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Monday Motivation was achieved by marching along with the Clangers to some wonderful Clangery marching music.  I’ll try anything to keep moving and motivated when it’s too chilly for my evening walk.  An exercise video from the Clangers would be fantastic!

     Upon stalling at traffic lights one morning, I was reminded of the benefits of the old manual choke facility.  The choke process would alert you to the fact that your engine was still cold whereas the modern automatic system lets the car ‘switch off’ at traffic lights thus meaning you have to take off from cold.  And thus prone to a stalled engine.  Some may say prone to driver error as I should have realised it would take longer for the engine to respond to the compression on the clutch.

     With a break in the cold weather on Friday, I took the opportunity of plunging into the sea…up to my waist.  It was soooo cold.  The recent storms had shifted the deeper colder water to the top.  Reluctantly, I did not have my much longed-for swim and enjoyed an extra paddle.  The air was humid and mild which meant meandering around in my swimsuit was not unpleasant.  In fact, it was less cold than the previous time I had swum, although on that occasion the water had been bearable.

     However, I soon warmed up with the excitement of receiving an author copy of a book by a fellow astronomer containing a chapter written by me.  To say I was beside myself with excitement, is an understatement. 

     Bravely, I went into the local library and introduced myself to the new staff.  A Friend of the Library had chatted to me on Saturday about the talks I used to give and wondered whether I was still available.  It is hoped to run some talks in the new year.

     The wild windy weather dominated the end of the week and we holed up indoors while it raged outside.  Having been woken in the night by the gusts, rest breaks were needed.

     Sunday morning saw me up and out early to take my mother to her local church for the Advent Service.  This was interesting in that I had not been to a real church service for some time.  I love ‘Lo, he comes with clouds descending’ and sang out gustily…into my mask which muffled any untoward sounds I made.  It was difficult to take deep breaths and sing properly, and the sound of the congregation singing was greatly muted as a result. 

     The day was rounded off with a meal out with friends.  We talked and ate but not late into the night.  Some people had booked for the Festive Menu and were supplied with crackers.  I had not thought of that, so we enjoyed the excellent normal menu without frills.  A mini pudding was treat enough for us.

     A somewhat chilly sea swim helped with the emotional rollercoaster of a week in which the sadness of stillbirth affected a friend.  The horrendous nature of this and the immense grief can only be imagined.  ‘Thinking of you’ says you are not alone.  Inadequate as it seems, it is an important message.

     Emergence from the water into pleasant sunshine helped assuage the chillness in my toes.  If only I could wear warm waterproof socks!  The next day was chilly and damp and there was a cool, brisk breeze today.  There were some stalwart swimmers in bathing suits, but the majority wore wetsuits to swim further out in the bay.

     A Winter Market enlivened the local area on Saturday with a great atmosphere of warm friendship and interest in what everyone had created.  I was there with a range of my books and enjoyed conversing with people I had not seen for ages.  Everyone seemed elated at being outdoors and with people once more.  Fantastic entertainment was provided by the Exeter Taiko Drummers. 

     While enjoying a repeat of a programme from the Proms Season, the heady days of Honiton Pantomime were relived in my mind as I sang along to “Another opening to another show”.  ‘Kiss Me Kate’ had been performed as part of the Proms and was an exuberant performance. 

     And the evening ended with an email responding positively to a book submission. 

In November around the 17^th, the Leonid meteor shower is worth trying to see.  It comes from the comet Tempel–Tuttle.  This is a comet with an orbital period of 33 years and passes through the constellation of Leo at this time of year.   It was independently discovered by Wilhelm Tempel on December 19, 1865 and by Horace Parnell Tuttle on January 6, 1866.

     Attendance at a recent one-day Writers’ Workshop provided a welcome boost to morale regarding my short stories when one came third in a competition, while another entry attracted a lot of stickers, placing it in the top third of entries for the ‘first page of a novel’ competition.  Next January, the fortnightly magazine, ‘Yours’ are publishing a short story about dementia and have also sent me a shopping voucher for my letter about the joys of discovering ravioli in the 1970s. 

     In contrast to last year’s birthday celebratory sea swim, I spent the day at work, bolstered by a supply of cakes.  I was planning on a swim the following afternoon while I was in Exmouth but the sea was choppy, the breeze was chilly and I was chicken.  Exmouth sea front has been revamped beyond all recognition since I was last there.  There were lots of water sport places and places to eat.  I do not say cafes because I do not know what the places are like.  The main beach café where you could pop in trailing dogs, children and sand has gone, as has the boating lake and model railway.  Where the sand dunes once were is now a wide promenade for walkers and cyclists.  The overall impression was one of bleakness. 

At a recent writers’ workshop, a piece of my flash fiction came third in a competition, while the first page of the space adventures was among the top few. Inspired to continue.

I am excited that another story of mine has been accepted for a magazine. Watch this space to find out when and where it will be published! ***update*** January 11th in ‘Yours’ magazine. It is an uplifting story about a wife whose husband has dementia.

