Tonight was a complete turnaround from last night – crisp
and cold, with a clear sky and a frost forming by 9pm. My fingers were tingling
by the time I was half way back, so I decided it was time to break open the new
jar of hot chocolate and have a JJ special (as described some time last winter,
so I can’t be bothered to elucidate further.)
Anyway, tonight I found The Plough to continue my celestial education.
I was walking in one of the darker parts of Mill Lane – just before the junction with
Meadow Lane
where the dogs howl – when I saw it plain as day (if you see what I mean) in
the northern sky. It even looked like a plough, which makes a change from those
random arrangements of three stars which astronomers join with lines, then
tell you it looks like a lion. Yeah, right. I think you must have to have a
degree in Creative Ink Blot Interpretation if you want to be an astronomer.
Nevertheless, I looked it up on several astronomical
websites when I got back, and do you know what I discovered? Something I
already knew – that the majority of websites are completely bloody useless when
it comes to finding out what you want to know. One website, for example, said
that The Plough was a useful guide to the location of the Pole Star, only it didn’t
say how. Another said that I could find any constellation in the night sky by
clicking on the Such-and-Such button located top left of the page, only there
was no such button.
Today has brought unresolved aggravations and frustrations
in its train, so I’m in a bad mood. And something keeps making knocking noises
in the vicinity of my office window. No more Greta Garbo jokes. We’ve done that
one to death.
5 comments:
Over hyea we call th' plow th' big dipper! So ya kno'
It's an alternative name here, too. I just think it looks more like a plough, so I'll stick with that one. Come to think of it, it looks a bit like Oklahoma, too.
Greta will turn in her grave!
Anyway, it was the Ghastly Governessa, she wants you to join her brood...
Oh the frost! I was so excited when I saw clumps of moss on the roof all dusted and shining this morning, what a joy and I like the sound of the hot chocolate, for sure it'll have a belly warmer added.
I think it more likely that it was mouse getting into one of the bird feeders. I catch him in the beam of my torch sometimes - a little wood mouse nicking the remnants of the bird food on the compost bin. He jumps over the hump in the middle, then his little face peers over the top of it to see whether I'm still there.
By the way, do thank the Governessa for her invitation. I'll take it under advisement.
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