I gave in

It was shaping up to be a glorious cloud free night but my energy levels were low, so I couldn't be bothered getting the telescope out.

However, the pull of a clear night was too much for me, so I set myself up with the camera at the side of our house, wedged between the car and the carport, a mug of tea, the iPad and my gloves....got a few wide field shots, but this was my favourite simply because of the trees.

Amazing difference observing from this position - the sky was very clear and after 20 minutes I started to see more and more detail in the sky - no external light sources interfering with my eyes, unlike at the back of the house.

James came outside for a bit (bribed with a cup of hot chocolate) and he used my binoculars to see Venus and Jupiter as well as M45, The Pleiades. He was quite impressed with himself, but retreated back to the warmth of the house in short order.

If a clear night occurs on the weekend, I fully intend to descend upon my cousin's house in order to sit on the dunes and get the stars above the sea. As long as someone is going to come and sit with me!

The cold lingers on. Wish it would go away. There's enough to deal with without that!