As the first chills of autumn begin to consign our long, hot summer to the memory banks, many of us will be planning a September ritual that can send a shiver down the spine.

Filling the home heating oil tank for the winter is always an expensive task - but in this cost-of-living crisis, it is going to be a particularly painful chore.

Sure, many city-dwellers don’t have this problem, but more than 700,000 Irish households — around 45% of the total — do rely on kerosene for their heating.

A typical domestic tank has capacity for 1,000 litres, and last year, filling it for the winter would have set you back around €900. A hefty sum.

But that was last year.

The war in Iran has sent oil prices soaring since, and this month that same 1,000 litres - which may or may not see you through the winter, depending on your usage and how harsh the weather is - will cost around €1,350. Ouch.

At this juncture, it’s only right and fair to lambast Donald Trump for his crazy decision to start a war with the world’s 17th largest country, whose rulers see death as martyrdom, and really don’t care how many civilians join them in whatever after-life they find.

Suffice to say, this ‘swift’ U.S war has become a running sore, and 190 days later, Trump is still waving his fist at Iran, bombs are still being traded, while oil prices remain stubbornly sky-high.

I’m not sure how mad, bad, and dangerous Trump is as the leader of the free world, but........

© Evening Echo