Make a point of visiting us weekly!        Tell a friend about us. Seasonal Reflections:  September (3)

Weather


Week 1 saw low to mid 20’s temperatures with a balance of grey days and sunny days. Week two saw soaring temperatures to 30 degrees or just below for several days with accompanying sunshine dropping to mid-twenties and a balance of sun and cloud. Nighttime temperatures stayed about 19 degrees. Week three maintained low 20’s with rain (!) on the 14th with again, a balance of sunny days and cloudy days. Week four maintained this balance of sunshine and cloud with a very small amount of rain with temperatures just below mid 20’s. The final week continued the same but with ‘heavy rain’ recorded on the 27th.  Indian Summer this was not this year and perhaps a summary was mostly tolerably warm with an almost equal balance of sunshine and clod but a small amount of rain.


Nature


September being the calendar start of Autumn is a time when you start clearing up, trimming back, weeding and final harvesting – and so it was. The air started feeling ‘autumnal’ in the morning sometimes but beyond that this did not seem much like Autumn. Some have been suggesting the seasons are running about three weeks late this year so no signs of cold temperatures. Bird life seems very sparse.



General News


As we can see below, gradually reportable news about the Pandemic diminishes giving room for more other varied news items. This month the arrival of ‘booster shots’ became big news, possibly with the talk of vaccinating more children.

  

The Pandemic & Associated News


6th – The total number of confirmed infections since the start of the pandemic exceeds 7 million (i.e. still less that 10% of the population.)

9th – JCVI approves the use of the Pfizer–BioNTech and Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccines as COVID-19 booster shots, paving the way for a rollout ahead of the winter.

12th – A plan for vaccine passports in England is ditched by the government but kept "in reserve" should it be needed over autumn or winter.

13th – The UK's four chief medical officers recommend that children aged 12–15 should be vaccinated against COVID-19, initially with a single dose, leaving the possibility for a second dose in spring 2022

14th – The JCVI recommends booster shot against COVID-19 for the over 50s and at-risk groups, preferably the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine, meaning about 30 million adults should receive a third dose

16th – The booster programme begins in England and Wales, starting with NHS staff


Misc. News


1st – Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab appeared before MPs and was questioned about the ending of the UK's campaign in Afghanistan

7th – In the Commons, the PM reveals the government's long-awaited plan for social care reforms, including a 1.25% rise in National Insurance to raise £36bn over three years, and a cap of £86,000 on lifetime care costs in England.

8th – MPs vote in favour of the government's NHS and social care tax rise plan by 319 votes to 248, a majority of 71

11th – British player Emma Raducanu wins the 2021 US Open Women's Singles on her first attempt to much home excitement.  Raducanu becomes the first qualifier in history, male or female, to win a Grand Slam tournament and the first female British player to win a major since Virginia Wade at Wimbledon in 1977. She also won the tournament without losing a set. She is the second British player to do this male or female after Angela Mortimer Barrett at the 1958 Australian Championships

15th – The Consumer Price Index jumps from 2 to 3.2%, its biggest increase since 1997.

15th – The PM reshuffles the cabinet

15th – The UK joins AUKUS, a trilateral security pact with Australia and the United States, to counter the influence of China.

16thCo-op Food announces a partnership with Amazon Prime, enabling same-day grocery deliveries, while also expanding the use of robots from 200 to 500 units.

20th – Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng holds crisis talks with industry bosses, as firms struggle to stay afloat amid a surge in natural gas wholesale prices.

26th – Amid panic buying at petrol stations during the fuel supply crisis, ministers suspend competition laws to enable fuel suppliers to talk to one another and prioritise locations most in need.

29th – Labour leader Keir Starmer gives his first in-person speech at the party's annual conference

 



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