Dear Biddy, You were in my thoughts this week as the waves rolled in off the ocean and started to blow summer to our shores – knowing in your part of the world the cool breezes were starting to take hold. Cycles of the seasons constantly instruct and hold me close to the earth and the skies, as I wander as a pilgrim. There was a full lunar eclipse and the moon turned red. I can imagine in your day this would be been cause for some magical and mystical ritual, for me I grabbed my little digital device and took a photo and stood in the cool after an evening of poetry at a local pub!

Blood Moon over Willunga

The moon has been spectacular this year and I seem to have been able to witness many of its movements in the heavens. During Lent, the first of the four lunar eclipses spaced six months apart occurred and I penned a piece of twitterverse (it was one of my 40 day little poems).

Tetrad of tangos Earth, moon and sun Trio of dancers Eclipse number one.

There is a dance for three called, Shepherd’s Crook it is Scottish, so maybe you did see it in Ireland? Being a shepherd is one the oldest occupations in the settled world and surely that makes the crook one of the oldest implements in our human story. (I love how we use the word ‘crook’ in Australia to describe someone as a criminal, I guess from the fact a crook is bent! ) But there is nothing criminal Biddy in how the moon and sun and earth were doing their own version of the Shepherd’s Crook this week in our skies.   You probably did a good trade in illicit whisky as the season started to turn to winter and perhaps you needed to stock up before your visitors started to dry up as the nights grew longer. This week’s complete lunar eclipse occurred on my birthday eve. It was a perfect backdrop to reflect on the year coming to a close and a new one beginning.   As the dawn arrived so did a plethora of messages to welcome the next year of my life and I felt many waves of love from all corners of the planet and from my nearest and dearest. I have been bathed in kindness and this blood moon, the second of the four in the series, is yet another reminder of love, light and the wonder of the UniVerse and the connections I have that hold me close every day and in every cycle of my life.

My moon In tune.   In step with my blood Another cycle begins And another ends.   My moon In tune.

Birthday flowers and Sparkling Shiraz