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  • w/e 31 May 2026

    A lot of hot air

         The heatwave continued relentlessly, punctuated by the inevitable downpour and clap of thunder.  We just about made it from our car to a friend’s garden, all thoughts of a stroll and a picnic vapourised by the heat.  British homes and bodies are not designed for sudden changes to high temperatures.

         In the garden, a violet defiantly remains in bloom in a shady corner while summer herbaceous favourite, deep blue delphiniums bloom early.

         And, sadly for some, happily for others, sales of helium balloons are being jeopardised by the restriction to shipping in the Gulf.  Helium is a much taken for granted element yet is so important in medical equipment (it is used as a coolant in MRI scanners) and in electronics.  For me, I love balloons but hate to see helium wasted in this way.  Yes, we had a helium balloon when celebrating the birthday of his finder, Sir Norman Lockyer, but I do not generally like to see bundles of them being used. 

         Another shortage I’ve read about recently is the next generation.  There is a decline in people having babies to the extent that it has become a global issue.  Korea in particular faces a declining population and the UK has noticed a dearth of children in city centres.  Many commentators put this down to the sheer cost of raising a child.  However, I believe there is a more subtle reason and one which could be resolved if the will were there.  Women thankfully now have access to education and careers although, sadly, there has not been corresponding increase in the support available to young mothers in the workplace nor from men decreasing their hours to help with childcare.  The cost of nurseries is indeed prohibitive not to mention insufficiently places.  This is where the cost of raising a child has indeed increased beyond recognition to those of earlier generations.  Once two salaries could be used to obtain a mortgage, house prices went up accordingly, and the spiral of wage increases and house prices began.  When only one salary was needed, that gave families the flexibility for one to stay home to take of the children and home.  Now that task is added on to the role of worker.  On the one hand it is great that there are so many opportunities for children by way of activities, but on the other it is a shame many are ferried from one to the other after school or at weekends from a very early age.  No wonder so many people are tired and skint.

         Boredom encourages creativity.  Libraries provide free reading material but people generally seem to lack the time to visit them while complaining about the cost of going out.

    A highlight of the week to finish with…a lovely afternoon was whiled away at a local village fete. There were cream teas, stalls of every kind, a band playing on a stand, smiling faces, and lots of car parking spaces. There was even a mini bus to ferry people up and down the steep and narrow lane to the village. Idyllic summertime in Devon.

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  • w/e 24 May 2026

    Old Books, Music, and a Junk Exchange Event

         Inspirational Iryna Ilnytska again raised the roof of the Cathedral with a selection of arias for Ukraine. Her efforts were richly rewarded, as well as enjoyed by the appreciative audience.  All monies raised are sent directly to known volunteers in Ukraine who spend the money on essential items for use in a hospital for soldiers suffering from PTSD and any small pieces of equipment that is needed by the army.  I was delighted that mention was made of a poem I had written in response to events in the region.  It was an emotional event, yet Iryna’s voice continues to sound better and better.  She truly is outstanding.

         Not one but two days this week was spent working on cataloguing the archive books at the Norman Lockyer Observatory.  Roy and I snuck in an extra session, only to be joined halfway through by another group doing the same.  It is great to chat when we are all there, but I really wanted to break the back of the cataloguing and putting in order one side of the room.  This we achieved.  Now we can tackle the small piles of interesting books and papers that have been put aside either because we do not know what to do with them, they are of particular interest or are just in a random pile.  At least we now have a system in place which makes it easier to absorb items, and keep track of everything.

         With the advent of much lighter evenings, I had not anticipated setting up my telescope.  However, Saturday 23rd was warm, clear, with a lovely half moon just at the right height for it.  Eagerly I set up the ‘scope and enjoyed a view of some craters just below the Mare Tranquillitatis, including Theophilus, and the lovely crater chain of Ptolemaeus, Alphonsus & Arzachel.

         Oh…and the Junk Exchange?  Well, not quite as successful as I had hoped although we did manage to shift a few of our unwanted items.  And, no, we did not come home with anyone else’s junk, only some young sunflower plants.  So, a successful exchange of junk for cash!

         And with this hot weather, it really highlights the absurdity of moving the clocks forward…it’s making us all have later bedtimes cos it’s too hot to sleep.

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  • w/e 17 May

    Helium and Candles

     Good news…a photo printed in ‘Yours’ magazine, which means a cheque is on the way.  They kindly said they would be pleased to hear from me again…so I have sent off another photo with a little poem about Devon in Summer. 

