Saturday, October 06, 2007

Nature’s Way

And now the recriminations. The meteorologists say that they could not have predicted the intensity of the hurricane, wind speeds of which are now said to have been higher - at up to 135kph. But the same meteorologists admit that they were caught out. Echoes of other major wind events, it sounds. Twenty years ago, to the month, in England. Ah well.

A disaster zone has been declared in Palma, and it looks it. The industrial estate of Can Valero was especially badly affected with roofs torn off. Of course Palma is more likely to be badly affected as it is the only really dense centre of population and commerce on the island. There again, it is something of a reverse of the situation with the storm of 2001 when Palma, comparatively speaking, got off lightly, and the north really got it in the neck.

This time around, here in the north, things just returned to normal very quickly. It seemed odd to see people sprawled out on beaches where only some 18 hours earlier there had been this massive deluge and those winds. This morning, wandering around the fair in Alcúdia, it occurred to me - what would have happened had that storm hit two days later? What a mess that would have been. It just serves to remind that, even in a place with so much emphasis on outdoor events, if nature decides to turn nasty, boy are you in trouble.

Anyway, here is a shot of some chaps playing jazz this morning at the fair.



But weather ... what the heck, England have beaten Australia at rugby. “Skippy, Rolf Harris, Dame Nellie Melba, your boys took a hell of a beating.”


QUIZ
The Farm one day, Bob Dylan the next - Geoff’s on a roll. Today’s title? My profile might give a clue, there again it might not.

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