Sinus Iridum - The Bay of Rainbows

 

Images captured from the Jodrell Plank Observatory using the 127 mm. Meade Apo Refractor and the Seestar S30. Data and image credit: Pip Stakkert.

"The other evening, our imaging technician Pip was using the  Seestar S30 to photograph the waxing gibbous lunar disc. He noticed that the 'Terminator' or 'daybreak on the Moon' was about to cross the prominent feature Sinus Iridum - The Bay of Rainbows. Sunlight had just touched the peaks of the crater walls creating the effect known as the 'golden handle'. This can just be seen top left in the bottom image". - Joel Cairo CEO of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

Captured from the JPO
and previously published on the blog

Reynard - Fantastic Mr. Fox Memorial

 

'Reynard's last Stand' - mixed media installation - June 2026 
George Roberts

As most of this blog readers might have guessed, I am very eccentric, so this weekend, feeling not at my best, I decided to ‘seize the day’ and create an art installation for our backyard. Like all art –there is an underlying ‘narrative’.

"Long ago on Maidstone Market in Kent, UK, a ‘cheeky costermonger’ offered me and my newly married wife, a red fox fur stole for 50p (it was a few years after currency decimalisation). The underlying threat being, if I didn’t cough up the dosh, said sad fox corpse would suffer the final ignominy of being dumped in the trash bin. Now even in those days, we were happily ‘woke’, so though neither of us wanted a dead animal skin for clothing, we decided to take the long dead fox off his hands.

Years passed while the Fox sat on a shelf in one of the spare bedrooms in our home. Then grandchildren started to appear and finally we reached the grand total of nine. ‘Sleep-overs’ at our house became a thing and the Fox became a night companion, protecting the children from the ‘black dreamers’ and ‘other nasty nightmares’. He was given the name ‘Reynard’ and was comprehensively loved by all. 

Years passed, the grandchildren became adults, sleep-overs became much less frequent and Reynard sat alone and mute in my wife's sewing room.

A month ago, my wife discovered poor Reynard had become infested with mites but neither of us could bring ourselves to put the fox in the bin. The grandchildren found out about poor Reynard’s malaise and were insistent that Reynard should have a dignified end with due respect.

So we cremated Reynard in the backyard and up-cycled a redundant bird table and a charity shop vase, to create a permanently mounted memorial and art installation with his ashes safely stored inside for posterity".

'Reynard's Last Stand'

Rocaille 'Scallops' Water Sculpture

'Scallops' water sculpture designed, reimagined and fabricated by George Roberts in May 2026. Key elements : concrete slabs, ceramic globe, broken tiles, sea glass, 3d printed water flow regulator, electric pump and hand acrylic painted scallop shells.

Macedoine - cooked root and green vegetables served cold in a mayonnaise sauce.

 

A very attractive starter or an accompaniment to a main dish. This french recipe is a colourful vegetarian treet. In my opinion it goes very nicely as a 'side' to accompany pasta.

Eric Hains artist and architect.

Eric Hains

(1913 — 2005)

Eric Hains was a painter in oil, watercolour and acrylic. He exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, The Society of Architect Artists, London and Stuttgart and other Art Societies. His work has been purchased by the National Westminster Bank, Schroders Bank and Save and Prosper. Pictures may be seen in the permanent collection of Maidstone Art Gallery, Kent.

 

Hains was a Life Member of the Society of Architect Artists, London and Vice President of Maidstone Art Society.

What this little internet snap shot of Eric Hains doesn't say is that he was a kind and decent man, who when I was a school boy in Maidstone in  the 1960s, went out of his way to encourage me, a complete  stranger, to draw, paint, sculpt and become an architect because he recognised something in me worth developing and helping.  He gave me holiday work as an architectural assistant helping me to fund my degree course at Manchester and even appreciated my humour. Most of us,  if we are honest, owe some of our success in life to the kindness of others. This is my small public thank you to and celebration of Eric Hains a decent human being, architect and  artist. RIP.

Scones

 

A scone, butter and jam: a perfect union between Britain, Denmark and France. At no point were my taste buds 'overrun' or my scone values compromised by foreigners.🤣

'Get tanked up' with Syd Carp No 6

 

"It has been some time since my last aquarium post. Sadly I have had a number of deaths amongst the older fish in the tank. 

When you add additional fish to an aquarium this stresses the existing fish stock. This is a fact however good the filtration system you employ or how well established is the tank.

Now, I guess all you tank enthusiasts have just got out your cylinder filters and are comparing sizes and performance?

A top tip from your old pal Syd Carp - ' when you carry out the weekly partial water change clean out the hose from the aquarium to the cylinder filter inlet using a bottle brush. You will be astonished at the amount of plant debris and general crud  that builds up in this pipe. By cleaning this pipe, water flow, filtration and oxygenation of the water is significantly improved which in turn reduces stress for the fish."👍