Pause for thought

Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy

Benjamin Franklin.

One week to go now until our giant trip down the west coast. I am gently filling my days at work with tidying up and paperwork tasks, Internet research on San Francisco, Napa Valley wine tours or surfing techniques (as I could learn anything useful at all sat behind a Cow Town desk). It's been 5 or six weeks since I ran anywhere due to continued pain in my IT band but it seems to be slightly better after lots of stretching, so, all covered in well engineered tape by Chantal at school I am prepared to go for a trial run this afternoon. I have yet to make any decisions about the half marathon, but I am relentlessly optimistic

On the long weekend at the start of May Victoria and I returned from camping in Jasper via the Columbia Icefield and we took a tour ON A GLACIER! We were driven out on a kind of hand-built bus with balloon tyres on a hot sunny day and stood in awe on a sheet of ice 30m thick. Our guide was something of a Glacial expert (doctorate in it etc) and told us about Glacial retreat. Apparently the glaciers in the Rocky mountains have been in gradual and constant retreat since about 1850. It is currently retreating at about 2 metres per year OHMIGOD!!! GLOBAL WARMING, AARGH!!!

Nope.

It has retreated 1600m in the last 100m years, an average rate of 16m per year.


It's currently melting MUCH MUCH SLOWER than it has done for last 160 years.

Now, I'm not denying global warming; heaven forbid. All of my left leaning friends would have me stoned in the street, but this doesn't seem to chime with the alarmist figures I hear again and again. Yes, the earth is getting warmer, but more than normal?

So, drive fewer miles in a smaller-engined car, recycle, turn off lights etc etc, but also, for Socrates' sake, keep an open mind...

BTW, after a year of three, four or even five litre V6, V8 and V10 car engines it will be nice to get back to a place where our 1.8 litre Ford is considered excessive by some.


Many friends are saying goodbye this weekend. We have both felt so very welcomed here in Calgary and we will miss all of you. Please, come find us in Leeds. I'll show you what the Good Lord meant when he said 'Let there be beer.'