INQ solar panels predicted shape of torrents to come

YOU CAN RELY ON one thing about English weather and that is it is something not to be relied upon.

Trust me. I'm a jock born in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Today was supposed to be the INQ summer party for journos but it became clear quite early we in Blightyland were in for a fantastic experience, most of it not good. Click on Santa Claus on the left (this linked to this) to show how seasonal the weather is down our yard.

An unusual pattern of events emerged. First of all, it got so dark about 11AM UK British Summer Time that we canned the party. At the height of the storm, the solar panel inverter switched itself off because it thought it was in the midst of a solar eclipse. One that lasted for hours.

We emailed as many people as we could, but the lines weren't working because a huge tropical rainstorm was causing all systems to go in Blightyland. Some INQ journalists had their own stories of woe. Our own Martin Veitch was stuck on a tube train for three and a half hours and eventually managed to contact us from a pub in Putney. On his tube train people were crying about stuff. Some of them needed to find the comfort rooms, but we don't have those on the Tube. Apparently 115 frights were cancelled as well. Martin V held on and merely observed, like a good INQ hack does.

But look at this graff below. Thanks to the Fronius software we could see the crowds were gathering. At 8AM UK time, we told David Kanter in California that the inverter was only delivering 45W - not enough to run a PC on - and we bet things were a tad better for a 3Kw system in Dullsville, San Jose. He said yes, that's true. And then started bitching about an 8.30AM flight he has to take first thing tomorrow.

The INQ editorial cancellation was then obviously what you guys in Dullsville call a "slam duncan". Once the torrents had quit 'arrow, we had rather a nice afternoon allowing stuff to dry out. The big thing is now progressing north, and we're now promised another big thing tomorrow.

The good news is our postman got through the torrents before the storm and delivered us a cheque for INQ contribution to the National Grid. It is still delightful here in balmy Harrowland. But we're promised more torrents for the next few days. No wonder palm trees and Tamarind trees like our barmy Blighty weather, isn't it?

It could have been worse. We might have had to put up 10 INQ journalists in 'Arrow until Saturday morning when things will probably be worse, and send out for urgent supplies. µ