Tilting back at last…and the grumpiness continues as today (21st) is hailed as the Longest Day. It is not. The longest days were the previous two days as well. Today is the day of the solstice, a fleeting moment in time when the sun pauses from the Earth tilting towards summer, before heading back towards winter. Solstice occurs when the Earth’s northern hemisphere is tilted at its maximum angle towards the sun, while the southern hemisphere is tilted away for the winter months. The latest sunsets will occur from the 22nd to the 27th, with the sun rising later minute by minute.
Our strawberries have woken up to the fact that they should be producing fruit after the sunshine, heavy rain, and sunshine again. They are delicious. Quality rather than quantity though.
This week has seen me wading through archives at the Observatory and at the University of Exeter. Great fun! The rolling sea mist chilled the air outside the Observatory which is always on the cool side inside. Likewise, the University Old Library is on the cool side to protect the archive material, so a cardigan is always advised in summer and plenty of woollen jumpers in winter. I went outside to warm up at one point!
That would be a nice problem to have now as there is a heat warning over the country until Tuesday lunchtime…although it looks as though the heat will continue for the rest of the week.
In my research for a writing project, I have learned that the solstice used to be midsummer, which makes much more sense than being the first day of summer. It is halfway through the old summer which began on 1st May and ran until the end of August. Makes much more sense. Today’s midsummer is a hangover from the old Julian calendar. Happy Solstice!
Karen Hedges 