another job done for the next 450 years

Yes, got out of bed at 1:30AM to stand out in the cold back yard to stare at the moon. Sure the Druids did things like this; running naked around Stonehenge at the winter solstice, but most years Wiltshire is a lot warmer than Thornhill in December. Maybe not this year. Anyway, we dressed in sweats and parkas and sipped hot drinks.

It seemed a slow eclipse taking about 90 minutes for the moon to be completely shaded by earth. That was about the same length of time it took the batteries to deplete in the cold (forgot to charge them after the last holiday party). Still, the resident photographer got some good shots (Nikon CoolPix P90). We did see the diamond ring even if we didn't get a picture.

Given it will be a few centuries before this phenomenon repeats, I can go back to sleeping through the longest night of the year for the rest of my expected days on this planet.