Avalanche

We were promised 10cm when we got up this morning but only got sufficient to be a minor nuisance.

Last night daughter Kate in Ireland phoned which as always was a delight. A little earlier she had sent a photo of workmen putting up PV units on her roof, another step in her lifelong pursuit of environmental and nature  "awareness". When they built their house about 15 years ago(?) they did do their best with the techniques available at that time to be as good as possible - wood pellet heating and solar warm water heating on the roof.

Perhaps seeing our PV with battery system last year, she & hubby have taken the leap and helped by the subsidies the Irish Government introduced this year for private houses. From what I can see, the Irish have done quite a bit in terms of renewable energy and while they may be criticised for holding back, it may indeed not be all that bad an idea. As they have proved over the last decade, the Irish are prepared to look around, adapt, reconsider, discuss and then decide. The storm to renewables in Germany did cause a lot of problems although one has to say the overnight decision after Fukushima in March 2011, to stop nuclear electricity generation did present a massive challenge.

However, the fact is that getting individuals to be part of the environmental awareness issues starts from little acorns. I have noticed it with our PV. Initially happy to simply save some money on bills, it becomes a daily interest in consumption and generation and certainly focuses one's attention. Many go on to try and find more ways in which they can improve their energy account.

So on the way out for the morning walk took a look up at the PV panels hoping they may be free of snow. We won't get any sun or even much light today but critically the next few days are due to have at least a few hours of sunshine but at the same time it will get very cold. And if the snow doesn't shift today, we won't be able to use it.

During the morning the very light snow turned to light drizzle and at least by evening 90% was free. Our expectations for November through February are very low and only gets reasonable again in March. 2018 has been a good year and generation has exceeded the expectations forecast in 2017 by the experts who sold us the system

The Irish system is a little different as it is at the moment only for own use without any possibility to feed into the grid. I'm looking forward to seeing how their system performs. Like us but for different reasons, winter is not ideal but unless we have another 3 months of Beast from the East hitting the British Isles again this winter, I suspect they will outperform us.

Day two of being Faceless but I did see Zuckerberg didn't appear for an important meeting in London on Fake News. No need really, the PM is doing her best to spread Fake News around the country to people who she has time and time and time again told they have no right to express an opinion since 23rd June 2016 and she will determine what they want.

Thank goodness, most of the Rest of Europe doesn't get to hear about the daily UK antics. The Brussels Sunday signing did make the headlines in Germany and for most, it means the UK is now out. Since then the matter doesn't get a mention.

And the media's part gets better. I saw an interview with John Cleese last night where he said he was abandoning the UK fed up with the lack of debate and above all the appalling standards of the media. He showed figures that the UK media is the least trusted of all 33 European countries!

Today I switched on Sky News to watch over a lunchtime bowl of pea (from the garden) soup. It started up with the First Minister of Scotland giving a live, very quiet, considered speech somewhere and before I could blink, the Sky News presenter said "Well we'll leave that day and turn to other news. The armada of boats full of immigrants crossing the English Channel" and showing a three-day-old clip of their reporter desperately searching the oceans and finally finding 8 people in a boat in French waters who were just being picked up by the French coastguard.

Meanwhile, the potholes get bigger, the number of homeless get higher and the treatment worse, crime increases ........