Summer Solstice

 

In Switzerland today we will have just under 16 hours of sunshine and tomorrow, there will be even less. It's the summer solstice. The earth is turning from the sun.

Throughout time, different cultures have marked the day with festivals. 

May and June have been unusually cool and rainy. As we walk the dog by the fields, we see plantings peeking out from the ploughed fields. I have no idea if those tiny green sprouts are corn, tobacco, beets, sunflowers...

Living in the country next to a major city is the best of both worlds. The beauty of nature is a reminder of life beyond that of paltry humans. This is lost in the rush of city life.

I remember one night walking down the hill through the vineyardstowards the lake. The silence was shouting. Above the stars did what they always do -- twinkle. What a tiny dot in the life of the universe you are, they were saying to me.

There's talk about orange rain for Switzerland today. The Sahara has donated its sands riding winds and then mixing with rain. I don't know if that includes Geneva. I hope so for it would be a unique way to celebrate the solstice.

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