Finally, FINALLY, we had a day of bright sunshine yesterday. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it until I was walking to work and seeing those dramatic shadows everywhere, tree branches spidering across the pavement. It was fairly warm, too; I was able to wear a short-sleeved shirt with no jacket. Woo hoo!
Apparently food production in England has taken a nosedive because of all the rainfall we've experienced over the past couple of years. Since October 2022, we've had 67 inches of rain, which is a record for an 18-month period in England. (It doesn't seem like that much spread over such a long period of time, but I guess it is.)
Olga was missing the sun too:
This is where she goes on sunny mornings -- the dining room. The windows face east and get a dose of direct sun until about noon, and she can usually be found in there on the carpet. Sometimes we go in and find scratch marks in the rug, where she's been "digging" to make her "bed." (It doesn't damage the rug, at least not visibly.)
When I came home from work Dave and I sat out in the garden, which we haven't been able to do in a couple of weeks. As we watched TV in the evening, sun streamed in through the patio doors. I love sitting on the couch and feeling its warmth, even though it's hard to watch the TV with the sun in my eyes.
Now, this morning, it's gray and foggy and more rain is due this afternoon and for the next several days.
Did you hear about the sword attack in East London? Apparently some guy went on a rampage and attacked random strangers in the street with a sword, killing a young teenager and wounding several others. One of the witnesses said he was ranting about God, which sounds like a sure sign of mental illness, but we don't know much about him yet. Last year, a mentally ill guy killed a couple of uni students and another man in Nottingham; in New York City we've recently seen several people pushed onto subway tracks by mentally ill suspects. Our society is failing people with acute and/or prolonged mental illness, which potentially endangers all of us. Our method of providing care is often to do nothing, thanks partly to the elimination of public mental hospitals and the underfunding of programs to serve those people. Something must change. At least here in the UK they don't usually have guns.
Dave is taking the morning off because he doesn't have a class to teach until right before lunch. I have a doctor's appointment this morning to talk about my recent blood tests, which I don't expect will be very illuminating, but then I'll be going in to work as usual. Remember how I inventoried all the books in our library? Well, I'm supposed to do the same for the Lower School library over the next couple of weeks. Should be fun!
Beautiful sunshine and shadow photos. Inventorying the Lower School Library, I’m so excited for you. It is, however, one of those satisfying end-to-end tasks.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the library has good windows to let enough sunshine in?
ReplyDeleteThat is a nice spot that Olga has.
When you can be on an eight week or longer waiting list for talking therapy...and that is after you have struggled to get put on the list ( one of my son's experience)...and it is worse for other treatments that are needed straight away
We are still having plenty of sunshine here though it's autumn and the air is cooler, when the wind blows it is actually cold.
ReplyDeleteThis attacking with blades thing seems to be spreading, not as messy as America's mass shootings but just as ugly. Here in Adelaide there's been a few incidents, mostly drug related.
I thought England was wetter than that - every time I have visited the UK it has rained. I am surprised how low that is. Only 67 inches? That's about 1700 mm where I live. And rainfall of that magnitude here (coastal Queensland, Australia) would be considered about normal for just 12 months, most of it falling during the "wet" season, December to April.
ReplyDeleteMy dog often " digs" madly on the bottom of his bed, and I was told it is a throwback to wild ancestors that would dig a hole to sleep in!
ReplyDeleteRanting about God may indeed be a sure sign of mental illness so perhaps it would be a good idea to round up all vicars, priests and preachers. Stick them in Wembley Stadium so they can rant and chant together. Seriously though, when those in power shut down all the mental hospitals, alternative provision was and remains wishy washy. "Care in the Community"? I don't think so.
ReplyDeleteNow I know where our rain has been hanging out for the prior two years! I was just reading an article a couple days ago about some UK farmers who were unable to plant a crop due to all the rain. We've had some wet years in the past but I can't remember a single time when the farmers were unable to get a crop in the ground. I can remember a lot of times it got planted late enough to affect yields but there was always something.
ReplyDelete"Lock 'em up", is the usual crass response to such awfulness. But maybe there is a case for much closer monitoring of the mentally unwell. The odds are so in favour of never experiencing an personal attack, but that is cold comfort to those who do.
ReplyDeleteIt's so nice to see Olga enjoying the sunshine.
Great to see some sun. Olga is thinking that's more like it!
ReplyDeleteI love a gorgeous sunny day and the shadows created in the yard. Our cats instantly head to the sunroom after breakfast because it faces East and they get their morning Vitamin D!
ReplyDeleteIt's the dry season in Central Florida. No rain in sight. My granddaughter goes to London for Fall 2024 semester, is it overcast and rainy then? I need to get her a rain coat.
ReplyDeleteHere come the sun...
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful song. What a beautiful thing.
Ranting about god is grossly underdiagnosed. In my opinion, it's one of the most serious diseases of humankind.
ReplyDeleteAll my best wishes for an informative and positively unburdening doctor's visit tomorrow.
I did hear about that guy with the sword. In fact it made the PBS Newshour yesterday. That sunshine looks good. Hopefully, you will get some more soon.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have sunshine, especially for Olga and her people:)
ReplyDeleteRandom attacks terrify people because we always want to know why. If we know the why, then we can protect ourselves. People feel the same way about cancer, but sometimes it's just random.
