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There is still work to do in dismantling the outer structure at the rear of the observatory. No room for Japanese stepladders between the trees. The two stretch, builder's ladder feels a bit unsafe at that height. The ground is a meter lower at the back. I could work from inside the old observatory if I took down the plywood cladding. Saw the posts off at the bottom first. Then at the top. Saving the wood is a low priority in relation to my own safety. Nobody would find me for ages if I fell. Except by chance.
It might be wise to clear all the timber out of the way. A lot of it has been standing up, leaning against the shed for several years and looks awful. In truth it ALL looks absolutely awful! Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder but precious few. Would ever want my 2-storey observatory "decorating" their garden!
It will be twice as much work taking down the original and its plywood dome. I am very tempted to remove the cladding. Saw through all the posts at the base. Then just pull the carcass over with the car and a long rope.
There are literally hundreds of screws holding the dome together. It would mean dangling from a tall stepladder to undo them all from the inside. I could more easily and safely[?] saw the remains into pieces from the ground. Think of all that free firewood kindling. Or not! The back garden and parking space would become inaccessible. Until the whole job was finished. With the severe risk of countless, sharp, wood screws dropping into the grass. Right where I maneuver and park.
In case you were wondering: I might have put a Pulsar dome up there. To replace the plywood one. Pulsar very helpfully provide a dome only option. On a tall collar. Which provides the weather seal and a firm rotation base unit in one. However, as mentioned several times here, it would not remove the trees. Nor move the house from the southern boundary.
Nor remove the steep, internal stepladder. Needed to reach the observatory floor. Leaving a large, open rectangular, hole in the floor on the western side of the pier. With increasing age it becomes more difficult to climb with a heavy laptop. The laptop must be kept inboard to avoid toppling backward! The risk of falling down the stepladder will increase with each visit.
Out of an abundance of care, for my own survival, I want to get back down onto firm ground. There is just enough space in front of the lean-to green house. On the south side of the house. Even enough room for a path between them. Helped by the curved nature of the intended new observatory walls. The pinch point would actually be quite short.
By sheer luck there is plenty of shelter from westerly winds. The beech front hedge will hide the walls but not the dome. My neighbours' paddock hedge runs along the side of my drive. Which would place it stretching off for nearly a hundred meters just to the left in front of the observatory. Hiding most of it from the drive and distant road. Without blocking the sky.
It all sounds lovely until I have to build a floor and a pier for the new building. I am currently waiting to hear the delivery charge for the observatory. I balked at this last time. Finding that I could have a dome of twice the size delivered all the way from Italy. For less than half the price of a Pulsar. Far cheaper in fact than sending a Pulsar from Germany. Which lies just to the south of Denmark by motorway.
16.45 71F/22C. Hot sunshine as I cleared the observatory. I had to dismantle the telescopes to manage the weight down the outside stepladder. Then there was the chest of drawers full of accessories. Brought down one drawer at a time. Still lots more to do. It was very depressing going up there again. Everything was dusty and the massive, aluminium mounting was heavily spotted with corrosion. A period of my life now at an end. After several years of construction, new ideas, modification and endless optimism. Halcyon days. I thought they would last forever. A cup of tea and a rest and then I'll go back to it.
The equipment is now all safely indoors. For how long? Before it can be brought back into use? Do I have options? Which don't include a whole new observatory?
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