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New Blackmore Vale, September 3, 2021
Business
At night in Durweston, within the Universe Investment By Adrian Fisher MBE needs to do, to encircle the earth half a second. Yet in that time, every fifteen minutes. my eye had detected it, moved firm unveils I have just come back indoors My eyes adapted to the much by attention to the moving from my annual summer treat of lower levels of light, so that I object, and allowed me to watch staff changes watching the Shooting Stars Twice a year the earth passes through the Perseid belt of asteroids, but the summer one around mid August is much warmer to watch than around mid February. I went out into the garden, sat down on a bench, and relaxed. My eyes of course, but also my mind. A solitary owl was hooting for several minutes and then stopped. The entire night sky was visible to the naked eye, initially with no wisps of cloud cover. Here in Durweston there is not a single artificial light to distract. My eye caught a moving light in the sky, steadily moving across in the direction of Pimperne. It was the International Space Station. I had forgotten how fast it moves, which of course it
could clearly see the stars, and also the sweep that is the Milky Way. The stars, though visible, are much fainter that we accustomed to see in our visually attention-grabbing world of video and phone screens. Yet here I was, using my naked eyes, just as the builders of Stonehenge or Hod Hill would have done thousands of years ago. This continuity is very precious, and we are the custodians of this heritage. No spectacles for them, and mercifully none needed by me either. The human eye is such a miracle. 83% of the information that comes to our brain is by sight. Our eyes are truly the windows of our bodies to the world around us. And then, almost immediately above me, there went a shooting star! It was all over in perhaps
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that final quarter second before it flared and disappeared from sight. Keenly I was now on full alert for the next. I did not have long to wait. Then came another, in much the same part of the sky. And then I waited. I gradually began to realise that there was no point or pleasure actively trying to scan the sky, but rather I relaxed with my eyes open, waiting for something that might suddenly appear briefly, moving fast. The silence was achingly beautiful. I listened intently, but here I was in utter silence, in Southern England. I did not hear the sound of any vehicle even in the distance, the whole time. Nor, sadly, not a single fox, hedgehog or badger, but then I was in my garden. The church bell struck four times. It has not rung for over a year, doe to Covid restrictions that prevented it from being wound up. Now we have it back again. A reassuring friendly part of the life of the village, The sound of the continuity of worship since the first priestly incumbent in 1295. There went another shooting star, this time lower in the sky, shooting downwards towards Blandford. All over in less than a second. I had seen three, and was very happy. The night was warm enough that i did not feel any coolness let alone feeling cold. I was alone in every sense in the universe, with just the surrounding dark trees to define my horizon. What a beautiful experience, right here where I live, where I pursue my creative livelihood. Anyone who has not experienced such wonders cannot understand the full inspiration that living in the countryside brings. I had gone out into the night to
An independently-owned investment management business with offices in London and Dorset has announced four new hires and promotions. Fund and portfolio manager Church House Investment Management has assets under management in excess of £1 billion. The firm says the global pandemic – and how even the most robust financial plans have been tested – highlighted the importance of effective investment management. It expects the need for advice to grow. The promotions and new additions to the team are: n Andrea Steel, pictured, promoted to Head of Private Clients for the South West. She will work closely with the Relationship Managers and Client Services team, operating out of the Sherborne offices. n Appointment of Ben Stevens as Associate Client Manager. Previously at Investec for five years he will support the work of the Relationship Managers in the Dorset office. n Vanessa Short joins the Client Service Team. She has a wealth of customer service experience, having previously spent four years with Battens Solicitors. n Mike Green takes up the position of Operational Assurance Manager, which involves running the governance processes relating to Church House’s range of six investment funds.
