Harvest Moon..................

Northern summer changes to fall on Sept. 22nd at 11:09 pm EDT. At that precise moment, called the autumnal equinox, the Harvest Moon can be found soaring high overhead with the planet Jupiter right beside it. The two brightest objects in the night sky will be in spectacular conjunction to mark the change in seasons. The Harvest Moon gets its name from agriculture. In the days before electric lights, farmers depended on bright moonlight to extend the workday beyond sunset. It was the only way they could gather their ripening crops in time for market. The full Moon closest to the autumnal equinox became "the Harvest Moon," and it was always a welcome sight. The other thing about the harvest moon is that because of the spatial relationship between the elliptical orbit of the earth and the moon, the harvest moon seems to last longer at the full than a normal moon. The reason it seems so big is because of something called the ‘moon illusion’. This is a phenomenon not of the moon but of the human brain, which perceives objects that are low in the sky as being much larger than ones which are high in the sky. No one knows definitely why this is. These paintings capture what it had to have been like years ago before we had electricity. This by Samuel Palmer 1830-31 shows how hard people had to work to just get the harvest in. Also by Samuel Palmer around 1833. One can see how it would inspire the artist. The full golden moon has a medieval look to it and one can only imagine what it would be like to be out under the stars with the bright light of this moon. The farmers were at the mercy of the weather back then. Still today but not quite so much as then. Still its a wise man who pays heed to the seasons and what drives them. The moons effect life on earth in so many ways, the birds and beasts and although he has lost touch with nature, mankind too. The Harvest Moon by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ................................................................... It is the Harvest Moon! On gilded vanes..... And roofs of villages, on woodland crests..... And their aerial neighborhoods of nests..... Deserted, on the curtained window-panes..... Of rooms where children sleep, on country lanes..... And harvest-fields, its mystic splendor rests!..... Gone are the birds that were our summer guests,..... With the last sheaves return the laboring wains!..... All things are symbols: the external shows..... Of Nature have their image in the mind,..... As flowers and fruits and falling of the leaves;..... The song-birds leave us at the summer's close,..... Only the empty nests are left behind,..... And pipings of the quail among the sheaves...... The moon should be full on the 29th of September.

Last Day....off to London.......

When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford. -Samuel Johnson We got up early to catch the train into London. Its so nice having public transport. I think those who do, can not realize how difficult it can be without it. We started the day at the Tower of London, we wanted to try to avoid the rain. So decided we would do all the inside things first and dodge the showers. If you have not been to the Tower its a must for history buffs. If you don't know about it I will let you read up on it because there is just so much history in that one place. Suffice it to say it was started by William the Conqueror.For nearly 1000 years the Tower of London has stood in its place on the Thames, serving over the centuries as a royal palace, prison, place of execution, stronghold for riches, and the symbol of the monarchy in England Tower Bridge from the Tower of London The guards....They look so young. The Yeomen........and they are real soldiers not just tour guides. Always on duty and always watching and yes they will give you information and spin yarns for you. No pictures in here...........The vaults for the Crown Jewels and other treasures. Magnificent. This was new for me............the place of execution. Prior visits just had a plaque on the green. This is nice. Ann requested a sword "I have but a little neck and I hear the swordsman is very good" The rest got the axe and if they were lucky a good headsman It's very moving to see the carvings in the stones on walls in the tower rooms where the high born's were kept. Thinking of them as they waited not knowing sometimes what their fate would be. Traiters Gate............damp,dank and mysteriously threatening. Very intimidating. The access from the river is now bricked up but does not detract from it on the inside. In the tower there is a museum with just so much to see its a place to keep going back to. There is armour worn by Henry VIII and I could go on there is just so much to see. We next stopped at the British Museum. Again there is way too much to show here but my favourite is always the Egyptian exhibition. Although this time I was thrilled with the Persian and Assyrian Out and about here is a British Icon........... Trafalgar Square still had stuff up from the Olympics. We walked a lot but this day we took cabs too. We did pass this shop and drooled Here are some street entertainers. Another thing I love about London. The way that the people interact on the streets. We saw some people with really good voices singing in the area around Covent Garden but this was not in that area. Anyone seen the Mall this empty? The barricades still up and no traffic (from the Olympics and Jubilee concerts.) This is the Palace. Buckingham Palace that is. Isn't she beautiful? These are the gates to St James park and the flowers in the gardens outside. It was raining so we missed walking through the park So very tired, we took the train back home to Mark and Maries. What a great day out. So much we did that I have no space to write it all. I know I will remember things and probably add things to they posts as time goes on. Meanwhile none of this could have been possible without Liz and Rodney, Mark and Marie and of course Jason who bought the tickets and got me involved. I hate to fly but I have to say it was not that bad................could have done without the 8 hour wait at Chicago on the way home but everything went well. This last picture is of the trip over as we came in to Dublin Ireland.

