30 April 2010 (Friday) - New Car, Astro Club

Last Saturday night I went into work for a couple of hours. Which (in the end) worked to my advantage. I took two hours out of work today to collect my new car. I had some qualms about saying goodbye to the old car, but the new one is virtually identical in everything but for the colour and one extra gear. Back to work via Tesco’s for doughnuts to celebrate.


After work was somewhat rushed. Tonight’s astro club meeting was an outing to Cranbrook to meet up with CADSAS (Cranbrook and District Science & Astronomy Society). Four of us set off hopefully, only to find one other person sitting in a car park hoping he was at the right place. Having found him, five of us then sat in a car park and hoped we were in the right place. After a while our numbers grew to double figures, and we found the people from CADSAS who led us to where we were supposed to be. It was at this point that we heard a car hooter, and saw some of our members driving toward us in their car. And behind them was a veritable convoy of a dozen or so cars full of club members. All of whom had found each other, but not found where we were supposed to meet.


Having said that, I feel I should point out to my loyal readers that history is written by those who take the time to write it. There is a conflicting school of thought that maintained we’d parked in the wrong place….


Eventually over thirty of us met up with the Cranbrook people. We went specifically to see their huge telescope. And it was quite a whopper, although still in the throes of being rebuilt. Fortunately some of our number are quite clued up with thing telescopic, and some helpful suggestions were made. I was part of a small number of people congratulated for coming up with the idea of springs. Perhaps I should say that I didn’t have any conception of what possible use springs would be in the telescope. I merely overheard it being said, and so I just repeated the word “springs” like a stuck record, and people seemed to think I knew what I was talking about.

To be honest I don’t really know anything about telescopes, and (not being rude) I have no real interest in them. I am after all very much an armchair astronomer. But having said that, I can appreciate the passion that some have for telescopes, and a really good evening was had tonight. I got to chat with friends I only meet once a month at the astro club. But there were a lot of faces I didn’t recognise. I need to get to know more of the membership.


And then home. I really should do my packing for next week’s holiday……


1 comment:

  1. Oh I am so envious. I too am an armchair astronomer and love listening to the people who know what they are talking about. And, they had a big thingy too.....bliss.
    I know I fit right in as I always did park in the wrong place.
    I shall catch up with this lot in September with any luck.

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