Une grande nuit dans le jardin

Photograph taken with my Canon Digital SLR
 through my Meade 127 mm Apochromatic  Refractor

Messier 3 (also known as M 3 or NGC 5272) is a globular cluster in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was discovered by Charles Messier in 1764, and resolved into stars by William Herschel around 1784. This cluster is one of the largest and brightest, and is made up of around 500,000 stars. It is located at a distance of about 33,900 light-years away from Earth. M 3 has an apparent magnitude of 6.2 making it a difficult naked eye target even with dark conditions. With a moderate-sized telescope, the cluster is fully defined. It is estimated to be 8 billion years old. It is pretty difficult to spot this object in an amateur telescope without 'Go-To' as it has no nearby pointer stars; though it is almost exactly halfway between and on a line connecting Cor Caroli with Arcturus.

Saturn much closer than M3 but harder
 to photograph with my SLR camera

Greyhound Racing at GreatYarmouth

Nice Dog seeking a good Home see Great Yarmouth Greyhound Stadium Web-Site

Not much action in the Cabine as have had Felix, Maisy, Custard and Tabitha (aka: "The Wild Bears") staying with us for a couple of days. Had a really nice time with them at the Moo Barn and Pets Corner. All the children were very well behaved and really good company! Anita and I had a great couple of days.

Uncle Fred, Aunty Rita and my Cousin Beverley came to see us and took Anita and I for a night out at Great Yarmouth Greyhound Track. We had a great time helping Beverley to celebrate her Birthday. We all had a winner or two and an excellent meal in the track restaurant. On the way home we saw a beautiful full moon which shone orange light on the waters of the Yare Estuary.

My Dog Sad Ken can be seen at the rear having a fag.

Today, Anita has gone to Rachel and Bim's house to pick up Alice, Pixie, Archie and Oscar. They will be staying with us for a few days so hope the weather stays good so we can go to the beach and the Squirrel Park.

I appear to have picked up some chest infection and have lost my voice.  Had to interupt my Half Marathon training plan as am not up to running today.  Ran 5.3 miles on Sunday and it jolly near killed me, Anita is not convinced this is necessarily a good idea.  As Maisy said at the time "Why is Pappa lying down outside on the front step? Is he dead?"

Keep on Running

Started week two of my training programme for the Southend Half Marathon. By heck my little short legs hurt!  I ran 2.7 miles at 10 mile per hour pace this morning. The run included the Camps Lane hill and my knees now feel as though they are fully reversible although I know that this is anatomically impossible!

I have been doing some engineering in the Cabine this afternoon and have completed phase one of the project. Can you guess what it is?



Project X


I am looking forward to tea this evening, Toot is having liver and I am having fresh mackarel fillets with gooseberry jam, sweet potato chips, sauteed potatoes and purple sprouting. For pudding we have Eton Mess with fresh raspberries.  My cup or bowl runneth over and I haven't to run again until Thursday hurrah!

Seeing the Wild Bears tomorrow, double hurrah!

A rainy day in Oulton Broad

The view from our room at the Tromso Radisson Bleu

Looking down from Tromso University
towards the Fjord




Much done today but not a lot in the Cabine.

Today was day one of the Half Marathon Training Plan! Ran two miles in twenty minutes and then spent thirty minutes gasping like a goldfish sans water! Surely this is meant to make me a lean mean running machine not a queasy wheezy arresting geriatric?

Our friends Mike and Stephanie came for lunch and Toot provided: Fish Chowder with Bruschetta, Apple Crumble and Custard, and Cheese and Biscuits with grapes. Very yummy but I might regret the extra weight on my next run which is planned for Thursday.

I gave Mike a glass of Bimbar's Christmas wine, suggesting that he might like to try the "interesting dessert wine" which I had aquired. After he had tasted it I asked him for an opinion. He was much impressed and prefered it to the Muscat we purchased in France last summer!

Anita had one drink only and Stephanie had given up alcohol for Lent, so Mike and I were quite merry by the time coffee made an appearance! 

This afternoon I have returned to preparation of photos for the astrophotography competition. Always nice to finish off the day with a little "Photoshopping".

Point House Ridlington





Point House from the road





I have been busy in the Cabine this week painting a picture of Point House. Watercolour is an unforgiving medium and punishes the lazy artist who leaves too long his paints in the box unattended.

This painting is for Jane and Martin to hang in their new home in France, I hope they like it and that it reminds them of Norfolk! I will send it by post as is quite small.

The next challenge in the Cabine will be "Nevsky Prospekt " St Petersburgh - using pastels (a first for the artist). St Petersburgh was a real treat, packed with wonderful Art Nouveau and Moderne Architecture of real quality. The Hermitage Museum was completely overwhelming with fabulous paintings many of which I have never seen,even as prints.

Whilst in Russia, Toot and I developed a taste for Sushi. Toot is preparing Sushi for dinner tonight so I'm quite excited. What a great treat!

This week I had my first training run in preparation for the Southend Half Marathon. Oh dear! how it hurt!

Perhaps I could try something shorter? Still, I do get to dress up in skin-tight Lycra and make an exhibition of myself.

Second Star to the right, and straight on till morning.





Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky!
 

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.

Clear Nights in Lowestoft

Central portion of the Beehive Cluster

Part of the Pleiades Cluster

After many overcast nights, the sky cleared and the stars shone. So I seized the opportunity to view the heavens through my trusty Meade refractor! Given the chance I decided to make my first attempts at photographing stars through my telescope. Focussing was more difficult than I thought and the rate of the earth's spin tended to blur and render stellar points of light as small ovals. However, without the tracking system engaged, I managed to get snaps of the centre of the Beehive cluster in the constellation of Cancer the Crab and also of part of the Pleiades inTaurus the Bull. Clearly, I have much to learn and the attached photographs are work in progress rather than the finished article.
A real treat was the appearance of the brightest and slowest moving meteor I have ever seen. It was a large silver fireball that moved from south to north across a dark black sky! It passed directly overhead whilst I was setting up my scope. Astronomy rocks!
Toot and I did two hours "Gym and Swim" at Bannatynes and we have had two great lunches out with friends this week. So no artistic action in the Cabine.