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https://studio.youtube.com/video/D-oUCiqftLQ/edit
Take a look at my latest YouTube video about the moon in September
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August
I blanked out my diary for August for ‘fun’. It has been exhausting. The heat and humidity had not been factored into my plans for attending local fairs and events, and certainly not for days on the beach. So far, one afternoon at a fair to enjoy the thrills and spills of sheep racing, a lunchtime based around a local food fair, and two hours on the beach have been more than enough time spent outside.
The sea was gloriously warm at 18 deg C but the UV was vicious with the remains of the peel just coming off me. Eating in a bit of shade a nice morsel from a food stall was great, spotting a bus to take us home was even better. Oh, and the sheep racing? I lost my money on a sheep who ran straight past the food trough onto the truck.
I have just been reading about the lack of people picking blackberries. Certainly that is not the case around here. From a train window, I spied a young lad get off a bike in order to eat the treats straight from the hedgerow. From the trampled foliage under hedgerows, I suspect that many people are out and about foraging for berries. Certainly, in my circle of friends, traditional puddings are alive and well…and homemade with homegrown fruit or foraged fruit. It would seem that English Heritage is looking to increase Christmas sales and is well aware of the impact of ‘click bait’ incentives.
Meanwhile, a homemade apple and blackcurrant pie (with homegrown currants) sits defrosting in the kitchen.
Interestingly, part of me does agree with English Heritage that the simple pleasures are being forgotten and my little Instagram Maldwyn the Mouse has lots of adventures in the countryside as part of a mission to encourage people to enjoy the simple things in life.
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July 2025
Moon and Stars – the weather has been kind enough the last couple of weeks to allow a return trip to the lovely cliff top walk I enjoyed at the beginning of the month but this time in the evening to see the moon rise. The full moon was at its lowest point on the evening of the 9th with a low setting sun behind. I waited patiently until 2115 when a sudden shriek alerted my friend that the moon had risen. It was quite hazy out to sea which made moon spotting quite a challenge. But there it was! All of sudden it was full and visible just above the horizon. Photographs were taken of it and the sunset. Hope to return in 18.6 years time…
Over the hottest weekend of the year with temperatures rising to 34 degrees C and humidity to match, we helped my son tame his garden and to find the edge of the garden into which he could put a fence and gate. Had to be done. We got up early, with a long break in the middle, then did some more. Their lovely neighbours saw us working hard and presented us with a delicious homemade cake on the Sunday afternoon. We were overwhelmed by their kindness. I then drove home in the evening when it was cooler and the gate had been erected, feeling glad to have spent some quality time with my son and to have been able to help him. On the Friday when I arrived, it had been straight into action trying to trace an electric cable, and then we painted some fence panels together, while enjoying gentle conversation. Special times.
I was pleased to be able to present a talk at a rare Saturday open evening at the Observatory. Most have taken place on Thursdays this year, when I am busy doing other things. There was a good, engaged turn out of people, including some from Sidmouth who had not been before. The lady I met at the Astrofair from Maidenhead also came along. There were enough people to warrant two talks!
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July 2025
1st July 2025
…and the hottest day of the year so far, and indeed for many years. Even in Devon it is in the high 20s. Drove out this evening for a walk in the shade of a woodland where the temperature was down to 22 C. The bluebell wood in summer had remains of the dead bells and was awash with a multitude of green hues.
For me, June was a catching up month from the combined excitement and effort involved in organising a big birthday bash to celebrate Sir Norman Lockyer, swiftly followed by my successful book launch. I am now receiving notification of royalties and have received the first payments into my bank account. Will I recoup the outlay soon? Not at the rate I am spending! A new laptop is needed. New phone. Many repairs to the house. New clothes. A holiday has been paid for. Then there is the car. Insurance is due this month. Household bills have gone up. And so it goes on.
On the positive side, I am beginning to enjoy not having to go out to work in the summer heat. I can pace my tasks according to the temperature outside. My big archive project is growing but I now have support from the archivist at the University of Exeter who has given me practical ideas, links for funding, and will act as a professional adviser. My idea for a new book about the life and times of Sir Norman Lockyer is taking shape and excites me because I was not interested in science particularly at school but if I had known a real person had designed the Bunsen Burner…I may have taken more note. I hope to inspire other people to learn more about things we take for granted and to link science and history. I love learning about the people behind ideas. My educational background is not good enough to understand a lot of science though. I do enjoy learning about the moon’s complex orbit and the solar system.
As we are now at the end of the week…I may as well include a note about a delicious dip in the sea followed the next day by a walk along the cliff top. The sea was not cold and soon felt warm although I still experienced that wonderful tingly feeling on leaving the water. Well worth the effort of lugging a couple of bags of supplies and towels and pop-up tent. The trip to the beach followed a relaxing hour listening to folk duo, Solarferance, in a sunny tea garden.
