Fiona (the children’s “mum”) and I went out to a movie Saturday night. It was a really fun evening out after a relaxing day around the farm. We went out to dinner and to a movie in an upscale theatre that shows mostly independent films. The theatre was made up of small screening rooms with couches, and you can have alcohol or their restaurant’s cuisine during the movie if you desired. No popcorn allowed! I chose to see “Iron Lady” to learn a bit about Margaret Thatcher while sipping a sauvignon blanc. I need to educate myself on British history!
On our drive home, Fiona pointed out a few constellations. The sky was amazing last night! The Milky Way is incredible here- very pronounced and beautiful. Can you tell how much I love a starry sky? The “Southern Cross” is the most famous in this hemisphere. Several southern nations use this constellation as a national symbol, and the stars on New Zealand’s flag represent this constellation. It is also on the Australian flag with an additional star- the extra star is seen more clearly in AU than it is in NZ. She also pointed out "the pot" (which is actually Orion upside-down in this hemisphere) and the North Star which is very obvious here. It shines a golden yellow color, different than the rest of the stars in the sky.
I continue to learn things that boggle my mind- I never knew there are actually different constellations in the Southern Hemisphere sky than what we see in the Northern Hemisphere. I never thought about the fact that I'd be seeing the sky differently than at home. I had been taking the big and little dipper for granted all these years! The other things that still struggle with? Living a day ahead of everyone back home (NZ is very close to the international dateline), and that December 29th, 2011, remains blank in my planner because I lost that day when I traveled here!
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