I don't normally suffer from writer's block but today I want to write but I just can't get any ideas. It doesn't help to know that there are people here at Hubpages who happily turn out 400 Hubs in the first year and I've produced less than 40 in my first 8 months).

Off the Top of my Head

Here I am sitting in my 'study' overlooking our very leafy garden here in Portsmouth in the UK. It's wet and overcast (as usual). There is a huge 400 year old oak tree at the bottom of the garden. I must get a tree surgeon in to do some serious prunning because it is currently about 10 times the height of our house. Every Autumn (or Fall) it dumps several tons of leaves all over the garden.

We've had some pretty heavy storms in the last few days (if the tree comes down so does the house!) with extensive flooding in the North of England. But not half as bad as you folks on the other side of the Atlantic with Gustave, Hanna and Ike. I recommend future storms be named tropical Storm McCain, followed by Obama and finally the Mother of all Hurricanes, Palin! More on Sarah and Ice Queens later.

Luckily we live on the back of the South Downs so although I can't see the sea from where I sit, a 10 minute walk up the hill gives us dramatic views of Portsmouth Harbour, the Isle of Wight and the English Channel. Living on a hill also means that at least you don't get flooded out. Unfortunately this is a an increasingly common occurance for more and more people in the UK as global warming bites.

Incidentally I was following the US Tennis Open at the aptly named Flushing Meadow yesterday with Andy Murray putting up a convincing fight against Nadal (2 sets up) when rain stopped play (Tropical Storm Hanna?). Good to know its not just Wimbledon where this happens. Time to find the money to put a roof on the Arthur Ash stadium!

Which brings me neatly to the dreaded Credit Crunch. We've been going through our family contingency plans. How can we protect ourselves against the impending financial storm and what might happen next? I've just seen today that the US Government is taking control of Freddie Mack and Fannie May. To British ears these names sound funny but the consequences are deadly serious not only for the US but for the rest of the world too.

Luckily I work with the Royal Navy here in Portsmouth so my petrol (gasolene) bills are pretty low. However, electricity and heating gas prices have rocketed in the UK.

Until recently we had an open fire which burned timber we pick up from the wood behind the house or from the garden. A friend of mine once called it a hobby fire. We just had a simple log basket in an open hearth. It didn't throw out a lot of heat but was cosy in winter, particularly at Christmas.

This week we've had a serious wood-burning stove installed. This increases the efficiency of our wood burning from less than 20% to over 70%. As our wood is currently free this greatly reduces our heating bills. I've also purchased a chain saw and a splitting axe and I'm much more serious about wood collecting. For more on the benefit of wood burning stoves, check out: Ten Reasons To Burn Wood

The other thing we must do is put more insulation in the loft. And write more hubs, of course, in order increase my income. Incidentally, I've earned 17c already today from Adsense. Don't try to hide your envy. I know you're impressed.

These are difficult but exciting times. Whichever way the US Presidential election goes, history will be made. An Afro-American president or the first female VP. With the Russians flexing their muscles in Eastern Europe and a global financial crisis, what the world needs right now is a Hockey Mom in the White House. Someone who can not only shoot a bear but turn it into a nice throw for the family sofa. Someone who can also put some serious Moose steaks in the White House Freezer. Watch out Washington. The Snow Queen is coming (who doesn't believe in Global Warming) and you know what happened to Narnia!

For more on this topic, check out Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter and Sarah Palin - Don't let the Alaskan Ice Queen Spin!