Having done a little bit of work in the NLO archives and a lot of chatting, I enjoyed a packed lunch in the nearby woodland followed by a walk through the shady woodlands, and back via the cliff top. The sea was Mediterranean blue with a matching blue sky. Idyllic! I then sat in the shade with a magazine while also spotting the rusty tail of a redstart.
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Press release re ‘Stargazing for All’ by Karen Hedges
David Strange, Chair of the Norman Lockyer Observatory, expressed delight at being presented with a copy of the new stargazing guide at the local author’s recent launch. Karen Hedges gave a very well received talk at Exeter Central Library followed by the launch of her new book Stargazing for All (ISBN: 9781739123611) . The book is available from Winstone’s Bookshop in Sidmouth (which has a wonderful array of beautiful books for young and old) as well as online from Waterstones and Amazon. The book is a guide to stargazing for beginners and for amateur astronomers. The book contains illustrations from renowned artist, John Meacham, who lives in Sidmouth. Martin Young (retired Chief Forecaster, Meteorological Office) praised the book, saying “What a brilliant book! It’s an excellent balance between easy-to-understand explanations and attractive, colourful illustrations, in an easy-to-read format.”
The Norman Lockyer Observatory contains three historic telescopes through which can be seen images as good as any modern telescope can provide. The central library contains a magnificent bequest of books belonging to Sir Norman and Lady Lockyer.
Karen Hedges
April 2025
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Enjoying the fruits of my labours, two months after the book launch 🙂
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28 June – Astronomy Fair
Come and say hi at the Norman Lockyer Observatory when we hold our annual astronomy fair with speakers including Chris Lintott from the Sky at Night, and many hands on sciency things to do. Lots of trade stands. Refreshments available. I’m working on a nice display about Sir Norman Lockyer to whom we are most grateful for retiring to Sidmouth and setting up this observatory.
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17 May…Celebration of Sir Norman Lockyer’s 189th Birthday…
The sun shone and the people came to the Norman Lockyer Observatory for a delightful afternoon of music, ‘This is your life’ presentation, and cake. Member, Bill Hitchings, dressed magnifcently as Sir Norman, was treated to an overview of his life from ‘Eamon Andrews’ aka Jonathan Milford. Chairman, David Strange, had produced an excellent script taking Sir Norman on the journey of a lifetime, ending with a look at the scientific advances since 1920, and the uses of Sir Norman’s greatest discovery. Helium, from first being identified as a thin new line in the Sun’s spectrum is now widely used in MRI scanners.
Mezzo soprano Iryna Ilnytska and pianist John Draisey, gave a beautiful performance of Tennyson’s ‘Crossing the Bar’ (Tennyson and Lockyer were great friends and mutual admirers), followed by ‘When you wish upon a star’.
I had wished upon a star and the event surpassed my expectations. The event had a warm, friendly vibe about it and everyone helped out where needed. Lots of tea and cake was served by Tereza Taylor who ran the kitchen operation magnificently.
There were displays from PhD student Bea Steele about her research into Sir Norman’s lantern slides and eclipse expeditions, Exeter Central Library, and, last but not least, representatives of Sir Norman’s family. We were honoured to have Christopher and Caroline, descendants from Sir Norman’s eldest daughter, Rosaline.
Salcombe Regis Church kindly opened during the morning for people to view Sir Norman’s grave with its special astral inscriptions, together with those of other family members.
Thanks are due to Sidmouth Golf Club for a major raffle prize of a voucher for 4 people to enjoy a day of golf.
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Karen Hedges, gave a very well received talk at Exeter Central Library followed by the launch of her new book Stargazing for All (ISBN: 9781739123611) . The book is available from Winstone’s Bookshop in Sidmouth (which has a wonderful array of beautiful books for young and old) as well as online from Waterstones and Amazon. The book is a guide to stargazing for beginners and for amateur astronomers whose memories may need refreshing from time to time. The book contains illustrations from renowned artist, John Meacham. Karen gave many talks at St Thomas Library in Exeter when former librarian Lee Rawlings ran a monthly science club. She has drawn on her experience with the general public as a telescope presenter and from her previous work in education to produce the book. She is most grateful to Exeter Central Library for hosting the book launch.
Karen presented a copy of her book to David Strange, Chair of Norman Lockyer Observatory, who kindly made some positive comments about the outreach work and promotion of the NLO that Karen does.
The Norman Lockyer Observatory contains three historic telescopes through which can be seen images as good as any modern telescope can provide. The central library contains a magnificent bequest of books belonging to Sir Norman and Lady Lockyer.
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The book is live!
Delighted to say that the book is now ‘out there’ and in the hands of those who pre-ordered it. Copies available from bookshops, online at Waterstones, and Amazon.