         The week ended with a bang or rather a burst of ‘happy birthday’ as a group of us celebrated the 190th birthday of Sir Norman Lockyer with a picnic and cupcakes decorated with sunspots.  Sir Norman discovered helium in the sun long before it was discovered on Earth and deserves wider recognition for his achievements.  Some of his relatives joined us which was amazing.

  • w/e 10 May

         This week got off to a cracking start with a well-received talk I gave about the Blue Streak, after which the artefacts and photos got people up and talking.  It is a great privilege to show the wind tunnel model of the rocket.  And meet someone whose father was out in Woomera at the same time as one of the design engineers whose rocket this was.

         Sadly, this was followed by a morning of absolute frustration in my local branch of Lloyds Bank.  This branch will be no more next year but, in the meantime, it is buzzing with people using it.  However, having spent 10 minutes waiting at the customer service desk, I was informed that it was no longer customer service but only for people with ‘digital’ queries.  And that I should have ‘booked in’.  Er…no sign, how was I to know.  The bank is to change something on our cards, which we do not want, nor we were given any say in, yet it is up to us to have to be proactive to prevent it.  Not good customer service.

          Have you noticed how many ‘self-styled’ (!) style gurus there are out there?  Who are these people?  I must admit, some of their ideas for adding accessories to lift an outfit are great, but telling me what to wear.  No.  And have you seen any of them wearing orthotic shoes and trying to look ok, let alone stylish?  No.  Here are my red shoes:

         Sadly, they pinch and I wear the less attractive blue ones more often until I can have them changed.  With their great thick soles, it is not so easy to wear skirts and dresses.  It does not help to see women wearing ridiculously high, thin, heels when presenting the news or weather.

         The week ended well though with a birthday celebration for a family member which necessitated making a cake of some sort.  I decided to opt for a birthday pudding/cake combo: a sponge filled with cream and raspberries.  A trip to the bluebells rounded off the day where we were rewarded by the sight of many nuthatches.

         I suppose with the hour change, the dawn chorus is not too early although it does make for very chilly mornings.

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  • w/e 3 May

         May days of mist and murk.  But the sun did shine briefly for the maypole dancing in Sidmouth on the Saturday.  And then the rain came again.  It was delightful to watch a dancing school perform intricate moves with the colourful ribbons while listening to lovely music.  Memories of when I did this at primary school surfaced and I recall it is not as easy as it looks.  The so-called blossom moon was coy so I am glad I photographed a waxing gibbous earlier in the week.

         The beginnings of a new friendship with someone who also does not feel ‘settled’ in Honiton after very many years made me feel I had found a missing piece to a jigsaw. 

         Strangely, a face from the past (ie when I was in Honiton first time around) joined us at church this morning.  They have no idea what has happened in the intervening years! 

         Back to the present, is anyone else still struggling with the hour change?  I am a morning person, and it is cold of course being an hour earlier.  Then, at the end of the day, it is too light.  The light in the late afternoon is all wrong.

         The week had an unexpected delight with a payslip containing a hefty amount of arrears.  No idea how or why, just so very, very grateful!

         As I write this, the sun has just come out quite brightly as if to emphasise my earlier thoughts…as I now head off to make some supper and relax for the evening.

  • w/e 26 April 2026

         It was with much relief that I learned my daughter’s troubled house move had finally taken place and she was in her new home with the much-loved house bunnies.  They had travelled well by all accounts.  The new crescent moon shone happily down on them all.  It does beg the question as to how the whole moving process works.  There needs to be much tighter deadlines and penalties for those holding up the process.  The advice is not to exchange contracts and complete on the same day…yet this is what happened.  Having to move out in the hope that all would be done by the end of the day is something that should not be allowed to happen in this age of instant money transfers and communication.

         Life is very different these days it seems in more ways than one.  It seems a ‘thing’ for young people, particularly those in their 30s, to disown their parents and blame their upbringing on any problems.  If only babies came with a handbook according to their own individual needs!  With many young people deferring or declining to start a family, all that hard won knowledge and experience gained by parents is decreasingly put to use at the grandparent stage.

         I saw the whole of the moon…well, not quite, but I am fan of the Waterboys!  I did see part of the moon in close up thanks to the Chief Astronomer at the NLO; it is fascinating to see such detail of craters so far away.  I also used the Lockyer telescope to view sunspots (and show them to some visitors).  This time there was one massive one on one side, with a semi-circle of tiny ones on the other.  I tried to view the moon through my own telescope, although this proved challenging as the moon is very high up and the viewing lens quite low down.

