Keith Graves, Sky News correspondent for Washington, has been on screen so often, covering the U.S. crisis, that he seems to be working round the clock. How does he keep going? An indefatigable Taurean Bull (May 5 1941), his horoscope is exceptional for its huge stack of Taurus planets. No less than seven of his ten planets are in this earthy sign, noted for its physical stamina, its voice of authority and its dogged reliability. Just think of the Queen, and you've got Taurus. At its best, the astrology books tell us, the Bull is "determined, persistent and enduring, executive, practical, rather conservative, and at times a little dogmatic and obstinate. There is a tendency to become more authoritative, quiet, reserved, firm and inflexible as your life advances" (Alan Leo, Key To Your Own Nativity). Multiply this by seven, add a pinch of plain pig-headed stubbornness, and you get the measure of Keith Graves.

But steady Taureans are definitely the guys you want around when there's a war on, even if, historically, they have sometimes provoked them. The sign boasts a long line of great dictators - Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Sadam - but in its more humanitarian mode, it is also a great provider. Wealth-loving Taureans may live well but they also save for a rainy day, and we can expect Graves to be a lover of good food and good money, with lots of little nest eggs in all sorts of currencies and countries. Their desire to be self-sustaining gives them a special affinity with growing things, and an allotment is Taurus heaven. Graves probably likes nothing better than digging, both literally and metaphorically, slogging through to get a good story.

The serious, get-real planet, Saturn, plays a big role in his horoscope and his career. It gives him a firm grasp of reality and the facts on the ground. One of his biggest coups as a correspondent coincided with his first 29-year Saturn cycle in spring 1971 when he went to report the troubles in Northern Ireland. He uncovered the name of the IRA Chief-Of-Staff - Gerry Adams - and as a consequence, under threat, he had to return home pronto.

Graves is not all Taurus Bull, and Mars, the old god of war, also stands out in his horoscope. It makes him a fine war correspondent, but on a personal level it gives him an occasional burst of fury when he doesn't get his own way. Astrologers Sakoian & Acker say: "Taureans have their own methods of doing things, and if one wants a smooth relationship with them, it is wise not to interfere with them or attempt to make them over". (The Astrologer's Handbook).

Taureans also give the impression that they can go on for ever, but time is slowly catching up with Keith Graves. Renowned for stickability and possessiveness, it's usually hard to get a Taurus to give anything up or to move on voluntarily. However, since March, transforming Pluto has been activated in Graves' horoscope, and even he must feel it's time for something different. Pluto is the planet of terrorism and outrage, so it's just as well that he is in Washington now, and not heading for Afghanistan. He may have an instinct to lie low and go behind the scenes for a while, and after so long in the same job, it could be time for the ever-present Keith Graves to give himself a gap year.