Winter Solstice/ earliest sunset/longest night.

Well, technically I am a day late to post this, but I was out recording the happy event, not writing about it at the correct time.

I went up onto Mt Murray in the late afternoon (yesterday), to watch the sky change, and then observe the moon rise (below them) over the ocean. A line of clouds interfered with the plan, slightly.

My friends Steve and Celeste live on top of a hill, overlooking the Illawarra coastline. They do "big sky" better than most places. Here is the late afternoon light illuminating the coastal strip near Shell Harbour. The ocean is visible, but not very clear, as it appears to merge with the blue clouds above the horizon.
However, the afternoon light was terrific to watch. Knights Hill is marked by the TV towers, (one of which is flashing its strobe lights - 2 white dots visible). The cliffs above Macquarie Pass are (very briefly) highlighted by the late afternoon light. The ocean and clouds appear to merge - out to sea.As the afternoon sun dropped in the sky, it highlighted the white clouds, against the dark blue background. The colours of the clouds, and hillsides changed so fast, it was a joy to behold. The setting sun creates a pink wash over blue clouds, over the dark mass of Knights Hill.
A very interesting evening followed, and because we started at dark (on the shortest day), the evening drew to a close at a very early time, allowing us all to enjoy an optimal sleep. I woke this morning, refreshed and renewed.

My Peonies start to swell their buds from this week (I cannot sear it happens from this day onward, but certainly the experts swear it does), as they prepare to make their new season's growth. So the Winter Solstice is always a time of optimism for me - spring is coming.

I love the Spring. For me, the NEXT spring is always the best one - the one I am always looking forward to.