Daylight

[JennieAtkinson]

Remember back in January when I was green with envy at your daylight hours. Well .............. now we are beginning to see a difference. Tonight I worked until 10.30 in the polytunnel, weeding and watering. Only came in because I was a bit cold. Took the dog out for the last walk of the day at 11.20 and it was still daylight.

Thats why I am always on the website so late. It just doesn't feel like the end of the day. I was in Lerwick at 9 pm and I could hear the sound of someone cutting their grass.

Will try and post a picture taken a midnight around longest day. Will depend on the weather though.

[Jaxom]

Will try and post a picture taken a midnight around longest day. Will depend on the weather though.

That will be June 21st. The Summer solstice.

[Birdie Wife]

Can someone explain why the solstice is 21st but midsummer's day is the 24th?

The 21st is also my birthday, I'll not tell you how old I'll be but it ends in '0'! It's quite a cool day for a birthday.

[Jaxom]

The sun rather than the calendar set Earth’s Seasons - Equinoxes and Solstices.
On June 21st it will be the day with the longest period of daylight hours.
The next day it will get light later in the morning but the end of the daylight period will also get later in the day for a while longer. Each period of daylight will be fractionally shorter until we get to the shortest day on December 21st [Winter Solstice] even though we will see dusk coming at a slightly later time each day.
Earth's Seasons - Equinoxes and Solstices for 2006 are

VERNAL EQUINOX.....(SPRING) MAR 20 2006

SUMMER SOLSTICE....(SUMMER) JUN 21 2006

AUTUMNAL EQUINOX...(AUTUMN) SEP 22 2006

WINTER SOLSTICE....(WINTER) DEC 21 2006

[Birdie Wife]

So are the vernal and autumnal equinoxes (equinae? equinii?!) when the day and night are equal duration?

And what about midsummer's day, the 24th June, what's that about?

[Jaxom]

Birdie, you are quite correct the EQUINOX is when the hours of light and dark are of equal duration.
June 24th is a church "Quarter-day" and the feast of St. John the Baptist – the Christian feast day which is nearest the astronomical summer solstice another case of the church adapting a Christian celebration to accomodate a pagan festival.

[Squirrel]

Don't the church quarter days come from the times when the land rent was paid each quarter - I think Ladies Day is another one.?

[Jaxom]

The king raised his Tax in the UK and sent his collectors out once a year to collect his revenue. The collection was the winter solstice when most landowners could be found in their halls. To half the risk of robbery he had them collect twice a year and deliver to where he was in the realm. The dates for collection became the two solstices.
When the amounts collected grew in size the collections went to four times a year. As the original days were the winter and summer solstice, the equinoxes were then included, to make four collection periods.

[sewer rat]

Jings, crivvens, help ma boab - joined to learn about veg, now know about the history of the British Tax system

[Alice]

There's no end to what you can learn on this site Rat an I think we are all the better of it.

[Doggler]

Jings, crivvens, help ma boab - joined to learn about veg, now know about the history of the British Tax system

Blimey Rat, know what you mean, I think I've just learnt another language

[Jaxom]

Just asked my other half who is from Glasgow and some of it has no exact translation as such.

[sewer rat]

Jax
Roughly translated by definition
Jings - an expression of suprise
Crivvens - an expression of dismay
Help ma boab - absolute meaningless drivel

[JennieAtkinson]

Longest Day

Has been very overcast all day and I thought I wouldn't get photos tonight. But at 7 pm, the skies lightened and the sun broke through and kept on shining until 10 pm. (Wasn't warm though)

So I have managed to take these photographs. First two were taken at 11 pm and the final one at 11.50. I think it shows the Shetland Simmer Dim really well.

[Lesley Jay]

Jennie it certainly does show the Shetland Simmer Dim really well. It looks a lovely place to live - you really are very fortunate. With daylight hours lasting so long just how do the children go to sleep?