LUNAR SOLSTICE

Last year, for the first time in a couple of hundred years there was an eclipse of the moon on the solstice.  An auspicious (or not, depending how you feel about such things) event. We got up early to look - the moon turns blood red, apparently - but saw nothing but dull grey dawn.  Oh well, there’ll be another one in 2094....

The winter solstice marks the beginning of the end of darkness - from now on it will get lighter by 2 minutes every day until - let’s not even go there - it’s enough that it’s getting lighter, even if it’s not getting any warmer. The snow slows me up in so many ways (I quite like the fact that I can’t do any gardening).  I find it stops me from even wanting to move.  I watch the chickens just standing there, looking cold and refusing to lay much and I know just how they feel.