Solstice means holiday or more accurately Sun stands still, its the time of year when the Sun is at its lowest, or highest distance, north or south of the Celestial equator. This year 2024, here in the southern hemisphere, the date is June 22nd and surely no better time to escape than mid-winter, but it’s a time of hope when the inexorable grind to mid-winter peaks on the longest night, after the shortest day of the year!
The time of year that you desperately hope ends up on a weekend, preferably a Saturday when you have planned to veg in bed, an international rugby game playing on the box, computer on your lap, or your latest read, and copious cups of coffee to go with the scrumptious breakfast you rustled up!
That new dressing gown you got for Father’s Day has a sumptuous feel about it, while the gas heater glows warmly in the background!
If you thought you might get lucky, forget it! Mummy is on Facebook, the dogs are curled up around her and in the words of a knowledgeable friend, “you have a dog’s chance”!
No worries, the words are flowing and making some sense, another cuppa and the last bread you can find in the house, toasted, with a smear of marge, and the last of the chunky cottage cheese! The fridge has a desolate look to it, similar to the workshop during the month of May, when the populace of South Africa seemed to disappear indoors and only emerged sometime in June.
The Sun will set early tonight but will rise a gnat’s whisker earlier tomorrow morning, when, hopefully someone has been shopping for proviand, and you can breakfast before one of those cold, but sunny Highveld winter days! Might even get in a game of tennis!
Now you can look forward to longer days and eventually some rain to nurture the garden as Spring and the heat of Summer arrive!
As cold as the weather’s been the Solstice always gives one a sense of achievement, almost like the end of a downward slide and the roller coaster car gets picked up by the cogs, and the car gets drawn upwards toward the peak of Summer.
It's downhill to Summer
There will be cold days to come, especially when the wind starts blowing in July and August, but the thought of Summer drives one on with positive thoughts of the weather and, of your personal ambitions!
There are some clever retirees out there whose ship has come in, who have a clever routine where they share two homes, and summer north of the Equator and vice versa, leave the long icy cold northern Winter to the natives and summer down south! They have had their blizzards and snow storms in their lives, time to be snug, not to mention smug!
Winter Solstice
Freezing cold, thoughts of Summer in my head
Dreams of long hot days, ‘tho snuggled up in bed
It’s time for Winter to lose it’s hold
And Summer, to make me bold
No longer yearn for carefree days
Scraping car’s window’s frost away
Mind you, an exhilarating run down the ski slope
Does encourage and gives one hope
That the ski lift remains on for another run
‘Tho freezing cold, it can be fun
So torn between smile and tear
Endure the cold for another year
Dan Varoy 2014 06 21 Winter Solstice (Edited 2024 06 17)
Spare a little time and listen to some Frankie Sinatra and The Way You Look Tonight: