The Winter Solstice and Stonehenge

Watch the

Winter Solstice Sunrise 2021 LIVE from Stonehenge

The Winter Solstice  

The earth rotates on a tilted axis. When this axis leans towards the sun, it’s summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the south. This is reversed as the earth continues on its orbit until the axis becomes tilted away from the sun.  During the solstice, the earth’s axis is tilted at its furthest point from the sun. This means that, for us in the northern hemisphere, the sun is at its lowest point in the sky. It’s also the shortest day of the year - and the longest night.

solstice   /ˈsɒlstɪs/        ​either of the two times of the year at which the sun reaches its highest or lowest point in the sky in the middle of the day, marked by the longest and shortest days.

E.g.

the summer/winter solstice.

 

Solstice and Stonehenge  

 

Marking the passage of time was important to many ancient cultures. For the people of Stonehenge who were farmers, growing crops and tending herds of animals, knowing when the seasons were changing was important. Winter might have been a time of fear as the days grew shorter and colder. People must have longed for the return of light and warmth. Marking this yearly cycle may have been one of the reasons that Neolithic people constructed Stonehenge – a monument aligned to the movements of the sun.  The stones were shaped and set up to frame at least two important events in the annual solar cycle – the midwinter sunset at the winter solstice and the midsummer sunrise at the summer solstice.  At the summer solstice, around 21 June, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone and its first rays shine into the heart of Stonehenge. Although the tallest trilithon at the monument is no longer standing, the sun would have set between the narrow gap of these uprights during the winter solstice. 

Read more on the English Heritage site.

Christmas UnWrapped The History of Christmas

 

Read about it here.

Carols in the Square

Speakout Advanced p 111. Choirs: Sing Along. Extra Listening

"A Little Respect"

I try to discover
A little something to make me sweeter
Oh baby refrain from breaking my heart
I'm so in love with you
I'll be forever blue
That you give me no reason
Why you're making me work so hard

That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no

Soul, I hear you calling
Oh baby please give a little respect to me

And if  I should falter
Would you open your arms out to me
We can make love not war
And live at peace in our hearts
I'm so in love with you
I'll be forever blue
What religion or reason
Could drive a man to forsake his lover

Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no
Don't you tell me no

Soul, I hear you calling
Oh baby please give a little respect to me

I'm so in love with you
I'll be forever blue
That you give me no reason
You know you're making me work so hard

That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no
That you give me no

Soul, I hear you calling
Oh baby please give a little respect to me

Soul, I hear you calling
Oh baby please give a little respect to me 

Only You

Looking from a window above
It's like a story of love, can you hear me?
Came back only yesterday
I'm moving farther away, want you near me

All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew, only you

Sometimes when I think of her name
When it's only a game and I need you
Listen to the words that you say
It's getting harder to stay when I see you

All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew, only you

All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew, only you

This is going to take a long time
And I wonder what's mine, can't take no more
Wonder if you'll understand
It's just the touch of your hand behind a closed door

All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew, only you

"Take On Me"

Talking away
I don't know what I'm to say
I'll say it anyway
Today isn't my day to find you
Shying away
I'll be coming for your love, OK?

Take on me (take on me),
Take me on (take on me)
I'll be gone
In a day or two

So needless to say
Of odds and ends
But I'll be stumbling away
Slowly learning that life is OK.
Say after me
It's no better to be safe than sorry

Take on me (take on me),
Take me on (take on me)
I'll be gone
In a day or two

Oh, things that you say
Is it a life or just to play my worries away?
You're all the things I've got to remember
You're shying away
I'll be coming for you anyway

Take on me (take on me),
Take me on (take on me)
I'll be gone
In a day

Take on me (take on me),
Take me on (take on me)
I'll be gone
In a day

"Torn"

I thought, I saw a man brought to life
He was warm, he came around and he was dignified
He showed me what it was to cry

Well, you couldn't be that man I adored
You don't seem to know
Seem to care what your heart is for
But I don't know him anymore

There's nothing where he used to lie
The conversation has run dry
That's what's going on
Nothing's fine, I'm torn

I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor

Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
You're a little late, I'm already torn

So I guess the fortune teller's right
Should have seen just what was there
And not some holy light

It crawled beneath my veins
And now I don't care, I had no luck
I don't miss it all that much
There's just so many things
That I can touch, I'm torn

I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor

Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
You're a little late, I'm already torn, torn

There's nothing where he used to lie
My inspiration has run dry
That's what's going on
Nothing's right, I'm torn

I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on this floor

Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn

I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I'm ashamed
Bound and broken on the floor
You're a little late, I'm already torn, torn 

"Sweet Caroline"
Where it began,
I can't begin to know it
But then I know it's growing strong
Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Who'd have believed you'd come along.
Hands, touchin' hands
Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' you

Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined
To believe they never would
But now I...

