Don't forget to book, the fine weather might make it a bit tight
I won't be able to make this because I'm in France (I'm taking scope, just in case).
Have a good one!
Mark
I'll be back from France, so I'd better book!
Booked !! :D
Me too. If the weather/skies are good, might stay until Monday.
Carole
Well if its at Rother I'll be at home, its a right pain to drive there, but never mind.
Ok Fay has talked me into going, who will be there on Friday evening and do you want me to bring a large tub of chilli and rice?
Chris
Me and yes please
I'll be there Friday and Chilli and rice would be most welcome.
Thanks Carole
I will be there about 20:00 Friday. See you then.
Hope to get there around 2pm to set up.
We will do nibbles at 8pm, all booked in will bring the kite and cameras, just in case its bad weather for geeking.
Hooray!!!!!
Yippee!
We've got to get a grip Duncan!!
Hope you all have a good time. Unfortunately I cannot make DSC as I am decorating! :( :cry: :cry:
Julian
It's the wrong weather for decorating, and of course, the wrong moon phase.
I think you'll find 2 weeks time would be more appropriate ;)
Agreed, you should only transform into decorating garb at full moons. Do make sure the house is empty and you're locked securely in first though!!!
And you won't be able to see my light panels because your putting wallpaper up...
Is the weather looking iffy?
It's not looking great but then it's early days. The forecast is only really reliable(ish) the day before.
Anyway, we now have the new Event Shelter so even if the weather is crappy we can be social like the old days and sit around getting drunk instead.
It's one of these:-
(http://www.outdoorworld.co.uk/images/large/EventShelter_02_LRG.jpg)
and we have the zip-in door and walls too
(http://www.surplusandadventure.com/images/product/main/event%20shelter%20door.jpg)
It's 3.5m square so please leave room for it in the middle or corner of our plot.
That's nice Mike!
I bet Tony wishes he had one :lol:
Been to Tesco got all the bits for the chilli, don't worry Fay no odd bits in there. Its £2 a head this time a little more than the BBQ we had last time at the caravan :-( food prices!
Like the shelter....
Chris
Its looking like I'll be down at the weekend either Friday but most probably Saturday night with a bit of luck.
Chris - don't cater for me, if I make it down on the Friday and there's enough then fine otherwise I'll sort myself out.
Robert
PS. Shelter looks very good.
So it's looking like we have -
Me
Chris
Fay
Duncan
Mike
Brian Weller
Robert
Carole
Tony ?
A good start to the year if it works out :)
Duncan, hope you are not off to a do on saturday night!!!
Also, wonder if the Indian restaurant is operational, at the gate
The Indians only bought it last month :o
No do's this time Fay. Except for the one in the big teepee! Oops, wrong indians:)
I'm afraid I will not be camping on this DSC, but I will be coming down to visit either Saturday or Sunday because I miss all the old wrinkly faces that I haven't seen for a while, but at present I don't know which day.
I'll call someone before I come down in case someone has forgotten anything, or requires re-stocking of essentials.............BEER
Tony G
shame you cannot camp Tony, you have spoilt your record of never missing one!
Nice to see you anyway Tony............................
Quote from: Fay on May 04, 2011, 17:19:55
shame you cannot camp Tony, you have spoilt your record of never missing one!
I spoilt that when Mark had a DSC to himself at the beginning of the year, or was it the end of last year..........it's been so long. :roll:
Maybe the next one Fay.
Tony G
Weather forecast is not looking good ATM. Chris, don't count me in for Chilli after all as I shan't be coming if there is no chance of doing any imaging.
If a miracle happens and the weather reports change I'll come and if there is no chilli left over, then I'll fend for myself.
Carole
Weather as far as I can see is OK. Friday night is forecast to be clear and Saturday partly clear. Rain due sunday daytime but a clear night after that.
Carole no problem, I'm still going rain or shine because we havent all been together for ages....