         A walk through the lower part of Round Ball Hill was a real treat with the bluebells out.  It was on a path I had not previously explored, even though I have spent many moons walking up, around, and over the Hill.  Having been the site of a clay pit, or spoil heap, the area is now a renowned ‘wet woodland’.  I can certainly vouch for that.

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  • w/e 19 April

         Well, what a way to end the week.  As if last week’s musical extravaganza was not enough, we were treated to a new opera production from Iryna Ilnytska’s Exeter Opera Group.  This time she produced a wonderful version of Rossini’s opera Cenerentola (the girl in the cinders…).  The show erupted in a cascade of sound, with all the performers portraying their characters with great expression.  There were tears, there was much laughter, and, of course, a happy ending to the blossoming romance between the disguised prince and the lowly Cenerentola.  The cast – all of them – performed with great skill and dedication, infusing the audience with their evident joy and skills.  It was a pleasure to hear and see HoWang Yuen and Wendi Zhang perform as the Prince and Dandini – hope they will now be regulars.  Part of me felt wistful as I remembered the times I had been able to help Iryna with cakes, but I am pleased that the ‘hard core’ of supporters from those small, early beginnings in Exeter are still to be found in the much larger audiences of today.  And that the warmth of those smaller events is very much still in evidence in these larger venues.  It is time for Iryna to shine ever more widely.

         Thanks to Iryna’s encouragement, I managed to give a talk at Exeter Library in an ongoing attempt to market my book more widely.  Her phrase ‘if not now, when’ resounds in my brain on a frequent basis.  I am much better at ensuring others get seen and heard…however, I ventured into Winstone’s Bookshop in Sidmouth bravely bearing a poster for my talk when I was greeted by the assistant reporting my book was selling well 😊  Music to my ears!  That gave me added confidence and I gave an updated talk on Friday (being the first anniversary of my book launch for Stargazing for All) to include the recent visit to view the Winchcombe Meteorite, and the moon mission.  Biscuits and chat followed.

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  • w/e 12 April

    Musicals, meteorite, and the Moon

         What a week!  We kicked off with an early glimpse of emerging bluebells up at Hembury Hill Fort with superb views across to Dartmoor.  The sun was bright and warm.  Spring was definitely in the air.

         Sidmouth Musical Theatre wowed a full house on their opening night with their production of Evita.  Among the many highlights was the dance by the generals to Dangerous Games, with their fancy footwork.  The cast were highly skilled and professional – and I was comparing the narrator with David Essex, whom I had seen back in the day performing that role.  David Finlay was a worthy successor!  Grace Hensley was outstanding in the title row – with a performance that ranged from light and bright to deep pathos.  The rapid on-stage costume changes were brilliantly carried out.  A thousand stars were on the stage as well as in the clear, dark sky when we came out.  Overall, the standard of performance was rainbow high.

         The following day saw us venture out to the Cotswolds for a nice break in the hot sunshine on our way to Cheltenham.  The views, again, were superb, and you could see across the Bristol Channel over to the hills near Abergavenny.  And we ticked off two prehistoric burial chambers.  One of which, at the end of a picnic area, was easily found and accessible to appreciate the chambered nature of the tomb.  Wearing a jumper…it was chilly when we had first set out, I was cautioned to take care by a kind walker.  It was, dare I say it, almost too hot!

         Thursday was a day of many highs.  I was beside myself with excitement at not only seeing the famous Winchcombe meteorite on display in the excellent museum but actually meeting and hearing first hand the discovery by Cathryn Wilcock herself.  She is a volunteer at the museum and is happy and proud to share her knowledge and excitement surrounding the meteorite.  My son had taken us there via the railway of which he is an active member – avidly pointing out the re-laid track he had helped to lay.  He is a certified driver of many large vehicles including the track laying machine.  This he does for fun in his spare time.

