We have been thinking about the night sky…
February was an exceptionally dry month with clear night skies overhead, so we have been doing some stargazing. It’s a bit of a theme this month.
Cowdray Cosmos (above) by Richard Murray is the winning photo in the annual astrophotography competition run by the South Downs National Park as part of its Dark Skies Festival in February.
The South Downs is one of several UK international dark sky areas.
You can view other starry stunners, such as Celestial Estuary by Giles Smith, here: https://www.southdowns.gov.uk/dazzling-dark-sky-over-regal-ruins-wins-south-downs-national-parks-photo-contest/
You can find out more about the international dark skies movement, here: https://www.darksky.org/
And, if this interests you, you can watch a one minute film clip to see what you can do to help wildlife, that depend on dark skies, here: https://www.darksky.org/light-pollution/wildlife/.
We are trying out a new App to help identify stars in the night sky.
If you feel inspired to do some stargazing of your own, there are free Apps you can use where you point your phone at the night sky and it tells you what you are looking at. We are trying out this Sky View Lite and you can read a review by teachers, here: https://www.educationalappstore.com/app/skyview-free-explore-the-universe
I really hope it will be as helpful at the Merlin Bird App (see last month’s post).
We have been listening to this poem about stars set to music a century after it was written…
This poem by American poet, Sara Teasdale was published in the 1920s. I like the contrast between the simple verses and the theme of nature and eternity. It’s been described as capturing that feeling of awe, when a sky full of stars takes us out of our own small worlds in contemplation of something so vast and beautiful. You can read a larger copy, here: https://img.poemhunter.com/i/poem_images/667/stars-5.jpg
Nearly a century later, this poem has been set to music, including the eerie otherworldly sound produced by fingers rubbing on the rims of glasses, that you might be able to hear. Watch this atmospheric performance, below, and see whether you think Eriks Esenvalds captures the tone of the poem. Maybe even listen outside on a clear star-filled night!
We have been celebrating the birthday of someone who doesn’t need a night sky in order to feel little within the universe…
Busby says, “Although I am obviously on the small side physically, apparently I don’t tend to come across that way.” 
Busby continues, “I was delighted to receive this fantastic birthday card with a wonderful drawing of my mother, Pixel. Thank you, Veryan and thank you, young Andrew, for the art work!” 
“This is another beautiful drawing by the same talented young artist, Andrew MH. It’s of my very handsome triplet, Micro – note the family resemblance.”
We have been thinking about our five senses…
after taking this quick and easy quiz.
The quiz allows you to discover your most neglected sense and how to awaken your appreciation for it. You can find out more, here: https://gretchenrubin.com/quiz/the-five-senses-quiz/. Which is your most neglected sense?
Busby says, ” Well. Frankly, no surprises about my result, which (apologies , canine readers, for the spoiler, left) is Seeing. No harm in having it confirmed though, and the quiz was fun. Being a dog, I did not feel interested by the ways I could increase my appreciation of this sense, as I already ‘see’ so well with my nose”
Should you wish to, you can read more about Busby’s nose, here: https://buzzypaws.com/august-with-busby/
We have been trying out DALL-E…
and this is what it did with the instruction, Jack Russell terrier gazing at stars in a Van Gogh night sky.
Pretty clever, don’t you think? You can have a go yourself, here, but you need to be over 18, so children will need an adult to help them. https://openai.com/product/dall-e-2
On that theme…
Anyone for stargazey pie? This is a traditional Cornish recipe. Should any older readers fancy giving it a go, here is a recipe from someone who should know! https://www.rickstein.com/blog/rick-steins-cornwall-stargazy-pie-recipe/
Simpler, and possibly less off-putting, creative, star-themed activities can be found, below: Simple colouring: https://www.colorwithfuzzy.com/star-coloring-pages.html. Short of time for browsing? We liked this one best. https://www.colorwithfuzzy.com/support-files/star-coloring-page.pdf Medium level of challenge https://www.justcolor.net/relaxation/coloring-mandalas/nggallery/8/page/6/?image=mandalas__coloring-page-adult-star-mandala__1 Or watch how you can make some easy mini paper stars, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFwmdi6YK9k
And now to a star of another kind…
What a great reminder not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Stick around for the slow motion replays at the end.
Finally, congratulations and a big gold star …
to Cathy for correctly identifying the location of these romantic dragons as being Varna in Bulgaria. You can discover more about this historic coastal city, here: https://visit.varna.bg/en/index.html
Did you know that a site near Varna dates back to 4600BC?! It has yielded what is believed to be the world’s oldest processed gold.
Thank you…
everyone who has signed up to follow this blog. Every time we see a new name, I feel great and Busby feels (p)awesome.
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