Are we getting warmer?

I seriously question the THEORY (note - theory not fact!) of Global Warming! In Zululand the temperature today started at a minimum of 12 and has risen to a current 15. For Zululand that is pretty nigh freezing and I am pretty sure that it has snowed either at Melmoth (60 kilometers inland as the crow flies) - or at Nkandla, which is about 30 kilometers inland from the coast!

It is colder this year by around 3 degrees celsius, than it usually gets. Usually I freeze up when the temperatures get below 20 degrees celsius. In summer most complain if the airconditioner is on the fritz and the outside temperatures are hovering around 32 degrees celsius. If you add on the humiture factor the effective temperatures hover in the high 30's or low 40's. Even in summer, it is not hotter than it usually gets! True the humidity from the water laden sea air makes life not so easy, but since I was accident damaged, I prefer the heat to the cold, any day of the week!

To give some indication to those who live to the west of the Atlantic Ocean, water freezes at 0 degrees and boils (at sea level) at 100 degrees. Apparently on Mount Everest, water actually boils at around 35 degrees, because of the altitude!

I am losing bulk at the moment - the fat is dripping off of me - and I am not as insulated as I usually am in winter! Even my fingers are losing some bulk. Last week, I had to even buy some belts to hold up my trousers! Before, I was in danger of wearing my longs around my ankles and often they would slip down. Still this is way preferrable to having to battle to do my buttons up. I have a pair of size 40 longs that were a comfortable fit, but now even my size 38 longs are too large! It will not be too long before my size 36 longs fit easily. I kind of regret giving away my extensive collection of size 36 longs. It seems that my belief that I would never fit into them again, was far from the truth. Still, longs are not so very expensive and it is a pleasure to shop for longs in a smaller size.

Even my shirts fit better, which is a good sign. The problem that I face is that my Temple Garments are getting to be a mite loose fitting! In Zululand, you cannot just nip up to the Temple and buy new garments, so I have to survive with the new ones I bought in bulk not so long ago, until I can get up to the Distribution Centre at the Temple! Otherwise my belts have 2 functions - 1) they hold up my longs and 2) they hold up my garments! Admittedly this is a great problem to have!

I am fortunate that in summer, I get sea breezes which makes Mtunzini around 5 degrees cooler than it gets in Richards Bay. In winter the breezes seem to blow uninterrupted from the South Pole!

I am going to make a pest of myself at the District Council meeting tonight! I am expecting a report back on the problem I had last week, with confirmation from the District Clerk - it will help since the member in question is wanted for service on the District Council. I still need confirmation of the progress on the District goal for 5 or 6 baptisms a month. In Richards Bay we should be baptizing a net 2 a month, but in the first 6 months, we have lost a net 2 members! Growth can only come from 2 sources:-
1) Baptisms AND
2) Transfers in. These transfers are not to be counted as baptisms - as far as I can see! Doing the Home Teaching list, I noted that in 6 months we had 3 members move out and a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids) were baptized.

There are 2 members who moved in, but at last printout from MLS, their records had not arrived, or even been called for! The BP maintains that the ones records have arrived, and this is great news, since the District President wants him on the District Council.

The other move in, has requested his records remain at Hillcrest since he still holds a calling there, which he is apparently active in, every second week!