Going home.............

Jason wanted us to go up to Houghton Regis where we used to live. I was not keen to go really as its changed so much from the village I once knew. It took forever to get there on the motorway as traffic was heavy, but not as bad as it sometimes is. We got there in the end and I hardly recognized the place. We stopped at the cemetery first and found mum and dad. Visited the old cemetery and showed Jason his "roots"..........it was hard to navigate because it was all so different from when I was last there. All the farms in the village are gone, all the old shops and buildings are gone. The main thing I did recognize was the church ........ ........and The Kings Arms. On the way in we stopped off in Dunstable because I wanted pictures of the Priory. This was a monastery at one time as well as a priory. After the dissolution of the monasteries it became the church we have today. It has a lot of history and is a beautiful building. This is the Priory gate That gate takes you into the gardens that are now a park. The actual church has interesting architecture. Liz got married here many many years ago to my Uncle Ray (mums brother and now deceased)....I just love the place and its history. The annulment of the marriage of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon was announced there. It is also near where the Eleanor Cross (of Castile) was placed when King Edward I rested his lady for the night on the funeral journey to London. The original door is still inside with bullet holes from where the Royalists and Roundheads fought. We did not linger too long in the area but took Jason by the house where mum lived, even that is so different now. The gardens all gone along with everything I knew. While in Bedfordshire we drove by a few places that I thought Jason may like to see. The Whipsnade Lion that is carved on the Dunstable Downs to commemorate the zoo that is there. A local landmark. They may have ruined Houghton Regis but many of the other local villages remain unspoilt. I will always go and see Aldbury. Many films and TV shows have been made there. That's not my reason it just a beautiful village with the stocks on the green by the pond. There used to be a ducking stool but that's long gone. I was sad to see that the pond has gotten overgrown now and really needs dredging. Another view of the pond So many thatched and beamed houses there I must look but think I once did a post on Aldbury so wont post to many pictures until I find out. It has many beautiful houses there and about. We stopped for dinner on the way home before going to Mark and Marie's. We were going to London the next day with Mark.

Day with Marie ..........

On Thursday Liz took us to Mark and Marie's house for a day out with Marie and the girls. Liz had to have some surgery on her leg so had a day off so to speak. We arrved at Burgess Hill quite early so we could have a full day of exploring. Marie was a wonderful hostess and very knowledgeable about the local history. That made it all the more fun. They are crazy and we enjoyed the trip immensely. We started off by going to visit the horses. I even found a poodle. Here with Binny and Beth. I can not remember exactly where we went that day, its a blur......but we stopped at this church to have a look around, this is Marie explaining something or other. I do know that as we went to the "yard" to see the horses we then went to the college and they had these enormous speed bumps. Well one jumped up and took out the nuts under the car and it was making a terrible noise. So we went back home and exchanged Mark's car for Marie's and then set off again. We stopped at a place that sells Cider and we got to tastw samples. Here is Jason tasting.........The Meade was great. Next door was a lovely place that sold cheese. I bought several but never got a chance to eat it. I really wanted to try the Buttercup. Hope it was good Liz (smile) We stopped for lunch and me and Marie chose a cream tea...........it was awesome with wonderful sandwiches and scones to die for and that wonderful cream. We went to see some Windmills called Jack and Jill.....not sure who this one is. The Clayton Windmills, known locally as Jack and Jill, stand on the South Downs above the village of Clayton, West Sussex This was close by,,,,,,,,,,,,,The Long Man of Wilmington. Some how I do not think I have things in order but this was interesting and Marie knows her local history. She would make a wonderful tour guide because she makes it fun too. This plaque shows where the 17 martyr's were imprisoned. Cliffe Hill is a hill to the east of the town of Lewes in East Sussex. Also to be found on the hill is an obelisk known as Martyrs' Memorial commemorating the destruction of Lewes' monastery by Henry VIII and the burning of the 17 Protestant martyrs known as the Sussex Martyrs in 1555–1557. Off we went to Brighton........This is the Pavillion. We didn't go inside. I have been there before and we didn't have a lot of time left. The old Pier destroyed by fire in 2003, probably arson. The Brighton Pier now.........with Marie It was a fun day and we arrived back at Liz and Rodney's. they had gone to bed by the time we got in. It was a hoot trying to get in. It was like Fort Knox with all the locks. We couldn't get them undone and were outside having giggling fits trying to unlock the doors.The outside motion detector lights kept going on and off. I would think ships at sea thought we were signaling them. Tomorrow.........a journey home.