THE ULTIMATE
June 20th this year marks the Summer Solstice the longest day of the year for those in the Northern Hemisphere, it is Midsummer.
This is when the Earth is tilted on its axis on its orbit around the sun, so that the North Pole is at its closest to the Sun, For Arctic regions this means they have continuous sunlight for 24 hours! Whilst the Northern Hemisphere, marks Midsummer, in the Southern Hemisphere - for example, for Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, it's Midwinter and they are having the their Midwinter, their Winter Solstice. The Summer Solstice in Northern Hemisphere has long been a time of festival and ritual, most famously, at England's Stonehenge, in Wiltshire of Salisbury Plain. There are plenty of other stone mounment aligned with the Solstices across the British Isles, including in Ireland, as well as in Europe, such as in France. Stonehenge, sees hundreds of people attend each year to see the sun rise between one of the stone 'arches' that make the ring of Stonehenge, and over the more distant 'heel' stone outside of the henge. Those that attend may be modern pagan and New Age belief followers, who believe in spirituality associated with nature, many of whom will see themselves as a continuation of an ancient Celtic to Stone Age set of beliefs in Britain that were present before Christianity - they may call themselves Druids. Stonehenge has many numerous theories for why it was built, and how it was built - was it a temple to the sun? was it a place of healing? or was it a place for remembering the dead? Or was it all of these and more? Was it built by magic as suggested by Merlin in Arthurian legend? Or how did the inner smaller 'Bluestones' get from coastal West Wales, in the Preseli Mountains, to Salisbury plain? across the land around 250 miles, or floated on boats around South Wales and South West England, then Northwards across the land to Salisbury Plain? And why at Salisbury Plain - what was special about this area to early Britons? Due to Coronavirus, this year people are not able to visit Stonehenge, but you van witness the sunrise on 21st June (the Summer Solstice sunrise depends on how the days are counted, and there is little difference to the spectacle a day either side) as English Heritage are airing the sunrise live on their Social Media accounts. you can find out more about Stonehenge, and the Solstices at the English Heritage website below - oh, and fingers crossed for a clear sky tomorrow morning! https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/things-to-do/solstice/
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On this day, May 1st 1769, Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington was born in Dublin, a member of an Anglo-Irish aristocratic family.
Wellesley served as Prime Minister twice, heading Tory Party governments. He is more famous, though, for having defeated the French Emperor, Napoleon, at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 - bringing the Napoleonic Wars to an end. He fought in 60 battles in his military career, in places as far afield as India, Spain and Portugal, France and Northern Europe including Denmark and the Netherlands / Belgium. He met Britain's other leading military hero of the time, Admiral Nelson, just once, in September 1805, in the waiting room to the Secretary of War's Office. Nelson was already famous, Wellington yet to be. Wellington recalled that Nelson started the conversation in a vain and silly manner, but when he came back after enquiring who the young General was, Nelson's approach changed and the two engaged as equals. Nelson was to fight and die in the Battle of Trafalgar only weeks later. Another coincidence is that Wellington when sailing back from India to Britain, stopped on the island of St. Helena and stayed in the same building that Napoleon would be exiled to! |
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