The Christmas cake is made.  Even having gotten in various ingredients I still ended up having to substitute a few.  It's now sat in a tin, awaiting marzipan and icing.  Shan't be doing anything too fancy, just plain, simple and elegant ( Read more... )

Those gathered at Stonehenge this morning would have been disappointed, and rather damp.  This morning it rained, at times heavily.  Consequently the much anticipated Summer Solstice sunrise was unobservable from there.  Quelle surprise ( Read more... )

There now, the thing to look for in the skies tonight (and yesterday, sorry) is a conjunction of Jupiter, Venus and the crescent Moon.  Look west around sunset tonight - always assuming the western skies are clear and the conjunction is above rooftop level.  Hey, why am I complaining? Around here roofs are all on terraced two-storey houses.  I ( Read more... )

Today is officially Midsummer Day - cue various bits of A Midsummer Night's Dream only, if I remember correctly, that was actually set on Midsummer's Eve, hence last night.  It's a long time since I did anything with AMND - I think we tackled it in the First or Second year at secondary school, or was it the Third year (Year 9 equivalent)?  It was a ( Read more... )

England is out of the World Cup.  What a surprise.  Not.  Apparently this is the earliest exit since 1958.  While we may have invented the beautiful game, we just don't seem to be able to play it that well at world level.  How much of this inability is due to the fact that the top English clubs buy in players from anywhere and everywhere for the ( Read more... )

Today, at 17.11 Universal Time (now there's a term which begs fairly major questions, however) the sun will be as low as it gets, and then start coming back.  Roll on the longer days!  Not that we'll notice them til mid-January.  In fact apparent day length will be far more governed by cloud cover - if it's cloudy out the day will appear a whole ( Read more... )

Don't think those assembled at Stonehenge today had much joy this morning.  The sky is overcast, yet again.  Makes me wonder how the original builders of Stonehenge got all the stones so aligned with sunrises & sunsets on significant dates when our skies are so frequently grey.  Still, Happy Solstice, Dear Reader.  It's downhill all the way to ( Read more... )

The Shortest Day.

When I first woke this mornin’ it was twenty-past two,
        So I dozed off again, the only thing to do.
        Woke again at three-thirty - to early to Blog,
        So got up & had a quick trip to the bog!
        The last time I woke it was later by far.
        It was six forty-five, outside - the lift’s car.
    ( Read more... )