4th February, 2015 - sustainable living, labyrinths, celtic celebrations, Imbolc, biodiversity,

Almanac ...

Rooster Call :

Imbolc time passed us last night. Are we into Spring now? At Carrowcrory, once the icy start passed, the warm sun on the face and blue sky seems very spring like :-)

Today in 'Almost Daily Blog' ...

• Imbolc Sunrise
• Introduction to Mac Tire Bushcraft
• Tips on how to Build A Labyrinth
• Quantum Physics rules Nature?

Day off writing for me as a lot of USA tour arrangements, mainly putting together media stuff.
Is your day bright and sunny??

Weather :

Icy frosty start this morning, at Carrowcrory, but also a stunning sunny blue sky that looks to be with us most or all of today. There is still snow to melt but afternoon highs are going to start rising now each day. This afternoon looks like reaching 6C, 43F and then diving to below -1C tonight.

  

This slow warming daytime trend, with icy frosty nights, now looks like being with us for the rest of February. Crisp, still sunny dry days could be with us most days for the next two weeks. The possible snow for the third week is now shifted in the forecast to the fourth week.  

I do not see many frost free nights happening until we get into March, now,  March is still currently looking good, warmer, with good sun. No much rain expected in Ireland now until early April.   

  

Moon :

99% waning  ....  at Carrowcrory, Ireland ... sets 8:04 am,  rises 6:29 pm 

sunrise 8:16 am, sunset 5:18 pm  

News ...

Celtic Celebrations :

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Imbolc Sunrise

As I write this, The moment of Imbolc cross quarter time happened last night. The sunrise this morning would have been spectacular all over Ireland with the clear sky, bright sun rising, full moon setting and crisp frosty ground.

Some years ago I had this same experience at Samhain. The conditions for Samhain cross quarter can be the same as for Imbolc cross quarter. I took these photos at Cairn L at Loughcrew some years ago. If I had been there this morning the scenes would have been very similar ...

       

... click for photo album on Facebook 

Sustainable Living :

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Introduction to Mac Tire Bushcraft

I think learning and living some Bushcraft skills is a wonderful way to use some or all of your vacation. Places where you can do this in Ireland has been scarce but is now improving. Colm and Mac Tire Bushcraft have accomplished this well and serve courses and retreats at very fair prices.

Colm has been providing Bushcraft courses in the West Of Ireland since 2007. Colm's life has been bushcrafts and wider activities of the outdoors industry. He has attended and qualified in quite a list of courses himself to include bushcraft, water and mountain skills.

Worth looking at their web site. They are based not far from Lough Mask in Mayo outside a lovely heritage village called Hollymount. So if you book into there, think of a few days with us too as we are about an hour's drive from Hollymount.

       

... more info, and article 

Labyrinths :

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Tips on how to Build A Labyrinth

Various questions asked here for various type of labyrinths and their materials. Some of these materials and construction aids I would not use myself, but this does cover a wide range of how people like their labyrinths through surprisingly few questions. Should be useful for many labyrinth builders.

       

... more info, and article 

Biodiversity :

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Quantum Physics rules Nature?

For about 20 years, at least, there seems to have been a lot of debate around 'holistic health' and 'divinity and divining' circles about the wonder of quantum physics. Having entered into both the arts and science worlds during my life this often translates as a response to a longing to build a bridge between the two.

This is a very interesting article, yet its also one of concern to me. There seems to be an attempt at 'innocence lost' here and for some reason I find that disturbing.

To serve an example ...

This article and this subject comes of to me with an image of transforming the passion, presence and even fantasy of love making between two people into an experience of being totally aware of the biological activities and changes going on down to cellular level and into more finite realms of science within that.

For me, I think I would like to stick with the innocence and naivety of divine passion than feel I am performing within a petri dish ... but many people love this sort of thing as they feel it provides them with heightened levels of wisdom.  

       

... more info, and article 

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