When I was 8 years old, my parents drove me from Yeovil to Crewkerne, to a petrol station just north of the town square.

I was then guided to a bungalow adjacent and behind the stablishment where I was introduced to a couple who had just lost their son; a little boy the same age as myself.

I didn't understand or comprehend the true nature of that couple's bereavement at the time but I did understand that they had something precious they wished to bestow upon me.

It was a wonderous collection of the little boy's personal fishing tackle including a tackle box crammed with shiney lures, fishing hooks, weights, floats and other accessories along with a selection of spinning and course fishing reels plus a a split cane freshwater fishing rod, a fibreglass spinning rod and a fly fishing rod and reel.

The experience moved me and I understood the nature of the gift.

And in being given such a gift in such a poignant fashion, (rather than just buying or collecting such items from a tackle shop or store), I was introduced to the hobby in a manner and fashion that imbued great meaning for me.

That little boy would never again experience the wonder and anticipation of setting out on some great fishing adventure BUT, thanks to him, I would be introduced to such adventures.

As you'll learn, the creative process of working with 3D media of all disciplines has inspired me for more than 30 years but, wow, I was not prepared for the experience and joy of exploring the world of 3D printing.

Sure. As a creative soul and inventor, (with international awards and accolades to my name), I'm used to bringing cerebral ideas and imagined concepts or designs screaming and kicking into existence BUT to be able to design something in glorious 3D on my computer and then transform such a digital file into a solid, real world real life object right before my own eyes is something more akin to a technology like the Replicator we might see on Star Trek. 

And the actual process of watching a 3D printer doing its work?

Well ... (and I always describe things this way), I'd describe the visual miracle of watching a 3D printer doing its thing as being akin to unexpectedly spying some magnificent deer suddenly appearing in the clearing of an, otherwise, dense forest.

I mean; the experience of witnessing eiter miracle, (the fruits of a 3D printer or some magnificent stag appearing), is a feeling of awe and a feeling of witnessing something extra-ordinary; something quite breathtaking and profound.

An extension of my existing fascination for everything 3D related, 3D photography and video production is a medium that truly reflects the world every one of us experiences everyday; with the added benefit of allowing each one of us to finally enable another person to see life as if through our own eyes.

I have an, as yet, unfinished goal of documenting an amazing experience I have witnessed each time I freewheel down from the headland that is Thorncombe Beacon as I make my way "back to Bridport and civilisation", rolling and rolling, mostly without pedalling, all the way from the top of the windswept Beacon, down through Doghouse lane, along Broad Lane and then down Brewery Hill to Palmer's waterwheel.

The fact that I can arrive back in Bridport having, only minutes earlier, set off from one of the most desolate and off grid locations for 20 miles around truly tickles me and I hope, one day, I'll record the event in 3D so that others can finally share the moment with me.

My English teacher, Dave Peters, addressing me as a 14 year old boy, once said, "Goodland, you could write about the inside of a ping pong ball and still make it interesting" which I, obviously, took as a fabulous compliment.

Seriously? Mr Peter's introduced me to the writings of Ray Bradbury and, from that day till now, I carry and hold Bradbury as my writing role model.

Bradbury writes like a painter; throwing every hue and colour into the fabric of a prose that, in my opinion, few other writers can ever match.

Although, I confess, I've spent a lifetime happy, joyfully, blissfully attempting to emulate just a fraction of that great man's writing style and verve.

Drones were always amazing for aerial photography but I got an extra surprise when I upgraded from an, already, seriously decent DJI Phantom 3 Advanced to a DJI Mini 3 Pro because it also delivers full 360 degree 3D photographic and video content AND is fully programmable, enabling me to create automated flight plans here at Beach cottage prior to releasing it into the wild to fly and deliver those flights entirely autonomously.

Imagine ...

Your partner, (in my case, Jackie), encourages you to take up a new hobby.

And then a friend says, "Hey. I think there is an old Roman villa just outside town that you should investigate."

Imagine then taking a couple of years swotting up on local history at Bridport library, (no internet back in those days), and finally establishing the exact co-ordinates of the ancient settlement and then gaining permission to detect the location.

Well. That's what happened to me.

And within 20 minutes of arriving at the location, a windswept, rarely visited promontory overlooking the stunning vista of Lyme Bay, I register a "beep" on the machine and, seconds later, am rubbing the rich dark soil from the face of a small ancient coin intriguingly revealing the crystal clear bust of a Roman emperor.

A coin nobody has set their eyes on in nearly 2000 years.

A coin produced at a time when Jesus may well have still been alive!

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And in that moment, the whole comprehension of what I knew about my world changed ... because ... here was a face looking up at me ...

And it was saying ... "You know what you have to do now, Chris? You have to find out exactly who I was and in doing so, you have to rewrite your whole concept of time and space in order to put me into some kind of historical context."

And that experience ... that simple act of finding a Roman coin up there on the ridgeway overlooking my little market town set me off on a historical journey that took me exploring and researching back in time, first exploring our ancient human heritage, (of the last 6 million years), later exploring the history and birth of our Solar System (4.5 billion years ago), and, eventually, leading me back to before the Big Bang and birth of the universe itself. (14.8 billiion years ago).

