365-2-50

365-2-50

Thursday, 20 June 2024

Thursday 20th June 2020


 Here we are, the longest day, the Summer Solstice. Strictly speaking this happens at 21.50 hrs in England. It isn't often the solstice isn't on the 21st of June, the date of which, if he'd been alive, my grandfather would be celebrating his 125th birthday tomorrow. That seems astonishing for man I knew very well, born June 21st 1899, just four months after his parents married. I'll just leave that thought there, as my great grandfather was apparently a morally upstanding and strict Victorian, a ship owner and captain known affectionately as 'Daddy Dawes'. I'm digressing. 

Today I've been musing on which image to take to celebrate the Solstice. Just now however I thought of the Lyme Regis webcam. I dip into this regularly when I'm looking for a five minute fix of Lyme Regis. Sometimes it is a stormy view, sometimes like tonight a benign image. I wish I was actually there sitting on the beach waiting for the sun to set. But after yesterday's long day I'm a little too weary to head down there for the evening. No I'll virtually transport myself to Dorset. 

As I write this it's about thirty minutes before the actual time. No matter, it's tonight. From tomorrow bit by bit the days begin to shorten and Winter looms. I've always felt energised at both solstices, in summer it's the light nights, though tinged with thoughts of dark days ahead. In winter, the opposite, December 21st for me is about hope and a longing for lighter nights. In both cases though there's two months grace, in early March suddenly there's lighter evenings, and not until mid August do the nights really start to draw in. 

I'll enjoy tonight, there's a sunset developing I'm off to see it now.


PS : There certainly was!

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