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PER MARE PER TERRAM

Chant du monde boréal
Shoormal.
Sandshifter, 60N.
Where it all makes sense.


CHRONICLES FROM ARCANIA

Preamble

Through Chronicles from Arcania, I shall attempt to share walks with you, this poetics from 60N, where I feel at one with our Earth, my sense of place so maritime.


Tuesday 21 December 2010

Astronomical Wonders of our Neck of the Cosmos

cosmic magic

I love to peep through my window before sunrise.
Sometimes dawn taints itself in blue, indigo, titanium or black... At other times, Venus retires without a sight... Or our great sky reflects the mood of some angry horned deity. 

Today was just something special.

Last night I hoped for a blue dawn... Well, angels granted my heart such wish!
Our crystal clear celestial vault offered first-class view of some starry sky gradually switching itself off - but, then, N by NW, before 7 a.m., I saw "yin & yang", as our Cold Moon absorbed all sunrises and sunsets! Clad in the shadow of our world, our familiar satellite friend eclipsed itself in cabaret style!

Full lunar eclipse coinciding with Solstice Day, such spectacle leaves hearts speechless.

wonder-world,
caught through a more dare-devil lens before I left for the bus stop.

shameless blue

On shortest day, our island graced with untamed light, nordic, magic, almost shameless or pedantic........................ Shetland Blue!

From other windows, I kept an eye on one of my favourite Sounds (or stretches of water), Bressay Sound, as I hovered around lessons. Rare sight, fog in winter on this latitude. We are far more accustomed to traditional seafog in summer!  Bressay clad in ice and freezing lace. Wow!

However, by midday, true Shetland Blue unveiled beauty. 

... That's more like it. Perfect day bleu. In other words, my nordic version of The Big Blue.

But then, I remembered sunset would turn snow into shades of pink after lunchtime. By 1440, les jeux sont faits, for the island slides into duk for the the longest night of the year. 

It feels a game of frantic blues...
I love that blend of tainted hues inside our world. Behind 19th century windows from the second floor, honey preceeds pink on snowflakes. George Peterson's poem entitled Contrasts deals with snaa (snow). Second Year pupils explore a peerie grain o dialect, as they re-draft their own version.
As lesson ends, steam fill glass panes without a sigh - strange graffitti popped on windows. 
By the time of the final bell, we switch back to electric glows, mostly orange. 

Back into black.
So was Solstice Day 60N.
As I'm about tro click PUBLISH, our Moon returned in full splendour, illuminates our longest night , boreal sky and crystal land.

Tomorrow, my last day of term.




4 comments:

  1. lovely post, i didn't see this eclipse but the last one i saw was wonderful

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  2. A magic day with magic words and magic photos.

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  3. i knew it was there above the cloud covers

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  4. Thank you for dropping by, friends :-))
    Thank you for your kind words.
    That eclipse nearly got me late for the bus stop, lol!
    Hey, we have another celestial show coming up on the 4th January (2011!)- a solar eclipse, scheduled around 0903 GMT if you around :-)))
    Yuletide hugs,
    N x

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