On Friday night I had my leaving party here at home. I don't think I've ever had so many people squeezed into my home! It was great to see everybody and we had a super time. Needless to say the recycling box is now overflowing with the tins and bottles.
Last night was the first lunar eclipse visible in the UK for about three years. As the sun set the clouds disappeared, leaving a beautiful clear, star studded sky. Too good to waste this opportunity to witness this wonderful feat of nature.
Total lunar eclipses were once thought of as harbingers of doom, as the moon, once eclipsed, turns a blood red colour. So where better to head to but World's End and Castell Dinas Bran, above the river Dee valley near Llangollen. Sam, Andy, Phil and myself headed out, in their new camper van, over the mountains towards World's End. We arrived below the castle just as the Earth's shadow took its first bite out of the moon's pearly white face. Hats, backpacks and head torches on, we squelched our way over the muddy fields, constantly watched by the green luminescent eyes of the resting sheep, to climb up to the broken castle.
As we strode up to site above the valley the moon gradually disappeared. Walking around the craggy walls of this atmospheric castle in the dark night was somewhat eerie. As the last of the sunlight slipped off the moon's face, the copper red colour was revealed. A very beautiful and majestic sight.
We cracked open a few remaining tins of ale from Friday's bash and looked up to contemplate our place in the universe. A very different Saturday night, but one to remember.
