I suppose it is like watching paint dry for some folk, but I love experiencing a warm feeling in my middle when watching NASA multimedia of the latest International Space Station developments. The ISS has had new solar panel arrays deployed to boost its power in readiness for a big expansion in later missions. This video shows yesterday’s deployment.  The measured voices of CapCom at mission control and the astronauts are a lesson to all of us. There they are handling millions of dollars worth of equipment in a precarious environment and they sound just like relaxed chess players. If you need to relax (some would say – fall asleep, but not me) then watch it and take it easy in the knowledge that great things are developing out there.

 I’ve just returned from cycling rural lanes to do some grocery shopping. En route I was intercepted at a junction by a peleton of 50+ riders, mostly of retirement age, all waving and helloing. I had to be very careful not to lose balance. They swept me along a hundred yards or so the wrong way for me. I couldn’t do a U turn without knocking some of them over and had to wait to nip into a farmyard! The cheery greetings by cyclists in rural areas, and of hikers, is an interesting phenomenon. It’s good to see bon homie, a virtual handshake for sharing experiences. However, if you do the same in a crowded high street or shopping mall, men in blue would grab you and hand you over to men in white! People are strange creatures.

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