A little over five years ago, Dec 4th 1998 to be exact, I saw a space shuttle launch in Florida. It was quite incredible, not least because it was 3am in the morning. The mission itself was a little historic too as it was STS-88, the first space shuttle mission to take a piece of the International Space Station into orbit. The shuttle that flew the mission was Endeavour on it’s 13th mission.

The launch was delayed by a day which was fortuitous because I was in Orlando at the time and could not make it to Space Center that day. The next day I spent the whole day wondering around, marvelling at the achievements that we, the human race, have managed and I was fascinated by the whole history of space exploration. As luck would have it, they rescheduled the launch for that night and I got a ticket straightaway.

Watching the launch from the zone boundary 3 miles away was an impressive site. The launch lit up the night sky but the most amazing aspect of the event was the sound. At first it was just a rumble in the distance, a little like thunder. But as I watched the launch, I could see a ripple effect on the water in front of me and as it hit the land, so too did the wall of sound hit me. It was incredible and not an experience I’m likely to forget.

Since then, the ISS has grown bit by bit and will soon be complete. If you live in England, you will be able to see it next week although it’s unlikely you can see it with the naked eye as anything more than a passing satellite.

I got a text from my parents this morning, simply saying “Hi, we’re in Heathrow!”

They’ve just got back from doing a trek up Kala Pattar in Nepal (for charidee mate - Scope to be precise). Kala Pattar is a peak 6 miles away from Everest and is itself about 18,300 feet high (approx 10,000 feet lower than Everest). I’m so impressed that they did it. Speaking quickly to my mum, she said that on the last day they set out to reach the peak at 3:15am and got back to their camp by 4:30pm and that she has never done anything so physically exhausting in her life. It’s an absolutely fantastic achievement and I’ve no idea how they’re going to follow it up, if they ever decide to that is!

It does make me think about doing something myself although, seeing as my dad is 65, I don’t think there’s any rush!

Back from Gozo and just about sobered up and got over a brief bout of alcohol poisoning. Friends wedding went off without a hitch (except for the no-show of the karaoke) and much food and drink was consumed. Photos are in the developers but here’s one my mate took with his digital camera.

I have finally managed to upload a load of photos from my recent vacation to the Maldives. The photos don’t really do justice to how clear and bright it was there but will give you some idea. If there is ever a next time, I’ll definitely take an underwater camera too. And learn how to take better pictures!