Struggling to process a big news item about adult literacy, that there is a shortage of volunteers. Well, I loved my work with LearnDevon working with adults to help with their literacy and numeracy. Work hours dwindled until it was not worth working. There was a demand, still is a demand, and I have the …
Sherwood Observatory
Report of visit to Sherwood Observatory 27 July 2026 On arrival we were warmly welcomed by the staff and volunteers. After having our tickets checked, we looked at the exhibits outside the planetarium. These included reference to a local engineer who had made some spectroscopic equipment for a certain Sir Norman Lockyer. There was a …
Derbyshire Days
The drive to Derbyshire for a family wedding reinforced my view of travelling. Driving is no longer as fun as it used to be. Larger cars, heavy traffic, roadworks, bridges being built to connect who knows where to who knows what, the speed of traffic, the difficulties of navigating in a new area all combined …
Odysseys
Seeing culture began this week with enjoying the new film about Homer’s Odyssey. At three hours this was a committed watch, thrilling after a bit of a slow start, although some time was needed to set the scene. Although I still don’t understand how Odysseus got lost on his way home from Troy. The special …
Art, angst, and some fun!
It’s relentless. And exhausting. First we had 10 months of chilly rain, then a heatwave, then a cold spell, before wave after wave of heat. Having spent Monday recovering from the weekend, I then spent Wednesday recovering from Tuesday. Sadly, I had to go to a funeral of a friend which sparked memories of times …
A feast for the senses
A nice catch up with friends in their cool garden before having a picnic lunch in Seaton began the week. The sea was as blue as the Med and just as hot. We took our photo against the backdrop of a palm tree and could indeed have been in far flung sunny climes. Tennis …
Strawberries and Cream
The week began with a conundrum. My shopping came to £11.33 and I handed the cashier (an unsmiling young lad) a £20 note. The change was handed to me…£12. Mmmm I asked for the receipt which he also scrutinised but evidently floored by it. I gently suggested that £9 was the change and looked at …
Heatwaves past and present
Memories of ’76 are all around this week and indeed for the coming weeks, with temperatures up in the 30s, just like that long ago summer. Although this heatwave is short, the heat of ’76 lasted for weeks, with water shortages, Saharan dust, great music – it was the year of ‘Under the Moon of …
w/e 21 June A lot of hot air!
Tilting back at last…and the grumpiness continues as today (21st) is hailed as the Longest Day. It is not. The longest days were the previous two days as well. Today is the day of the solstice, a fleeting moment in time when the sun pauses from the Earth tilting towards summer, before heading back …
Warming up…
The week ended on a note of excitement as I picked a presentable amount of strawberries after a garden tidy session. After a struggle for survival, quite a few of the plants have not only survived the blistering sunshine followed by Biblical deluges, but have woken up to produce fruit in the recent more …
Karen Hedges 