Last Day of 2020

 

We went to Gembrook Retreat to join others on a 'meditative and contemplative' walk to four places on the ground. Our first station was Maggie's Garden where we focused on Gratitude. The picture above shows that part of the property. Our second station was the Quaker peace garden where we honoured our pain in what ever form that took. At our third station, the Indigenous garden, we were invited to see with new/ancient eyes. At the last station, around the fire, we contemplated going forth into 2021 and beyond. These stations originated from the book "Active Hope" by Joanna Macy, with a focus on how to offer our gift of active hope into a troubled and broken world. In going forth, we take steps to be actively involved in the 'Great Turning'. What's our first step? What is our intent?

Moon rising that evening

Double Christmas Zoom

We haven't done this before but since we have had so much practice doing it during times of movement restriction this year this was relatively easy to arrange. The platform Zoom seemed to be in on the Christmas spirit because we did not have a 40 minute cut off but allowed us to keep on going. That was nice. What a motley family bunch we all make! Some windows showed whole families, others at work and grand children and grand nephews popping in and out. For most of the time we all just looked at each other with the occasional bit of structure of nearly an announcement. It did not matter of course because just to see everyone was a gift indeed. And smiling. The 'gathering' came from Manitoba, Alberta, Canada, and Brisbane people including regional Queensland, a few from Sydney, and three different family spots from Melbourne. 

This event flowed into a second Zoom with our direct family in Manitoba. It was truly wonderful to chat with our loved ones there. This succeeded in enriching the Christmas season for us. And there were no internet glitches. We might have been on at a time when Zoom was not overloaded, but whatever the reason we are grateful to God for these family connected blessings. 

 

Christmas Memories 2020

 

It is nice to keep a running record of Christmas each year. Similar to the previous year, we celebrated in a back yard, especially with the weather a perfect 20 degrees C. This time it was at our place and the grapefruit and apple trees served as shade cover. The garden arch made the perfect doorway to enter into the celebration space. It wasn't all outside though with desert and presents experienced within. 

Night Sky Alignment

Peter has been using the free version of Night Sky app for years. Recently, the app has upgraded itself with amazing graphics to depict the planets in a sensational way. The out of scale rendition of planets gives a falseness that is helpful and yet unhelpful for understanding their real size in space. For example if a normal book's punctuation 'period' (sentence full stop) is the size of our own sun, then Pluto will be the furthest out, a metre way from this dot, and our closest star 7.24 Km (4.5 miles) away, then just imagine the size of these planets in all that! Those kinds of scale imagination is staggering! Maybe Peter can turn off this graphicly enhanced layer but he is still to figure that one out. Melbourne has had overcast nights this past week and so this app was the only way he could view the very rare alignment of Jupiter and Saturn. The result is a few 'captures' of these planets over the days starting from 21 December 2020 when they were supposed to become 'one superstar' viewed from Earth. One could spend days even weeks discovering new things on Night Sky and probably still not scratch the surface, especially for owners of Night Sky Premium. 

An illustrator's perception? but maybe a very good telescope could get close to this.

At the same time Mars and Uranus are in fairly close alignment.

Seeing Pluto so large near by Saturn and Jupiter is nonetheless disconcerting. 

Peter zoomed in and snapped Jupiter and Saturn six days later when the sky had cleared, near the Western horizon, and they were just a pinkie finger apart. 

 

Christmas Wishes for 2020

 

Family Catch-up

 

We got together recently to have a sumptuous meal and play another game of 'PLUNK'. Barb enjoyed Ashton while the rest of played. Simon and Peter escaped the dungeon but the dragon demolished Dan and Arnny. Better luck next time to those two. "Play the odds!" was Simon's advice but Peter showed that even a 5% survival is a 5% escape chance if the right cards turned up. 

Family Roast

Simon invited us all over for a roast. He hadn't cooked one for ages but with the help of internet instruction he was a master at it. It was a wonderful family time to celebrate the end of the lockdown in Melbourne. Afterward, we played Daniel's new game 'PLUNK', rated by us as right up there with the best. 

Is there any for me?

December Woodcraft

 

This 'Santa sleigh' design was a first for woodcraft club (in its 10th year). Pine lengths were ripped and docked including some bandsaw cutting for the curves, and presto, Peter had kits for 18 takers. As it turned out, he ought to have made 28... except that enough time to prepare was always a factor. So it was a lively club in the last week of term and the kids who came enjoyed it. A few of the young ones had trouble with so many pieces and managing the glue, so for those Peter helped finish. 

The preparation of the pieces on the weekend beforehand.