I was going to title this post 'Poor Visibility" - an Eyewear title if ever there was one - but went for the more theologically resonant one instead. Odd times over the European skies today - ash is general over England, and beyond. There was a large volcanic eruption in Iceland on Wednesday. Due to the weather conditions, a plume of volcanic ash has now spread southwards towards northern Europe and is severely affecting all airlines' flight activity in the area. For safety reasons and on the direction from Air Traffic Control Service (Nats) a decision has been made to cancel a number of flights and close all London airports. All British Airways domestic services have been cancelled on Thursday 15 April. On the BBC, they are talking about maybe no flights until Saturday, unless the ash plume, now pretty immobile, moves on. This seems relatively unprecedented, and more than a little sci-fi slash disconcerting. No eye in the sky, indeed. Iceland's revenge on Britain for the banking crisis?
A poem for my mother, July 15 When she was dying And I was in a different country I dreamt I was there with her Flying over the ocean very quickly, And arriving in the room like a dream And I was a dream, but the meaning was more Than a dream has – it was a moving over time And land, over water, to get love across Fast enough, to be there, before she died, To lean over the small, huddled figure, In the dark, and without bothering her Even with apologies, and be a kiss in the air, A dream of a kiss, or even less, the thought of one, And when I woke, none of this had happened, She was still far distant, and we had not spoken.
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Or karma. Anyway, I was thinking exactly the same thing at the same time! Could these events also be responsible for the strange weather all around the world now, including snow in Calgary and Lethbridge (it's almost May!), incessant sunny hot-rariny cold-sunny hot-rainy cold non-stop alternating days here in Taiwan, the extreme fog that was behind the deaths of the Polish President, etc. etc.? I really wonder.
Global warming be damned. I think we are near the end of the world. Perhaps the Mayan calendar, the interpretation of it, and John Cusack helping people to some grotesque ark are all turning out to be true.... Okay, not the last bit.