Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Summer's Obituary - The Autumnal Equinox

The British Summer will officially end on Saturday 23rd September at 4:02am. This is the Autumnal Equinox, the point where nights reach the same length as days.

I personally like autumn very much - the fall of fruit, leaves and conkers from the trees, the crackling of log fires, the peeling and pickling of fruit and vegetables to store over winter, the cooler weather ...

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The autumn equinox is represented by the letter E which stands for the shifting-leaved white poplar or aspen tree Eadha. It is also the traditional season of the chase, my own favourite month is doubtless winter but autumn has its own atmosphere or mists and mellow fruitfulness. One poet that did successfully capture the beauties of autumn brilliantly and, I think, better than anyone else I've read was Keats in his poem To Autumn. I'll spare you the quote from it here but it's worth reading in its entirety.

yitz said...

also, trees finally look orange, as they should :)

[I finally received my copy of your book over here in Israel--having first read your blog and seen your interview on the net, it's kind of funny to be reading the book.. all of the general details I already know, so it's all the little specific details that stand out while I'm reading. [like, I was also breastfed for 18 months]

I can't believe I never noticed that the Jewish New Year begins on the Autumnal Equinox.. it was kind of obvious and I just missed it! It's the second of the four New Years we celebrate. I wonder if all the others are on the Equinoxes and the Solstices.. hmmm. Well, that can't be, because Hannukah is on the winter solstice and It's not one of the New Years, oh well.

JC said...

Hi Daniel

Do you also think about the celestial aspect of the equinox? At the solstice and equinox I like to think of the position of the earth in relation to the sun. Do you also think about the mathematics of the earth's orbit and the like?

Thanks

Anonymous said...

hello
i have just seen your brainman program on the ABC here in australia. i have always been fascinated by the amazing things the human brain can do and how some people can do more extrodinary things than others. before seeing this program i have never known anyone else that can identify with the idea that everything is a picture or a pattern or a feeling - an "experience" as you perfectly described it. i am not a genius, i have not a remarkable memory. i'm just an ordinary girl struggling to finish uni. the only thing i can say about my own brain is that it is confused most of the time which leads me to be very absent minded. i'm better at remembering how i felt about the picture of something than the something itself... which has yet to help me in an exam. (although pi did always look a little cranky to me.. perhaps becuase nobody understands it???)
you blogs are nice. keep posting :)
cheers
kimbily.

Anonymous said...

Daniel, I have just finished your book and found it fascinating, intriguing and extremely well written. I too see beauty in words and numbers, for example, I really dislike some people's mobile phone numbers or even their names should I sense some discord that results entirely from the sequences and combinations of letters or numbers. I have promised many people my copy of your book but many have bought it for themselves on my recommendation and I congratulate you on your immense achievements so far. I hope you and Neil have a happy life together.

Amy said...

I too love autumn. Its the season that speaks to me th most. Not only in the whisper that comes from the play of leaves overhead and the crackle of leaves underfoot; the special scent in the air - , but in the play of memories these sensations evoke countless seasons that came before - and also of things to come. I love the of the anticipation of making new memories this season always brings.

I like your blogs as well. I am all words. I think in words. I love the sound and feel of words. Numbers escape me. I've had a block against them, I think since childhood.

Where words - the sound of them - will linger in my head, and connect themselves together into poetry...to make the rich imagery of words on paper...numbers are like sand thru my fingers and disappear when I try to grasp them. I've always liked the number 7 and disliked 6 though.

Okay as Piers would say, I've rambled long enough on Tandy Tangent into the uncharted wilderness of thought.

Have an adventurous day.

Anonymous said...

Thats interesting 23 is a prime number that when multiplied by the smallest two digit prime equals the number of days between Daniel's and my own Birthday.

Daniel Tammet said...

To Erica, Amy and others,

Many thanks for all your thoughts and reflections.

Nancie Lee said...

Hi Daniel,
I relish seeing a picture of your pi. It was flashed for a moment on 60 Minutes, but I did not get to really sense it. Is there a copy of it somewhere in an article?
With extreme appreciation. Nancie
ucagwuw@yahoo.com