...look at the night
And it doesn't seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two.

And when I hurt,
Hurtin' runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when holding you?

Warm, touchin' warm
Reachin' out, touchin' me, touchin' you

Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined,
To believe they never would
Oh, no, no

Sweet Caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined,
To believe they never would

John Lennon + Yoko Ono - Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

So this is Christmas

And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun
And so this is Xmas
I hope you have fun
The near and the dear one
The old and the young
A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
And so this is Xmas (war is over)
For weak and for strong (if you want it)
For rich and the poor ones (war is over)
The world is so wrong (if you want it)
And so happy Xmas (war is over)
For black and for white (if you want it)
For yellow and red ones (war is over)
Let's stop all the fight (now)
A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
So this is Xmas (war is over)
And what have we done (if you want it)
Another year over (war is over)
A new one just begun (if you want it)
And so happy Xmas (war is over)
We hope you have fun (if you want it)
The near and the dear one (war is over)
The old and the young (now)
A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over now

"Last Christmas"

Last Christmas
I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away.
This year
To save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special.

[Chorus (2x)]

Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance
But you still catch my eye.
Tell me, baby,
Do you recognize me?
Well,
It's been a year,
It doesn't surprise me
(Merry Christmas)

I wrapped it up and sent it
With a note saying, "I love you,"
I meant it
Now I know what a fool I've been.
But if you kissed me now
I know you'd fool me again.

[Chorus 2x]

A crowded room,
Friends with tired eyes.
I'm hiding from you
And your soul of ice.
My god I thought you were someone to rely on.
Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on.

A face on a lover with a fire in his heart.
A man under cover but you tore me apart, ooh-hoo.
Now I've found a real love, you'll never fool me again.

[Chorus 2x]

Stand By Me / Beautiful Girls

When the night, has come,
and the land is dark,
and the moon, is the only,
light we'll see.

No I won't be afraid,

No I won't be afraid

just as long, as you stand,
stand by me..

so darling, darling, stand, by me,
ohhh stand by me,
stand by me,
stand by me

You're way too beautiful girl
That's why it'll never work
You'll have me suicidal, suicidal
When you say it's over
Damn all these beautiful girls
They only wanna do you dirt
They'll have you suicidal, suicidal

Whenever you are in trouble

stand by me now

stand by me now

stand by me

"Hey Jude"

Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah

Hey Jude, don't let me down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude

"With Or Without You"

See the stone set in your eyes
See the thorn twist in your side.
I wait for you.
Sleight of hand and twist of fate
On a bed of nails she makes me wait
And I wait… without you

With or without you
With or without you.

Through the storm, we reach the shore
You gave it all but I want more
And I'm waiting for you…

With or without you
With or without you.

And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give, and you give
And you give yourself away.

My hands are tied, my body bruised
She's got me with nothing to win
And nothing left to lose.

And you give yourself away
And you give yourself away
And you give, and you give
And you give yourself away.

With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you.

With or without you
With or without you
I can't live
With or without you
With or without you.

"Friday I'm In Love"

I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday I'm in love

Saturday wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday never hesitate...

I don't care if Monday's black
Tuesday, Wednesday heart attack
Thursday never looking back
It's Friday I'm in love

Monday you can hold your head
Tuesday, Wednesday stay in bed
Or Thursday watch the walls instead
It's Friday I'm in love

Saturday wait
And Sunday always comes too late
But Friday never hesitate...

