September's Country Ways Come out 'tis September, the hunter's moon's begun, and through the wheaten stubble, is heard the frequent gun. Plant trees at Michaelmas. (Feast of St. Michael the Archangel 29th September) Matthew's Day, bright and clear, brings good wine, for coming year. (St. Matthew's Day 21st September) If you eat a goose on Michaelmas Day you will never want money all the year round. Next Guildford Farmers Market: Tuesday 7th September (11.30am to 3.30pm). (Posted 28.08.10) Rotary On Postage Stamps 44 : Rotary's Centennial 2005 This group all commemorates Rotary's centennial in 2005 and includes, (from top right clockwise): Issues from Finland, Thailand, Belgium, Cyprus and France. Use this direct link to: 'Rotary On Stamps' Website. (Posted 28.08.10) Astrology : 24th August - 23rd September : Virgos Many cultures have seen this cluster as a female form. She has represented Ishter, Isis, Demeter, Athena, Artemis, in India the mother of Krishna and to medieval Christians the Virgin Mary. Virgo was one of the earliest constellations to be named and appears in Ptolemy's initial list of 48 catalogued in the second century. Conspicuous because of the four visible stars forming a squared area and being the largest of the twelve constellations. In astrology the virgin represents chastity rather than virginity therefore Virgoans are associated with strong moral principals, respected for their humanitarian qualities in endeavouring to alleviate suffering and to further the cause of injustice. Career minded, many are workaholics finding relaxation difficult. The typical Virgoan is a perfectionist, a walking encyclopedia, with an annoying tendency to fault find and quibble over trifles. Many are keep fit fanatics some with a tendency to be hypochondriacs. Not sexually strong but appealing to the opposite sex, shy and reserved. Not an easy partner in marriage, some are unwilling to take on responsibilities but in the main faithful, tidy in habit and showing consideration. Patient with the determination to master new skills. Respecting the future they look far ahead making contingency plans and saving for a rainy day. An Earth sign ruled by Mercury, the Virgo man prefers intellectual forms of entertainment, the Virgo woman presents an immaculate appearance of self and home, the Virgo child is a credit to their parents in good behaviour and academic study. (Posted 21.08.10) Countryman's Guide To Weather Forecasting 11 Wildlife Indicators Seabirds, stay out from the land, we won't have good weather, while you're on the sand. (Birds are genetically programmed to detect shifts in barometric pressure indicative of the approach of a low pressure system.) Swallows high, staying dry; swallows low, wet will blow. (In fine weather insects that birds feed on are carried up high on warm thermal currents.) Before a storm, bees return to hive, and do not swarm. (In all probability they also detect changes in air pressure too.) If the chickens stay out in the rain, the rain will be an all day rain, but if they run into the chicken house, it will be a short shower. Mad as a wet hen! (A chicken's dislike of rain, goes some way to understanding these sayings.) When eager bites the thirsty flea, clouds and rain you'll surely see.Flies will swarm, before a storm. (Also midges and fish 'bite' more because it is their last chance to feed before the rain.) Dogs appear to sniff the air repeatedly before an imminent significant change in the weather. (Posted 07.08.10) Green Fingers 20 : Seeds The love of gardening is a seed, that once sown never dies.Gertrude Jekyll Sow Seeds of Love and Gather Blessings of the Spirit.Traditional Good seed makes a good cropProverb Seeds of tomorrow are the flowers of today and flowers of tomorrow are seeds of today.Traditional Good huswifes in Sommer save their owne seedes against next yere, as occasion neeedes.Thomas Tusser Old Gardeners Never Die, they Just Go To Seed!Anon (Posted 21.08.10) Guildford 44 : The Angel Hotel The Angel Hotel has been an Inn since King Henry VIII's time and is the only survivor of Guildford's many Coaching Inns. Situated half-way on the two day journey between London and the south coast ports, Guildford became the overnight stopping place for travelers. The need for an overnight stop was eliminated by the completion of new turnpike roads in the mid 1700's, enabling coaches to undertake London to Southampton in a day. The term 'Posting House' refers to a location where those carrying the mail changed horses 'posted' before continuing their journey. The term survives today to describe items of mail 'the post' and 'post offices'. The connection of the railway to Guildford in 1845 saw the disappearance of the coaches almost overnight. The train was both faster and considerably more comfortable and economic. The railway also brought a large migration to Guildford with much house building and the start of the daily commute to London to work. The term 'coach', to describe a train carriage, was a way for initial travelers to understand the conveyance mode. One by one of Guildford's High Street Inns were closed and demolished to make way for new shops. Now only the Angel remains to remind of a 200 year period in transport history. (Posted 14.08.10) The European Space Agency Rosetta Space Mission The (ESA) Rosetta space probe gets its name from the famous Rosetta stone that led to the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics almost 200 years ago. Scientists hope that Rosetta will unlock the mysteries of how the Solar System evolved. Rosetta was launched on 2nd March 2004 to carry out missions through to 2015. Rosetta latest mission was to fly past the Asteroid Lutetia at some 454 million km from Earth, beyond the orbit of Mars. The images show that Lutetia to be an elongated body, with its longest side around 130km, heavily cratered having suffered many impacts during its 4.5 billion years of existence, with intriguingly some mysterious grooves Asteroids are the ancient remnants left over from the Solar System's formation. Most are made of rock; some are composed of metal, mostly nickel and iron. Sizes range from small boulders to objects that are hundreds of km in diameter. Most orbit the sun in the vast region of space that exists between Mars and Jupiter. Orbit configurations, generally low-eccentricity, are often influenced by the gravity of other larger bodies. The main asteroid belt is estimated to contain between 1.1 and 1.9 million asteroids. A future mission for Rosetta is to enter orbit around Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, release its Philae small lander onto the icy nucleus and relay back data on the comet's composition including searching for any organic elements that may have led to life on earth. (Posted 07.08.10) On Line Quiz 100 : Seaside Word Search To print the word search, right mouse click on the puzzle and utilize the pop up window "Print Picture" facility. To disclose the unused word, direct your mouse curser over the question mark. (Posted 07.08.10) Direct link to: Home Page