In praise of... volcanic ash

Old woman 1: What a beautiful day!
Old woman 2: Isn't it just? Must be 'cos there's no blimmin' planes flying overhead
(Overheard in charity shop)

Nature, just like our bodies, likes to give us warnings when something is amiss. Planet earth is giving us plenty at the moment in the form of earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and now a volcano erupting in Iceland, causing a halt in air traffic in many parts of Europe. The culprit is volcanic ash (which I thought would be black but is in fact, er, invisible, leading me to half believe it's all made up and a subterfuge for the actual culprit, probably an imminent terrorist attack).

Some 1,300 flights leave from Heathrow airport daily, and while I'm truly sorry to hear about Sandra from Newcastle's delayed flight to Sharm El Sheikh, any cancellation of air flights can only be a good thing and have a positive effect on the environment, not only because of climate change but also local noise and air pollution.

Look up at the beautiful blue sky, listen to the birds singing, and realise what a lovely world it would be without those blimming loud, ugly metal objects ruining the sky (now if only we could find a way to get rid of motor vehicles...). Also, due to flight cancellations from Heathrow, I know a lot of people in South West London and England will be getting some decent nights sleep for the first time in years.

www.planestupid.com