Since this is partly your fault... :) A few weeks ago the Mrs was asking what I wanted for Birthday/Christmas and I had just been looking at some of your pictures. So I got a Celestron 5SE. Seemed like a good budget way to start (I'm an Aberdonian too!). So today I unpacked and assembled it, since it was *the* day to see the Saturn and Jupiter conjunction. Luckily the clouds cleared just in time and I got a great view. I could see Saturn's rings (kind of blended into one big one) and Jupiter's moons. UPS seems to have been gentle on it since I did not need to collimate it. It was pretty breezy so the atmosphere wasn't ideal and it was blowing the telescope a bit, but not too bad. (I live in Kuna, Idaho - high desert - so I expect much better conditions in the next few weeks, albeit colder!) I didn't try the auto align yet since the Starfinder scope worked really well and I manually slewed it but it looks really useful if it works as advertised. Now, of course, I need another eyepiece. It came with a 25mm which is good for 50x I believe, but the useful magnification is in the 125-175 range (I think 300 max). Any recommendations, or is pretty much any eyepiece from a reputable source going to be fine?

In my corner of Idaho we have just that (for watering the garden anyway). We have a separate supply of non-potable irrigation water hooked up to the sprinkler system, which we get for a fairly small fixed cost per year. So you can use as much as you want (within reason) at no extra charge. I think the main reason we have this is that we live in an agricultural area in a high desert climate (hot and dry in the summer). There is a large system of canals to supply water to the fields and some residential areas make use of this system. Definitely better than throwing expensive municipal water on your garden!

Thanks! That sounds delicious. I'll give it a go. I think you got your steak terminology correct. It's been a long time since I moved across the pond but I do remember rump steak. It's also interesting that some cuts of meat are more popular in certain regions of the US than others. I moved from Texas to Idaho a few years ago and the selection at the local grocery store is noticeably different. For instance, tri tip roast is popular here (great for braising), but hard to find in Texas. Also, potatoes are insanely cheap! :-D

Always wanted to say that! Anyway, following on from one of your recent posts, tomorrow I will be the owner of a cheap sous vide machine. I intend to experiment with steaks, roasts, chicken breasts, etc. The question for now is what do you recommend to start with? Something simple that will impress the wife!

You can still pause the cycle to throw in a forgotten item (the water level is not higher than the bottom of the door). And my LG front loader has a built-in door magnet thingy which holds the door almost closed but not latched when not in use.

I'm in 6b (Idaho) and last frost is around May 15. I grow mine in pots so I can take them in at night in case of late frost. Pretty short growing season here.

Top tip - when you open up the grinder DO NOT INHALE. :)

You can dry them out in a food dehydrator then grind them into powder using a small coffee bean grinder. Makes a nice fine powder that you can sprinkle sparingly on whatever you want. Sounds like your peppers are a bit ahead of mine. This year I have some Caramel Scorpion, Purple Ghost Scorpion,3 different colours of Reaper, and some Yellow Douglah. I will probably be eating spicy food all winter...

Yeah, this is starting to annoy me. I grew up watching The Goodies. One of my favourite programmes when it was on BBC2. This one hurts.

Ah, one of the old classics!

OK, so "InThePUB" was not entirely accurate last night, but I did somewhat lighten a keg of homebrew Timothy Taylor Landlord clone...! :)

I believe you have started a new official naming convention here! Hopefully we'll both be able to return our names to normal soon... Good luck!

Thanks! That's what happens when oil drops below $40... To be honest, I wasn't really enjoying it any more where I was. Hopefully something better comes along soon. I wonder if I can get a job in a brewery? :)

I think my new user name says it all (with apologies to Mr. Patton!).

Thank goodness! I almost had to use my emergency clue today - couldn't figure out a good one even though I had all weekend...! Anyway, well done. You're up!

No, it's on Texas schedule today (i.e. late!). It's there now - go for it!

Just got in to work! Well-known spirit? (8) Nice and easy for a Monday...

As is customary for me, the clue will be posted a little later than usual - will be around 1230 UTC...

You're making me very nervous if I have to craft a clue for Monday!

ABRIDGE Solution should now be obvious! :)