Inspired by Tintin in Vol 714 Pour Sydney, the kids are currently well into playing Battleships.
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As a part of Tintin’s 75th anniversary, Anchor Bay have released a boxed set of all 21 of the animated episodes which play.com are selling for only £22.99! This represents excellent value at ~£1 an episode, though it’s worth pointing out they’re the American voiced versions and not the famous 60’s cod-French accent 5 minute shorts “Herge’s Adventures of Tin-Tin” …

The other week we took the boat to Greenwich to see the Tintin exhibition at the National Maritime Museum.
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A Good Friday outing to Waddesdon Manor a nearby National Trust property.
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Tonight Zoë and I were looking at “Prisoners of the Sun” in which Tintin escapes being sacrificed by employing the hoary old “darken the sun” plot device.

August 11th 1999 saw a solar eclipse here in England. Totality passed across the most southern most tip of Cornwall where 100% cloud cover spoilt the view, but at least gave revellers the experience of being plunged into darkness for a couple of minutes. Here in Berkhamsted we had a spooky morning where close to midday we were bathed in a silent, dusky gloom. The picture above is the shadow cast by my colander on a piece of white card. Each hole appears as partially obscured sun.

I’d really like to experience a full eclipse and looking on the NASA Goddard Eclipse Atlas Turkey in 2006 looks favourite. Unfortunately i doubt i’ll be with us when it next hits the UK again in 2093.