As autumn descends upon us here in ‘Blighty’ and in particular northern Britain, we will soon be in the firing line of the storms that will make their way across the Atlantic.
This will likely become the main topic of the day’s conversations as we go about our daily lives (for some of us are serial moaners) but spare a thought for those caught up in the storms in the Caribbean and Florida.
I cannot take my eyes off the television coverage of devastation that mother nature is unleashing on these people, wrecking everything in its path.
Our headlines today from weather reporters state that the first storm of the season in the UK will bring winds of 50-60 mph which will cause havoc with trees still heavy with foliage.
Compare that with the winds on Irma at 130-160 mph, add in the rainfall and the sea storm surge and it gives a real sense of the scale and power of this storm.
As I’ve travelled across Aberdeenshire and beyond, delivering our precious harvests of the sea to discerning customers eager to get fresh local fish, I have watched the seeds sown in spring turn into thousands of acres of golden harvests for the farming community.
They are now battling against their own timeline to get that harvest cut in prime condition to maximise yield and profit.
They will have their own challenges getting the crops in before we get the remnants of storms that our fellow citizens are experiencing in the states.
Geographically our position in the world here in Northern Britain gives the fishermen at sea and the farmers onshore the correct elements to produce great food but equally we have our own challenges working against those elements of the weather patterns that find their way sweeping across the Atlantic.
Rain, sun and wind all make great ingredients to create our food – it all depends on the right mix of each and when.
As a local seafood supplier, I was invited to assist and serve lunch on “Fish Friday” in the restaurant at an office block in Aberdeen and I could clearly see that fish certainly is a popular choice on the menu.
Telling the story of our seafood is always high on my priorities and therefore we need to stand loud and proud on what we produce so that others can enjoy the produce of our hard-working primary producers who get out of bed at all hours, and weather, to harvest the catch, feed the cattle or take in the crops.
There are no days off when the conditions are right and it is with this in mind, that I reflect back on the days that I have a long-winded bellyache about the weather.
Perhaps we should spare a thought for the millions of folks that are fleeing for their lives from the deadly hurricane and be grateful for the mercies that are bestowed upon us here in cold wet rainy windy Scotland.
