I was in a meeting yesterday when the snow started in Dublin and the chaos began. And then the thunder and lightening, and everyone began to wonder if they would get home. When the Dublin Bus and AA Roadwatch websites crashed and then the news that Dublin Bus were stopping all services, the panic began to kick in all round…

 

While walking through town last night, I crossed Winetavern St in Christchurch, to be met not the usual traffic, but kids sledging down the hill! It was a really struggle to cross the street that was covered in an inch of solid ice and stay upright at the same time. As I shuffled across the street, I involuntarily started to drift down the hill at the same time. Scary! I was walking to work this morning, and the thought struck me that what the hell would i do if i slipped, fell and broke something. It doesn’t really bear thinking about.

 

A friend told me this morning that her friend left town at 2pm yesterday to try and get home to Blanchardstown, and still hadn’t arrive home at 10pm. What a nightmare!!!

 

I was on the bus home this evening and spotted that the Grand Canal was frozen over, and I hear that lakes all over the place have frozen too.

 

Given that electricity is my own specialist topic, I’ll get my spoke in here. The evening peak on the Irish grid this evening hit about 5165MW, that’s pretty close to a record peak. And if you look at how much of that was generated from wind generation, its only 83MW. Only a reminder that wind is not the answer to all our prayers; it needs fossil fueled back up for occasions just as this.

 

Well, I’m wrapped up warm here on the couch, in front of a roaring fire. I leave you with this thought: between the rain and flooding back in November and the now the big chill, its beginning to feel like Mother Earth is trying to wear us down with her powers.