Catching up

Having spent a few days away from home I am in the process of playing catch up. Firstly, I have the things I wanted to write about but because I was on someone else's connection couldn't, and then there are the more mundane things like catching up with things at work and the pile of post that inevitably awaits after a trip away.

I posted about the PaganCon 2002 and with hindsight perhaps I shouldn't attempt to have Ms Slade drummed out of pagan circles, after all she is one of the leading lights and as a result it would more than likely be me who was made unwelcome everywhere. I should just encourage people to go and listen to her and hope that common sense will prevail. Hopefully that way she will become a laughing stock and that might have the desired effect of shutting up her racist drivel.

Sunday was a good day too. I went with my partner and some of the people from his astronomy club to the National Space Centre at Leicester. That was really interesting and had lots of interactive things to do, like "driving" a version of the Sojourner and having a timer telling you how long it would have taken to complete your moves if the rover had actually been on Mars. The planetarium show was interesting, though it did remind me a lot of the electronic music concerts at Jodrell Bank. The only thing I found wrong with the centre is the lack of proper air conditioning in the tower, at low levels it was okay but as you went up to the higher levels it got warmer until the top where the heat was almost unbearable. As you would imagine in one of these places the souvenirs are well overpriced, but on the whole it was a good day out, and the staff were friendly and helpful.

Monday, started badly. I was dragged out of bed well before I was ready because there was bomb scare. The flats were I was staying wasn't actually evacuated as the police decided that we were not at risk, however, my other half didn't want to take any risks. So there I was with only the clothes I stood up in, I hadn't washed, cleaned my teeth or even brushed my hair. To top it all it was one of the hottest days I've known this year so far. When we were given the all clear to go back to the centre I was so relieved to get back to the flat to have a cool bath and put fresh clothes on, though within about an hour my deodorant had called it a day and stopped working so I was back to square one. The train journey north was a semi-nightmare as in it was bad but it has been much worse, at least there was some air conditioning in the carriage that I was in, and we didn't have water pouring down on us and our luggage like the poor sods in another coach. The train was late as usual though so some things never change.

I'll be really glad when I don't have to take these regular trips down south any more.