Weather is looking better each time I check, touch wood. My old 8" LX90 is now on Robert's old HEQ5 and all systems tested out OK last night so I am hoping to use the set-up in anger on Friday night.
Decided to come down today, getting bored at home.
Made the mistake of telling Fay, now she's here :roll:
At least I can send her up the chip shop :D
Field dry and firm, loads of flying things - skies bright but looks like high cloud at the moment :(
Yes, the forecasts have changed a bit, but I didn't want Chris to go buying food for me and then I didn't come. Weather now looking a bit more positive, so hopefully am coming.
Carole
Weather looking patchy cloud at the moment.
SAT24 shows a whole mass of clouds heading this way :(
At least it's not raining
But you have beer, you there yet?
What was it like last night? Get any imaging done?
Was hoping to get down early today to set up but now need to go into London to deal with an idiotic employee.
Will see you later this evening instead. At least it stays light till late.
Bit late on the report for last night.
Yes I had beer :D
After loads of hardware/problems, managed to get some imaging in.
Sky not great but better than London
Wot about Fay...? (assuming she could find her scope... :cheesy: )
At pembury getting supplies,
Duncan
Unfortunately i won't be down as planned. This cough is dragging on and I need to shake it off before doing any more imaging.
I hope the weather holds off for those that are going and look forward to seeing the fruits of your labours,
Robert
PS Hope Rocket Pooch hasn't made the chilli too hot...
Fun night last night. It was cloudy to start with then cleared enough to use Brians dob and my big binoculars but too murky for imaging. Clouded over just after midnight.
Rain this morning :(
It also rained here at Farborough, Duncan, so we don`t feel left out. Rose and I had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and evening yesterday, so our thanks to everybody. And ain`t the new event tent brilliant??
Doug.
Absolutely chucked it down last night. Finally stopped at around 7am. It's trying to brighten up at the moment but forecast says a shower or two later tonight.
Last night it was clear for a while, although hazy. Around midnight the clouds rolled in and we gave up. We were doing plenty of visual and saw some great views through both Duncan's binoculars and Brian's home made Dob. Carole was trying to image but no idea if she actually managed to get anything.
Patchy cloud but warm today so we are just sitting outside being lazy. Frecast for tonight is crap though as at the moment it is saying it is going to rain all night long.
Well yesterday was cloudy throughout the day and night so no astronomy at all. Today looks like it is going to be the best night as it is currently a glorious sunny day with hardly a cloud in the sky. Forecast for tonight is clear. So for those staying another night it should be good.
Thought you might like to see the new OAS Event Shelter to be used at DSCs and any other OAS Events:
(http://db.tt/lllf0Ws)
Inside, plenty of room:
(http://db.tt/d3tKQwj)
As Mike said, weather poop but a great gathering.
I think it will be just me and Carole staying tonight, so fingers crossed for some clear skies.
The tent is a lot bigger than it looks, there were 9 of us in there last night with plenty of room to spare - A good find - Thanks Mike
Hi Robert,
The chilli was not hot, not even after we put 1/2 a schwartz glass tube of hot chilli in it, we must be getting too hard.
Great tent for the society as well.
Chris
P.S. Had a chat with the owner on the way out they will turn the toilet light of next time if we need it off.
P.P.S. £38 for two night two people :o I hope that pub opens at the end of the campsite soon.
It is expensive. I don't know if anyone noticed but there is another campsite just by the small bridge over the river. We should find out how much they charge.
That would obviously be closer to the river and more liable to mist - It was waste deep in Rother last year :(
Would be handy for a kebab though :)
True.
Fingers crossed you should have a better night tonight. Satellite image looks promising..
(http://db.tt/IcYk6r8)
Cheers Mike, does look a lot better than last night
Mick,
Its clear here now and heading your way.
Chris
I've set up (not at DSC but at home) but it's not looking quite so good at the moment. Fair amount of cloud might trundle up from Le Havre.
