An Organic Lifestyle (Organic Growing Pains)

Tommorrow is the 21st Dec and the winter solstice will be beamed live from Newgrange in Co Meath,Ireland. Usually it is dependent on the usual wintry clouds to be visible but this year with clear skies it will actually be dependent on people being able to access the megolithic tomb through the freezing conditions we are experiencing. Tonight is supposed to be the coldest night of the big freeze,in fact it has been freezing here all day.Some parts of the country were minus 17% degrees last night! Parts of Dublin are having heavy snowshowers and they will continue into tomorrow around parts of Leinster and north Munster. Roads are treacherous as stocks of salt are so low only main routes are being treated until fresh stocks arrive from Egypt into Cork port on Wed. Mayfield is frozen with only main roads getting any attention, footpaths and housing estates have been left under hard packed icy snow.

I was going to do this post tomorrow for the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, but by the time I would have it up, it would be too late to view the solstice on the web cam...read on. For only the second year this can be viewed through an official web cam from inside the chamber at Newgrange showing between 8.30 am and 9.30 am GMT. You can see the recorded web cam at any time on the site, if you miss the actual sunrise tomorrow. Newgrange is an ancient site in the Boyne valley in Co Meath and is one of the country's landmarks.It was built more than 500 years before the great pyramids of Egypt and 1000 years before Stonehenge in England. Shortly before 9.00am as the sun penetrates the roof box ( an opening above the entrance) of what was originally thought of as a tomb,but now known as a much more important site .A narrow beam of light will travel through and illuminate the chamber. Crowds will gather in the cold before dawn to wait for the end...