What a fantastic morning!
Today, 20 March 2015, we experienced a partial solar eclipse – over 90% of the sun was obscured by the moon. And here in west Wales we were lucky to have completely clear skies and a friend who hosted an eclipse breakfast party. Mr Snail came home specially for the event, which made it even more memorable (you can read his post about it here).
We Snails went to China in 2009 to see a total eclipse, but it was lovely to have the chance to experience this one at home. In China we made new friends, here in Wales we were with old friends – both occasions were remarkably sociable. It’s lovely the way that such a natural phenomenon draws people together and can result in a remarkable ‘human’ experience as well as a fascinating astronomical one.
One can only imagine the terror that people experienced in earlier days when the light disappeared, but in modern times it feels like an opportunity for celebration. We enjoyed viewing the spectacle directly through special glasses, as well as projecting the image onto card through binoculars and (believe it or not) a colander! In addition, the image could be seen when the light passing through the canopy of a tree was viewed on a piece of card. Pictures cannot capture the atmosphere nor the strange light, but here are a few to give a flavour of the morning:
And then after more than an hour, we retired indoors and Linda had prepared the most fantastic breakfast… coffee, porridge, croissants, fruit, marmalade, jam, yoghurt, toast. And we spent another couple of hours enjoying good company and great food.
So, huge thanks to Linda and Graeme for hosting such a lovely event – it could not have been better.
The Snail of Happiness 
writinghouse
/ March 20, 2015One of the finest ways to spend any morning!
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thecontentedcrafter
/ March 20, 2015What a wonderful way to make a celebration out of this rare astrological event! I have only ever experienced one total eclipse, many, many years ago when my children were still young. I remember the ‘strange light’ most vividly. And, as Mr Snail reminded me, the sudden silencing of bird song as they all went to bed. I had Peruvian Moon Flowers growing in my garden – a most odd exotic species that scattered bone like segments of dead stem on the ground when they died down each autumn. A nocturnal flower, they all opened up obligingly and almost immediately closed again. But mostly I remember the eerie quiet that descended in the middle of the day as nature went to sleep and humankind stood still in awe.
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Born To Organize
/ March 21, 2015Pauline, your comment reads like poetry. What a remarkable experience.
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thecontentedcrafter
/ March 21, 2015Thank you Alys 🙂 It was a remarkable experience that has stayed vividly in my memory – unlike many other events 🙂
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Born To Organize
/ March 23, 2015Nice!
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katechiconi
/ March 20, 2015What fun, a true celebration of the Unenlighted Age!
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Anne Wheaton
/ March 20, 2015Lucky you. It was too cloudy here in the east and the day just got duller and greyer for a short time. What a fabulous idea to make a celebration of it. Being the first day of spring makes the day even more special.
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wscottling
/ March 20, 2015That’s too cool… and today is a supermoon too! Not to mention the first day of Spring! It’s an astrological trifecta! Your pictures are great as always.
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wscottling
/ March 20, 2015*astronomical
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gentlestitches
/ March 20, 2015Thank you for sharing this wonderful experience. I found it quite uplifting! ❤
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Born To Organize
/ March 21, 2015Eclipses are incredible experiences. We enjoyed a partial one a few years ago, and like you, found it drew a lot of people outdoors to share conversation and observation. I’m delighted to see your celebration. Fun!
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narf77
/ March 21, 2015It looks wonderful Ms Snail :). I feel sorry for the Londoners who only had degrees of fog to watch. We saw their twitching on the telly 😉
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revdarkwater
/ March 22, 2015I’m so grateful for this account! Thank you Snails!
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The Snail of Happiness
/ March 22, 2015It’s a pleasure… Strangely I was thinking of you earlier today as I was considering a shed – hope all is well with you – I miss your regular posts
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revdarkwater
/ March 22, 2015Thank you! I feel nudged … hope to resume soon. For Lent I took up daily sowing seeds or tending seedlings, which I trust you would affirm (grin).
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