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Gail
garden sage
Australia
7707 Posts |
 Posted - 03/09/2008 : 19:37:53
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Today was a bit cooler, had a light jacket over a t-shirt, as it was cloudy with a cool breeze but last weekend was around 25 or 26C and the nights were up to double figures... just 
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad.
A ounce of common sense is worth more than a ton of intelligence.
Gail, near Gympie, Qld |
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Pamela
head gardener
Australia
3949 Posts |
Posted - 03/09/2008 : 21:15:33
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After beautiful sun for 2 days, we have had about 5 cm of rain today. I am sooooooo sick of the wet and the Hobbit conditions - the green scunge on everything and the acre of mud above the house and slipping horses stirring it up even more. Lachie was so bored he had to gallop everywhere this afternoon. Sigh. So hard to deliver hay to them when you cannot walk and I have to watch Lachie and his heels as he is lovable as ever but so quick to defend his food. The new arena is roped off but it is wet mud everywhere. Sigh, I know many people need rain - please take some of ours!
Tomorrow I put on my knee high galoshes and spend the day picking flowers for this wedding on Saturday, including some green arum lilies that are in a deep large bog/pond. And sigh - my galoshes have a hole in the toe where I pushed some wood on a fire. Might buy some new ones. Hopefully the rain will clear for her.
But my drains are working!! There is still one section to be connected up and the roof water from one third of the rear roof is just flowing onto the side driveway of lawn but it will get a drain that I have bought and a person is booked in a week or two to connect it to the new wonderful underground stormwater plumbing which means the back side roof water ends up in a gully that flows into a river. Bliss.
Not bliss. I looked for my camera today. Knew I took some photos yesterday so tried to retrace my steps. This afternoon the rain stopped briefly and I went for a walk with one of my favourite girls Tosca (who is getting to be a lovely pet), and there on the edge of the retaining wall outside, where it had sat in all that rain, was my camera. I have opened up the battery compartment and left it sitting on my kitchen bench and will let it dry out for a few days. But sadly, I think this is about the third dead digital camera in 3 years. It was only $200 but I do not want to have to find that amount again - it was/is a Panasonic Lumix. I am cross with myself :-(( Fed up with such a silly thing to do. No doubt I planned to come back and take more photos and forgot.
"The air of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears." |
Edited by - Pamela on 03/09/2008 22:07:23 |
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Gail
garden sage
Australia
7707 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2008 : 05:29:44
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I hope it fines up for your wedding, Pamela... well not actually YOUR wedding
It is easy to put a camera down like that and forget about it. I usually put mine in my pocket now. Hopefully it will dry out.
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad.
A ounce of common sense is worth more than a ton of intelligence.
Gail, near Gympie, Qld |
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The Estate
head gardener
Australia
3676 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2008 : 09:54:21
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sorry to hear about your camera  , I usually bring my straight
back inside or on the front porch on the chair 
I hope you Wedding goes well 
My basic weeding rule: if they grow in rows they're flowers;
if they don't they're weeds.
Melbourne |
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tessa
head gardener
Australia
3682 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2008 : 11:38:04
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egads, pamela.
well...maybe it will still be okay. if it's sunny out at all...move your car into the sun, roll up the windows, and leave the camera in there for quick drying.
i have a very small olympus camera that is water resistant so that you can take pictures in the rain. it won't go to a depth, so no underwater, but it seems true to its word that rain is okay.
i haven't tried leaving it out for a long period tho.
cranky people live longer. i'm going to live forever!
perth, wa |
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Cosmic
assistant gardener
Australia
129 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2008 : 18:09:58
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quote:
Besides the whole calendar is out if you want to go by sun, moon, planets, etc - every year it changes by a few seconds or minutes or whatever it is (I can't remember have to ask my son). It is just convenient to celebrate at the first of the month along with the rest of Oz.
In actual fact, the earth's rotation is 23 hours 56 minutes and 4.9 seconds. This makes a difference between Apparent Solar (Clock) time and Sidereal (Stellar) time of 3 minutes 55 seconds EVERY DAY - Approximately 4 minutes.
Apparent Solar Time is based on a 24 hour rotation of the earth on its axis.
Sidereal time is based on the motion of the Earth in relation to the stars, which, because of their great distance, remain essentially fixed points of reference in the sky.
As the Earth rotates through 360° each star will pass over one of the Earth’s lines of longitude. The period between two successive transits is called a Sidereal day, but for convenience we use Apparent Solar Day of 24 hours. To accommodate the difference an extra day is added once every 4 years, called a Leap Year and this then corrects the calendar.
