Let the wind blow and the rain fall, we desperately need it. January was one of the warmest on record and very dry to boot. Most of the moisture in that month fell as snow and that evaporated rather than thawed. The absence of wind reinforces the fact that is staring us in the face, this Earth, the globe we all call home, is heating up. Iv’e said it before and will say it again, the time will soon come when men will be fighting over fresh water to drink, soon there will not be enough to go around.
The strong winds from the South West pick up moisture over the Atlantic. Wind from any other direction comes to this area over land and is dry. Another hot and dry summer this year will be a real problem. Certain species of plants will start to feel the effects, our countryside will rapidly alter. Farmers will take heed and and plant crops that need hotter weather. Already Poppy and Sunflower have made appearances in trial plots.
Garden centres will start stocking Mediterranean plants for the garden and leave more traditional species off their lists if they need a lot of watering.
This Earth has seen it all before and survived but man will struggle in many areas to stay alive. We hear a lot about the causes of global warming but I personally doubt that man is the cause. The last time the Earth changed dramatically man was in his infancy. Then we had the Ice Age. Before that we had tropical conditions, so in the life of this Planet nothing happens that has not gone before.
I hope the rains come this month and next and the summer is a good one. Months of general drizzle in June, July and August will not help the water table.
On a different note. This year there is to be a reunion of all those educated in Rye during the 1960’s. It will take place at the old Grammar School (now the Thomas Peacocke) in Love Lane on 24 June. Many of the pupils attending one of the Rye Schools had a brother or sister attending the other one, so this year all are to meet on the same night. Please tell anyone you know it will be a grand time to catch up on old acquaintances and have a good natter.
The walls around Rye are being raised to accommodate the expected rise in sea levels, but just today on the news I saw that they (the experts) are now saying that the Polar Ice Caps will melt completely and the sea level will rise astronomically! Back to the drawing board I suppose. Soon Rye will have defences higher than the old Berlin Wall. Lets hope the drains will cope with any unexpected deluge from the skies that will threaten Rye from the rivers at it’s rear. In trying to keep the sea at bay they might let their guard drop and be flooded with fresh water from behind!
Jimper
“Rye’s Own” March 2006
All articles, photographs, films and drawings on this web site are World Copyright Protected. No reproduction for publication without prior arrangement. (Hard Copy Back Numbers Still Available) © World Copyright 2015 Cinque Ports Magazines Rye Ltd., Guinea Hall Lodge Sellindge TN25 6EG