How Big Are You In The Grand Scheme of Things?

One of the joys of being a window cleaner is that you get plenty of time to let your mind wander whilst you work. This is where my mind wandered the other day:

The Universe is pretty big, in fact I would go further and say it's ridiculously enormous. Browsing around the internet it does appear that there is no absolute agreement on just how ridiculously enormous it is, but there seems to be some consensus that the furthest objects we have thus been able to observe are somewhere in the vicinity of 13.8 billion light years away. So I am going to take that as my universe radius figure. "Hold your horses", I hear you cry, "you're assuming that we are the centre of the Universe!" Yes, yes I am, it just makes things easier, as will become clear shortly.

Assuming that light travels 9.46 billion kilometres a year, that gives us a universe radius of 130,548,000,000,000,000,000 kilometres. Wait, there's more.

The Earth has a mean radius of 6,371 kilometres, which means that the universe is 20,490,974,729,241,900 times bigger than our little planet.

Here's where I hope my calculations hold up because I want to try and work out how big the Earth would be if the Universe was reduced to its (the Earth's) size. Don't ask me why, I told you, my mind wanders when I am at work.

I have divided the Earth's radius (6371 km) by 20,490,974,729,241,900 to get a distance in kilometres of 3.11x10^-13 (I hope my notation format is correct, or at least acceptable. Please let me know if not...) That means the Earth's diameter is 6.22x10^-13 kilometres.

Now if assuming that any of the forgoing is right, how big am I in this tiny universe? Well, I'm about .00183 kilometres tall, so applying the same factor of tinyfication (2x10^16) I am about 8.93x10^-23 metres tall. Which I think is about the size of an electron, or something.

Now, I am not a physicist or a mathmatician (I did get grades C and B respectively at O level, but that was twenty six years ago) so I am not holding out a lot of hope that these figure are accurate or that I have used the correct notation system for my numbers, or that I haven't mixed my units to end up with a nonsensical conclusion, however I did come across this thread whilst browsing for some information which makes me think I'm not a million miles away from a ballpark figure of some sort.

I'll leave that with you...

Sad...

Gary Moore dies...

Some More Scottish Pics

Sunart Rainbow

Ethereal Trees

Ardnamurchan Textures

Loch Sunart Twilight II

Seven Go Mad In Ardnamurchan

(Or more accurately, Seven Have a Nice Potter About in and around Loch Sunart)

Loch Sunart Twilight from Bun Allt Eachain

Day One

We, that is Nat & Sym, Pete Bod, Mum & Dad and me and Bev, set off from Cheltenham last Saturday for the wilds of Scotland. The roads were a mixed bag of wide empty motorway and narrow empty A road. The weather ran the full gamut from dark-bellied, brooding rain cloud to torrential sidepour (Downpour doesn't really describe what the wind was making the rain do.) After a three shortish stops, a ferry ride across Loch Linnhe and nine hours behind the wheel we arrived at our home for the week, Bun Allt Eachain.

What a place! The website really doesn't begin to do it justice; the fit and finish, the space, the location, the views, WOW! We were all immediately blown away by the place and would continue to be as the week went by.



However we had been on the road a long time so it was time to stake our claims for bedrooms, unpack, crack open a beer/wine, have a scoff (banana and parsnip curry, as you ask) and then completely relax in front of the log fire....

The Cottage.

Day Two...

... dawned somewhat grey and blustery. The loch was stormy looking and periodically squally showers blew through, depositing rain or hail depending on their mood. Having been on the go for most of the day before we were quite happy to have a lazy day and admire the views from behind the double glazing, whilst allowing the underfloor heating to warm our tootsies. Proper slumming it. The guys popped along to Strontian later to collect papers and beer (for thirst is a terrible thing) and on return we were excited to see that "our" cottage was in the Sunday Times Travel section article "Britain's Top 50 Cottages"! We ate more food, drank beer, played poker and Mario Cart Wii, and I popped out in between showers to enjoy the silence and freshest of air, and fire off a few pics at the same time.

The view from the front garden, looking west.

Day Three

View from our bedroom.

Time to go and see some stuff. The weather was still a little unsettled but we decided to do a loop that would hopefully give us a picture of the landscape. So we set off towards Salen and then turned north towards Acharacle and on towards Lochailort and eventually Mallaig. The views along Lochs Moidart and Ailort were beautiful and as we turned along the coast the islands of Rhum, Muck and Eigg filled the skyline, with the Cuillens adding to the splendour.

