A sad sight... ...viva espagne

[andrew s]

My run off roof observatory is a sad sight emptied of all the kit and left draped in the cobwebs I always intended to remove. It has been an effort over more years than I care to remember populating it with mounts, telescopes and various instruments. It now sits idle and unloved. Potential fire wood.

But, wait the kit sits neatly packed ready to go to a new home in southern Spain. The promise of 200 plus clear nights a year rather than the 10 or so I get in the cloudbank that is the Cheshire gap.

Sunday will see the start of an adventure to load the car (very full) and set off to Eurotunnel...

...to be continued.

Regards Andrew 

Edited October 10, 2019 by andrew s

[Guest]

viva espagne

[JeremyS]

35 minutes ago, andrew s said:

Sunday will see the start of an adventure to load the car (very full) and set off to Eurotunnel...

Good luck Andrew! Keep us posted!

[Alan White]

I know someone else who is doing exactly the same from near me,
I fully follow the reasoning to do so.
My only concern would be if and when the 'B' thing happens.

[andrew s]

18 minutes ago, Alan White said:

My only concern would be if and when the 'B' thing happens.

Don't see an issue.  The host will still look after it and I traveled to Europe before we joined and am sure I will be able to afterwards just like to any other non EU country.

Regards Andrew 

[DaveS]

If I could afford the hosting charges I'd be off to E-EyE too.

[andrew s]

6 minutes ago, DaveS said:

If I could afford the hosting charges I'd be off to E-EyE too.

I am going to the new Ian King/Colin Cooper site.

Regards Andrew 

[DaveS]

Ah, right.

[DAVE AMENDALL]

 Good luck Andrew ! My friend Edwin went to live in the Canary Islands just after the referendum. His community there is made up of  Europeans from a host of different countries and Brexit is rarely if ever mentioned . They live in a different world to the UK................Dave

Edited October 10, 2019 by DAVE AMENDALL
typo

[andrew s]

19 minutes ago, DAVE AMENDALL said:

 Good luck Andrew ! My friend Edwin went to live in the Canary Islands just after the referendum. His community there is made up of  Europeans from a host of different countries and Brexit is rarely if ever mentioned . They live in a different world to the UK................Dave

I am coming back just the kit is staying.  

Regards Andrew 

 

[DAVE AMENDALL]

Ah sorry about that, thought you were going there on a one way ticket so to speak  as so many have already done. At leat the kit will be rust free...Dave

[andrew s]

Not much room to spare.  All packed and ready for the off tomorrow morning. 

Regards Andrew 

[Saganite]

Don't look back Andrew, and good luck with the move !

Enjoy all those clear skies to come....

Edited October 12, 2019 by Saganite

[Allinthehead]

How very exciting. Enjoy every minute.

[andrew s]

Set off at 04:30 UCT and arrived at the Logis on the south of Chartres at 16:00 UCT. Traveling on Sunday was a good choice with even the M25 approximating a motorway rather than a car park. The only excitement was when a wild boar ran across the motorway near Evreux. It showed considerable skill in avoiding the light traffic but well beyond the skill of a domestic pig.

The Cheshire permacloud extends all the way to Chartres but I hope to get out from under it as I head for the south of France tomorrow.

Just had two beers with steak and chips at the local buffalo grill followed by a coffee with a petite au praline which was a close approximation to a Malteser.

Now for some well deserved sleep.

Regards Andrew 

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by andrew s

[JeremyS]

1 hour ago, andrew s said:

The Cheshire permacloud extends all the way to Chartres but I hope to get out from under it as I head for the south of France tomorrow.

I don't know how to tell you this, Andrew, but it's clear here in Cheshire tonight!

[andrew s]

11 hours ago, JeremyS said:

I don't know how to tell you this, Andrew, but it's clear here in Cheshire tonight!

"I hope you got some nice CV measurements under your belt Jeremy"  said he through gritted teeth. 

Regards Andrew 

[andrew s]

Yesterday I set off for the south of France with  broken cloud and some sunshine. As I approached the centre of France the storm clouds gathered and as I reached the A75 "sunshine route" it was doing an impression of the M62 on a wet bank holiday weekend  but with less traffic. Had I made a big mistake?

Today again started cloudy with some spits and spots of rain. However,  as the A9  became the AP-7 at the Spanish boarder the clouds broke first into cotton balls, then buds and finally evaporated into a powder blue sky that has remained so all day. Relief. 

I have done the trip through France a dozen times but Spain was new and for the most part the traffic was light so I could enjoy the view . Quite stunning at times but green enough to show it must rain sometimes.

Tomorrow I get to meet Colin and see the facilities. I am as excited as a 67 yr old cynic can be but with a touch of "I hope nothing important got damaged on the trip and did I forget anything".

Hope to have more interesting content tomorrow. 

Regards Andrew 

[Gina]

Watching with interest.

[M44DSW]

Hi Andrew, great to see you have taken the bold step and gone with the move, what equipment are you taking out for your setup? and what are you doing about insurance which when I looked was a bit of a struggle to say the least? I hope it all goes well and may revisit moving myself if you have a great story to tell !

[andrew s]

Arrived but not got set up yet. The sky here is amazing.  The threads of the Milky way  are clear from horizon to horizon. The stars are as I remember them a a child under rural unlit skies . Nirvana for astronomers.

More to follow with pictures tomorrow. 

Regards Andrew 

[JeremyS]

51 minutes ago, andrew s said:

Arrived but not got set up yet. The sky here is amazing.  The threads of the Milky way  are clear from horizon to horizon. The stars are as I remember them a a child under rural unlit skies . Nirvana for astronomers.

More to follow with pictures tomorrow. 

Regards Andrew 

Well done Andrew. Looking forward to the pics.

[Paul M]

54 minutes ago, andrew s said:

The stars are as I remember them a a child under rural unlit skies

I have wondered since before the onset of middle age, whether I'll ever see the sky like that ever again. You give me hope that it is just UK skies and not my eyes that limit my vision!

[andrew s]

General view of observatories and the moon in a sky that has been clear all night. 

Regards Andrew 

[andrew s]

just bolting it to the floor