Chaos

A grey sullen day with frequent heavy showers; standing water on the roads; swathes of wet leaves. A chaotic day, with a lot to do. Not many chances to think about photos

This is the remains of what was a crop of maize. Around here it is harvested at this time of the year and ensiled as winter livestock feed. This year they have been lucky with the weather and the harvest has come in easily. Oftentimes, the land is wet for the harvest and left afterwards as a rutted quagmire. Nevertheless, it is a desolate site in rain and heavy cloud, the clay glistening where its has been compressed in wheeltracks

Environmental campaigners decry the crop for the reason displayed here: it leaves unprotected soil, often damaged and churned, open to heavy winter rain. The muddy run-off carries away soil that has taken many decades to form, the soil gets thinner and thinner, its organic matter is oxidised into carbon dioxide and contributes to climate chaos

A new prime minister will not solve the problem