today's the shortest day!!!

happy winter solstice!!!

now the days will start getting longer as we head into the new year and spring :)

check this link for webcam images of the maeshow winter solstice http://www.maeshowe.co.uk/index.html

and if the wind and rain stays off long enough then the garlic will get planted today! i read something a while ago which said you should plant on the shortest and harvest on the longest day - not sure we can wait that long to harvest our crop, the temptation to pick meant we had wet garlic last year and had nothing left to hang and dry - it was very tasty though.

in the blue darkening sky
the moon paints a pine tree

RANSETSU

the autumn moon
shining so brightly
so i wrote this

SEKKEI

photo taken by brian aslak gylte from norway

having lived without a tv from my mid-teens to my late twenties i can totally identify with the sentiments of this website http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/

not having a tv meant we spent more time together as a family, we went out to visit folk, we got ourselves outdoors and into nature, there was also a lot more time for creative pursuits and for time spent doing things rather than watching things.

on finding out we managed to survive without a tv, folk always thought we were a little odd! one chap at work asked my colleague if i was 'one of those funny religions' because i didn't have a tv?!

so, as the price; size; technical spec of tv's increase, discussions with my o-h half turn to the 'do you think we should get rid of the tv?' kind. although we have additional channels over and above the terrestrial five, we don't really watch that much tv, with the familiar complaint being that there's nothing decent to watch. we do however watch a load of dvd's and for this reason are reluctant to get rid of the tv totally. both of us much prefer time spent reading, star gazing, wildlife watching, creating (poetry and paintings for m, textiles for me), the list is pretty much endless.

having said that ... occasionally there are some pretty good documentaries to be found. in the last week alone we've watched andrew graham-dixon on vasari, alan yentob with richard serra, a documentary on iraq’s one and only metal band - acrassicauda and had a gastronomic tour through french history, from versailles through to ethnic fusion food!!!

with thanks to melinda (http://melindaschwakhofer.wordpress.com/) for discovering the turn off your tv site

p.s last night we watched the simpsons