And a woman still has to prove her identity every single time. Surely, by now there must be an easier way for organisations to check identity. The Inland Revenue know who and where we are, surely this information could be made available to others seeking verification? I cannot face going through all my papers yet …
Last of the late sunrises.
The sun has had a good rest, now it will be back to getting up earlier and earlier. Today is the last day of the late sunrises...so tomorrow will be brighter for those back at work, by a minute, but a minute is a minute! Glad to have time to enjoy the changing seasons, although …
Happy New Year
What an odd occurrence, to have a new year in the midst of a run of the latest sunrises. Doesn't make sense. The old Yuletide of 6 January makes more sense as the first day of the new year when the sun rises a bit earlier, minute by minute, from then on. Interestingly, the new …
Stargazing for the New Year
Hello and welcome to another year of stargazing. Among the articles about the Star of Bethlehem I said there would surely be, there was one by a Mark Matney suggesting the object may have been a comet. This is not a new idea, indeed there were several plausible ideas put forward in a book …
Christmas bonus
Just watching the lunchtime news...apparently one Christmas meal costs nearly £40. Eh?! I've just spent £40 on a massive amount of vegetables, and a large turkey in Lidl. Oh, and I make a Christmas pudding in October which means I can buy the ingredients a bit at a time. It's not only cheaper, but tastier …
Book Fair at Totnes
Not exactly a snappy title but I'm tired from the drive, the event, the drive back, via a cameo performance in Iryna Ilnytska's Carmen at the University of Exeter... A successful day in which I met many lovely people interested in the Norman Lockyer Observatory, space, stars, and my books. Peter from the Beyond the …
Synchronicity…
In a nice display of life's synchronicity, my birthday was book-ended either side with a Cookham Tuesday. ??? Last Tuesday I gave a talk about William Lassell who lived at Ray Lodge, Maidenhead...which meant I could display a photo of the prettiest stretch of river from Maidenhead to Cookham, and last night Cookham was shown …
Remembrance Day always makes me thoughtful. I loved working at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as a secretary where I learned about far away countries and how each grave is carefully tended, sometimes by many generations of the same family.
I have had a cracking weekend with a trip to the theatre on Friday to see an HG Wells play, The First Men on the Moon. This was performed by a solo actor playing multiple parts by changing his body posture, remarkable and wonderfully done. I now want to read the book! HG Wells certainly …
Modern Living
As you know, I have a partner in crime on social media. Little MaldwyntheMouse has lots of adventures and fun as he discovers the world around him and also enjoys the many customs and festivities throughout the year. Through him, I have learned that fireworks are not readily available on the high street any more. …
November fun times
The month began with an interesting live discussion with other astronomy enthusiasts hosted by New Life Radio, including my daughter which was lovely, and on Sunday a dress rehearsal for Carmen in which I play the part of the Flower Seller...thankfully no singing, and on Tuesday a well-received presentation about William Lassell whose letter I …
Karen Hedges 