SUMMER SOLSTICE 21st JUNE

The Summer Solstice is the time of the longest daylight when the Sun reaches the apex of its yearly cycle. This triumph of its power is also the start of its decline, as the year changes from waxing to waning. Summer flowers assume a deeper hue in the heat, and the migrating birds of Spring who have now had their young will sport and play until they depart before the Autumn Equinox.
The Sun God reaches the height of his power,
As all the plants are now in flower,
The longest day brings strength and vigour,
As we pursue our aims and goals with rigour.
Now is the time of abundance and light,
We rejoice in days so happy and bright
Knowing that we grow in wisdom and might.

Understanding Equinoxes and Solstices

Equinoxes occur twice a year when the is sun crossing directly over the Earth’s equator (into the other hemisphere) and a solstice, also twice a year, is when the Sun reaches its most northern and southern extremes which are marked by the Tropic of Cancer (in the north) and the Tropic of Capricorn (in the south). These tropics are imaginary lines of latitude around the earth and are about 23 degrees north and south of the equator.

On the dates of the equinoxes, day and night are equal in length.

* The Spring (or vernal) equinox falls on or around 21st March which is when the Sun moves into Aries and marks the beginning of Spring. The Sun crosses the equator into the northern hemisphere and brings the summer months.
* The Summer solstice falls around the 21st June when the Sun moves into Cancer and marks the beginning of Summer.
* The Autumn equinox is around the 23rd September when the Sun moves into Libra and marks the beginning of Autumn. The sun crosses the equator and moves into the southern hemisphere giving the summer months and leaving the northern hemisphere to the Winter.
* The Winter solstice is on or around the 21st December when the sun enters Capricorn and marks the beginning of Winter.

Note that these zodiac signs are all cardinal signs and indicate the beginning of the seasons, the fixed signs are in the middle of each season and the mutable signs are at the end and getting ready for the change into the next season.

Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney, PA. 2nd February 2011

Groundhog Day is an annual holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada on which folklore tells if a groundhog emerges from its burrow and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end. If on the other hand, it is sunny and the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.

The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic year, which is celebrated on February 1.
Modern customs of the holiday involve celebrations where early morning festivals are held to watch the groundhog emerging from its burrow.

The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where crowds as high as 40,000 have gathered to celebrate the holiday since at least 1886.
Groundhog Day received worldwide attention as a result of the 1993 film of the same name, Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney and featured Punxsutawney Phil – the most famous of all the weather forecasting Groundhogs!

The Prognosticator of Prognosticators, Punxsutawney Phil, once again appeared at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob in the Pennsylvania Wilds to make his annual prediction.
Phil surveyed his surroundings and found no shadow, so an early spring it will be!

And so we move into September.

To me, September means....back to school, the beginning of Autumn (meteorogically), apples and blackberries, thinking about Christmas (sorry) and waiting to see the Christmas paraphernalia appearing in the shops, taking the summer shading off the greenhouse....to mention just a few things.

Astrologically, most of September is in the sign of Virgo which also reminds me of school. I always started the school year with the best of intentions. I was going to work hard and study hard, do my homework and pay attention in lessons. This generally lasted no longer than a few weeks before I succumbed to laziness - well at least the intention was there.

I travelled down to Somerset a couple of days ago and the fields were noticeably empty having recently been harvested of their cereal crops and there was an abundance of lorries on the road piled high with straw bales. How they don't topple over going around corners I don't know.

In Latin, septem means "seven" and septimus means "seventh"; September was in fact the seventh month of the Roman calendar until 153 BC, when the first month changed from Kalendas Martius (1st March) to Kalendas Januarius (1st January)....so now you know, well you probably did already.

I also need to think about putting away my trusty Fit-Flops which I live in throughout the summer and getting out my boots, getting out my cardi's and coats and (dare I say it?) putting on the central heating.

The beginning of the end?

So….August is here already. For some reason I’ve really noticed the shortening of the days recently. Since the Summer Solstice (six weeks ago) there is now more than an hours’ less daylight each day. Some parts of the garden are looking slightly tired, jaded, faded and very dry, there is also a light sprinkling of Silver Birch leaves that have fallen on the grass. Many birds species are moulting this month so it’s just as important to keep feeding them to help grow new feathers and regain their strength during and after breeding.
Sure signs that this is the beginning of the end of Summer – only a few weeks left if you take September as the start of Autumn, which I tend to.
We’ve had a pretty good summer weather-wise so far, I don’t think anyone could complain about it but it seems to have gone so fast – so much still to do, places still to go and people still to visit.

