Happy Winter Solstice! We entered winter at 1204Z today, and that would be 0504 hrs MST. I was still sound asleep at that time, meaning it was already winter when I awoke. It sure feels like winter, too. To wit:
Our high here on The High Plains of New Mexico 
Unlike the Summer Solstice.... the Winter Solstice is a bit of a moveable feast..
Beluga caviar seized by Italian customs officers is to be distributed to poor people in Milan
Our high here on The High Plains of But… back to the solstice. I checked the Beeb’s web site this morning to see if there were any photos from the solstice festivities at Stonehenge this year… but alas, no. I did find a slideshow of 11 photos from the 2006 event, though. It seems like our modern-day Druids are less in touch with the firmament than their ancestors. There’s a series of wry little notes at the linked site that say…
Unlike the Summer Solstice.... the Winter Solstice is a bit of a moveable feast.....which last year saw 60 plus revellers turn up at the stones 24 hours early...
...mistakenly believing that the winter solstice always falls on December 21.
It doesn't... so to avoid any pagan pink faces...
...this is to confirm that Stonehenge will be open for Winter Solstice on Saturday 22nd December, 2007 , from 7:30 am to 9:00am .
Heh. Musta been a bit of embarrassment, that.
―:☺:―
Also from Auntie… Let Them Eat Cake Caviar! Quote:
Beluga caviar seized by Italian customs officers is to be distributed to poor people in About 40kg (88lb) of caviar was confiscated in November after two couriers travelling from Poland
Newspaper Corriere Della Sera says the caviar had an estimated value of $550,000 (£370,000).
Tests showed the caviar to be edible, so it is to be given to canteens, hospices and shelters for the poor.
Beluga caviar is the most expensive variety of the delicacy.
Countries have tried to crack down on illegal trading of caviar after more than 600 tonnes of it were traded in the EU between 1998 and 2004.
I was shocked at how the price of beluga has gone up. You can’t buy it in the US California New Jersey Moscow US
Dang.
"Feel like 4F"
ReplyDeleteWell then, just effing say it's 4 degrees out there!
That's chilly, MSgt! Hot toddy? Irish coffee?
Nah... just regular ol' coffee, and LOTS of it! ;-)
ReplyDeleteSnowed again here in New England today; picked up another 2-3 inches of the stuff, making our total about a foot. Today's was wet, sticking to everything even the sides of the trees. Living here in the woods - it's really pretty right now.
ReplyDeleteGlad I don't have to go out in it. Oh and we are considerably warmer than you are Buck - thermometer currently says 41.
Never really liked caviar; had Beluga once and it was just alright. There are far more things I'd use that money for - like jewelry!
Brrrrr! That's too chilly for this gal. I hope you've got a nice set of flannel sheets and an electric blanket.
ReplyDeleteI don't care for fish eggs - I enjoy almost everything that comes from the ocean, but caviar just sits wrong on my palate. Give me a dozen fresh, plump oysters and an icy cold beer and I'm a pretty happy camper.
-25 chill factor winds a blowing and more of the same for tomorrow...
ReplyDeleteAte the fish eggs one time...I'll stick with the Brats and a Beer
;)
Ah yes, oysters and beer. Feast of the gods.
ReplyDeleteFish eggs? No thanks. Don't do squid either... I like cooked seafood mostly, but I haven't tried sushi yet. What am I waiting for you ask? Courage.
ReplyDeleteKris and I are in the same neighborhood, except she got snow and I got rain. Lots and lots of rain....
Winter is certainly here in OK with temps in the teens. Yesterday was not too bad, because the wind was not howling for once.
ReplyDeleteCaviar for the poor - do you think they liked it?
Fire Fox: where are you, on the Cape? Or further south? I'm in CT.
ReplyDeleteToday we are - cold. Temps in the teens, plus blustery winds. Welcome to winter New England!
Kris sez: Oh and we are considerably warmer than you are Buck - thermometer currently says 41.
ReplyDeleteNever really liked caviar; had Beluga once and it was just alright. There are far more things I'd use that money for - like jewelry!
We stayed cold yesterday, too. We didn't meet our high, only getting to 30 degrees. And it's still cold today, too (23 degrees as I type), but warm tomorrow!
I haven't had any caviar since arriving in Portales, and precious little before that, if you don't count salmon roe. It's just too expensive in the US. But I sure ate a lot of it when it was cheap, LOL! It tastes a lot better than jewelry. Doesn't last as long, tho. ;-)
Daphne sez: Give me a dozen fresh, plump oysters and an icy cold beer and I'm a pretty happy camper.
I'm right there with ya, Daphne, as is Dan... who lives on the Gulf Coast in Florida. There ain't any oysters to be found in this neck o' the woods, tho. But they're Number One with a bullet whenever I get over to the coast. Along with the sushi... {sigh}
Pat: Your weather sound REAL nasty. We're quite mild by comparison.
Alison sez: I haven't tried sushi yet. What am I waiting for you ask? Courage.
That reminds me of a story about a great good friend of TSMP and I... who had also never tried sushi. We finally got her to a sushi bar after about a year of wheedling and she was doing all right until she got to the ikura. Then she lost it... literally. It was a run to the ladies room. It was ALL I could do to keep from busting up, but TSMP kept me in line with her patented glare o' death. You're warned, Alison. ;-)
Lou sez: Caviar for the poor - do you think they liked it?
Given this happened in Italy... I'd say yes. But I don't think it'd go down that well with American po' folks. Hell, we're all pretty much middle class here, and look at the reactions.
Kris: Alison is on Cape Cod.
Having grown up in Portales, I can understand your pain. I remember one night that it dropped to -27. I remember the dust storms, too.
ReplyDeleteIn Minneapolis this morning, it's -12. It gets worse than that, here, in February.
Thanks for dropping by, Gordon. I feel your pain, too. I spent one totally miserable winter up on the intersection of the Montana-North Dakota-Saskatchewan border... and it was THE most memorable winter of my life... and NOT in a good way!
ReplyDelete