Well, it’s the eclipse tomorrow night and, here in south west France, we’re having a party down by the boulodrome to welcome it.
In what’s called an ‘l’auberge espagnole’ (in the UK, we’d say ‘bring food to share’ and in the States they’d call it a ‘pot luck supper’), we’ll have plenty to eat as we gaze at the night sky, ready for the big event and then maybe the annual Perseids meteor shower a bit later on.
Much earlier, just before sunrise, we’ll have the grand parade pf six planets aligning in the morning sky.
So quite a few lovely celestial happenings all on one day.
I feared I might only be able to view just two of them when my promised eclipse glasses failed to arrive on time via Amazon, despite ordering them two weeks ago.
Like everywhere else, there’s a run on these special specs and even E Leclerc has sold out.
But La Poste has just come by and delivered my lunettes.
I was so happy I almost hugged the postwoman.
Back in 1999, I was editor of The Bridport & Lyme Regis News. I saw the total eclipse while perched on the rickety steps to our old office, which should have been condemned to be honest, but this was in the days when local newspaper offices were famous for being squalid to say the least.
The one upshot was the office was at the heart of the community so we had stories coming into us in person on a regular basis.
At the allotted time, the eclipse did its thing, the lights in Bridport’s main street came on and the birds came home to roost.
Down at West Bay, where my chief reporter was installed, the seagulls did not know if they were coming or going as darkness fell on the many spectators and holidaymakers soaking up the view.
A young Number One Son climbed Hincknowle Hill on the other side of the road from The Half Moon Inn at Melplash (which his stepdad and I were running at the time) and watched it with Mr Grigg and a group of fascinated villagers.
It was one of those very unforgettable experiences.
The one tomorrow night will be a deep partial eclipse for the UK (about 95.8 per cent at Lands End) and about 99.5 per cent for us in France.
Now I’ve got the glasses, I’m looking forward to it.
Take care out there.
Love, Maddie x
Maddie Grigg 