Winter Solstice

At the time of the Sun's lowest ebb, the shortest day, the dying sun sets for the last time - but no sooner has the Sun disappeared than the seed of coming life again grows. Tomorrow the Sun will rise anew. The cycle of life will begin again with the Waxing year.
The Child of Promise, the Sun is reborn,
Bringing hope to the Darkness of the forlorn,
Death has been and left its mark,
With winter's bleakness, cold and stark.
We look towards the promise of spring,
And make our plans for New Year to bring,
With joy in our hearts as the old year departs.

Happy Days

September already. Where has the summer gone? I seem to have had a non-summer this year. We had our holiday at Easter - to Malta, which was lovely and this was just as well because shortly after we came back my husband was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had an operation to remove a tumour and then had to start a course of chemotherapy. He was also found to have TB and that's all on top of COPD. And that's where our summer has gone. Back and forth to various hospitals for test and treatments. I'm not complaining and the children haven't complained either. They are at the stage where they do their own thing and create their own entertainment.
I like the changes of seasons and I particularly like this one - Summer into Autumn. I love the Autumn colours and the feeling of the garden settling down into its Winter rest. This doesn't mean an end to gardening though. Autumn is as busy a month as any other. Lots of trees around us mean plenty of leaves to be cleared. There are Spring bulbs to plant, shrubs to be pruned, tender plants to be moved and wrapped up for the Winter months, the grass still needs cutting, final trims to the hedges, perennials to be divided and replanted, borders to be weeded and mulched - the list goes on and on.
I also look forward to Christmas - one of my favourite times of the year. I'm not sure why - I just love everything about it. Probably my inner child takes over at this time of year. I actually find myself getting really excited about present opening! I don't get quite as excited about buying and wrapping the presents but I feel this is getting easier now that the children are getting older. They know what they want usually months in advance. I also enjoy indulging in things that I generally deny myself at other times of the year - Cadbury's Roses, Turkish Delight and Fudge are several things that spring to mind.
The sign of Virgo - the industrious one - prepares us for the start of a new school term and year, not something that I enjoyed when young. "The best days of your life" we are constantly told by our elders. Right and wrong, I feel, depends on the child and the school. The best times of my childhood was when I wasn't at school - the summer holidays were always enjoyed. Especially the parts when I stayed with my nan and grandad in the country - a completely different way of life. Easier in some ways and not so easy in others but much, much simpler and one I often look back upon with great fondness. I would so love to be able to live those days all over again. Happy days.

Lammas 1st August

Lammas marks the beginning of the early harvest - cereals, barley, wheat and oats. It was often celebrated with bonfires, once lit on hills and beacons all over Europe. This is also the festival of the Celtic God of the Sun Lugh, whose sacrifice in the harvest at Lughnasadh is made so that people may live.
The Corn King gives his life for the land,
We toast his sacrifice with ale in our hand,
And eat the bread, from the harvest made,
As sheaves of corn to the eath are laid,
May our well-earned bounty reward our toil,
As we harvest the seed and the grain from the soil.

Spring has sprung!

What a difference a few weeks make - from the blanket of snow to the cherry tree in blossom. The daffodils have mostly finished now apart from a few late varieties.

Snow at last!

Several times this winter the weather forecasters have threatened us with snow but it never managed to reach us here in the south - until now! Very picturesque and lovely to look at. The children have had great fun but it is melting fast now in the sun and I expect it will be nothing but a memory by evening.

December - celebrating Yule

We are now moving towards the Winter Festival that we call Yule.
The original Yule feast was held according to the lunar calendar, so it would have taken place late December or early January. When the Scandinavian countries were Christianised, the date was fixed at 25th December in line with Christmas. But Yule is still used as the name for this festival on greetings cards and the Jewish festival of Hannukah (this year the eight days of Hannukah begin on December 5th) is called Jewish Yule!
Like many other festivals at this time of year Yule is a festival that reminds us of the light during the darkest time of the year. Young girls wear crowns of holly with lighted candles, and lights are kept in windows. The tradition of the Christmas Tree developed out of the ancient idea of bringing home the Yule log to keep the community hall warm, but it was not until the German Prince Albert married Queen Victoria that the British started to have Christmas trees in their homes. Until then, the pre-Christian tradition of the ‘bower’, a circle of branches that included holly and mistletoe, hung in the hall to welcome guests, was the popular way for the British to decorate the house for the festive season. The mistletoe bunch is a remnant of that tradition.
Christmas these days has something of a split personality. On one hand it is the Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ; on the other hand it is a traditional time of eating, drinking, present-giving and partying which has been largely commercialised in recent years. To some extent, both are dependant on each other. The Church needs the fun side of Christmas to keep people interested in it and the commercial world needs the religious overtone of the season to lend some legitimacy to the celebration.

Daffodils in November

Is this another sign of the changing climate? This daffodil and several others are flowering two months ahead of schedule. I planted them at the end of our road several years ago and up until now they have behaved.