a grand weekend no.1 (warning, geek rating of this post-pretty high)

Apologies for the lack of posts to all those avid readers out there... but my laptop was back off to the wonderlap laptop hospital for about the sixty-zillionith time since moving into white street. (ok, maybe fourth time, but close enough)

But as sonja said, news of the astonomy weekend away requires internet space.


So, some weekends ago, this group of fine astronomers went off to a mansion in the middle of no where. (ideal location for not only stargazing, but also sardines and night time running through forest and tunnels)

Soup- was immense, 3 course meals lunch and dinner, with dree wine, cheap bar,no washing up and amazing banter!
Stars-and lots of them! made even more stunning by the 18inch Dobsonian that i need a stool to see into! Orion's nebua, the andromeda galaxy,beehive cluster, saturn and FIVE moons, a random spiral galaxy with dwarf companion were all on particularly fine form.
Strings-During the astronomy quiz (where else do you get exciting rounds such as name that nebula) I discovered someone who got just as excited about string theory as i did!Plus physics chat with phd students and lecturers is amazing!