Cyril

One German retailer, soon after the New Year, website said they didn't deliver to the UK! I was going to place an order a few weeks ago but backed out because they said some of it was on back order and awaiting delivery. Perhaps Chinese goods aren't getting through customs! This pandemic will still be sending shockwaves around the globe for sometime yet, but lets not forget Brexit. BBC News 04/01/2021 VAT is now being collected at the point of sale rather than at the point of importation. This essentially means that overseas retailers sending goods to the UK are expected to register for UK VAT and account for it to HMRC if the sale value is less than €150 (£135). A government spokesperson said: "The new VAT model ensures goods from EU and non-EU countries are treated in the same way and that UK businesses are not disadvantaged by competition from VAT-free imports. "The new system also addresses the problem of overseas sellers failing to pay the right amount of VAT on sales of goods already in the UK at the point of sale, raising an anticipated £300m every year. Campaigner Richard Allen, founder of Retailers Against VAT Abuse Schemes, told the BBC that the massive increase in international online shopping had led to VAT evasion on a huge scale. "For providing this service, [HMRC] intend to charge a fee to every company in the world in every country in the world which exports to the UK," said Dutch Bike Bits on its website."

One of the problems we have had with LED replacements is that they have been fitted to lamp post that have been there for forty year plus, the top is fixed and is tilted upwards, the one across the road lit the hillside behind us far better than the sodium lights, a word with the council, bless them, they fitted a hood.

In a snow hole or igloo one candle with an air hole will keep you alive.

Perhaps a dehumidifier would be better than a small heater, the heater will not get rid of moisture in the air.

Our council quickly put a shade on the new LED street light that lit our house and the hillside behind it, but my neighbours bathroom lights all night, if I ask he will pit them off, but not his wife, from dusk to dawn.

Hi Try https://espmc-eight.groups.io/g/MAIN, everything you want to know and more. Cyril

My back garden rises steeply upwards to become level for about 20 yards, -4 and getting to that level patch is really a no no, the steps even in summer are always damp so a prolonged winter's freeze makes it a tempting low grade winter climb, crampons and axes though are retired on the shed wall, guess where the shed is, up the back. WD40 has kept my shed padlock free every winter since the shed was built, 1996, if I spray the steps????????

It would be obvious to any detectives out there, it's been turned upside down so the owner can see the moon the right way up!

You need to get wise and stop peeking everyone knows you'll get caught out. I'd would have thought that you'd also developed a knowledge of local conditions over the years, so you need a weather report, set a time for action, check equipment, relax with a cup of tea until zero hour then pounce and with any luck you'll catch the ancient gods of the sky napping and wake bleary eyed in the morning satisfied in the knowledge that knowledge overcomes adversity.

Cloud, rain, cold, but when I do get a clear night my neighbours suddenly illuminate the world by leaving every light on possible, the one next door has halogen lights in their bathroom and kitchen that make the windows look like doorways into some alien underworld, no curtains or blinds and on all night, why??? Mmmm perhaps my shuffling about at three in the morning scares them, oooooo there's the bogeyman outside again.

Some parts of the road have been grid locked with tourists, caravans and campervans recently, the bright idea labelling it the NC500 was one persons marketing ploy, chaos ensued, as for a space port!!!!! It would take millions to upgrade the roads, then there are places for those involved to live. It's remote, very remote with not much real infrastructure for modern man, the nearest big hospital is in Inverness! about 100 miles away. But they'll have company for part of the year, next door is Cape Wrath, good name, a military range, rockets. big guns, in fact anything that goes bang and destroys things. As for moving anything by road up there!!!! even moving wind turbine tower sections cause untold problems and annoyance, especially the overtime police escorting them, dukes or hazard must be their training film and with the Scottish Governments push to remove any carbon fuelled vehicle off the road in the near future it's not really inviting. Perhaps the UK government could kick the Americans off Diego Garcia, and build a space port there, be nice and warm, really remote and even better no tourists or midges..

Does anyone in the UK use Wildcard Innovations Argo navis?

On the edge of Salisbury Plain could be Army air corp. https://www.army.mod.uk/who-we-are/corps-regiments-and-units/army-air-corps/

A huge asteroid strike would produce some nice sunsets but headaches and more for others, anything we can do about it? If the response to global warming and now covid-19 is anything to go by we are doomed.

Seems Musk is trying to 'own' near earth with his latest, today's, launch of another 54 satellites, who actually gave him permission?

Amazing stuff and very well presented, thanks for sharing your time and imaging.

Is that his mate in the background standing next to the radiator being held back by the one legged dog?

In one of our local shops there's a Saxon 200mm reflector for sale £229 , a long way from home https://www.saxon.com.au/saxon-2001eq5-velocity-reflector-telescope.html Does anyone know who makes them? China's my guess.

Few links might help http://astronomyonline.org/ https://www.open.edu/openlearn/science-maths-technology/astronomy/astronomy-online-telescope/content-section-overview?active-tab=description-tab https://in-the-sky.org/

We as individuals are constantly hearing from environmentalists and politicians to cut our carbon emissions yet Ellon Musk can in a day throw hundreds of tons of co2 into the atmosphere let alone his contribution to space junk all for profit. Should we not all be looking for inspiration to cut CO2 emissions, at the moment there are hundreds of thousands of car ownrs in the UK that would like switch to electric or hybrid vehilces but that won't happen very quickly, cost and profit will keep us away from these vehicles for a long tim

Vairous websites have calculations on the amount of C02 from space x's launch. "The Falcon 9 rocket runs on fossil fuels, namely Rocket Propellant 1 or RP-1, which is highly refined kerosene. Each launch burns 29,600 gallons or 112,184 Kilograms, with each Kg of fuel releasing 3 Kg of CO2, so each launch releases 336,552 Kg of CO2." https://championtraveler.com/news/one-spacex-rocket-launch-produces-the-equivalent-of-395-transatlantic-flights-worth-of-co2-emissions/ About 330 imperial tons.

Tried these for a price? https://www.coversandall.co.uk/custom-size-and-shape-covers-custom-shape.html?ef_id=:G:s

My original moon atlas was a birthday present given to me by one of my older brothers, 59 years ago, when I was about 12, a copy of Elger's The Moon 1895. I still treasure it.

Just in from walking the dog, I saw one of the most spectacular meteor/ fireball I've ever seen, very bright blue with a colourful flash at the end heading north against the last glow of sunset, nice end to a very nice day here in the Highlands.

John Lewis Insurance