[pmrid (Peter)]

I recently decided to take my caravan to a dark sky site I wanted to try - a small truffle farm with a small number of caravan sites in the hills about 12 km west of Ballandean on the southern Granite Belt. My wife chickened out so I went alone having booked for 5 nights.

I was the only one there. And it gave me great horizons - particularly northern - just what I wanted. It took me 5 hours to get there so by the time I had the van set up and a mount set up, it was nearly dark and the night air temp was falling rapidly. By about 9 p.m., it was down to 3 or 4 and by midnight it was sub-zero.

I was not prepared well enough. I layered up with 4 layers all up but still not enough.

Next night was a repeat of the first only a bit colder.

I gave in, packed up headed home on day 3. I’m just not up to this - at 75, I admit my cold-tolerancevhas almost disappeared.

The site did not offer any 240 volt power so air con was out of the question too.

Age is not for wimps - but I think I have to admit to being just that.!