Dressed up to the eyes
It's a wonderful surprise
To see your shoes and your spirits rise
Throwing out your frown
And just smiling at the sound
And as sleek as a shriek
Spinning round and round
Always take a big bite
It's such a gorgeous sight
To see you in the middle of the night
You can never get enough
Enough of this stuff
It's Friday
I'm in love

I don't care if Monday's blue
Tuesday's grey and Wednesday too
Thursday I don't care about you
It's Friday, I'm in love

Monday you can fall apart
Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart
Thursday doesn't even start
It's Friday I'm in love 

"Africa"

I hear the drums echoing tonight
But she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation
She's coming in twelve-thirty flight
Her moonlit wings reflect the stars that guide me towards salvation
I stopped an old man along the way
Hoping to find some old forgotten words or ancient melodies
He turned to me as if to say: "Hurry boy, it's waiting there for you"

[Chorus:]
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what's right
Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what's deep inside, frightened of this thing that I've become

[Repeat chorus]

[Instrumental break]

Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
I bless the rains down in Africa

I bless the rains down in Africa


What A Wonderful World

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I love you

I hear babies crying, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world 


Hallelujah
Leonard Cohen 

Now, I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing hallelujah

 

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

 

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
She tied you to a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the hallelujah

 

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Baby I have been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor
I used to live alone before I knew you
I've seen your flag on the marble arch
Love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah 

Hallelujah

Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

 

Maybe there's a God above

But all I've ever learned from love

Was how to shoot somebody who outdrew you

And it's not a cry that you hear at night

It's not somebody who's seen the light

It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah

 

Writing: Christmas Scrapbook.

I am so happy you've decided to learn how to make a scrapbook! I know you must be thinking, "Where do I start?" Trust me, most of us have been there at one point or another.

What is a scrapbook?
An album where you can stick pictures, newspaper articles, memorabilia, journaling...

Step One
Organize your photos, theatre tickets, lottery tickets,cards,shopping lists, ...

"Ingredients"
Descriptions, narratives, lists, poems, quotes, songs, letters...

Tips
1. Treat your journaling as you would write a letter to somebody. Write down what you would say to somebody if they asked you what was happening in your photos.
2. Write page titles
3. Capture special holiday memories: cutting down the tree, trimming the tree, cooking, family dinners. Parties with friends.
4. Traditions: we all have our own Christmas traditions such as baking cookies, going caroling, or hosting the neighborhood party. Make sure to capture these special traditions with photos. Keep in mind that journaling is especially important when it comes to traditions. For example, include your family’s favourite recipe, some of the words from a favorite Christmas carol and write something personal.


Models

Cover:


Sample pages:

Another sample scrapbook page:

Jamie Keddie's contribution (adapted):
 

On this scrapbook page, I would like to let you in on a little secret... Any predictions?

let sb in on a secret: to allow someone to know something that you have not told anyone else. E.g. Can I let you in on a little secret? 

 

First and foremost, I made a very special Christmas card for you. I hope you like it because I went the extra mile to make it. 

go the extra mile (for somebody/something): to make a special effort to achieve something, help somebody, etc.

bend/lean over backwards (to do something) to make a great effort, especially in order to be helpful or fair. E.g. I've bent over backwards to help him. 

go to great, extraordinary, etc. lengths (to do something) to put a lot of effort into doing something, especially when this seems extreme. E.g. She goes to extraordinary lengths to keep her private life private.

I wonder if it will be given pride of place on your mantelpiece.

pride of place: the position in which something is most easily seen, that is given to the most important thing in a particular group. E.g. The photo was given pride of place on the mantelpiece. 

mantelpiece: a shelf above a fireplace. E.g. There was a clock on the mantelpiece. 

Where do you put your Christmas cards? Do you write any?  Do you do the drawings yourself?

What do you think Jamie drew on his Christmas card?

 

 

Do you think it is true? or do you think this is a hoax?

hoax: /həʊks/ an act intended to make somebody believe something that is not true, especially something unpleasant. Sp. engaño. E.g. a bomb hoax. Hoax calls. The emergency call turned out to be a hoax.

 

OK, that was a fib. 

fib: a statement that is not true; a lie about something that is not important. E.g. Stop telling fibs.

 

I didn't make the card especially for you. I actually made it in 1981. It was my entry for the annual school Christmas card contest.
At my primary school, this was a big deal. There were no age categories – it was every child for him/herself regardless of what year he/she was in.

every man for himself: (saying) people must take care of themselves and not give or expect any help. E.g. In business, it's every man for himself.

