Saturday 17 April 2010

Natural Disasters spark panic, worry and Key Lime Pie

Iceland. Where Bjork comes from. However, it's anything but 'oh-so-quiet' (I've got a million of them) due to Volcanic Activity happening there.

This Volcano with an unpronounceable name, has sent tons and huge wafts of Volcanic Ash up high into the sky, flowing its way towards the UK and most of the North-West section of Europe. Now circulating in airspace, there's no such thing as a flight at the moment. With it's substance being lethal to aeroplane engines, all UK and the greater part of Europe's flights have been cancelled. A nightmare for those stranded abroad.

If this happened ten years ago, I wouldn't have battered an eyelid. Mainly because there was no way my family would be travelling abroad, using an aeroplane of any kind. Now...

I rely on Budget airlines to commute for each term at University. It was on Friday morning I was meant to return to the Midlands of England. With one flight cancelled and all news reports pointing to further delays and cancellations, it's become a constant researching battle in what I'm to do. The two most accessed websites on my laptop at the moment are The Guardian and the BBC. Hints of hope where available for a short period. Now with European winds headed back to the UK, this dangerous Volcanic Ash is set to stall itself. And with reports of a second Volcano erupting, as well as the first explosion still sending this lethal smoke into the sky, I can't help but wonder why my panic levels aren't higher.

Is it because I live in a world where the Daily Mail and Daily Express have reigned havoc on our simple minds, that now I don't wish to believe hysteria or hype until I've experienced it first hand? Last year I spent forty minutes of one morning worrying that I had Swine Flu.

At the moment, being stranded in Belfast has encouraged a lot of family bonding that I don't think even they're aware of. And I made the attempt I've been wanting to hit for a long time. Key Lime Pie. It was nice running around Sainsburys, pickinig up ingredients. Surely to buy my own Key Lime Pie would be cheaper, but mine has a thick topping - something that could comfort me while I sit through tonight's episode of Doctor Who and continue with Pratchett and Gaimen's Good Omens. Maybe a DVD. Something to stop me from panicking.

See, I've just discovered; my next flight has been cancelled.

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