Grannymar

From my kitchen window I can see for twenty miles. Well on Wednesday last it was more like two miles. The clouds were low and the mist was down so far that I lost the view of the Windmills, the Colin, the Ballyboley Hills and indeed anything beyond the town. There are days when I get to see the end of the garden and that is all. Now on the other hand there are mornings that are bright clear and crisp and you feel that you can see forever. Those are the mornings I most enjoy, especially if it is a Sunday. On Sundays the world seems to stop, no traffic, and there is not a sound outside. I love being outside early on those mornings.

In early autumn I love to wake and find a ribbon of mist over the river, yet see the hills beyond it and in the foreground shrubs and bushes with layers of cobwebs twinkling in the early sunshine.

In winter we sometimes have frost that is so heavy, you would think it was a fall of snow. This frost can last for days on end. We live below the snowline so any falls of snow never last very long. The snow we get is not of the greeting card variety it is usually wet snow that quickly changes to slush.

Last year we had a very mild winter, despite the forecast of doom telling us otherwise. We had high summer in March and April that was followed by biblical rain – forty days and forty nights! In fact I think the Good Lord was going for the Guinness Book of Records this year with all the rain we had in Ireland and the UK.

In the last few years we have seen major climatic extremes all over the world. Now is it that with modern technology we are more aware of what is happening as it happens, or is it Global Warming as the powers that be want us to believe, or is it the Good Lord in his dotage (well He is about 2000 years old) playing games with us? After all he made the world, so he can change it whatever way he likes!

Yesterday morning I was checking out The Other side of Sixty and her post lead me to Icecap where I read a most interesting article.

I think you will find it a very interesting post on Global Warming!

Our beautiful earth is being destroyed.

Day and daily we hear of trees being cut down. These are the same trees that give us the oxygen we need to survive. People are polluting the earth by dumping rubbish on the streets, into rivers, lakes and oceans. Car exhaust and smoking causes smog and makes the oxygen layer in our atmosphere thinner. If we don’t take action, our earth will end up like one big junkyard.

For all the years and more than I have lived here in Northern Ireland, we have had to put up with great plumes of black smoke coming from bombed buildings, burning cars and the 11^th Night Bonfires. They all released a pungent foul smell. These fumes released a large amount of sulphur dioxide (SO2), and sulphur trioxide (SO3) into the atmosphere. These sulphur oxides (combination of sulphur and oxygen) reacted with the water vapour in the air to form very strong acids like sulphuric acid (H2SO4). These acids fell along with the rain and from this we got ‘acid rain’ This rain is very harmful for plant, animal and human life. Is it any wonder the Cancer rates are so high in Ulster.

The burning of fossil fuels like coal and petroleum releases a large amount of these gases into the atmosphere (I am a culprit here as I use oil for central heating and for years used coal for an open fire).

We are warned that the large-scale development of industries and burning of fossil fuels, large amounts of pollutants are being released into the atmosphere. This is causing an imbalance in the environment. For example the release of carbon has lead to the rise in global temperature because of the greenhouse effect.

Back in August in Cold Feet I wrote looking for assistance in finding Eco Wood Briquettes. I managed to find some and this time they are described as African Super-hot fuel logs trademarked as Bushblok. Striking while the fire was hot I asked for 6 packs. There was no barcode on the pack or price label attached. The sales assistant went off to telephone her Supervisor for advice, I waited patiently. Eventually she returned without a price. She picked up her colourful fuel pricelist and picked the lowest priced item and scanned it into the till. “£1.35 per pack” she said, “It is not my fault if they are not marked, I am sure they might be double that price.”

Feeling pleased, I motored merrily home with my winter warmth. It was only when I was unloading the car that I read the label it states:

They are made from encroaching Bush in Namibia, the Cheetah Capital of the World providing sustaining rural business opportunities while restoring the Cheetah’s Savannah habitat. They are useful for cooking fires, braii, home heating, and industrial heat applications. As a result of the extrusion process, it has a calorific value approaching coal, some 4870 Kcal. It has an after burn ash content of 0.35-0.5% and is classified as a Smokeless Fuel.

Smokeless and cheap they might be, but I am sure they left one hell of a carbon trail from Namibia to the UK Mainland and from there through a couple of stops before reaching my fireside.

Should I feel guilty?

I have counted my light bulbs. There are 27 of varying types in the house, but don’t forget about the one in the garage, so that makes a total of 28. We are told “Energy saver bulbs typically use around 80% less electricity than normal incandescent bulbs”. They cost a bit more than ordinary light bulbs (about £3.50 each) but they last 12 times longer and could save up to £9 on my annual electricity bill or £100 over the bulb’s lifetime! So making this effort will really make a difference! I can feel justifiably proud of myself.

About six years ago I changed the light fittings in my living room. The central light had three bulbs. One of these bulbs had lasted since the house was built. I know this because it had become completely soldered into the fitting. That means that particular bulb worked for 30 years. So if the new bulbs last 12 times longer I should not have to replace them again for 360 years! I hope I live long enough to find out.

A high powered flashy car has raced passed my window … Now that makes me think….

Today, the average new car has some 14,000 to 15,000 parts and accessories. These parts must fit and work together. They are made by many different companies, in different countries. The workshops are all hi-tech nowadays with robots doing the work of several men. While in the past men used blood, sweat and tears to build the parts and the cars, the robots use electricity. Much more than my measly 28 bulbs worth!

Cars come in all the colours of the rainbow. When finished they have a high gloss shine. How many coats of paint does it take to achieve this effect? The paint is not applied by paint brush, oh no, it is machines yet again doing the work. The fumes given off while one car is sprayed, would I am sure, cause more pollution than my bulbs. Is such a high shine necessary? Travel around Dublin or any city and you will observe many cars that have never been washed since they left the showroom.

New cars are designed to travel faster than all legal speed limits. The higher the speed the more fuel used. I would imagine the faster they travel the more wear and tear on the roads. How do they make the tarmac type surface for the roads? I am sure it causes yet more pollution.

I am not anti motorcar I have taken it as an example. I do drive and own a car. At times it means the difference in my being able to get out and about or being trapped indoor for days on end. I live on a hill and walking down to the town is fine, but walking back up again with shopping is a no-no. For me a car is a necessity and not a luxury.

I suppose if I gave up eating, drinking water and washing my clothes I might save the world!