It had given me time to protect my most vulnerable garden plants and to put out extra food for the birds and squirrels.

I'm enjoying watching the birds and a squirrel feeding this morning, but I'm saddened that there are noticeably fewer birds and fewer species than there were 10 years ago, and fewer squirrels (which I think are cute when they are not being destructive - never get between a squirrel and food!).

Squirrel by Sue Nethercott

I'm also sad to think that the GOP plan to break up the excellent system the USA has to warn people of hurricanes such as Helene and storms and atmospheric rivers like the one currently pummeling Washington State among others. And once a public service is privatized, it is never the same. The public ends up paying for it and for big CEO bonuses and for dividends while services are cut 'to save money'. Far from increasing efficiency as conservatives claim, their policies decrease efficiency and add cost, and only the rich owners and managers benefit - which is, of course, their real purpose.

Here in the UK, areas which are used to winter weather cope very well, but the news tends to be full of how badly places not used to it are coping. This is mainly because it is uneconomical for places that don't get much ice or snow to stockpile enough snow-moving and de-icing equipment for worst case scenarios, or to stockpile enough grit. Places further north have no choice.

It's no joke (snow joke - get it? Sorry.) that Labour - Labour! - cut winter fuel payments for those in need this year. There will be more pensioners who can't afford to turn on their heating. Labour only won because people were tired of austerity and because they were not the incumbents, so they seem hell bent on losing in the next election. At least in the USA you had a reprieve with Biden and will benefit from projects started under his administration, but now Musk has promised you harder times again.

Blue tits by Sue Nethercott

It's unusual for it to snow this far south before Christmas (or at all on lower levels) these days, but if the AMOC slows right down, we may possibly start having winters like the winter of 1962–1963 here in the UK, which I lived through up on the hills of Exmoor.

I started writing an article about the AMOC before the election, but set it aside during the election. And now I feel I have to spend time warning about how much extra harm a Trump presidency will do to all of us rather than focusing on the harm we have already done to our planet. They are frittering away the time the whole world has to draw back from the brink of climate disaster, and are encouraging others to do the same. I'll get back to the AMOC soon, though, but as it will be one of my deeper dives and I want to get it right, it may take several days.

I don't suppose this snow will last long. There is already a steady drumbeat on the roof of my 'mobile' home as clumps fall off the trees above, and a veritable barrage when a wood pigeon or a squirrel lands on a branch or there is a strong gust of wind. But for now, it is pretty.

And the sun has just peeked out.