The Great American Solstice of 2017

(via twistedsifter & alex_neises)

I Long for Tomorrow

December 22, 2015, is the date of the Winter Solstice this year.

In my first life hometown (Lund, Sweden) the length of the day between sunrise and sunset will be only 7 hours and 54 seconds.

After that the the days will keep on getting longer day by day until we reach the Summer Solstice on June 21, 2016, when the length of the day will be 17 hours, 32 minutes and 42 seconds.

Ten more bloody, glorious hours of daylight to sooth our souls! And we are starting our move towards it after tomorrow!

In SecondLife, Tomais and I decided not to change Southern Charm to winter this year. I couldn't stand the thought of darkness and cold in SL too and besides our Royal Gardener Butch Diavolo is indisposed at the time being.

BiSL Joins "War on Christmas"

Yesterday the Editor-in-Chief of Bock in SecondLife, the Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm*, and his royal consort Tomais Ashdene, duke of Erat, sent out their seasonal greetings to family, friends and acquaintances.

The greeting on the card is also a proud political statement in which they declare their position in what Faux News (a.k.a. Fox News of America) has dubbed "The War on Christmas".

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This year's card was photographed by Tomais Ashdene, with Bock McMillan ordering about and giving unhelpful advice and suggestions which was for the most part patiently and wisely ignored by the photographer.

*) For a full and correct list of the lairds present titles please see this post.

The Shortest Days 2014

In my hometown of Lund, Sweden, today sunrise occurred at 08:35 AM CET and sunset at 03:36 PM CET. We had daylight (sort of) only for 7 hours and 57 seconds. Tomorrow on December 22nd we will have approximately the same times for both sunrise and sunset but the day will be less than a second shorter.

After these two days the days will get steadily longer everyday until the Summer solstice occurs on June 21st 2015, when we will have daylight for 17:32:40. Further north in the country the swings in daylight are even more dramatic, where the sun never rises or sets North of the Polar Circle.

It isn't at all strange that we Scandinavians go crazy with mood swings during winters and summers.

Happy Holidays 2014

My Tomais and I wish all our family and friends Happy Holidays!

Midsummer's Eve

Today is the day of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The solstice marks the peak of summer and takes place when the sun is at its highest point in the sky. After today, the days get shorter until the winter solstice on December 21 when they start to get longer again.

The day is also called Midsummer's eve and is in Sweden, together with Christmas, the traditionally most celebrated holiday of the year. Midsummer is however without a doubt the most loved of the two. Contrary to Christmas there is no pressures or obligations of consorting with relatives, cooking huge festive meals or buying gifts.

On midsummer you hang out with friends and people you like. No gifts are involved and meals can be extremely simple to prepare but still delicious. Besides the weather is warm, daylight lasts around the clock - almost - and it never gets really dark though.

For meals you can get by with boiling small, new potatoes (preferably just washing them lightly in water first to get the dirt off but without peeling them) with some dill, boiling a couple of eggs, opening one or more cans or jars of pickled herring, pouring up some sour cream and cutting some chive. Nothing more is needed except possibly beer or aquavit for snaps. For dessert you simply use fresh strawberries with some cream and a little sugar (if you must). It's absolutely delicious!

If you wish, you can go out go into the bright summer night and pick seven different kinds of flowers and tuck them under your pillow, so that maybe - if you're lucky - you may dream of your future husband or wife. 

Happy Midsummer, dear friends and readers of Bock in SecondLife!. 

Happy Holidays 2011

I thought I had better get this in before you all start leaving for where ever you are going for the holidays!

This year I made two picks and could not decide which I preferred, so I sent out both but only one per person. Here you can see the one you did not get. Now isn't that a good present?

Have a wonderful Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa all of you and hopefully a great new amazing, fantastic, dazzling New Year also. Come back to SecondLife with a fresh new and relaxed view on us and our world!

I am going to spend Christmas Eve at my parents home together with my older sister and her husband but without any of the grandchildren or great grandchildren. I am looking forward to a nice, noise free and relaxed evening with lots of good food and drink followed by a nice walk home to sober up - if I don´t decide on a cab and can get one.

Hugs and kisses all around! And remember, be careful out there, first live is known to be dangerous.