It’s been a hot day for Yorkshire. Not as hot as many places, but still hot for us.

Time to do some gardening. For the observant amongst you

  • Yes that conservatory has been taken over by Dinosaurs. I blame them for the mess,
  • Yes that ghostly and out of focus apparition in a red T-shirt is me. That’s the closest your going to get to a photo….. That’s how us with ‘faces made for radio’ like to do things….

An hours weeding. Lots of weeds pulled up and yet seemingly so little progress. But at least I’ve made a start.

Hoping for another clear night. A night of shooting star spotting. The Perseid Meteor Shower is currently ongoing. Last night at 1am we were outside. Sheet lightening frequently flashing across the sky. We always have a little game – who can spot the most… It was close last night.

Hawklad – 50 meteors

Dad – 4

“Dad what are you doing?”

I’m lying on the ground, why don’t you join me…

“Certainly not AND why?”

I’m thinking that if I’m lying down then I’m comfortable. Don’t have to strain my neck. I get to lie down and scan the sky. I think it’s the best way to see meteors.

*******Not the first time I’ve tried this approach – it worked well but one important safety point. Don’t put your cup of hot drink on the ground next to you. That last time my cup was visited by a slug. That’s not what I want in the dark when I’m taking a swig of warming brew********

“Really Dad. I have a problem with your technique?”

Go on then Hawklad what possible problem can you find with lying on the back while meteor hunting.

“Well Dad. I’m standing up. So that takes me at least 5 feet closer to the sky action. Maybe that’s why I’m at 40 meteors and you are at TWO….”

Ok point taken.

Clouds permitting I’m hoping for a huge comeback.

60 thoughts on “Closer to the action”

  3. I was awake and went to look for meteors… I bombed out☹ Too much light, here in the city. I was thinking you’d have a great view from your hill. I’m glad you saw it!
    And for the record, the site I visited suggested lying on the ground to watch, so Hawklad was incorrect… Bonus points for Kermit Superdad!😉
    I have a cover thingy I use to put over my coffee cup all the time… I don’t want to find ANYTHING in my cup except coffee… no chalk dust, no nerf darts, no little flying insects, certainly no slugs🤢
    I like the Dinos and I like the blurry photo. It would be better in focus… You yard bin will have a perfectly respectable amount this coming trash day😉💌💌

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    2. I have spent many cold nights looking to see the Perseids, Ursids, and Geminids, and the best viewing positions we have found, as commonfolks, is inside our Honda CRV SVU, with the seats down as far as the backs will go forward, and lying with our feet in the backseats, looking out the moon roof. If the moon is bright, position the car as best you can to block the moonglow, and listening to Van Morrison singing Moondance on the MP3. A mug of hot chocolate on the middle console is optional, but for us optimal. With the side windows up insects like mosquitoes are not so prone to enter through the open roof. No idea why.
      After all that, and living in the northern boonies of Alberta, you would think we would be in prime viewing country. Woe, but it is not always so. We are too close to the Arctic Circle, where the sun shines 24 hours a day in summer. We have some darkness, but it is more a dusky gtay than the desired black. For the Ursids and Geminids in winter, we are much better situated, though we constantly have to keep warming up the car in the mid-winter cold blasts. The moonroof MUST BE OPEN, or the glass will fog up, which is a good thing for the windshields and side windows to do, but not the moonroof. The real disadvantage of the CRV SVU, it is not good for tall people.
      Alternatively, you can stand outside, or lie on the ground looking up, but that brings the bugs and and cold air back into play. Small irritants, but gawd-awfully insistent.

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      2. The conspiracy theorists (I was just reading about QAnon) must have it right, the aliens riding the meteors don’t want us watching what they are doing! The meteors are picking up sex slaves in Yorkshire, and dropping them off in High Level. From here they are sold all over North America. Matt’s Pizza better hide the doorway to the basement better.

