An apology for my absence

[Jkulin]

Hi Everyone, just thought I should apologise for not being active on here for the last few months.

 

As many know I lost my wife in July after nearly 37 years of marriage and it has devastated me completely.

 

Everything has been 10 times harder than I ever imagined.

 

I still have loads of images to process from last year, but my mind isn't in the right place at the moment.

 

I am also preparing my home to sell as it is far too large for just my dog Maia (Named after the main star in Pleiades) and I.

 

When I move I will take my obsy with me and build an additional one with a RoR, but these things take time, my new home must be rural with very little light pollution, not just for my astronomy but also as a lover of wild life so that i can encourage foxes, badgers and deer to visit. I am looking at Shropshire/Staffordshire and maybe even Worcestershire, but I have to sell my place first and find the new one. Fortunately my son owns an estate agency, so I know that he will do his best for me.

 

I still visit on here regularly, but just need to get my mind right before I become more active again.

 

Absent doesn't mean I don't care and if anyone needs help then feel free, I know that Terry has been a major asset from the mod team.

 

All the best and clear skies🙂

[Nightspore]

I am sorry to hear about your wife John. You certainly don't need to apologise to anyone here. Clear skies to you. 

[Hannahgrace]

Clear skies and so so sorry for your loss. X

[GazAstro]

Haven't been on for a while, so sorry about your wife.

I know it's cheesy but when I lost my Dad it used to comfort me looking up at space, hope you're ok soon.

[paul]

So sorry for your loss John. Clear, peaceful skies.

[Carastro]

No need to apologise John, you have been and are going through a rough time.  May I just say that one memberof our WA group lives in Shropshire and has appalling weather for Astronomy.  Might be a good idea to have a chat with him before deciding on Shropshire.  PM/WA me if you want to know who to talk to. 

 

Carole 

[Nightspore]

 

Shropshire as a whole has good quality skies. The Shropshire mountains (in green) can attract clouds as the thermals produced by them can change weather patterns, as the mountains can in the Cynon Valley. Away from the mountains it's not too different to Worcestershire. I live about 13 kilometres (in Worcestershire) south east of Bridgenorth, in the greenbelt, and I have Bortle 4-5 skies. 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Nightspore

[Jkulin]

4 hours ago, Carastro said:

No need to apologise John, you have been and are going through a rough time.  May I just say that one memberof our WA group lives in Shropshire and has appalling weather for Astronomy.  Might be a good idea to have a chat with him before deciding on Shropshire.  PM/WA me if you want to know who to talk to. 

 

Carole 

Thanks Carole, yes Ron does seem to being having bad luck with the weather in north Shropshire, I currently live about 6 miles away from the East Shropshire Border, I live in South Staffordshire but am considering North, West and East Staffordshire, I really want to keep within a 45 min driving of my kids, and there are some Bortle 3/4 within that distance. Currently I am living in what was Bortle 5 and now has developed in to Bortle 6+, its not just the skies, I discovered after Notgrove that I need peace and quiet and to be a miserable old bugger "Solitude".

 

3 hours ago, Nightspore said:

 

Shropshire as a whole has good quality skies. The Shropshire mountains (in green) can attract clouds as the thermals produced by them can change weather patterns, as the mountains can in the Cynon Valley. Away from the mountains it's not too different to Worcestershire. I live about 13 kilometres (in Worcestershire) south east of Bridgenorth, in the greenbelt, and I have Bortle 4-5 skies. 

Thanks Dave, realistically after some considerations I think Worcestershire is off as it is too far from my kids, so it is more likely to be Central and Eastern Shropshire and won't go further north than Market Drayton, as an example this is the perfect property and I would snap it up, but my home won't be finished and on the market until the end of next month.

 

Thanks for all your thoughts: - https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/120453227#/?channel=RES_BUY

[Nightspore]

9 minutes ago, Jkulin said:

 

 

Thanks Dave, realistically after some considerations I think Worcestershire is off as it is too far from my kids, so it is more likely to be Central and Eastern Shropshire and won't go further north than Market Drayton, as an example this is the perfect property and I would snap it up, but my home won't be finished and on the market until the end of next month.

 

Thanks for all your thoughts: - https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/120453227#/?channel=RES_BUY

 

Looks nice. County borders are odd. The Staff's border is literally five minutes walk from me, yet Bridgenorth (Shropshire) is quite near by car.

[ApophisAstros]

Nice to hear from you John , i still remember that Pizza run in you super car at Notgrove.

Hope you find peace and solace soon , and clear skies as well obviously.

Roger

[Bob-c]

Hello John, i am so sorry to be reading this post from you and hearing about the loss of your wife. I do hope that you are okay and that you find what you are looking for with regards to your new location and property. 

 

All the very best,

                              Bob. 

[Jkulin]

I just thought I would add a small update as things have been progressing.

