A little while back, I chronicled my desire for a good telescope. It's probably a direct result of having wanted one ever since I was quite young, and now being around them all of the time.
Over the road from me, when I was a child, there lived a boy called Charles. He was about four years older than I was, and as a result, he seemed not only infinitely cool but infinitely wise. This was the 1970s - we had different standards for wisdom then. Whatever Charles was interested in, I wanted to be interested in. I started reading HG Wells just to be in the small - and very exclusive - HG Wells club that he was forming: he'd written a quiz about the Master's work that I'm pretty sure I couldn't even pass now as a sort of entrance exam. After that, it was Edgar Rice Burroughs, who we both read and adored. Charles was also into astronomy, and I remember - or seem to remember but am not entirely certain of, as I've done a lot of drinking since then - being allowed out on special nights by my parents to look at the stars. I wanted my own 'scope, but that was one of a long list of unrequited childhood dreams (which in a way, are the best of childhood dreams).
It wasn't as though I didn't have other interests to take up my time. And eventually, of course, other distractions were invented, which would in their course sway me from the goals which I had originally imagined for myself. That, of course, is another story for another day.
The point - and I do have one - is that it appears that GHR not only reads the blog, but takes notice of things. Because guess what turned up at home the other day? Yes, you guessed it:
This.
Yes, you could say that I'm pretty lucky - or even very lucky. You'd be right.
This afternoon, I set about putting it together. Not too hard. But here's an interesting thought: things tend to be much bigger in your home than they are in the shop. And of course, now that I have it assembled, what's the forecast? Rain. Bloody rain.
Oh well. I've waited for this long. Another day or two isn't going to be the end of the world.
By the way, I accidentally posted earlier, so if that popped up on your feeds and whatnot, it wasn't anything. Apologies.
3 comments:
Erm, when I click the "This" linkie I get "An unexpected error occured (Sic). Please try again later."
However, the URL tells me it's a Celestron, which makes good 'scopes. :) Congrats!
Maybe Celestron's site was down when you tried, RBH? I've tested the link on a couple of computers and had no problem... If you can't find it, I gush at greater length in my next entry... probably dull for anyone who's not into telescopes and things, but I'm in the throes of a new hobby. I apologise in advance if it's tedious for anyone... =)
Thanks!
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