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  8. Lol you are too funny… face for radio… oh please … looks pretty hot to me and not the weather ✌️ you look tan – in Yorkshire lol – I thought you don’t tan? Lol see you could blend in Cali

    So does your voice melt the girls? Lol cause some radio guys have a pretty amazing voice! You know those ones who can make your knees weak with just their words? – or maybe that’s me lol – it’s late and I’m tired but yeah that. With an accent – the accent is hard for me to imagine

    Oh my god! You watch meteor showers me too or I used to… haven’t in a long time… I used to do with the kids… I had a hammock and we would all lay on the hammock together ❤️

    Was one of those stand alone hammocks that you didn’t need trees for lol

    It was awesome ❤️ I miss that. But not doing by myself in the country with coyotes, nope lol

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    1. Im blushing now. I’m not sure about the voice melting. If only I had a Sean Bean or Patrick Stewart Yorkshire accent. Even a Michael Palin one. Appropriately probably got a voice perfect for a character from the Muppets. That hammock sounds wonderful. We have one but when we use it you can see the garden fence bending. Not sure the neighbours are that impressed. xx

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      1. Really? Cause I would probably have you permanently red then. Lol … pretty sure, cause those arms and that body look amazing, yeah you lookin good… you should own that!! Totally

        See now I don’t believe your “muppets” references lol… I think you are just modest … you just don’t want to be arrogant … there’s a fine line between cocky and arrogant – cocky is fun – arrogant I don’t like, but you are not arrogant in the slightest.

        So… now my imagination just ran away… cause that accent is REALLY hot… Even a muppet with that accent be hot!! Lol – sorry but that one is hot!!

        I bet you are adorable when you blush ☺️😘 I also imagine a big smile on that face you won’t share lol (I won’t share mine either – but mine is because of privacy reasons, and also this a place I can come and it isn’t about looks) ❤️✌️

        You should be smiling very big always!!

        Don’t you just love forward Americans ? Lol 😘✌️

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  12. My son and I lay on the benches of the picnic table on Tuesday night. Waited a good twenty minutes. I think I maybe saw one shooting star but that was it. So disappointed but typical for us. It wasn’t even that cloudy. Pissing rain last night so no chance to have another go. Glad you got to see four anyway.

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  14. Hmmmm. Five feet closer to infinity? Your son is five feet tall? Okay, I guess. I keep picturing him as 10 years old. No idea why. But 5 feet closer to infinity? I don’t think that counts for much. Really, Hawklad?

    But conservatory? In Canada, and probably Italy, a conservatory is a big glass-enclosed building for growing year-round plants protected from our harsh winters (Does Italy have harsh winters? Maybe in the northern climes). My best experience with a conservatory is the Winnipeg Conservatory which used to, but apparently is no longer in existence as a conservatory, hold trees and plants that were over 100 years old:
    http://heritagewinnipeg.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-assiniboine-park-conservatory-from.html
    The building also had free-flying birds and insects, as well as salamanders, lizards, and a family of Giant tortoises that were well over 200 years old when I last saw them an incredibly long time ago, half a lifetime as humans go. (see one here:
    https://www.tripadvisor.ca/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g154954-d156226-i116907134-Assiniboine_Park-Winnipeg_Manitoba.html )
    I see no such construction on your property or in the fields behind it. Just goes to show how parochial I am.

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      1. The Winnipeg Diversity Centre is slated to open in 2021 now, but how Covid is affecting that I don’t know.
        Humourous aside, I hope: As a returned-home-to-Winnipeg hippiel in the late 60s, I had occasion to find temporary overnight outdoor shelter in Assiniboine Park–in summer and early fall only–so as not to end up in the local brig, although they did provide breakfast. Anyway, I read that this Diversity Centre is going to be open 24/365.25. I now must consider moving back into this Centregl non-temporarily. Can you imagine going to sleep in such luxurious surroundings every night, and waking up with nature every morning. I don’t think I can resist such allure. A beautiful place to die.

        Or to be shot by some asshole cop saying I was “resisting arrest!” Another piece of infamy in Winnpeg. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Joseph_Harper
        A more in depth accounting of the murder of J.J. Harper is available here:
        http://www.ajic.mb.ca/volumelll/toc.html
        If BLM wants fodder for their cannons, it exists here in legal detail.

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  19. Your reflection looks quite a lot like I imagined you to look from your writing, which is highly unusual. Normally people look the opposite to how they sound! 😂

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