6.20.2016

Just beginning, or the middle, or all downhill from here..

so it's the summer solstice, at least according to google at least in the northern hemisphere at least, well here, the longest day of the year, "midsummer" and the first day of summer.

ok now.. I can accept solstice and midsummer or even the beginning of summer but midsummer and the first day of? Does that not make any sense to anyone but me?? Am I the only one paying any attention around here????

It's all wrong anyway. The solstice is on the 21st. I don't know why I insist on that and it seems to waver around the 20th to the 22nd but I feel it's on the 21st and the 21st it's on. And midsummer is the middle of summer, that is the halfway point between the first day of summer and the last, again, that should be the middle of July. Why? Well glad you asked. I've also decided to just do away with all the confusion and make all the changes on the beginning of the month, keep simple, keep it going by calendar date with well defined borders, so first day of spring is 1st of March, beginning of winter is 1st of December etc, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, which of course is the one which corresponds with those seasons.

Speaking of hemispheres, I may feel this way because of my southern background. I do of course hail from the southern of the hemispheres, and I don't know if it's just because it's done that way there or I never really paid enough attention to realize otherwise, but I remember considering the changes of the season from the beginning of the month, so, 1st of September, it's spring! No waitin around for the middle of the month, we're there already. This could be because of a couple of reasons, one, that I never really paid attention and it's not actually the case, or, coming from a European culture we celebrate holidays that evolved out of NH seasons, so there's not much point in lining up the seasons with those holidays and less reason to start spring or summer in the middle of the damn month. Just speculating really.

Anyway, it's just gone 9:22 and the sun is going down on (one of the ) the longest day of the year, from now on, it's all downhill (unless there's more tomorrow afterall) right up until the deep dark days of December. Hey I just alliterated. Happy Solstice!


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I always find "midsummer" slightly depressing. The run up to it is fine, a time of renewal and optimism, but once the mid point is reached, there's a slow but sure progression to the grey cold days of winter. Is that too negative a way of thinking about it?

Talking of hemispheres, I find it fascinating to know that when emptying a bath, the water in the northern hemisphere swirls in the opposite direction to that of it's southern counterpart. And I wonder what happens at the equator? Maybe it's so indecisive, it does neither and without much ado, plunges head first into the hole with nary a move to the left or right.

Michelle said...

well we're past the longest day now, it's time for the heat to show up. Funny how as soon as it's officially summer at least by one of the measures of the start of summer it immediately shoots up to 30 degrees.. and seems to intend to be like that, if not every day for the foreseeable future, enough of them that I'm not looking forward to my 10 day stretch without a day off. Did I mention I'm a tour guide? Or perhaps that this city and heat do not go together well? Well those are things. Oh and I work every day for the next 10 days. Bloody ell.