Sunspots come in pairs

 

After a few days of quiet,  the Sun burst into action and sunspots became visible in pairs and small groups. The above photograph was captured in the morning of the 26th of June 2026.

The Sunspots are areas of the Solar photosphere at lower temperatures than their surroundings and they therefore appear dark. 

The spots are created by the differential movement of plasma in the sun's atmosphere at different latitudes. Consequently , the magnetic field lines are twisted and contorted.  The spots are areas where heat is vented and where the plasma is cooler and darker than the surroundings. As they are a magnetic affect, they are magnetically polarised and consequently sunspots develop often in pairs or groups.

DANGER WARNING 

Dont look at the Sun or try to photograph it. The above photograph was taken using specialist equipment and by an experienced solar photographer. There is a significant danger of destroying your camera's sensor and losing your eyesight!

The culinary versatility of the humble crabstick.

 Pasta with cubed or shredded crabsticks, diced courgettes, basil, a dash or two of pastis and cream.  Very easy to prepare, quick to cook, inexpensive and very tasty with a hint of aniseed. An excellent choice for a midweek lunch or supper.

If you are so inclined, you can 'Waitrose' it up by adding a few prawns and mussels but I like the standard model!

3d Max Madness

 

Designs downloaded from Thingiverse, ammended, painted and personalised. I am very pleased with the 3d print quality of the Neptune 3 pro budget Elegoo printer. 

Watch out! 'Scrapers and Bots are about!

 

Ironically created by AI.

I was alarmed to see my blog page count increase by over 200,000 in 24 hours. When I looked into this the most likely cause was Scrapers and Bots trawling through the content to find opportunities for intellectual and creative theft.

I am not anti Ai or for that matter entrepreneurial enterprise and have been surprised at the high quality of  information, images and visual art that Ai delivers. 

Ai is s powerful tool but the cynical application of its power for acquisition and greed is unacceptable and unsustainable.

I asked Google Gemini to create an image that best represented 'Scrapers and Bots'. I was provided with two images in succession that featured 'cute' anthromorphised computers doing their day job. I rejected both with feedback!

The posted image was the third provided after I had stressed for the second time that I was annoyed and angry at the theft of my creativity.

Clearly, androids when not dreaming of electric sheep, have collective loyalty!

Spray Booth in a M&S box.

 

"Spray painting odd shaped 3d parts for 'fidgets' for one young boy, who very much likes a fidget and has been waiting patiently for me to get around to it, presented me with a bit of a  problem. How to spray paint weird shapes without using my fingers to support the item being  painted?

Having watched Dom Chinea on the BBC Repair  Shop, I decided to follow his example but at a reduced scale. 

My lovely Cousin and Aunty sent me and my partner a M&S fruit basket that came in a sturdy cardboard box. Some gaffer tape, adhesive, a short length of stainless steel bar and copper wire once 'crafted' created the above 'Spray Booth' with suspension bar and hooks - virtually for free! My favourite price!

I love a bit of crafting in my shed and now I can add 'spray painting to my acquired skill set".

The Silver Y Moth

 

A Silver Y Moth came in through our window from the garden tonight and took refuge on the wall just below the ceiling coving in our sitting room.

Moths are beautiful little pieces of flying life and are a source of food for the pipestrel bats, which fly over our backyard.

Parmigiana with Cantabrian anchovies and Scottish smoked salmon.

 

Mediterranean sourced food fused with a little taste of Scotland and prepared and cooked by a beautiful woman with northern and Irish roots. Mix and match the best without borders!