View from the Rear Window - December 2023

 "December, being the last month of the year, cannot help but make us think of what is to come" - Fennel HudsonThe cold weather that ended November 2023 continued into December for a few days (Photo 1) before slowly warming up. The second half of the month was warm for this time of the year...

Kicking Up a Storm

 The current UK storm season (September 2023 to August 2024) seems to have been busier than usual with Storm Isha (21-22 January 2024) and Storm Jocelyn (23-24 January 2024) the two most recent examples. From the Met Office warnings, Isha seemed the most threatening of the two storms from Herefordshire's...

Cluck and Collect

 I may have mentioned before that we are plagued surrounded by houses run by cats. I say run by cats since it is abundantly clear that (i) humans exert no control whatsoever over their cats, (ii) cats do whatever they like, and (iii) cats have no affection for their human hosts other than...

Road Kill

 Travelling through the Cotswolds recently (15/1/24) on a cold but sunny day, we came across a wake of buzzards feasting on some roadkill. Optional collective nouns for buzzards are a kettle, soar, or committee of buzzards.Video 1: Buzzards and RoadkillThe road (B4077) from Tewkesbury to Stow-on-the...

Power Pause Update 2

 Another Power Pause, another Payday! Offer to participate in the next Power Pause on January 17th was accepted. The Air Source Heat Pumps were turned down a couple of degrees for the one hour duration of the pause and we spent a pleasant hour reading ...Photo 1: My Reading ChoicePhoto 2: Mary's...

Power Pause Update

Last month, I described the National Grid's Demand Flexibility Service that my energy supplier, Good Energy, calls Power Pause. In that post I reported on the first three Power Pauses that took place on 29th November, 1st December and 5th December. On the first date, I saved 0.407 kWh of energy...