         As if that wasn’t enough excitement, the evening spent at the Everyman Theatre took me back to 1981 and was money well spent on the good seats that we had.  Lee Mead took the lead role of Barnum in this magnificent revival of the original musical.  It was an exuberant, energetic, explosion of sound and colour during which we gasped at the exploits of the trapeze artistes, gymnasts, dancers, musicians, and help our breath as Lee replicated, successfully, the tightrope walk across the stage first performed by Michael Crawford back in 1981.  My abiding memory of the first time I saw it, was the song The Colours of my Life – and I was not disappointed by the current rendition.  It is a glorious melody with beautiful, evocative words, sensitively performed by Lee and his co-star Monique Young, starring as his wife Charity.  I was transfixed by it all, the standing ovation was richly deserved, and I am not sure how long I would have stayed had I not been prodded by my husband,,,to catch up with my son who was leaving the auditorium…

         Friday saw us relaxing and taking a gentle walk around the nearby park with its pretty lake.  Then it was off out for some more excitement.  This time the excitement of Gifford’s Circus.  And what a treat this was!  Beautifully presented, the scene was prettily bucolic with fantasy woodland creatures in the orchestra, and pretty lighting.  There was fun and laughter from Mole and Rat duo who caused mayhem off and on stage.  There was top class singing and dancing, and breathtaking acrobatics, juggling, and trapeze action.  The two young ladies performing on the trapeze seemed to have rubber legs as they elegantly performed mind bending acts high in the air.  The acrobat troupe are almost beyond description.  Members of the troupe actually bounced off the hands of others and seemed to catapult across the arena.  They made themselves into pyramids, jumping from one group to another, and with a finale that defied gravity.  A two barrelled construction was wheeled into the arena, with a man in each one.  As the barrels turned, so they ran, leapt, turned somersaults, before somehow managing to get onto the outside where they continued running, leaping, performing breathtaking tricks, making it look as natural as walking on the ground.

         Meeting up with family on the Saturday was a nice way to round off this extravaganza of fun week, although we were all a bit tired.  Tewkesbury is a handy place for us to meet as they live in Derbyshire.  The day was cold, windy and not at all springlike.  I was wrapped up in many layers and scarves.  What a contrast to Wednesday!

         Devon greeted us with not one, but three hailstorms.  Many flowers had come out in the intervening days but before I could take a photograph, down came the hail. 

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  • w/e 5 April

         Joy of joys I discovered that the ice-skating world championships are available via BBC iplayer.  What a shame they are not broadcast on mainstream TV, so much talent on display, not least from the two British teams 😊.

         Given my love for the Moon, I am surprised that the news of a successful launch taking 4 astronauts to fly around the Moon was not the first item here.  Surprisingly, I think it is because we are now so used to seeing astronauts on the space station that it did not seem any different when images were shown of the astronauts going to the Moon.  The grainy black and white images from 1969 were so much more exciting!!!

         The grumpiness continues, this time regarding hot cross buns…Waitrose (that traditional supermarket) offered a wide variety of flavours with a statement in their magazine that the hot cross buns were for all year not just Easter.  I was horrified.  I recall the days when they were only available on Good Friday morning from bakers.  They were exciting, tasty treats.  If something is available all year, then it is not a treat.

         We took part in a quiz on Good Friday, winning the best prize of all.  Coming last, we were awarded a box of tasty, fresh, real eggs.  Eggs that can be turned into more treats.

         Easter Saturday saw me glued to my seat, breath held, as the university rowers battled against the ravages of a storm ridden Thames for the annual boat race.  It was brilliant!  And great views of the best river in the world.

         I have to admit to a disappointing Easter Sunday.  It is my favourite season and much more joyous and colourful than Christmas, but this year, our local church went with substituting the traditional Eastber service with the popular (and rightly so) more informal monthly service.  We had been attending this and thoroughly enjoying it but I found I missed the usual Easter communion, the sprinkling of special water from leaves, the renewal of baptism vows.  It felt joyous but somehow hollow.  The Easter bonnet parade was a fun addition and I always love a chocolate egg, although having refreshments before the service rather than after is something I felt really uncomfortable with.  However, when we had the monthly informal service, those attending the normal communion had to have their refreshments first as that was a shared event between the two groups of people.

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  • w/e 29 March

         And another thing says the grumpy old woman…why oh why are we persisting with ‘putting the clocks forward’.  There is much evidence as to its disruptive nature and I, for one, really rail against the mismatch between the time and the solar position.  All of a sudden, we are catapulted into lighter evenings while the mornings become darker again.  It is unnatural.  The only benefit initially is to witness the breakfast time of the birds as their clocks do not change!

         Palm Sunday saw us join a decent group of people at St Michael’s Churchyard to process down the steep hill to St Paul’s.  Even in Victorian times, that hill was deemed off-putting to churchgoers, hence the newer St Paul’s in the High Street.  We sang and waved our palms as we wended our way down the hill.  One or two passersby took out their cameras to capture this traditional scene.

         Apart from that, most of last week was spent recovering and doing the laundry, and having some plumbing work done (thank you to our friends, for whom a nice lunch was payment enough 😊)