summer solstice

[al]

did any one do anything for the summer solstice the other night ? we had a pub meal then went to the woods for a campfire , my daughter lit the char cloth with my strikalight and we both blew the tinder to flame so she has now earnt her own flint and steel :-D

[ScottC]

Erm.. whats a summer solstice?

[al]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/birmingham/feat...solstice.shtml that should do yer :-D , others have changed the date to suit themselves, square pegs round holes belt them hard enough and you get what you want etc,but this isnt the place for that

[ChrisKavanaugh]

When the people of the earth watched stars in the heavens and told stories instead of stars on the tellie telling nothing: They saw things! The sky is a big timepiece, compass,calender,weathervane and storyboard. The people who constructed Stonehenge observed astronomical events even modern astronomy was unaware of,including a lunar eclipse cycle that took generations to calibrate. Imagine your great grandfather making an observation and recording it for you to observe in midlife and again record the information for your great grandson! Imagine a world where the beginning of winter is announced in the sky before the first snowflake fell. You know it is time to put the bearskin on an anthill to kill the lice and fleas for use. In a few months time it will be gently patted into fresh snow to clean all the dirt out before again packing away in sweet smelling plants. You know this because the winter equinox has been observed and Spring is coming. It's still all there, free of commercials and a bit of bush kit with no VAT or S/H charges.

[Wayne]

I went to local beach with my kelly kettle. watched the sun rise listenening to the waves, drinking fresh coffee. Was damn hard to leave to go to work.

[gb]

if i didn't have college the next day, i'd have been meeting the fairies under the old elder bush.....

[Ed]

Well it was karens birthday so we had a stream of poeple in and out of our house all night.... lots to drink and all very merry.... though i did have to get up for college the next day :-(

Ed

[maddave]

We went round to friends this year...... We usually try to get up to Castlerigg Stone Circle, but we both had Job commitments following day so couldn't go this year :-( Still we had a nice drink and summer cake with good company 8-)

[Stuart]

I was in Finland watching the midnight sun

it was daylight non stop for the whole ten days i was there, felt odd coming hold and watching the sun actually set :shock:

[EdS]

does anyone do anything for the winter solstice? After all this is when the days start to lengthen and life beging to return.

Rather than the summer solistice whic hmarkss the shortening of the days.

[Roving Rich]

Well I did my annual cycle ride down the Ridgeway to Avebury.
We (My friend Ashley and myself) started from Streatley in Oxfordshire late Friday night, got dropped off below the Ridge at gone eleven, cycled a couple of miles and stopped up at a common for the night, got the fire going (fortunately i had a folding "chain" saw, as all the small firewood had been scavenged) and set up our bivvies.


had a brew followed by some beer :-D
Surprisingly we had a late start the following morning 8-)



The bivvy was a bit drafty, but luxurious, being able to hear the dawn chorus and the breeze in the trees...
We had a quick brew then hit the trail. Volunteers have been resurfacing the Ridgeway, which seemed to consist of covering it in dust, making cycling hard work, like cycling through sand !

Next stop was Schumacher's Knoll (or summit like that, haven't got a map infront of me.) Where i quickly got a fire going before my mate arrived (ok i cheated) We constructed a stove from a few bricks left lying around, and became the local curiosity for some young boys and their dad, who thought it was an great adventure and helped gather firewood. Next some Pikey Irish travellers arrived, -"Dya be wantin any work boys"," wot ya do if hadn't found them bricks", "you carryin all dat on dem bikes ?" and so on. Oh and the "Your not gay are you fellas" - is it just me and the company i keep or do you guy get asked this ? :shock:



Onwards in the mid day heat, only to discover the next tap dedicated to some dearly departed...had been switched off.
So it was another few hours in the heat and down to the last of our water before we came across a cattle trough, and filtered the water through an amazing squeezy filter/purifier bottle, to be on the safe side.

We had made good time to Waylands Smithy, (our usual overnight stop,
Just past Dragon hill and one of the Wessex white horses carved into the chalk of the hillside.) By avoiding the pub lunch, dropping down from the ridge then pushing the bikes all the way back up again. Saving hours !
We decided to push on and try for Avebury that day.
We arrived mid evening and immediately stopped at the pub for refreshment :-D The freaks per squaremile meter was off the in the vicinity. But no trouble. just a friendly mixed bunch, Witches, Druids, Goths, Hippies and Students....
We left before dark for a 2 night bivvy in Avebury Drove - an ancient Drovers stop over, when taking stock to London to sell. It was quite busy with horsedrawn travellers, a couple of vans and a lovely MK with a horsebox on the back Mmmmm.
Its a wonderful spot to stop up in, and I bumped into a few old friends (Sorry my phone was dead Jamie, would have been great to have met up)
Ahh the blissful comfort of the hennessy for a couple of nights.



Then of course there was the the joy of watching the sunrise Solstice morning, from within the Ancient Stone circle of Avebury. No Police with generators and flood lights, and Party people stirring it up ! Well worth the trip. :-D

Rich

[Jamie]

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooo
nice pic Rich