I bought and installed my off grid solar powered setup for next to nothing from Gumtree!

I chose an ad offering six 155W thin film solar panels because that slightly older technology is extremely efficient at gleaning power in typical UK cloudy conditions. They are also slightly bigger and longer which suited me because I used the panels as a roof for my ebike stable, anchoring them to my bespoken designed scaffold pole framework created especially for the ebike / solar panel build.

Though those 6 panels only supplying a modest 930W, Sol, our neighbouring local star powers my daily life, my main tower PC and two big monitors all day and, occasionally, a 400W heater. Swapping to the single 900W panel, I get similar usage so, between them I have enough power to run my little business and home entirely for free from the sun. (Excluding washing machine and cooker.)

I, originally, installed a pair of brand new but cheap 90 ah SLA leisure batteries designed for the job and the only limitation to usage was based on the size of those battery banks which I later upgraded to a pair of 130 ah batteries.

These days, I use lithium storage batyteries. Far more efficient.

I’ve added a 12v lighting system serving most of my dwelling(s) via adhesively stuck plastic trunking taking 12v power to all areas. (Acting as an alternate or emergency lighting system.)

I’ve also snaked a solar powered socket up into my main bedroom for an alternate power supply.

The whole 1KW solar setup including scaffold, panels, cables , controllers, batteries, etc, (making an ebike shelter into the bargain) PLUS the huge second 1KW panel, cables, controller, etc, (originally), came in at under £400 all in although two new 200 ah Kepworth lithium batteries @ £500 each has upped that budget since.

Most importantly, I used recycled material and have a system that is truly ‘off grid’ which means that I can survive for as long as my battery reserve allows should power be denied me for whatever reason.

When the sun is shining, the system pipes the energy straight to my home saving the batteries so in summer, I can go from dawn to dusk without using mains energy.

In winter, (or in an emergency), I’ve got the option of switching to a less energy draining laptop and 40” eco monitor if I had to just rely on solar power during those less sunny times.

I am so proud of it and proud of myself for being able to transform exactly the rendered 3D images of my original PC created design into a fully working solar setup in real life … and at a modest price.

NOTE: A year or two ago, new solar panels cost around £1 per watt and were regarded as being an absolute bargain. (They used to be really expensive).

Today, new panels are less than 0.50p per watt so should I have considered buying new?

Mmmmh. Perhaps but with 300W panels selling for £120, (or 40p per watt), the panels I've just bought work out at just 16p per watt so I'm happy.

Brand New Sky

Each morning, wherever we are on this spinning rock, nature delivers us a brand new sky and we have an opportunity, maybe even an obligation, to make the very best of such a gift.

Sure. We may not always see the world that way but each of us have interests, passions or objectives to fulfill, even if that thing called LIFE sometimes gets in our way or threatens to stall or halt our immediate plans or aspirations every now and again.

Holding a dream or goal or some obscure desire to accomplish something, (aside from some hard wired instinct of nature), may be considered to be a unique human characteristic, though perhaps it is the raw, driving force in every living thing on Earth.

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I've recently taken delivery of an eBike ... to address, realise and manifest some particular dreams of my own ... and can say that the experience, within the last 48 hrs, has profoundly exceeded and eclipsed all of my imagined expectations of actually owning and utilising such a machine.

I don't intend to reveal the make or model of my particular electric steed this very moment but would, instead, like to invite you to guess what sort of machine I chose ... based on my specific, particular location and requirements.

Here is the remit.

a) I always intended to buy a secondhand machine.

b) I didn't want to be liberated from having to exercise or exert myself. (The concept of effortless, non physical, human input goes against my objectives).

c) I needed a machine with good torque and hill climbing characteristics. (I live in West Dorset).

d) I'm 6ft. BMI 26. That's a fit but still dead weight of 15 stone!

e) I wanted spare parts to be attainable. (I planned to avoid generic, Chinese brands).

f) Sealed lead batteries would be fine.

g) My budget would be £300 max.

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Yesterday, the machine took me to the very location that inspired me to buy it. A wild, clifftop venue less than 2 miles from home ... but, at 157m, (and off road), one of the highest promontories along the whole South coast of England.

Up extreme inclines, through rain sodden, muddy fields, within a few hours of the purchase, the machine had already rewarded me.

I realised the dream of owning such a bike and was rewarded with a 20 mile view of Chesil beach arcing away to the East, a vision of the whole of Lyme bay to the South and a spectacular view of the whole of my own county spreading out beyond and behind me.

Below, I viewed the beach and rocks where I catch bass out of the surf and in the mid distance, just a couple of miles away, I was able to soak up the rugged beauty of my own local beach where I fish and metal detect. I photographed the vision for posterity.

The machine passed every test. It took me to my most favourite raw, off road cliff top location and tonight, as an experiment, I rode from beach cottage, (home), to the resort and harbour, (a mile from here), and back again, without barely pedalling at all just to test the actual motor.

In the spring and summer, I shall be setting the alarm for an hour before sunrise, zapping down the bay to catch a half dozen mackerel and returning home before most of the town has even awoke.

Read my full "Brand New Sky" debut conversation with Pedelec.com members here.

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/brand-new-sky.16600/