The Halo

 Clear skies, hexagonal ice crystals in the air, meant that the moon on Tuesday night put on a spectacular 22 degree halo for those skywatchers among us. 

I'm sure one of my readers must have seen it.  

As a binocular astronomer at the moment, the moon is normally bad news for me - I like looking for open clusters that get drowned out by the moon's light. But, there's still plenty of things that pop up for the naked eye viewer. 

And this saintly, crowned moon, was one of them. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 04.12.25 

Flaming Skies

 The combination of rain falling, with dark clouds clearing the horizon at sunset, led to spectacular skies this evening. 

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 18.11.25 

Winter Skies

 I've seen some incredible sunrises this week, the vaults painted stunning reds and oranges but of course I've been riding to work at the time so I wasn't able to get any photographs. 

However I did manage to get some sunset photos of golden skies, as I seem to spam my Instagram with every winter. I nip outside during the golden hour as the seagulls fly to their roosts in raggedy echelons overhead, and the campus kestrel gives up its struggle against Arwen or Barra, and perches atop a lamp-post. 

I'm writing this on a Saturday. Recently Saturdays have become my do nothing days, days where I don't have to exercise and can eat treats like Port Salou cheese. 

It's worked out well really, because the last three Saturdays have had terrible weather!

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 11.12.21

Deeper into Sunset

 I thought I would try and take some photographs a little deeper into sunset, to try and get some of the deeper colours rather than the retina blasting golds produced by the sun before it sets.

I try and escape the office when I can at sunset for 5 minutes to try and get fresh air and escape any other people who might be around. I was ok when I first returned to work in July, when infection rates here were low and we went 84 days without a single covid death. However, as well all know it is a very different ball game and I'm at work at a time that is very similar to the April peak and being around anyone for more than 5 minutes is stressful. 

I so disagree with the lifting of restrictions for Christmas; as if the virus is going to have a holiday too. I'm quite prepared to do Christmas alone if it is the safest thing to do, as we wait for vaccinations to begin. It's only a day in the calendar after all. I believe we can and should wait for better times. 

At least I wouldn't overeat everything in the house.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 26.11.20

All I can Offer are Golden Skies

 Back at work, wearing a headtorch now to light up the black clad cyclists and pedestrians, judging halloween fancy dress and pumpkin carving, and getting really rather fed up with the headaches the onset of age related long-sightedness has given me.

Eye trouble during a bloody pandemic when you don't want folk prodding you at opticians that aren't open anyway. Great.

Have a look at a sunset. It's the best I can give you at the moment.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 17.11.20

Tier 3 it is then

 Today, we found ourselves hauled into Tier 3 along with the rest of Nottinghamshire. Our infection rate is much lower than the city and Mansfield areas, but so many folk travel to those areas to work it was then decided to bring us in with the rest of the county.

I also think that rising hospital rates from Nottingham are starting to overspill into our  hospitals, meaning there are less places for local patients. Strangely, infection rates all over the county are dropping after the University outbreaks, but it is rising amongst the elderly.

Hence, no more pub or visits to the tattoo parlour for me.

Joking aside, the effects are pretty devastating to a lot of people - my sister was planning to visit to commemorate the first anniversary of my mother's passing next week, but that has been cancelled. I'm no longer able to even go to the family home to sit in the garden to mark it. 

Still, as my stepfather said, we complain about other people who don't follow the rules, so we must do the same. 

At least I can still get outside, and get very wet indeed and very nervous when I cycle!

See if you can spot the kestrel.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 28.10.20

Celestial Bodies

Lovely close approach of Venus and the crescent Moon tonight, dominating the skies as I rode home and then went shopping later on.

The only thing other than the moon you will see at night that is brighter than Venus, is a supernova. Remember that. You never know when it may happen.

The building works at the old Robin Hood Hotel have required the arrival of a crane, that oerlooks my garden like one of the sinister Deceptacons from the Transformers movies.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 27.02.20

And Now Sunset over Work

During the week I don't have a lot to show you; the workplace isn't exactly brimming with life I can photograph well at the moment, other than a few daisies that have braved the frosts to poke up in the garden area where the blue and great tits munch upon the fatball and seed feeders.

The rabbits are plentiful, but wary; a flash of white tail suddenly erupts from beneath your nose almost, and is gone in an instant. Kestrels in the sunrise look beautiful, but they are mere dots in a mobile phone shot.

My hip is still bugging me, my neck too after some fairly violent ticcing today. But I will get it sorted, and I will get through.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 21.01.20

Sunset to Coddington

So my Race to the Stones training continued today, with a long walk out to Coddington and back, on another day of cloudless skies and crisp temperatures leading to icy puddles and frost dusted pavements.

I've not been out this way for a long while, and such a trip would not be complete without being held up at a train crossing, luckily it was only the one LNER train thundering through, sometimes I've been held up for over twenty minutes at Barnby crossing!

i've not seen any winter thrushes until today, but in the trees alongside a farmer's field there was a flock of about 30 Fieldfare - I think - flying about, their pale bellies glowing orange in the lowering sun. Lots of sparrows in the hawthorn hedgerows, chattering away in their endless grey squabbles.

I'd timed the walk so I could get to the top of Coddington Hill as the sun set, and for once my timing was on; I had lovely views and was able to follow the sun until the moment it set; not long after Venus began its Evening Star role, shining brightly as I walked down Beacon Hill.

I've made over 20000 steps for the day, Race to the Stones will need probably 70,000 on consecutive days. It's daunting, but I'm looking forward to it.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 20.01.20

"Paint the Whole World with a..."

Autumn Skies

The first frosts are now upon us, and my rather daft looking neck tube snood thingy has now been broken out. The winter gloves will have to be worn tomorrow, my hands were cold in the ordinary ones.

We've had a day of occasional showers and broken rainbows, and in work I've been printing out posters of two metre high zombies. Don't ask. I was out in the rain, and finding it quite refreshing actually, my aforementioned new jacket is pretty warm.

I should have been running tonight, but I had too much pasta for tea and so I've been geeking out on Star Trek Voyager instead while waiting for Autumnwatch, where Chris Packham has an enviable bright green padded jacket.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 29.10.19

Trying to Fill a Cricketless Day

Although the rain was heavy and seemingly endless yesterday, I was hopeful that a sunny breezy day like today would dry the ground out so I could get my game of cricket in.

Sadly no, the ground was wet and it looked like our leaky covers had done their worst again, so the game was called off, on what was another good day for actually playing the game.

This is what happened in our first game of the season and it was equally annoying then. Hopefully we will be ok for tomorrow's game.

So, how to fill the day?

Well I went out walking for three hours this afternoon, listening to the Ashes game, taking in the park, the river and the cricket ground, and checked in at the gaming cafe where some sort of massive civil war battle was in progress on about 40 tables joined together.

It could have been a worse day but it was still very disappointing.

Si

All text and images copyright CreamCrackeredNature 17.08.19