Eigg from Mallaig.

Mallaig is not the most attractive of towns (sorry all you Mallaigophiles, but there it is), so after a restorative drink and game of pool in the only pub or cafe we could find that was open we headed on towards Fort Bill, along past Loch Eilt, Glenfinnan and Loch Eil. What a stunning route that is. Sadly, the cloud drew in as we approached the Fort so the hoped views of Ben Nevis were curtailed. Some food, some browsing of outdoor gear shops and some shopping in Morrsions (for thirst is a terrible thing) and we were on our way back to the cottage. Round trip about 120 miles, with some stellar views. After the exertions of the day, Mum and Dad's Mexican feast was just what we needed!

Day Four

Pete, Sym and I had our sights set on Beinn Resipol, the mountain directly behind the house, and Tuesday was to be the day we did it. We set off mid-morning, and walked along to the campsite at Resipol and then followed the Allt Mhic Chiarain up through the woods. Eagle-eyed Pete spotted a very large bird circling higher up the mountain, which we diagnosed as a Golden Eagle (rightly or wrongly!) It was pretty big. Sadly, Syms new boots were causing him some discomfort so he decided to turn back after a couple of mile. Little did we realise at the time that he had triggered a bout of Flashy Footie Itis (or something) which is an inflamation of the instep. It would go on to cause him acute pain during the week, and mean a couple of visits to A&E in Fort William. Pete and I pressed on, but the lowering cloud and hail and snow showers that swept through meant we decided to head down rather than push on to the top today.

Lunch in a giant Sainsbury's bag, on the side of Beinn Resipol.

We used our descent to practice our navigation skills, which were not too bad. We were very pleased to hit the road by the house only 20 meters from our driveway! More details of our exploits on Beinn Resipol can be found here.

Day Five

A good day today. Just after breakfast, Bev spotted something small moving on the surface of the Loch from our bedroom window. It was a submeged otter. Pete and I grabbed binoculars and shot out to the little headland by the house and scanned the shoreline. Bingo! Pete saw it sheltering in the seaweed on one of the rocks with a fish in its mouth. Being noobie nature watchers we were very visible and after a minute or two of having breakfast time observed, the otter grew bored of our interest and slipped back in to the loch for a more secluded spot. Pretty awesome though. The next highlight involved a bit more driving. If you carry on west from Bun Allt Eachain for about 30 miles you get to the Point of Ardnamurchan, the most westerly point on mainland Britain (20 miles further west than Lands End, take that Cornwall!) So Bev, mum, dad and I headed off bright and early to have a gander. The weather was beautiful, with clear skies and warm (relatively) sun. What a beautiful drive, looking across the loch to Morvern and then Mull.

Camas Nan Geall

When we swung north we could see Eigg and Rhum before we swung back through wild and rugged country. We were the only people at the point and it was so good for the soul to enjoy the peace and the freshest air you could imagine. The panoramic view took in Mull, Tiree, Coll, Rhum, Muck and Eigg. No whales, dolphins or seals were seen but that didn't seem to matter. The return run, after a brief stop at the Community Centre in Kilchoan for cake and tea, was almost more stunning than the journey out. The low afternoon sun really brought the colours out of the landscape, and we oohed and aahed our way home.

Beinn Resipol

Tasty maple syrup-coated gammon, lovingly prepared by Nat, followed by Sym's famous Bannoffe pie meant bending was out of the question this evening.

Day Six

Pete and Ken slay the monster that is Beinn Resipol. As before, check out I'm Going For A Scuttle for full gory details! The others did something else, something way less cool than Beinn Resipol. The house was dark on our return, Nat was sat by the loch playing her guitar, Sym was finally sleeping after the painkillers started working and Bev, Mum and Dad were still out and about in Fort William and environs, enjoying the views of The Ben. Pete and I had to fend for ourselves so we fully rehydrated on our return (for thirst is a terrible thing) and then later, once everyone was together again, ate our fill of Tarragon Chicken and roast potatoes.