This week presents an opportunity to enjoy a meteor shower. Thursday night (12th August) around 1am will be the peak of this shower although they are visible for a few nights either side, weather permitting of course. Thursday night is looking clear. The Perseid meteor shower is one of the Regular Meteor Showers, and which are visible either side of the main date in those quiet hours before dawn (it is advisable to check the press for up-to-date information and weather before embarking on a session. You may come across the Zenithal Hourly Rate, this is just the term given to the number of meteors likely to be seen directly overhead. Did I mention it might be a good idea to use a sun lounger? You will be looking up at a wide area of the night sky so lying down on something dry and comfortable is a good idea. The Perseids are an enjoyable holiday treat as, if you are fortunate enough to be on holiday, the late night will be less of an issue and the nights are less cold at this time of year. The meteor shower comes from the tail of Comet Swift-Tuttle and emanates from the constellation of Perseus (referred to astronomically as the radiant). This year (2021) the moon will not be visible, so there will be no light pollution from that source and the Zenithal Hourly Rate is said to be around 30-60 meteors (this is the amount of meteors likely to seen overhead). I treasure my memory of a family holiday a few years’ ago when we set the alarm for 3am to enjoy the Perseids and were rewarded by the sight of quite a few trails. And the faces on the security guys as they wondered whether we were ok. Perhaps we did look a bit odd in our dressing gowns wandering around a holiday park at night but, hey, it was worth it, and we spread meteor watching fever onto those men too.

With many people taking a summer break during August, there is an excellent opportunity to have a late night or a broken night, while not getting too cold.  I am referring to the annual Perseid meteor shower…assuming it is a clear night of course.  This year, the Perseids are due to appear during the nights of 11-13 August.  Although the shower originates in the constellation of Perseus, the meteors appear in all parts of the sky.  The best time is after midnight, more towards the hours before dawn.  One year I got up at 3am, having gone to bed early, and was rewarded by the sight of the meteors.  This year, the moon will have set in the early evening during its waxing crescent stage, which means the skies will be dark.  It is also possible to see them a night or so either side of the main dates.  Indeed, I photographed the supermoon the day before it was at its peak – which was just as well as the evening of the main event was cloudy!  Meteor showers occur every year as the Earth passes through the tail of long gone comets.  Comets are a huge topic though.

This month sees spring turn to summer, during the early hours of Monday 21 June.  It is when the sun is in its most northern position relative to Earth.  Our northern hemisphere is pointing towards the sun, while the southern hemisphere begins its winter season.  The north pole now gets its share of daylight, having emerged from round the clock darkness of winter.  It is quite a feeling to be out and about in daylight at midnight!  Stonehenge is well known of course for being in line with such astronomical events and recently I spent a few days in Pembrokeshire where I was fortunate enough to walk around the area from where the bluestones originated for Stonehenge.  It would have taken 150 days to pull a bluestone to Wiltshire on a sled of some sort.  The more recent druid type rituals at Stonehenge are not deemed to be the original purpose of the henge monument, having only occurred relatively recently in its history.  An activity you can do is to photograph on 21 June, a tree with a very short shadow and then take subsequent photos a month apart to see the effect of the movement of the Earth away from the sun.  It is interesting to view the photographs in a sequence to appreciate just how much movement there is.

But I digress, the summer solstice varies slightly by a day or so year on year due to the Earth’s rotation around the sun.  Each summer solstice is around 6 hours later than the previous year and in a leap year, the solstice jumps backwards by a day.  Remember, it takes 365 and a quarter days for the Earth to go around the sun, which is why we have an extra day every four years.

I am often asked why the sea is so cold in the summer…I went swimming in November and found the water to be much more pleasant than in August.  Likewise, those people who jump into the sea on Boxing Day are less brave than those who do so at Easter when the sea has cooled down.  The sea warms up with the lengthening days and takes a while to cool, hence warmer in December. 

Another fun activity to enjoy during the, hopefully, warm summer days is to make a solar cooker.  Full instructions are on my website, but briefly, you need a large piece of cardboard, plenty of kitchen foil and a lot of patience.  No, it is quite simple to make, you are making a concave shape which will absorb a lot of heat from the sun as it is concentrated to a point in which you can put a small plate of water or a piece of bacon.  And wait while the sun heats them.  Be very careful not to put your hand in the line of fire so to speak.  Nor look at the sun directly. 

A less obvious activity to do during this somewhat fallow time for observing, is to look at a Planisphere or star atlas and familiarize yourself with the positions of the constellations during the autumn and winter so you are ready to go out in the dark, armed with the knowledge of where to look and what to look for.    My book, “A stroll amongst the stars” takes you through the main stars from September to August in line with the typical observing year.  At the Observatory we particularly enjoy September and October when the nights are longer but not too chilly.  And take a break in July and August to enjoy the longer days.  Now is the time to download free computer programmes such as Stellarium, buy my book, or take astronomy books out of the library, and sit back and learn about the subject in more detail ready for active viewing. 

With Easter just around the corner I thought I would take a look at why Easter is a moveable feast.

The starting point for setting the date for Easter is the Spring Equinox.  Astronomically speaking this can be on the 20 to 22 March, but the Christian church back in 325 AD decided to set the date for 21 March.  The Council of Nicaea was a group set up by the Early Church to unify Christian practices, one of which was to set the date for Easter in accordance with Roman custom so as to unify calendars and not to coincide with the Jewish Passover. 

Interestingly, Eastertime itself though has long been a time of celebration, originating in the pagan festival of Eostre.  Eostre was a Germanic goddess of spring, and at the spring festival hares brought eggs as gifts.  With the abundance of new season crops, feasting was a big element of the pagan festival, out of which arose the Christian festival.  It was perhaps easier to honour the principles of Lent when there was not much food around!

With the equinox officially set for the 21^st, this explains why Easter can be so late one year and so early the next.  For example, if there is a full moon on the 19^th…this is too early by the church’s calendar and therefore Easter will be late in April. 

Astronomically speaking, the spring equinox happens when day and night are almost equal, not to be confused with equilux which is the when the hours of daylight are equal to the hours of darkness…the spring equinox actually refers to the time when the sun appears to cross the equator as we tilt towards summertime.  Of course, the sun doesn’t move, it is Earth which is tilting on its wobbly journey around the sun.  (and yes, the sun rotates but does not orbit us!).

May I wish you all a Happy Easter.