Fuelling the recession: 100 million tons of rubbish: Indian Autumn: Elfandsafety footy: and a woman in a shed.

A smidge nippy, but sunny and calm at the Castle this morn, the study is empty of adding machines and I have just forked out 130 squids for the car tax.

All I need to do now is save up for some go juice.....

And it seems that “The satellite” keeps changing its mind about coming home.

Allegedly the IMF and the World Bank have come up with a cunning plan to “help reduce carbon dioxide emissions” by proposing global carbon taxes on aviation and ship fuels in developed economies.

The proposal suggests an international charge on aviation and maritime bunker fuels of $US25 per ton of CO2, which it said would "reduce CO2 emissions from each sector by around five to 10 per cent".

Such a charge, if implemented, could also bring in $US250 billion ($256.86 billion) in taxes in 2020, according to the report, which focuses on how funds to fight climate change can be mobilised.

The same report also urged governments to remove subsidies for fossil fuels in the Annex II countries, which it said were worth about $US40 billion to $US60 billion a year in 2005-2010.

 I give up....

Apparently a "plastic soup" of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said.

The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world's largest rubbish dump – is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting "soup" stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.

Charles Moore, an American oceanographer who discovered the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" or "trash vortex", believes that about 100 million tons of flotsam is circulating in the region. Marcus Eriksen, a research director of the US-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, which Mr Moore founded, said yesterday: "The original idea that people had was that it was an island of plastic garbage that you could almost walk on. It is not quite like that. It is almost like a plastic soup. It is endless for an area that is maybe twice the size as continental United States."  

Perfect for recycling then.....

According to the Met Office

Britain is in for the warmest start to autumn since 1985 - with temperatures expected to hit 27C.

Forecasters predict hot weather lasting for several days, with temperatures in the mid 20s into October.

The south and east of the country should benefit the most, with temperatures up to 27C, compared with an average maximum of 16.1C for September.

Sky meteorologist Dr Chris England said high pressure over all of Britain should lead to a build-up in temperatures over the course of the week.

The Met Office said next weekend's first days of October is expected to be the hottest since 1985.

That’ll please his Maj.

Up in Tuffley

A furious row kicked off yesterday after a school banned footballs from the playground.

Harewood Junior School in Tuffley, Glos, said leather and plastic balls are too dangerous.

Pupils now have to play with sponge balls in case they get hurt. Mum Kirstie Davis said: “It’s stupid.”

I see that Dave’s plans to do away with Elfandsafety madness is working well then.

 And finally:

Dahn in Havant

Hard up NHS care worker Victoria Campbell is living in a hut in her parents’ back garden to save money.

But the 20-year-old has been astonished to find her temporary home has been banned by the council. Victoria has lived in the one-bedroom shed with boyfriend Bill Warden for a year while they are saving up for a house deposit.

The couple is going to appeal against the council’s ruling.

The double-glazed shed in Havant, Hants, was built by Victoria’s mum and dad, Jenny and Colin, for £14,000. It has no running water but is heated by an oil radiator and draws electricity from her parents’ £170,000 three-bedroom terraced house.

Planning officers at Havant council recommended that the couple should be given temporary permission to stay in the shed but councillors disagreed, saying it “did not provide adequate living conditions”.

The couple has nine months to get a new place or they will be fined.

Maybe her parents should have given her the £14,000 towards the deposit instead...

That’s it: I’m orf to X-ray all the Castle pictures-just in case.

 And today’s thought: Keep looking up.

 Angus