Seasonal Almanac
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January 7th, 2009[click on image to play video]
The air feels thick in hot and humid weather. A chance rain or thunderstorm is often awaited with much anticipation.
The arrival of rain today was heralded by the distant rumbling of thunder. Followed by cool breezes. Then it rained. The big fat raindrops made loud thudding noises on the roof. This lasted for a good ten minutes.
Relief from the heat came but only briefly. Soon the sun began to break through the clouds. Steam rolled off the hot bitumen road.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
that’s a magical video, Jo. Sun and rain, “Monkey’s wedding”. Can you explain “minor heat”? And are your pentad titles related specifically to the southern hemisphere at this time of year?
January 8th, 2009 at 9:00 pm
For this Seasonal Almanac I specifically calculated the appropriate solar terms and pentads for the southern hemisphere (although not having a sextant or knowing the method for working out the position of the sun, I simply approximated the opposite of the northern hemisphere’s calendar).
If you examine all the solar terms, you will notice a certain symmetry. Minor heat (when the weather begins to heat up) is followed by Major heat (when the temperature reaches its apex). These two terms mirror Minor cold and Major cold in winter.