Radio rememberances

Feeling not too bad this week, all things considered, working away, out for a drink with some friends, basically doing my best not to brood on things. Listening to some radio over the web at work as I usually do I found some interesting programmes on BBC Radio 4, including A Brief History of the End of Everything in their science section. Fronted by a Jesuit-scientist, the Vatican's astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno, it explored various notions of the end of the universe via scientific thought, philosophy, religion and various world mythologies in a number of short segments (archived on the Beeb's site). It was a fascinating series and Brother Guy a delightful host; I made a mental not to myself to mention it to the Comrade because I knew that the scientific and religious aspects to it would fascinate him.

Then of course a moment later have to remind myself that I won't be discussing this programme with him. I suppose that's the way it goes - most of the time you can move along reasonably well then a little thing will remind you of your loss. Obviously it is much worse for my aunt since she is in the home she shared with my uncle and surrounded by countless reminders of his absence; for myself I can sometimes almost forget it for a moment, thinking must catch up with him when I am next home or must give him a call, not spoken in a week or two, then think, no, but for her it is every minute.

Anyway, back to the radio: it was a very interesting series and it is still on Radio 4's archive site. Also on their science programmes section was a good interview by the astronomer Heather Couper, who I met briefly at a book launch at the Edinburgh Science Festival several years ago (the subjet was black holes and wormholes - luckily the publishers untangled our brains with much free drink afterwards in the environs of the Royal Museum); she was talking to the man who probably has the best claim to the title of World's Greatest Living SF Writer, Sir Arthur C Clarke.