Competition was incredibly fierce and everyone got involved, driven by the prestige of winning and, of course, the stupendous prizes.

fierce: (especially of actions or emotions) showing strong feelings or a lot of activity, often in a way that is violent. E.g. fierce loyalty. The scene of fierce fighting. He launched a fierce attack on the Democrats. Competition from abroad became fiercer in the 1990s. His wife is his fiercest critic. The bill was passed despite fierce opposition.

stupendous: /stjuːˈpendəs/ extremely large or impressive, especially greater or better than you expect. E.g. stupendous achievements. Stupendous costs

What do you think the prizes were?

 

 And the prizes were:

• First prize: The winner would receive 150 prints of his/her winning Christmas card

What do you think the second prize was?

 

• Second prize: 100 prints

What do you think the third prize was?

• Third prize: 50 prints

Do you think these were tip-top prizes? Would children nowadays be thrilled to bits with these prizes? With what prizes would children be over the moon nowadays?

tip-top: excellent. E.g. The house is in tip-top condition.

thrilled to bits: extremely pleased. E.g. She was thrilled to bits  that he'd been offered the job.

Over the moon: extremely happy and excited. E.g. They’re over the moon about their trip to Japan. 

 

Prints were special back in those days – much more memorable than modern photocopies. Fresh off the press, they were warm and had a sweet chemical smell that will bring back nostalgic childhood memories to many of us. Rather than black and white, everything was dark purple on light pink. I've just spent a wee while researching this and apparently, they were produced by a process called spirit duplication. 

wee: small. E.g. Have a wee drink. You may have to wait a wee while (=a short time). A wee child.

Let's recap!

recap: to repeat or give a summary of what has already been said, decided, etc. E.g. Let me just recap on what we've decided so far.

So, imagine that – 150 warm and smelly spirit duplicates to take home and enjoy in the comfort of your own home!

 



So, perhaps you are wondering if I won. 

What's your guess?



Well, I am elated to report that I did. The "Santa's Here" illustration that you see above beat over 250 other entries. It featured in the school magazine and for a whole week before Christmas, I was the golden boy of the school.

feature (in something) to have an important part in something. E.g. Olive oil and garlic feature prominently in his recipes.

golden: special; wonderful. E.g. golden memories. Businesses have a golden opportunity to expand into new markets. Hollywood’s golden boy 


I remember the praise from my teacher and wowing my architect father: "Wow! Such a simple design. But what an incredible technicality for a 9-year-old boy. What an eye for form. Perhaps he too will grow up to be an architect one day."

praise: (N) words that show approval of or admiration for somebody/something. E.g. His teachers are full of praise for the progress he's making.

praise: (V) to express your approval or admiration for somebody/something. E.g. He praised his team for their performance. 

wow somebody (with something): (v) to impress somebody very much, especially with a performance. E.g. He wowed audiences around the country with his new show.


What do teachers say to praise their students?
 
 

I took the praise and I enjoyed my moment of glory. I genuinely felt that I had earned it.

 



I wonder if you can see where this is going... 
Any predictions?

 

Well, it's time to come clean about a dirty secret that I have lived with for the last 35 years. 

What can it be?




It involves my favourite children's Christmas book – a picture book called Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs who is probably best known for The Snowman.
I loved Raymond Briggs's Father Christmas. Rather than being a jolly Christmas lover, he is a reclusive and overworked, grumpy old man who hates everything about the festive season, except perhaps the brandy.

jolly: happy and cheerful

reclusive: living alone and avoiding other people. E.g. a reclusive millionaire

grumpy: bad-tempered. E.g. Pay no attention to his moods—he’s just a grumpy old man.


So, what do you think Jamie did?


And here is the Christmas confession: Raymond Briggs's book was the inspiration for my winning Christmas card. 

If you look very carefully at the following image, you might just see the similarity.

 So what do you reckon? Can you see any similarities or differences?



You can see that I struggled with the face. I seem to have given my Father Christmas an overgrown black beard in order to conceal my lack of artistry here.

overgrown: that has grown too large. E.g. an overgrown village

conceal: hide sth. E.g. Tim could barely conceal his disappointment.

artistry: /ˈɑːtɪstri/ the skill of an artist. E.g. He played the piece with effortless artistry. An appreciation of the beauty and artistry of the painting.

