Under a starry sky

Just spent a few days in the Klein Karoo above De Doorns at Leeuwenboschfontein Guest Farm, at the Southern Star Party. I must have been to about 8 of these by now and it is always a great pleasure to reconnect with other amateur astronomers who are so willing to share their knowledge, and particularly their telescopes! The weather always plays up at these events, which require clear skies at night and no light pollution, and the way to get around this is to arrive two days early and do your stargazing before the official nights. This worked out perfectly as the Thursday and Friday viewing was spectacular and greatly enhanced by mild temperatures (hot in the day).  Last year we had snow and had to wear all the clothes we took with us, plus blankets to keep us from freezing in the early morning hours - not easy to get great enjoyment of a hobby in such conditions.
During the day we would relax under the trees, snooze in the afternoon to build up our sleep reserves and listen to lectures on various astronomical subjects. I gave a talk that was a little different to the norm (as usual), and it was gratifying that it was so well received. It was the original idea I had for my e-book (available on Amazon) 'An Invitation to Think' by Pamela Mary Cooper (there is a book with a similar name not related to mine).
There can be few places as quiet as the Karoo, where the only sound is the soughing of the wind through the trees in the afternoon, and when that fades there is always an awesome sunset, with the kopjes tinged golden pink as the last rays are cast upon them.  Cape Buntings, wagtails and weavers flit around and peck for crumbs cast by campers, and frogs serenade in the night from the nearby dam. I'm already looking forward to going back in 6 months' time.