 

My home went on the market just over 2 weeks ago and I have had my offer accepted on a Bungalow in Oulton the other side of Stone, Staffs. My solicitors and the vendors have been instructed, so we just need a buyer for mine, I've dropped the price a little which makes things tight but what price do you put on a location like this.

 

I went with my mate Mark on a clear moonless night and we were measuring between 20.05 and 21.54 SQM, the lower figure was because there was some massively bright road work lights on the A34, they were seriously bright like war time search lights.

 

I'm reasonably comfortable that it will be the lower end of Bortle 4.

 

There is a small street light in the lane, but I have a good number of trees that I can train to obscure it. There was a neighbour in one of the adjoining cul-de-sacs, that we actually triggered a security light in his garden about 100yards away or coincidentally he switched it on to let the dog out, but I am sure a gentle chat would help change the way it is pointing.

 

The bungalow is at the end of a small village lane and the garden backs onto a field and a forest: -

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/71+Church+Ln,+Oulton,+Stone+ST15+8UB/@52.9157011,-2.1326519,3a,75y,63.93h,77.32t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1svdngi7ScOt8d6MBkvkZMcA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3Dvdngi7ScOt8d6MBkvkZMcA%26cb_client%3Dsearch.gws-prod.gps%26w%3D86%26h%3D86%26yaw%3D164.15796%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x487a6e96dd682ad9:0x6d0ea7af21f139ae!8m2!3d52.9157731!4d-2.1325707?hl=en

 

There is an immense amount of work to do and as part of the sale the gardens have been extended by an additional 10 metres at the rear and 3 metres to the right, so no problem erecting my Pulsar and a RoR observatory as well.

 

I am knocking through all the way inside to allow for plenty of light, Velox roof lighting, a Kitchen to the front, a lounge with French doors to the rear, an office to the rear again with French doors, and my bedroom will be at the rear with French doors so that I can get out with a coffee in the morning with my dog and just review my life with Deborah,  part of the front will be rebuilt for a TV snug and we have to build a second bathroom for guests. I am automating the gates and will get them powder coated to match the new shutters that will be fitted to the windows in like a French Gite blue. There is a brick shed that is big enough to accommodate all my bikes and spare Astro Equipment and I will have fitted a galvanised steer roller shutter to make it secure.

 

The only thing I am working to either see if I can make or buy is a Resin table like Wyvern has been making as I want that as a large dining table separating the kitchen from the lounge and it needs to seat at least 8, preferably 10.

 

I have packed over half of my possessions and they are in storage as we had to make my home free of any clutter and time was of the essence so I don't lose the bungalow.

 

I'm off the anti-depressants now, which has bought life into reality and most days I feel sad and down, but at least I feel something which I wasn't when on the drugs, it just seemed like it was ground hog day over and over again.

 

I won't be able to do any imaging until I move as I am having to store a lot of my astro equipment in the dome so it is out of the way, but hopefully whilst waiting for the legals to go through I can finally process some of the images that I took last year.

Whilst all the building work is going on which my builder reckons about 2-3 months, I will use Bedroom one to sleep in, Bedroom 2 as a lounge and Bedroom 3 as my office.

 

First job for my builder will be to get the base for the first Obsy built similar to how it is now but I want to dig the cables deeper and then wired direct into a new independent fuse-box, I understand that there is a petrol digger that can dig down deep enough for the under ground conduiting, can anyone point me in the direction to hire one or what type of machine I need.

 

I learned a valuable lesson from my current Obsy, use trunking that is wide enough to actually pull additional cable through (I used 40mm last time) or multiple tubes as last time my main network cable was faulty and I couldn't pull through a replacement, however I had run two cable through so at least I was OK but not for the second rig.

 

So major work for at least 6 months after moving, but hopefully I will be ready for Galaxy season next year or earlier if everything goes well.

 

As a small blessing at the end of the lane is a small pub, I rarely drink but it might be nice once a week to walk down and chat with the locals and then two doors down from that is a really lovely Bistro, both allow dogs, so the old saying "An Old Man and His Dog" might actually prove true.

 

The home will only be about 1 1/2 miles outside of Stone, so shopping should be convenient. The property is about 30 mins away from my kids which is double what they currently have, but I don't see that as a deal breaker.

 

Well here's hoping everything pans out, I just have to be thankful that life is not like Brian and all the others in Ukraine!

Clear skies to you all.

[Carastro]

Great news John, fingers crossed for a quick house sale and glad to hear you are off antidepressants and are feeling a little better.

 

Carole

[Jkulin]

Thanks Carole, well dropping the price seemed to have worked, I got the full asking price this morning from cash buyers who were about to exchange on another property that fell through at the last minute, they were very enthusiastic and my son was certain that they would offer and did so within an hour of leaving, so very pleased, now the daunting work will start with the actual move once solicitors have been instructed for the sale.🙂

[Galileo]

you're always welcome here