After all my talk of having stars fall out of the sky for me on my birthday – we thought that we should prepare properly. So we packed beer, gin and a kettle!

Although we are camped in the mountains there is still a little ambient light coming from the nearby village, so Geoff and I went on a reccie the day before for the best viewing spot…..

Finding the right spot for viewing

Finding the right spot for viewing

What about the view from here?

What about the view from here?

Not much more than a cow track

Not much more than a cow track

 

helped by some locals who knew the hillside tracks better than us.

No, this way is better!

No, this way is better!

 

We camped out late into the night and although we didn’t see as many meteors as we had hoped, we still had fun. I managed to take my first (not very good) photo of star trails.

Star trails

Star trails

The remote didn’t work so I taped it open with a bolt and some gaffer tape and let it run for forty minutes. Any suggestions of how to do it more professionally are welcome!

During the day Geoff found a donkey farm for me to go and pet baby donkeys – too cute for words – and their troll-dog buddy who lived in a wall!

Cute birthday donkeys

Cute birthday donkeys

Why the long face?

Why the long face?

 

Donkey's noses are the best

Donkey’s noses are the best

Troll-dog

Troll-dog

 

Medieval troll-dog

Medieval troll-dog

 

Then in the wee small hours we got up again and watched some more meteors – what a great birthday in an extraordinary place!

Thanks for all my birthday wishes – today we are off to France… more coming soon!

Cute birthday donkeysWhy the long face?Donkey's noses are the bestTroll-dogMedieval troll-dogNo, this way is better!Looking out above OixFinding the right spot for viewingNot much more than a cow trackStar trails