Sunday, October 21

Summons stones lost!

I found my stone on the beach, Sandy found hers on the bottom of the sea off the southern Tasmanian coast (well, the D'Entrecasteaux Channel) and Lexie found hers on the top of the Malvern Hills.

And now we have all lost them, well, not lost exactly, but we don't have them anymore.

Please, is you find a stone like this, email me and tell me where and when.

Many, many thanks.
Find out more at

The Stone Summons (ID #1063661): http://www.lulu.com/content/1063661
Support independent publishing: buy this book on Lulu.
Order online Paperback book or download

Wednesday, October 17

Aurora Australis unleashes southern spectacle – The Mercury, 16 October

Hobart - An explosion on the Sun's surface wowed Tasmanians with a spectacular night sky .

The Aurora Australis, also known as the Southern Lights, was visible from most of the southern half of Tasmania, and it was a truly stunning spectacle.

Astronomer at University of Tasmania Mt Pleasant Observatory at Cambridge, Dr. Kit Saklat, said the lights, which were unusually active, dancing across the night sky, were caused by activity on the Sun that sent gases towards Earth.

"It's basically an explosion on the Sun which throws a cloud of gas outwards. Earth's magnetic field channels it to the north and south poles," he said.

However, some experts have cast doubt on this explanation for the fireworks show, and believe there to be some other cause. At the moment, they are not committing themselves to further explanation.

The Stone Summons (ID #1063661): http://www.lulu.com/content/1063661

Support independent publishing: buy this book on Lulu.
Order online Paperback book or download

Tuesday, October 16

Thousands watch spectacular fireworks display (breathtaking!) – The Hastings Observer, 15th October

Hastings - Thousands of onlookers packed the the seafront on Saturday night to watch the Hastings Week annual fireworks display.
This year’s display, watched by record crowds along The Esplanade, was truly breathtaking – it was as if the sky itself was taking part, with darting lights and what may have been thunder and lightning. The Hastings Meteorological Station says there was no indication of a storm but there was unusual meteorological action.

One onlooker told The Observer: "It was a fantastic display – surely the best ever. We did wonder if it was the Northern Lights in the sky."

(Our reporter respectfully pointed out that this was unlikely, but to be sure he checked with Hastings Meteorological Station, who confirmed his opinion, but conceded there was definitely some meteorological activity going on, and they had fielded hundreds of phone calls reporting an unusually large waterspout.)

The Stone Summons (ID #1063661): http://www.lulu.com/content/1063661

Support independent publishing: buy this book on Lulu.
Order online Paperback book or download

Heavenly Firework Display may have been result of activity in Europe's most destructive seismic hotspot. – Kaθημερινη, 16 Οκτωβρίου

Athens - Skies lit up over Southern Greece and the islands, giving rise to the rumour that the Aurora Borealis was once again playing in our skies.

But meteorologist, Christos Nikolaidis, of National Observatory of Athens, Institute of Geodynamics, said that while certainly something unusual was going on, he understood the authorities were awaiting confirmation from The Seismological Laboratory, University of Athens, that in fact the display related to a localised hothouse of seismic activity.

Aurora Borealis is named after the Roman goddess of the dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name. for the north wind, Boreas.

Plutarch gave a description of the northern lights in 467 BC but it may have been a quotation from missing writings of Anaxagoras rather than his own observation: "During seventy days there was an enormous and furious figure in the sky. It was like a flaming cloud, which did not stay at its position but moved windingly and regularly, so that the glowing fragments were flying in all directions and fire was blazing as the comets do. Those fragments came loose during rushing and unexpected movements."

The northern lights occurred one to three times per decade on the horizon of ancient Greece. Altogether dozens of reliable observations of the northern lights are known from the years BC.

There are very few references to the northern lights in the Middle Ages in Europe. Every written text is more or less superstitious and often they are embellished with warlike predictions. The northern lights seen on the 3rd of March, 451 were connected to the historic defeat of Attila at Chalons-sur-Marne, in what is now France.

Often, the blood of martyrs flowing up into the sky was seen in the northern lights. Such was the case when Thomas Becket died in 1177.

Some observations of the aurora borealis in Greece found that the appearances of the phenomenon aurora borealis are not exceptionally rare. These appearances coincide with the years of maximum solar activity and especially 1–2 years after it. Except of two appearances of this phenomenon all the others were observed in Spring and Autumn or near these seasons. The most southerly geographical latitude at which at least hints of the aurora borealis have been observed in Greece is the latitude of 35 N.

For more information on this see
The Stone Summons (ID #1063661): http://www.lulu.com/content/1063661

Support independent publishing: buy this book on Lulu.

Order online Paperback book or download

Monday, October 15

Slideshow Updated!

Heading says it all really, have added some new photos, including one of a sea urchin, under water!

Still no-one has visited from New Zealand, at least, nothing that shows, it is very strange! And no one from the whole continent of Africa.

Haven't had a lot of time lately to add much, such a lot going on, but it will soon be over.

On the other hand, the project (both projects, really) is coming to an end. I would just like to get a visitor from every continent in the world.

If you're reading this and know someone from a country not yet marked on the map of visitors, please email them, and ask them to take a peek. I will record the results here, no matter what else happens. - Σας ευχαριστούμε πάρα πολύ