I was not a dab hand at drawing but you can't say I was cack-handed either. I hope you don't think I did a botched job or that I made a real dog's breakfast of it anyway.

dab hand: a person who is very good at doing something or using something. E.g. He's a dab hand at cooking spaghetti. She's a dab hand with a paintbrush.

a cack-handed person often drops or breaks things or does things badly. E.g. That's a cack-handed way of going about it!

botch something (up) (informal) to spoil something by doing it badly. E.g. He completely botched up the interview. The work they did on the house was a botched job. 

a dog’s breakfast/dinner a thing that has been done badly. Mess. E.g. He's made a real dog's breakfast of these accounts. 

What is your opinion? Do you think Jamie excelled at it? Was he hopeless at it? Or just middling? Is this drawing a curate's egg?

middling: of average size, quality, status, etc. Medium or average; neither very good nor very bad. E.g. a golfer of middling talent ‘Do you like your coffee weak or strong?’ ‘Oh, middling, please.’ A man of about middling height. A middling performance. He was middling at school, and put his energies elsewhere. He was middling at studying, but a voracious reader who devoured whatever books he came across.  He was middling in all the games he played.

a curate's egg: a thing that is partly good and partly bad. E.g. this book is a bit of a curate's egg. Origin: early 20th century: from a cartoon in Punch (1895) depicting a meek (= quiet, gentle, and always ready to do what other people want) curate who, given a stale (= no longer fresh and therefore unpleasant to eat) egg at the bishop's table, assures his host that ‘parts of it are excellent’.

There are two ways to look at this. As a matter of fact, I am in a quandary. I really can't decide which is the correct way. 

quandary: /ˈkwɒndəri/ the state of not being able to decide what to do in a difficult situation. Dilemma. E.g.  George was in a quandary—should he go or shouldn't he? This placed the government in something of a quandary.

First of all, was this dishonest? Was I a rogue? 

rogue: /rəʊɡ/ a man who is dishonest.

Would you say Jamie lifted the drawing from Raymond Briggs's book? 

lift something (from something) to use somebody’s ideas or words without asking permission or without saying where they come from. Plagiarize. E.g. She lifted most of the ideas from a book she had been reading.


I am really not sure. I'm in a predicament. 


predicament /prɪˈdɪkəmənt/ a difficult or an unpleasant situation, especially one where it is difficult to know what to do. Quandary. E.g. the club’s financial predicament. I'm in a terrible predicament.


On the one hand, I remember having no feelings of guilt whatsoever.  

whatsoever: not at all. Not of any kind. E.g. ‘Is there any doubt about it?’ ‘None whatsoever.’
 
But on the other hand, I remember that I didn't divulge the secret about copying the image to anyone. I took the praise in full knowledge that the truth would probably have invalidated it.

divulge: /daɪˈvʌldʒ/ to give somebody information that is supposed to be secret. E.g. She refused to divulge the information. The plans must not be divulged to anyone.



But I also think that copy, remix and mashup are essential for any individual to develop drawing skills or indeed, to develop any creative process. So perhaps there was something honest, or at least necessary and natural going here.


remix: a new version of a recorded piece of music made by using a machine to arrange the separate parts of the recording in a different way, add new parts, etc. E.g. a remix of their first single. An Elton John remix.

mashup: /ˈmæʃʌp/ a combination of elements from different sources used to create a new song, video, computer file, program, etc. E.g. a video mashup. Most mashups are simple remixes that DJs have been doing for decades. It’s a new web service that allows people to create mashups of movies, combining scenes from various films.

necessary: /ˈnesəsəri/ /ˈnesəseri/ 

Who am I trying to fool?

Do you consider remixes and mashups  acts of stealing, of unoriginal thought, of plagiarism, of laziness,...?

Or, do you consider them creative and original cultural acts? Do you think most things are mashups? Can you think of examples where multiple ideas, products, music, literature, you name it, were mashed-up, remixed and recontextualized to create something completely new and original?

 
Happy holidays
Jamie :)


Another idea for your scrapbook: