7 June (Part 2) - The defecating dog
I was going to do a short piece on the Meteorological Office gaslighting us
about May being the warmest ever. The figures on their own website suggest that
they carefully compared it with the 1960s when we all shivered at the
approaching ice-age - seriously, that is what they said was on its way back then
- and now that the cycle has moved back towards normal, wow, we discover that 2024 is warmer than 1962
when the snow didn’t melt until after Easter.
Fortunately Diamond Geezer came along and gave us an
eastender’s opinion of Bexley Village. A much better read than what I had in mind for
today. “I always think it’s very appropriate that Bexley street signs have a defecating dog where the borough logo ought to be.” Absolutely brilliant!
As for the weather, we all know May was cold and wet but I know because I log
the sunshine intensity at 15 minute intervals that it was as you might expect also very
dull. In order of sunshine levels the last 14 years’ of May in best to worst order have
been 2020, 2011, 2018, 2015, 2019, 2023, 2016, 2022, 2014, 2021, 2013,
2024, 2012 and 2017. 2024 was 46% behind 2020, 1% in front of 2012 and 2% in
front of 2017 so this year May was very nearly the worst since 2011 and a long way below average.
Sunshine does not equate directly to temperature of course because the wind blows warm air
around and increased cloud levels at night will keep us warmer. But nothing
distorts temperature readings more than placing the recorder next to the main runway at Heathrow.