And a Happy New Year to you too.

And what a lovely year we have in store (that’s just me being positive, don’t take it seriously).

Thanks to wind farms, solar farms and various other climatic fluidic switches, we are looking forward to months of flooding.

Land that used to absorb rainfall and release it slowly into the system is now safely covered with overpriced, substandard, newbuild housing. Who could have guessed that if you build a housing estate on a nice, low lying, flat piece of land next to a river, it might get wet? Quelle surprise.

Yes, of course we are dealing with global climate variations, but as I have said elsewhere, it does not necessarily take a great deal to bring about changes to the climate engine.

It only takes a spoonful of sand in the right place to wreck an engine, however big and powerful.

And just by the way: I fully understand the problems in my country are nothing compared to the catastrophes elsewhere. I cannot begin to understand how it feels to see my family home floating away downriver, my life sinking with it as I watch it torn apart. I don’t know how I would start to build it up again. More words are useless, so I’ll stop.

On the international political scene, humans are showing their true colours and behaving disgustingly, always under one pretext or another, none of which has any validity.

As always, the major powers have rushed to protect and justify their vacillating inactivity. Heaven forfend they should actually do something. Resolutions have been passed, as always. Unfortunately, these do not seem capable of being loaded into a cannon and fired at some arsehole.

Even if, somehow, someone is prosecuted for war crimes, from whichever faction, there are certain truths.

It will be a very long time, years, before any action is taken. Those persons will have enjoyed all those extra years, unlike the bodies lying in the rubble. They will have enjoyed years with all their limbs and probably most of their families. Almost certainly have lived those years in relative comfort and even luxury compared to those trying to rebuild  shattered homes, shattered lives, shattered limbs, shattered dreams. And when they die, it will not be screaming in agony, crying for their mummies.

Good innit?

OK, so I’m grumpy. As I’ve said before, I’ve got a bad back. The guy with the baseball bat has been at it again, right across the hips. Additionally, I have been getting electrocuted about every ten paces. Don’t know why – seems a bit unfair. I think I have a solution and things are improving, but, again, chronic pain affects your mood, emotions, mental acuity – everything. The bad news – you don’t recognise it until someone else points it out.

Not a plea for sympathy, not an excuse – a reason.

If you find someone, particularly a GOF being crotchety and grumpy, could be they’re dealing with pain and haven’t noticed the change.