Additionally, we have a phenomemon called "Precession of the Equinoxes". The Equinox is when the Sun aligns with the earth's equator and 'enters' the zodiacal constellation of Aries and Libra ( about the 21st March and September). This marks Autumn and Spring in the Southern Hemisphere. However, the Entry to Aries and Libra ( called Equinoctial points of reference) has shifted by 'precession' over the last 2,000 years and has has made a marked difference. Precession occurs at a rate of 1 degree per 72 years. Just as we use the convenience of 24 hours to mark our day, so we use the Aries and Libra equinoctial points for convenience, but astronomically, the equinoxes and solstices have precessed so that those Equinoctial points are now in the constellation of Pisces and Virgo - at about 5 degrees, which equates date wise to around 28th February and 30th August. So while we understand the equinoxes to occur on 21st of those months, in effect, the 1st day of spring is around 1st September. Hope this isn't too confusing.
The precession of the March equinox through the constellations of the zodiac mark the Great Ages. The March equinox spends an average 2160 years in each constellation. When it crosses the boundary between constellations it is the dawning of a New Age. So in about 360 years we will have the dawning of the Age of Aquarius!
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Pamela
head gardener
Australia
3949 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2008 : 19:14:33
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This is fascinating Cosmic. However I thought we celebrated the "dawning of the age of Aquarius in the 70's" - the song from many parties is still ringing in my ears :-))
"The air of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears." |
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tessa
head gardener
Australia
3682 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2008 : 20:42:37
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wow. great info, cosmic, thanks.
maybe it's time for another re-adjustment? LOL. i remember learning in history class, that when the astronomers figured out the leap-year thingy in the middle ages...they changed the calendar to correct the problem and almost the entire month of september disappeared that year. 'the people' were outraged and began to riot, accusing the king of stealing a month of their lives. LOL.
i can assure most folks here that the beginning of march is nothing spring-like where i used to live...and so far, the beginning of sept. is not very spring-like here...tho sometimes it's hard to tell, because, to me, autumn/winter/spring are not all that different from each other except for overnight temps.
it's summer that's a real stand-out.
cranky people live longer. i'm going to live forever!
perth, wa |
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Cosmic
assistant gardener
Australia
129 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2008 : 10:55:35
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quote:
maybe it's time for another re-adjustment? LOL. i remember learning in history class, that when the astronomers figured out the leap-year thingy in the middle ages...they changed the calendar to correct the problem and almost the entire month of september disappeared that year. 'the people' were outraged and began to riot, accusing the king of stealing a month of their lives. LOL.
That was when western society shifted from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar which we now use. The changes made by Pope Gregory corrected the drift in the calendar which happened because the Julian calendar year didn't apply leap years causing the date on which Easter was celebrated, to get out of kilter with the seasons. The Gregorian calendar system dropped 10 days to synchronise the calendar with the seasons.
The 70's song about the age of Aquarius was more of a metaphor for what was expected to occur when the "Aquarian" age was expected to bring world peace, humanitarian attitudes and tolerance. This was based on an astrological connection not a physical astronomical one. Let's see if I can simplify it.
Astrologers use an equal size for the boundaries of the zodiacs signs/constellations. 12 signs/constellations of 30 degree = 360 degrees in the circle. But if we use the official International Astronomical Union (IAU) constellation boundaries which are Unequal, the March equinox entered the constellation Aries in the year 1866 BCE, Pisces in 68 BCE and will enter Aquarius in 2597 CE.( Julian Calendar)
So, in using the equal sizes we are in the age of Aquarius using the scientific 'official' boundaries it will be a long time before this happens. Which is right - I don't know!
A bit more about precession and the March equinoctial point. Am I boring you yet? My students have to take a test on this!
There are two zodiacs in use by astrologers. Similar to Clock and Sidereal time, explained earlier, there are two zodiacs. One is called the Tropical Zodiac and is based on a hypothetical "Aries point" as the starting measurement signs/constellations. Notwithstanding that this 'point' occurs today at 5 degrees Pisces, this regular tropical zodiac works in astrology and is the commonly accepted equinoctial point in society.
Then there is the Sidereal ( measured by the stars) zodiac. The sidereal zodiac is a fixed zodiac of equal "signs" roughly superimposing on the constellations in the background. This makes the sidereal zodiac mathematical like the tropical zodiac except that it is not subject to precession. Sidereal "signs" are 30 degrees in extent like the tropical signs. This makes converting from tropical to sidereal a matter of subtracting the offset, known ayanamsa, that has accumulated as a result of precession.