Day Seven

A little bit of pottering about this morning until Bev and I decided to do Singing Sands. We left the cottage at about twelve and twenty minutes later were parked at Arivegaig. Soon we were walking along the southern shore of Kentra Bay, before cutting through the moss-shrouded forest towards Camas an Lighe.

I wasn't joking about the moss.

This is a truly beautiful beach with white sand and black rocks, backed by dramatic hillsides of pine and heather.

Singing Sands (with some mute rocks)


More Singing Sands

After an hour of ambling back and forth, snapping away and enjoying the silence, we headed back to the car, and from there to the cottage. Following a Thai chicken curry, more poker, even more Mario Cart and helping Pete address the Scottish Beer Lake that was our fridge, it was time hit the hay in anticipation of our unwanted departure the next morning...

Loch Sunart in a nutshell.

Day Eight

:(

We left at 8:10am, stopped for the obligatory photos of Glencoe,

Obligatory Glen Coe Pic

went to the Falkirk Wheel, stopped at Tebay services and were home by just after 6pm. Bah.

The Autumn Classic, Prescott Speed Hill Climb

Bev and I popped along to Prescott yesterday for the Autumn Classic. There was an American theme which meant a really eclectic selection of cars, from car park to paddock. 1903 Oldsmobiles, kustoms, hot rods, steam cars, Harleys, Indians and Flatheads; all of life was there!

The sun shone, hotdogs were eaten (or in Bev's case, artisan-prepared garlic in chili, cheese stuffed peppers and houmous) and a great many photos taken. Here are some of my faves. Enjoy!

Porsche 911 RSR

Monarch GP Car

Stanley Steamer dashboard

Stanley Steamer

Stanley Steamer on track. And yes, that is steam! (Pic courtesy of Bev)

Porsche 911 Carrera Cup

Porsche 911 RSR

Porsche 911 Carrera

1972 Porsche 911

Pilbeam MP88

OMS Hornet

McLaren MP12

Lola-Porsche T492

Grenfell Special Mercury

Bugatti Louvres

Ford Model B, which made a hell of a noise!

Vignette

Those of you who use fruit-based mobile phones have probably heard of, or have installed a program called Hipstermatic or something. I have an Android phone and so have something called Vignette instead. Here are some pics I've taken with it:

Ooop North

Bev and I trotted up to Northumberland last week. It's a very peaceful and very beautiful part of the country, full of interesting gubbins. Here's a brief summary of what we did and saw.

We decided that on the way up we would visit Hadrian's Wall. Bev had been years ago, but I'd never seen it. We peeled off the M6 at Carlisle and headed east. Once off the main road, we couldn't help but notice that the roads were very, and I mean very, straight. It's always an interesting sensation driving along a Roman road but this was a little different; off to our left we could occasionally glimpse little bits of 1800 year old wall!

We arrived at Housesteads Fort, where we joined the National Trust (at a discount!) and strolled up from the visitor centre to the remains of the fort. Check the link for more info, it's a pretty impressive site. The immense sense of space was also quite wonderful. The fort is fairly high and the country just seems to roll away in every direction under an enormous sky.

Bits of Roman wall at Housesteads Fort.


The wall at the bottom right of the picture is Hadrian's,
and if you look carefully you can see it sweeping up to the highest point of the horizon.

After mooching about for an hour or so, we saddled up in order to press on to Alnwick, our base for the next couple of days. However, before we could complete our journey, the road swept over a steep and ornate bridge which is part of the grounds at Wallington House. Conveniently, this is a National Trust property, and as we were determined to get maximum value for money from our freshly minted NT membership, we pulled over to have an explore.

The house has some bonkers decoration going on which truly words cannot describe...

This is the entrance hall. It featured large murals of notable Northumbrian events.
It is, 'ow do you say, ridickaling.

Apparently the gardens are very pleasing but sadly time and energy did not permit their exploration. Onwards, onwards to Alnwick.

So after a very pleasant drive across beautiful countryside and under beautiful sky we arrived at Alnwick. We were staying at The Georgian House B 'n' B. After a friendly welcome, we crashed out in our room before wandering in to town in search of food. Which we found. And ate. After a brief digestionary pause we strolled around town before collapsing wearily back at the BnB.

The next day dawned bright and breezy. Bev had spotted a leaflet in our room advertising boat trips to the Farne Islands. After a quick call to Billy Shiels in Seahouses to confirm that the trips were running we drove down to catch the 10 o'clock boat.

