Longest or Shortest

Depending on which website you look at, which you choose to believe or what your old encyclopaedia tells you, then we are slap bang in the middle of what I know as Summer Solstice.
To you and me that means either the longest day (Northern Hemisphere) or the shortest day (Southern Hemisphere) not that we would really notice anything special but for a second or 2 the sun was at its highest or lowest for more than the day before or the day after.

Of course in England everyone is descending on Stone Henge. The 1 place they seem to think it all happens, the one place that is magical to all involved.
I have been there but never for summer solstice (I'm not that mental)

Here down under in the green land of middle earth, which we like to call New Zealand, it is of course the shortest day of the year. We are in winter after all, well we are officially in winter now as the shortest day has just past and that is what it signifies.
But with having the shortest day means that we have had the longest night.
Yes, we have got an advert on the tv at present telling us about the joys of having the longest night and what we could get up to in that long night.
Would you believe the advert is by Durex, yes that Durex company.
Their latest advertising campaign has been about promoting the longest night of the year and the fun and joy you can have, obviously with their products in mind.

It just amazed me that someone thought about this whole thing and then managed to switch it from being about the shortest day to being about the longest night.
Great advertising, well thought up and it sure did bring a smile to my face watching their ad going on about the longest night.
Although it might lead to a baby boom next March/April time!

For all you in the northern hemisphere who think you might have missed something.....don't worry your longest night appears on Dec 21, just before Christmas. Have fun.

Going Out

It's dark and very wet outside there.
The rain has been thrashing against the house for several hours now.
Just the thought of having to go out in it is off putting, of having to enter into that wind and rain!
Luckily for me I am not needing to go out there, but sadly the cat sat at the bottom of the stairs is!

It is 3am, I have been awake, sort of, for a little while.
The cat, who was spared some grace by my husband at bedtime, is still in the house, although I guess I did agree to it, knowing it would be me who moved during the night to let her out (she only seems to wake me!)

As I open the door to that monsterous world outside, she jumps forward eager and ready to disappear, that is until she sees and hears the rain!
She flies back up 3 stairs very quickly, but then I don't blame her, who would really want to go out there like that at 3am?

Sadly I grab her and talk soothing words to her as I explain that she has to go out, I need some sleep!
And with that I close the door behind her

I know I will hear about this later, I know she will tell me all about it when I open the door later on this morning to let her back in but all will be forgiven. She will eat breakfast, spend the day sometimes in and sometimes out and then snuggle on our bed in the evening just hoping that on the off chance that when we finally go to bed we will either take pity or even over look the fact she is snuggled all warm and a sleep on our bed and not get thrown out for the night!

Tonight you will be going out, tomorrow is work and school. I need my sleep to be able to face another day.

So goodnight pussy cat, I'm going back to bed now.