The amount of ayanamsa depends on where exactly the sidereal Aries point is fixed. This is subject to dispute and there are a variety of ayanamsas ranging from 19 to 32 degrees worth of precession.
The reason for the uncertainty is because unlike the tropical zodiac with its very precisely determined equinox there is no astronomical point that can serve as a fiducial - (literally meaning "having faith in") for the sidereal Aries point. We know that it is somewhere in the direction of the stars of Aries.
So this brings us back to debating the date of the Equinox. In the Tropical system the entry of the Sun into the Aries occurs around the 21st March!
So we are back where we started. There is never going to be a concensus and the division between sign and constellation will never be resolved. I have issues with the 'official' IAU measurement of the constellations because some constellations are so distant that like anything in the distance they appear smaller, those closer will appear larger. I have yet to receive a real method for measuring them.
I guess it all comes back to whatever suits you personally to use as a date. So long as it warms up, I don't mind.
Ref: Astronomy for Astrologers, Canopus Academy of Astrology.
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Gail
garden sage
Australia
7707 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2008 : 11:14:33
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I'm glad I'm not a student of yours  My son sometimes swears at me like that  Thanks for clearing that up... or not I think I will just stick to whenever the weather warms up and call it spring-like
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad.
A ounce of common sense is worth more than a ton of intelligence.
Gail, near Gympie, Qld |
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tessa
head gardener
Australia
3682 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2008 : 12:05:45
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 thanks cosmic...tho i understand only a fraction of what you've said. 
i'm still going to wait until the 21st to do the spring cleaning...because why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?
so.
where are we now? the age of capricorn? (ok...i get it that it's in dispute, so more specifically, my question is...if we're NOT in the age of aquarius, then are we in the age of capricorn? and if aquarius brings peace...what is capricorn supposed to bring?)
cranky people live longer. i'm going to live forever!
perth, wa |
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Gail
garden sage
Australia
7707 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2008 : 13:10:42
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quote:
... what is capricorn supposed to bring?
Goats
Sorry, couldn't resist
I don't do spring cleaning, I do all year cleaning 
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad.
A ounce of common sense is worth more than a ton of intelligence.
Gail, near Gympie, Qld |
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Cosmic
assistant gardener
Australia
129 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2008 : 13:27:26
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quote:
My son sometimes swears at me like that
Did I swear? I didn't think so, but apologies if I did. I never lost patience with my students. 
quote:
so.
where are we now? the age of capricorn? (ok...i get it that it's in dispute, so more specifically, my question is...if we're NOT in the age of aquarius, then are we in the age of capricorn? and if aquarius brings peace...what is capricorn supposed to bring?)
We're in the age of Pisces ( the symbol of the fish, spiritual evolution, unfolding of the world's great religions, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity etc. Secrecy. )
Just to add further to the confusion, the stars precess BACKWARDS through the signs/constellations. The March equinox entered the constellation Aries in the year 1866 BC, Pisces in 68 BC and will enter Aquarius in 2597 CE. So Capricorn will be in the year 4600 approximately. Don't expect to be around then!
It is interesting though that until the Christian era the culture was centred around the Aries activity of invasion, empire building etc. Many of the great civilisations were evolved during that 2000 year period - Persian, Greek Roman, Chinese etc. Moses is said to have been the avatar or herald of the Aries age. He threw out the golden calf ( Taurus) and instructed his followers to get rid of the bull, put lambs' blood on the doors, and place Rams' horns in the temples. Allegorical but mighty symbolic.
The 2000 before that was the age of Taurus and agricultural activity, building ( the pyramids were built then) and religion was centred on the Minoan tribe of the bull.
200 before that the age of Gemini saw the start of language, writing,
So backwards in time, backwards in the zodiac as we know it. One degree every 72 years-ish.
I'll go now before you kick me out.........
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Gail
garden sage
Australia
7707 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2008 : 14:18:27
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Sorry Cosmic, by swearing I meant using words like ayanamsa and other big words It is a standing joke at home when my son starts telling us about something they did at school that totally goes over our heads. It started when he was learning German and we couldn't understand what he was saying so we said he was swearing at us Now he is studying philosophy and I am having great difficulty following what he is talking about
What you are saying is interesting, it just takes a bit more concentrating to understand than what I am used to lately
Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is knowing not to use it in a fruit salad.
A ounce of common sense is worth more than a ton of intelligence.
Gail, near Gympie, Qld |
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tessa
head gardener
Australia
3682 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2008 : 18:17:56
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so if this is the age of pisces...then it's all about drinking and dreaming.
hmm.
not so wrong there, eh?
cranky people live longer. i'm going to live forever!
perth, wa |
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