Pictures of the new event tent look great!
Mark
Got a few subs before the cloud hit. Oh well, pack up and off to bed then ...
Bugger
Got 1 sub, then the clouds hit, then some light rain.
Did flats etc. to kill time but no improvement - sulking and going to bed :cry:
:(
Was clear here, but I was playing about with kit..
Shame, I did look at satellite a few times & thought you were going to have trouble................
There's a temptation to stay the night with encouragement from the weather forecasters 8)
It will be clear and dry
or
It will be rain and cloud
How can they interpret the same data 2 different ways - it's weather not bloody politics :!
Bunch of retards :roll:
they are all ex politicians.
Quotethey are all ex politicians.
Of course, that explains it all..........................
The politicians have always been a right shower :-?
No if it was done by a politcian they would forecast clear skies, it would rain and then when questioned they would say they had taken ground from the people who always forecast rain, it is a positive thing and although clear skies did not happen they would work very hard in future to make it happen, on time.
Got home this afternoon, Mick and I stayed Sunday and Monday night. The skies were glorious on both days during the day time, but the inevitable cloud rolled in just in time for Astronomy. :( Both Mick and I thought we'd get some imaging done on Sunday and set up, but we both only managed one sub each before the clouds rolled in.
Last night while waiting for it to get dark, I tried out some of Micks exotic liquors and then we were visited by the most enormous beetle we have ever seen with furry antennae (must look it up).
Once again the clouds rolled in but there were some gaps here and there. Mick decided to go to bed because his knee was hurting. I stayed up to 2.30am and got an hours imaging in, not processed yet and not sure if it's going to be any good as I don't think the dew heaters worked. The splitter which joins the two together split in half during DSC and was held together with gaffer tape. It worked when I tested it earlier so never thought to check it again when imaging.
Mick and I were the only ones in the field and I was on my Jack Jones imaging until 2.30 am as Mick had gone to bed.
A most enjoyable few days.
Carole
"Last night while waiting for it to get dark, I tried out some of Micks exotic liquors and then we were visited by the most enormous beetle we have ever seen with furry antennae (must look it up)."
You were not visited by anything, thats what that green stuff does.... You were stoned.
QuoteYou were stoned.
Oh dear, what's the imaging going to be like then!! :cheesy:
Just tested the dew heaters again. They definitely don't work with the splitter so will have to get a new one, and meawhile will only have one for the imaging scope and the guide scope will have to manage without (or a hairdryer in the meantime).
Carole
What beetle ?
I never saw no beetle :twisted:
Where's all my weird green stuff gone :lol:
Some pictures taken by Brian Weller.
On the Saturday of DSC, Brian and I took a boat trip to Bodiam Castle which was a really nice trip. As those of you were there know, we got ambushed by a female Duck when we were having our sandwiches at a picnic table. A whole hoard of ducks waddled over to us but instead of waiting patiently for some bread to be thrown down one female duck jumped on my lap and onto the table and while I was brushing all the mud off my trousers from her feet she pinched half my sandwich. She then went over to Brian and ended up on his chest, and while he was shooing her away she pinched half his sandwich as well. It was quite a scene. I have never known a duck to be so bold.
The castle was surrounded by a huge moat in which there were the most enormous fish I have seen. Here are some photos of the ducks and fish (who were competing for food thrown in to them).
(http://gallery.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/albums/userpics/10047/normal_DUCKS_AT_Bodium_Castle_009.JPG)
Note the size of the fish and from time to time these huge fish leapt out of the water (presumably to catch a fly) and made a huge splash when they dropped back into the water.
(http://gallery.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/albums/userpics/10047/normal_Fish_and_ducks_at_Bodium_Castle_010.JPG)
View from the top of the castle:
(http://gallery.orpington-astronomy.org.uk/albums/userpics/10047/normal_Bodium_Castle_004.JPG)