Book: Read a book with the sun, or festive lights on the cover, or a book that’s set somewhere sunny.

Maybe later.

Task 1: How long is the longest day of the year where you live? How long is the shortest? Does your home town/country celebrate the solstice?

This is interesting because I never thought to look this up before this task came up, even tho I complain about the shortness of our days every.year.

The longest day here is 21st June:

Sunrise: 04:12 ↑ (41°)Sunset: 22:08 ↑ (319°)Daylength: 17:55:46

The shortest day will be 21st December:

Sunrise: 08:46 ↑ (135°)Sunset: 15:26 ↑ (225°)Daylength: 6:40:33

Every year, I cannot wait for the winter solstice. Even if our days get longer only by increments of seconds, it makes a big change in how people, myself included, feel.

(Photo found on the Internet. Not mine.)

Task 2: Share some photos of your favorite light display, if you have them, or if you have a neighbor who goes ‘all out’, snap a photo to share.

I will leave this for having a nosey around our local displays next month. It’s still too early for light displays here.

It will probably come as no surprise that my favourite seasonal light displays are actually the understated ones, not the gaudy ones. But there the realy bright and flashy ones are good fun, too. I guess, the toned-down light displays kinda reminds me through the mountains in winter to visit family and friends.

Task 3: Is your community known for any light displays in particular? Are there any displays (anywhere in the world) that you would really like to see in person? Tell us about them.

Our Christmas light dispays are pretty tame. I’ll try and snap a picture once the lights are in full use. However, I love the fireworks at Guy Fawkes Night – if they are not cancelled – even if they also are tame by comparison. One of my favourite fireworks dispays was actually one I saw in Budapest on the Hungarian national holiday in the late 80s. This one was only topped by the fireworks I saw in Liverpool in 2008, celebrating the city’s 800th birthday.

On the other hand, Stonehaven, just south of here, have a fabulous tradition on Hogmanay, which involves local residents (there are criteria for taking part – residency is one of them) swinging flaming balls made of chicken wire and combustibles around them in a parade that leads through town to the harbour, where the fireballs are thrown into the sea.

It’s a magnificant display. It’s a fantastic event. The last time I went to see it with friends, it was a freezing cold night and we were standing in front of a house waiting for the fireballs when the window behind us opened and people inside offered the people outside cups of tea. It was rather nice.

Anyway, here is video of the 2019 event:

Although I don’t have any specific events / light displays in mind, I would love to see more of them and how they are done in other parts of the world. It always seems that light is something that brings people together.

Task 4: (Cheeky): Badly behaving authors: name some authors who think the sun shines out of their … ya’ know.

Why is the first author that instantly come to my mind Anthony Horowitz??? LoL. But yes, he!

Points: 4