www.thegilmours.co.uk

a fly!

Almost. I just spotted it in time, floating around in my cup of tea. Previously I have considered flies to be rather unintelligent, but I think I’m going to have to reconsider.

The (ex)fly in question was in the middle of a desert, 8645 and a bit feet above sea level. He (all flies are male, a well known fact) was the first fly I’ve seen in 6 months of working here. There’s not exactly an abundance of typical fly attractions in Paranal. We’re rather short on dung, rotten food or anything green with rotting potential. What possessed the little fellow to come all the way up here? Where did he come from? And then why, when he had the whole desert to buzz around, did he choose to land in my tea?

It was a good cup of tea, and the only one on the mountain (my european colleagues drink solid expressos, bless them). It was a million-billion to one chance. Trust me, I’m a scientist.

The question is, was this just an incredible co-incidence, or did he deliberately seek out the only cup of tea within 100 miles? Did he spend his little fly life seeking out the perfect scent, using finely tuned tea-sensors, before finally ending it all by diving headlong into my cuppa? Why?

Luckily I had almost finished it, so it wasn’t the end of the world. For me at least…

Wahaaay! Some fool has certified me as “trained”, so I’m now in control of a multi-million pound telescope. As far as I can tell, the only difference from last week is that now I’m responsible for the mistakes, of which I’m allowed 5 min per night. Great.

At least the computer is intelligent enough not to let me point downwards. Yes, I have tried that one. I got local time, local siderial time and universal time muddled. One is in greenwich, one is the fixed “hour” of the heavens, looking straight up, and one is on my watch. Simple enough you’d think.

Seriously though, it’s nice to be fully trained. I have two more shifts in the next month and a half to make sure that I don’t forget how to work the beast, and then I can have a proper break (in the office).

Those of you who know (my) cousin Ben, he now has a blog! He’s planning to cycle across france (and maybe spain) this summer. Check out his news here. I’m sure a few encouraging comments would help him on his way.

One of my best friends, Catherine “Foxy Lady” Townsend is leaving the UK this week to Uganda, where she will be doing her Nursing Elective for 9 weeks. Having been to Uganda briefly myself, having friends who have lived there or are living there now, and after Joy’s 6-week Oasis team adventure to Uganda, I am convinced that Cath will love the country, the people and the Christians she meets there. And I know that the people she will meet will welcome, accept and love her there too.

So best wishes for your trip Cath and please add me to your newsletters! In fact, we could start a blog for you if you like…And we’ll certainly be praying for you.