A question of balance

This morning there was a hard frost - the most extreme one so far this autumn. I love early morning walks in the cold air so dashed down to the river. It was the type of morning that makes your nose and cheeks tingle in a world full of sunshine and sparkles. There was no mist today, just glorious golden reflections on the water. I was amused by this black-headed gull, working hard at keeping his balance while scratching his head.

Thankfully my communion with the natural world balanced the feeling of despair that I felt when I read that Brazil had elected an extreme right wing leader - a man full of hatred and bigotry who will almost certainly hasten destruction of the Amazon rainforest, with devastating impacts on climate change. 

And then our own government launched a budget that will spend nearly £40 billion on roads, cars and investment in fossil fuels , but contained no new incentives for renewable energy. The budget also only allocated a measly £400 million for schools (for extras!!), most of which are in desperate need of funding for equipment and teachers. How long can he ignore the dire warnings of the IPCC on climate change and the dissatisfaction of all in the teaching profession? Just unbelievable...