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 …
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 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 …
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 …
Riding the Rails
w/e 22 March – Riding the Rails This week’s bulletin is all about the long weekend from Friday to Monday, so strictly speaking this is w/e 23 March! ‘Busy’. That is the one word which sums up the area we visited. Busy, built up, and big. It was bewildering as so much had …
w/e 15 March
Saddened by reading on the BBC News website that hereditary peers are to be phased out. They are politically neutral, have inherited lots of land and property many of whom have given a lot to society over the years, and by being in the House of Lords I think instils a sense of having …
Karen Hedges 