stars

Last night, Joe went outside and took photos of the stars, using his phone on "night mode". Even though the moon was almost full, he got some good pictures, and we looked up the constellations together on a star chart. Orion was behind the house in the south west, Taurus in the west and Perseus in the North western sky. Joe lives in the town, and he, like most visitors here, are always surprised by how many stars are visible in the sky, even on a moonlit night. (Apparently, the number of stars visible to the naked eye is about 5,000 - see HERE.

The friendly local farmer who helped to locate our septic tank showed me this star chart, which he found at his aunt's house along with some other interesting old letters and documents. I'm not sure of the age of this, but it shows some of the brighter stars in the sky. Strangely, they seem to be drawn as if viewed from above, rather than looking up into the sky.

Sarah and I have been busy bees in the garden this afternoon. I planted some broad beans and prepared the greenhouse bed. Sarah started trimming the beech hedge. Then we both cleared a blocked road drain behind the house, which was very satisfying.

Ive just made a 3 bean chilli for tea, which should be ready any moment...