Comet McNaught

What's an amateur photographer do in the middle of the night? Crouch in the neighbours bushes trying to get a shot of a comet, that's what.

I'd forgotten all about Comet McNaught being up there somewhere (a 5-second news-soundbite rarely stays in the forefronts of one's memory), so when we got a knock on the door and were asked if we had our cameras to hand, we were both a little puzzled. "Want a shot of a comet?" he asked, and we scrambled for cameras, big lenses, and tripods.

To block out as much ambient light as possible, we had to lurk in the neighbours shrubs, keeping our voices low so as not to disturb them, and trying not to move much so as not to lose that tiny vague pinprick of light in the viewfinder.

The best shot I got was this, at about 10:30:


handheld, no tripod. (Yes, I'm shocked, too). Doesn't do it justice, but I reckon it's still pretty darn spiffy!

Bicarb soda - stuff of gods

It's official - bicarb soda is not only fizzy and makes scones and cake-things rise, it's also a fantastic wonder-product that is much underrated.

It also seems to get six months worth of smoke (blech) out of mattresses and fabrics in a single evening.

Great stuff, bicarb.