![\"Autumn](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.stragnell.com\/befoulednews\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/autumn_colour.jpg?resize=525%2C334\" "\\"Autumn")
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I ran across an intriguing weather forecast<\/a> earlier in the week \u2013 it seems we are (were?) due to have some \u201cBlood Rain\u201d in the UK, a weather condition of which I was previously unaware, I have to confess. It seems that storms in the Sahara throw fine sand and dust particles into the atmosphere which then get swept northwards causing the rain to have a reddish tinge and leaving behind a dusty residue. It is supposed to have been preceded by a spell of warm weather as the wind comes from the south \u2013 since I can\u2019t recollect any particularly warm days this week, I suspect it didn\u2019t get this far or was blown back to the Sahara when it met the Arctic winds we are currently enjoying. Still, when\/if you see red rain and\/or a dusty red residue on your parked car, you\u2019ll know all about it.<\/p>\n A couple of quick examples of how politics works in this country these days. (I wonder, is it just UK politics which works this way \u2013 I doubt it). Picture the scene \u2013 the Conservative Party is trailing badly in the polls and needs a boost. At the same time, two of the big energy companies announce gas and electricity price rises well above the rate of inflation. So David Cameron, the Prime Minister, sensing the impending backlash from consumers, announces that the government will legislate<\/a> to ensure that energy companies are obliged to ensure that their customers are always given the lowest energy tariff. (You need to understand that the energy companies here have a myriad of tariffs to offer their customers, the main purpose of which seems to be to confuse anyone who doesn\u2019t hold a PhD in energy marketing). So, what\u2019s wrong with Cameron\u2019s announcement, one might well ask? It turns out that Cameron had spoken with no one about the policy, neither the energy minister nor the energy secretary could explain what it meant and the energy companies quite naturally started bleating about government interference, which is something with which the Tories are certainly not normally associated. In short, it was a soundbite moment which, upon further investigation, has no substance.<\/p>\n Secondly, an excellent article by Andrew Rawnsley<\/a> in the Guardian about the resignation of the government\u2019s chief whip after he made some less than polite comments about the police who patrol Downing Street. It\u2019s a long story of which our non-UK readers will have heard little, I suspect. In short, Andrew Mitchell, the Chief Whip, was leaving a meeting in Downing Street when he had a confrontation with the policeman guarding the gates. Mitchell concedes that he made a few unkind and unwise remarks; according to the policeman and some other witnesses, he (Mitchell) swore at the policeman and called him a \u201cpleb\u201d who was supposed to be there to f***ing help him rather than be a hindrance. It was a case of \u201che said, they said\u201d and Cameron gave Mitchell his full support (it\u2019s usually a death sentence for politicians when the Prime Minister announces that they have his full support). In the end though it was the Conservative backbench MPs who forced Mitchell to resign. As Rawnsley put it:<\/p>\n The police have lost a lot of the trust they once enjoyed, but forced to choose between taking their word for it and that of a cabinet minister, even Tory newspapers plumped for the police officers’ version of events.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Lawyers and politicians – don’t you just love them!<\/p>\n Finally, a new book details the crime de la creme<\/em> of typographical errors, from hotel brochures advertising a ‘French widow in every bedroom’ to Tea Party signs declaring President Obama’s ‘crisis of competnce’. The Guardian has a gallery<\/a> of some of the best.<\/p>\n And finally, finally, Annabelle came by for a visit yesterday to play with her favourite birthday present which Grandma made!<\/p>\n [portfolio_slideshow id=3884]<\/p>\n Off to Dublin for a few days \u2013 we\u2019ll raise a glass of the black stuff and drink your health.<\/p>\n Much love to you all,<\/p>\n Greg<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Good morning on a tolerably, tolerable day \u2013 a bit fresh to be sure and somewhat grey but at least it\u2019s dry (so far). Yesterday was glorious \u2013 bright and sunny with clear blue skies but fresh to the point of being positively frigid as the wind has turned round to blow from the northeast … <\/p>\n