I haven't had a good rant about the environment and the fact that we're doomed (well anyway things are out of our control right now), for a long time.

 

So what have I been doing?  Well apart from working I've been thinking and observing.  Plus making a few comments online on a few blogs.

 

So what have I been observing?  Well I have been looking at the arctic and monitoring, on a daily basis, to see what is going on.  I started with a look at the NSIDC cryosphere page on the 2005/6 winter ice growback failure and followed it with the summer monitoring that nsidc did and also spent the winter monitoring the ice reports myself.

 

The result was startling.  I started with this report http://www.nsidc.org/news/press/20060404_winterrecovery.html and then kept monitoring the daily sea ice pages here http://iup.physik.uni-bremen.de:8084/amsr/amsre.html over the winter.

 

The 2006/7 winter was unbelievable.  The winter ice started anther month late (given the 2005/6 winter record this was really late) and it never really settled all winter.  The ice was breaking up and melting in patches all winter.  Something it did not do in 2005/6 really.

 

The scientists who monitor the ice were somewhat disengenuous in April when they reported that 2006/7 was the second lowest on record.  Apart from a sudden growth of ice for 3 weeks in March, 2006/7 was the lowest hands down for the entire period.  Plus if you look closely, they drew a line around the ice edges, but the ice was broken fractured and subject to sudden melting. As is happening right now.

 

In April, the ice suddenly started to melt all over.  Something not seen before.  Yesterday and the day before that turned into a warming rout which is breaking up the ice wholesale and allowing the seawater to melt the ice sheets.

 

So was Google being topical or high handed?

 

IMHO they were taking a humerous swipe at a very serious problem which is being played down by the very scientists who are being ridiculed with their "predictions of doom".  The real think tanks are talking 10 years, not 40.  My own personal take is that the pole will be open water this year and the northwest passage will be open for most of next winter.  That not only will the pole be open water next year but the perrennial ice will shrink faster and faster each year with almost clear arctic conditions in the summer by 2012.

 

Well that's me stuck my neck out.  Let's see if the environment chops my head off or not....

 

Well last weekend I went on a long trek.  I flew into Stansted Airport on the 06:40 from Skavsta (Stockholm?? rotflmao) on Friday, arrived at #1 daughters at midday and proceeded to get my motorcycle ready for MOT.  Worked all day on the bike and managed to get it into a state worthy of taking to MOT on Saturday.

 

The bike only failed because the battery had dried out.  Off to the local bike shop, one new battery fresh with acid and off I go for a retest.  Failed again, damn.  I had a brand new Honda indicator relay but it couldn't cope without a battery to stabilise the current.  Oh well, anothe 30 mile ride to get it and 30 miles back again.  Passed, finally.  However the fork seals had blown in the meantime.  Another 2 hours taking the forks off and replacing the seals ( I had bought them just in case).

 

The postoffice locally was open till 6pm on a Saturday so I managed to get it taxed.  So I was ready with the bike.  What was I going to do with it?  Take it to France, that's what.  How?  Ride the thing, how else?

 

Sunday morning, up early again and get everything ready.  Then it's off on the bike for Dover.  After 1 hour I stopped and strapped the rucksack to the back of the bike, it was killing me!!!!

 

630 miles (1,000 km) and 17 hours later I arrive.  Stiff as a board and shattered.  On Monday I climbed back on the bike and headed for poitiers and the train station ready to take the train to Beavais (Paris, rotflmao), then the scumair (IMHO), flight to Stockholm.

 

What was the bike?  A 23 year old Honda 250 SuperDream!

 

So now that you know I'm mentally unstable, why did I do all that for a £200 bike?  Well I like to have a bike for those times when you really can't use a car.  I needed to get it home and it will be useful for me to not have to get my better half to pick me up when I arrive at Poitiers (1 hour drive away).

 

Why didn't I sell it and get a better one?  Well I would have but I'm allowed to sell the bike, but I'm not allowed to buy another one!!!!

Well it's heading on for that time again.  9 months in Stockholm and I'm on the move.  Job done, nothing on the horizon for now and time to find another crust to earn.

 

Well it's going to be fun making my way down through Sweden.  They should, by now, have managed to get the E4 completed so that I don't have to go off the motorway on the way down.  Unfortunately the ferries are no longer running so I'm going to have to drive again.  At least I didn't have to leave at the end of Feb.  We were in our 7 weeks of winter (down from 5 months) and there was more snow than I care to drive through for 2 days (and I like driving in Snow).

 

Ah well, interview next week.  Perhaps I'll be in sunnier climes by the end of the month.  Having said that, it was 25DegC at the weekend....