On arriving at Seahouses we realised that whilst it was breezy in Alnwick, here it was windy, maybe even quite blowy. The sea looked lively but the boat's crew seemed relaxed so we boarded Glad Tidings with 37 other souls and set off.

The MV Glad Tidings

Whilst the crossing was lively it was quite invigorating, particularly the occasional faceful of North Sea that made it's way inboard. Eventually we arrived at the islands which were sadly generally bare of birdlife, what with the nesting/hatching season being over. There were though many seals bobbing about in the sea or sunning themselves on the rocks.

A seal, basking.

In stark contrast to this, quite literally out of the blue, three RAF Tornados started circling the islands before hurtling off toward the mainland. It was quite cool...


After a brief stop on Inner Farne, home in the 7th century to St. Cuthbert (Also NT so we saved another tenner here) we returned to land, where we headed to Barter Books in Alnwick. It's a big big bookshop in an old railway station, where frankly there is almost too much choice. Check it out if your ever up in that part of the world.

That night we went out to Zecca in Amble where we ate a comedically absurd amount of food. Bev wanted dough balls "for the table" which were a sufficient starter in themselves. We ordered starters as well. Bev's Moules cooked in cider with spring onions was a fairly large starter but it paled in comparison to my potato skins which came in a pile a good 6 inches deep. We valiantly battled through these heaps of food (I admit to being defeated by Spudageddon) before our mains turned up. So jammed with food were we that tempting as the dessert menu was, we left unsweetened.

Leaving bright and early the next morning we headed back down the coast, passing through Amble where we paused to look at the sea, which was looking even livelier than it had the day before.


We carried on south, skirting Newcastle (where we saw the Angel of the North) and headed on to Whitby. Whilst it looked like an interesting town it was pretty busy, so we headed on, crossing the edge of the Yorkshire Moors to Pickering, and then on to Harrogate. Harrogate is a cool Regency Spa town, with loads of green spaces and a pretty pleasant vibe. Oh, and Betty's Tearooms, which was the main reason Bev wanted to go! After a very civilised hot choc (and a chocolate and raspberry torte) it was time for us to face the fact it was home time! Three and a half hours and 188 miles later saw us pushing open our front door...

Surf 'n' Wolf: Born to be Wild!

Last weekend Bev and I went to North Devon. For an anniversary present Bev had bought me a place on the Wolf Pack Management course that is run at Coombe Martin Wildlife Park. It started at 10am, so rather than drive down stupidly early on Sunday, we went down on Saturday. This fortuitously coincided with a rather pleasant swell rolling in to North Devon's beaches, which I was able to take advantage of! It's been a while since I have surfed three times in one day, but I managed to catch some really nice waves. Pete Bod came down Saturday evening and we managed to get a surf in before the sun went down. Which was nice.



The next day dawned somewhat gloomily, with a thick sea mist/drizzle draped over the hills. A twenty minute drive from our hotel brought us to the wildlife park, where shortly afterwards I met Linda, our instructor for the day, and the two other course members. I won't go in to all the stuff we learnt here, do the course yourself if you want to find out more, but I will mention the opportunities we had to observe the wolves up close.

We went down to the enclosures on three occasions and were able to go beyond the usual perimeter that the mere public have to stay behind and get right up to the fences. The pack followed standard operating procedure as we approached and then we were allowed to place our hands close to the fence were we were sniffed and scented. It was pretty awesome!

The Pack

The Enforcer

After lunch we were able to watch a presentation by Shaun Ellis, during which the pack were fed. They made pretty quick work of the bull calf carcase they were presented with, but in a very ordered and controlled way. The Alpha wolf oversees the operation and the rest of the pack wait their turn according to their rank. Do what you're told or else:



Something we learnt during the afternoon was the type of howling that wolves use. Linda demonstrated this to us and sometime later, on our final visit to the wolves we were encouraged to give it a go. Overcoming our English reserve we stood howling away, out of sight of the packs. After about three good howls suddenly all hell broke loose from the wolf enclosures and we got spectacular return howling. Absolutely brilliant! We continued on our way down to say goodbye to the packs. None of us wanted to go, but eventually, under threat of being locked in, which I don't think we would have minded we made our way back to the carparks.











If you get the chance to do the course I definitely recommend it!