Violence is terrible. Safety for all should be paramount. The system needs to change. Support systems and care for people dealing with illness should be available. Sadly it is not always available...and then we have a crisis. The same is true for US.
ReplyDeleteIt's the same here with the lack of mental care. Even if you know you need it, getting an appointment is lengthy and difficult. We had an unexpectedly sunny day yesterday too amidst a lot of rain and gray. It was lovely!
ReplyDeleteIt's good that there are no guns available. I'm always taken aback at how close the attacker has to come to the victim with a knife. It makes it very personal.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you have two libraries in the school.
ReplyDeleteit's been overcast and humid here for days forecasting rain which has yet to come. I'm okay with the overcast because if it was sunny it's be even hotter.
Mental hospitals were often grim, abusive places, but today's options aren't often much better. I don't know what the solution is! Olga looks so content in her sun patch.
ReplyDeleteOnly you would say, "should be fun." Just kidding - I would say that too!
ReplyDelete67 inches of rain. that's almost 6 feet. We get about 12 in of moisture per year.
ReplyDeleteOne of the good things about living in a climate that changes a lot, you get to appreciate and not take for granted things like sunny days. I was out walking Shirley this morning and I loved walking down the street with dappled sunshine all over the place. It really helps my mood!
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the clouds and rain. We've been gloomy here but now the sun is out (for two whole days and maybe tomorrow) so you grab it! I did a little weeding in the front yard garden -- so much more to do. Lots to get done in the next couple of weeks. I love seeing Olga in her sun puddle.
ReplyDeleteI hope your appointment was illuminating. And be careful out there! Yes, we are seeing and hearing many more things about the mentally ill and those becoming dangerous. We need much better help for those with mental health issues.
It has been sunny here. I am sucking it up and enjoying it...at the end of the week it is supposed to start raining again and not stop for 9 days.
ReplyDeleteOh...the sadness!
But, it could be worse. At least it is not snowing like it is at Red's house.
We pay a price for not taking care of the poor and the suffering, don't we? It isn't going to go away by itself.
ReplyDeleteThe downside of immediate social media is that people with mental illnesses will be affected and will identify by the trauma and violence
ReplyDeleteThe old asylum system was inhumane but I feel we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater when we just shut them down and left the severely mentally ill with nowhere to go and nobody to care for them.
ReplyDeleteSunshine always makes everyone feel brighter.
Mitchell: Yes, I like the precise answers at the end: How many books are missing, and what are the titles?
ReplyDeleteGZ: Exactly! It's ridiculous how hard it is for many people to access mental health treatment. Yes, thankfully, the library has good windows!
River: Knife crime here is a huge problem, but mainly among kids who are up to no good, it seems to me.
David: I had the same reaction. For 18 months that doesn't seem like such a huge amount -- but as Red pointed out, it IS more than six feet of water.
Frances: Yes, I think it's definitely an instinct to make a comfy "bed."
YP: The key word of "Care in the Community" is CARE! And not enough people are getting that.
Ed: Yes, I've seen those stories too. And if they do get a crop planted, it may fail or at least not prosper because of all the water.
Andrew: I wouldn't say "lock 'em up" except under extreme circumstances, but we hear so much about people being unable to access care promptly, or receiving only very limited services. We also have to contend with people who don't believe they need care or whose illness makes them resist it.
Boud: She is sighing with pleasure!
Bob: It's so funny how animals (including humans) gravitate to sunshine.
Colette: Yes, fall is VERY rainy. In fact it's one of the dampest times of year. She will need rain gear!
Ms Moon: That and "Good Day Sunshine," both among my favorite Beatles songs.
Sabine: Ha! Definitely a sign of mental illness in my book!
Sharon: I guess it IS a pretty dramatic story, one that will no doubt spread more rumors of "no-go zones" in Europe.
Pixie: I have been guilty of thinking that way about cancer -- that it's preventable with knowledge. Which is sometimes true, and sometimes not.
Susan: Yes, it's definitely a problem in the states as well. Governments should be much more invested in mental health care, and it should not be left to corporations whose goal is profit.
Margaret: And so many people DON'T know they need it, or refuse to believe they do.
Allison: Yeah, I feel for that poor kid. The whole ordeal must have been terrifying.
Ellen: We have a separate Lower School library both for convenience (close to Lower School classrooms) and to keep materials for the youngest kids separate from those for older kids.
Kelly: I don't think they HAVE to be grim and abusive. I don't understand why shutting them down, rather than reforming them, was seen as the best solution. (Except for the obvious economic motives.)
Bug: Absolutely! Organizing is fun!
Red: Well, when you put it like that, it DOES seem like a lot of water!
Michael: It is a huge boost, especially after a dreary and dark winter.
Jeanie: I'm glad you're finally getting some sun!
Debby: Exactly. Like many things, if we invest now it will save us money and grief in the long run. People never seem to learn that lesson.
John: Yes, it's true -- violent incidents like this can't help but increase stigma.
Caro: Exactly. Shutting them down may have been warranted but we haven't replaced them with anything near what's needed. I still think reforming public hospitals would have been a much better solution.