Howling At The Moon

 

This week seems to have gone by awfully fast.  Perhaps I have been busy but I am hard pushed to say what at.  Just lots of little things that seem to add up to a lot of time.

And for some reason they have left me feeling a bit worn out.  Even so, I did manage earlier today to make a couple of jars of Mustard Relish (similar to Piccalilli) for the store cupboard (and a large jar for eating now!).

Mustard Relish

Tonight, there is a partial eclipse of the full moon – with a 97% shadow coverage, it will be a “blood micromoon.”

A supermoon occurs when the moon is close to earth (perigee), and a micromoon happens when it is furtherest away (apogee).  The red (blood) shading is expected to reach its peak here around 10pm.

I thought about going outside during the eclipse and howling at the moon – some primeval instinct at work, maybe? 

Mittens' opinion of me howling at the moon

It was certainly a crazy thought, so I looked it up – howling at the moon signifies wasting your time and energy trying to do something which is impossible or trying to get something which you cannot have.

I don’t really think either of those apply to me, so maybe I will give up on the howling idea.  Besides, the neighbours probably wouldn’t like it!

Margaret 😊

My Garden and The Moon

 

Going to bed last night, I caught sight of the full moon with a beautiful halo around it (the camera on my phone doesn’t do it justice).

Apparently, halos like this are not that unusual, and are believed to indicate that we are in for an unsettled period of weather (what else is new? Spring is always unsettled!).

Whatever causes them, and whatever they mean, moon halos are still amazing to behold.

The last few days have been rain-free and I have become the victim of Spring Fever again.  It seems to happen every year, and I am almost powerless to prevent its occurrence. 

It is the time of year when I want to get out in the garden, when I want to clean the house from top to bottom – at least I no longer get the “birds and the bees” feelings (leaving them to the young ones!).

My little container garden (I leave the main gardens for son to care for) is looking a little tired.  Time to repot a few things and buy some annuals to add colour and interest to this little area.

Time to smile, everyone!  Have a happy day 😊

Margaret.

Astronomical Excitement

 

So much is happening in the heavens at the moment, and it is quite exciting to go outdoors in the evening and look at it all.  As well, today is our summer solstice – although the actual time is not until 11.02pm.

High up in our skies lies the planet of Mars, looking quite bright and reddish this year.  It is the closest it will come to the earth for another fifteen years.

But the biggest heavenly event of all is the visual conjunction of the two great planets Jupiter and Saturn, to be seen in our western skies for an hour or so after sunset before they sink below the horizon.  I have been watching these each night, (when there is no cloud), and seeing them come closer and closer together. 

The brighter star is Jupiter, 763 million kilometres away from earth, with the fainter Saturn being a further 856 million kilometres beyond that again.

Jupiter and Saturn visually pass each other in their orbits around the sun about every twenty years, but the last time they appeared this close together was 1623.  That sighting was obscured by the nearness of the sun, so the last plainly visible sighting of this phenomenon was in 1226 – making it a rare thing to see now.

The breaking of a new dawn

Astrologically, this Great Conjunction is occurring at 0 degrees in Aquarius and pointing to great change and new beginnings around the earth.  Add this with the current solstice, also a time of change, and a first quarter moon being in our skies (considered a critical point of no return, the last show-down before the crescendo of the full moon is reached), and one wonders what the next couple of years are going to bring.  Hopefully a change for the better.

May the blessings of happiness be upon you,

Margaret 😊

Summer Solstice

Today we mark the Summer Solstice in New Zealand.  At precisely 5.19pm the sun will reach its highest position in the sky and this will mark the astronomical change of direction of the sun’s orbit.

Throughout history almost every culture has marked this event in some way with religious services and spiritual rituals, usually involving feasting, dancing and general merriment, and the lighting of fires.

Sunrise (Waikawau Bay, 2007)

(Photo used by permission)

It is the longest day of the year, having the greatest length of time between sunrise and sunset, and is one of nature’s more obvious turning points as from now on the seasons begin their long descent back into winter.

It is considered by some to mark the beginning of summer, and by others to mark the middle of summer (it is sometimes known as midsummer’s day).  Whichever way it is looked at the weather often becomes hotter after this day, with February nearly always being New Zealand’s hottest month of the year.

Midsummer Evening (Mt Maunganui, 2008)

Some modern ideas for marking this day are to watch sunrise and/or sunset, enjoy a barbecue outdoors in the evening, go for a long walk in nature, or light a candle and spend time contemplating the cycles of nature.

In the Northern Hemisphere it is, of course, the Winter Solstice.  Their days will now grow longer as ours will begin to grow shorter, which to me seems a greater reason to celebrate as it is always nicer to be moving into warmth and sunlight than into grey and dismal.

Summer Sunset (Pokuru, 2008)

Whether you totally ignore the Solstice (summer or winter) or choose to celebrate it in some way, I hope you have a great day.

Margaret.