Well, it's on fire again.

SoCal is on fire again. A bit earlier than I expected. Fire season used to be from September through into November. Now it seems like it's always fire season.

Can't get ahold of friends who live near the evacuation area, but they are smart and with it enough to get out in time.  I hope.  But that's really bothering me. I'm sitting on the other side of the world watching places I know reduced to cinders. It's not like I personally knew those people who have lost homes, etc., but it's still rather disturbing.

We made the right call to leave, though. It's supposed to be 97F at the coast, according to the local weather guy. And our place did not have A/C, as most of them don't. We would have had to have packed up and checked into a hotel. Preferably somewhere not near any fires or with power lines feeding the A/C having to come through a fire area.

Yes, even though it's still too warm here today, it ain't THAT hot.   

Hoping all your loved ones are safe!

To be honest, the way it's been so dry over here, I was shocked we weren't starting to see fires starting.

Hoping all your loved ones are safe!

To be honest, the way it's been so dry over here, I was shocked we weren't starting to see fires starting.

We've had several moor fires recently although I think arson is suspected for some of them.

We've had several moor fires recently although I think arson is suspected for some of them.

We've not had any that I've heard about down here near me, but I do notice when walking the pooches how absolutely dry the fields are.

We've not had any that I've heard about down here near me, but I do notice when walking the pooches how absolutely dry the fields are.

Dinton Pastures had a pretty decent fire yesterday.  Luckily they contained it VERY quickly before it could spread too much.

Dinton Pastures had a pretty decent fire yesterday.  Luckily they contained it VERY quickly before it could spread too much.

Hadn't even heard of that one! Crazy! Very lucky indeed. I keep saying how it feels like I'm walking through some type of wasteland some of these afternoons.

I had heard that the farmers were in a world of hurt - the grass hasn't grown enough and so they are having to feed cattle the silage they were going to need to feed them over the winter. And that some were starting to sell off animals to be butchered because they couldn't feed them.

If that's the case, beef should get cheaper for while, and then go way up. If they are selling dairy cattle, milk could go up.

I just feel sorry for the cattle, actually.

I had heard that the farmers were in a world of hurt - the grass hasn't grown enough and so they are having to feed cattle the silage they were going to need to feed them over the winter. And that some were starting to sell off animals to be butchered because they couldn't feed them.

If that's the case, beef should get cheaper for while, and then go way up. If they are selling dairy cattle, milk could go up.

I just feel sorry for the cattle, actually.

Just makes me think that if climate change is going to continue to cause this for years to come, how will we start seeing people adjusting?

Yeah. We came here in great part because of the climate being better for us. (It was 114F - 117 in parts of LA last week - that's lethal.) And it's warming up here. (Sigh - thankfully, while unpleasant, it hasn't been brutal. Hopefully that won't change.)

I've watched the impacts of the California drought go on for the better part of a decade, and hate to think of these lovely green islands  having to deal with that. Farming here certainly isn't set up for it. The food chain is so short (pre-Brexit) that any little wobbles at the source go right on through quickly to the consumers. That won't be nice, and added to what could happen with importing food ala Brexit, prices could really jump.

And then there's the added heat. People here can't really just go running out to buy A/C - I suspect the wiring in a lot of places wouldn't take the power load,  and I am not sure the UK (or Ireland) have the generating capability or the ability to transmit that kind of load, either. The very young, the old, and the infirm are going to pay the cost, if the climate heats up dramatically here.

Oh my. I wonder what it costs to live in the Arctic? 

[Aren't I just the little ray of sunshine here?    ]