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1 month agoNot as bad as the hurricane stories, but two anecdotes:
- Recently, we were in Southern France at ~200 kms from Bordeaux. During the wildfires. It had been in the high 30s (Celsius that is, we use science units). At one point, just before sunset, the wind started turning from the direction of the sea, a penetrating smell of smoke started rolling in and it suddenly got very dark. It felt apocalyptic. I feel bad for all people who had to deal with wildfires in any way.
- Many years ago, I was on a trip to Scotland on a motorcycle trip with a few buddies. It must have been late August, early September. We were in Fort William, which is pretty much at sea level. One day, me and two of my friends decided to climb Ben Nevis, which is the highest peak in the UK at a (relatively modest) 1375-ish meters. We started with sunny weather in the low 20s and as we progressed, we had rain, hailstorms, snow and fog. Oh, and it was freezing at the top. I have not seen so many weather changes in a single day.
Motorcycle. I had my previous one for 17 years and travelled many kilometers with it. However, it has worn down up to the point of the replacement parts being more valuable than what the bike would sell for. In other words, it was a write-off. As I ride my bicycle to work and I have too little leisure time already, I simply cannot justify buying my own motorcycle again.
Fortunately, my FIL has several and will lend me one if I want to.