Full Holi Moon + Lunar Eclipse - March 2025

Spring is on its way!

Holi! Celebrated at the end of winter, on the last full moon day of the Hindu luni-solar calendar month. 

Also Worm Moon.

An eclipse was taking place the night of the full moon, March 14.

I was sleeping soundly. Jet lag had kept me up previous nights but not on this one! On the east coast, the full moon’s several-hour journey toward totality — or a total lunar eclipse — began just after midnight and eclipsed by 2:26 a.m., lasting for about an hour. Photos will have to suffice.

Penguins, Cockatoos, Kookaburras....

So many memorable sightings of Australian birds.

The continent is home to 700 different species. While we didn't see that many (!) there were lots of fine feathers to admire.

• Little Penguins (Melbourne)
• Sulpher Crested Cockatoo (Sydney, Melbourne)
• White Ibis (Sydney, Melbourne)
• Australian Magpies (Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania)
• Galah (Melbourne)
• Great Barren Goose (Melbourne)
• Rosella (Melbourne)
• Kookaburra (Sydney, Manley Beach)
• Nativehen (Tasmania)
• White-faced heron  (Tasmania)
• Pied Cormorant (Tasmania)
• Masked Lapwing (Tasmania, Sydney)
• Black Swan (Tasmania, Sydney)
• Bush Turkey (Sydney)
• Noisy Miner (Sydney)

Great Barren Goose

We took a trip to Phillip Island so we could watch the Little Penguins return to their land burrows at sunset and feed their young. Such shy animals, waiting for the perfect time to exit the ocean. Darting back into the waves at the slightest movement to avoid their predators, and carrying dinner to their chicks. Regurgitating from their beaks into hungry, open mouths. We were lucky enough to see over one hundred making the journey.

Phillip Island was also home to the Great Barren Goose with its pale green beak. Such a small head on its big body! Lots of them wandering around on the road, not very savvy to traffic. Close to extinction in the 1950s, conservation efforts have increased their numbers but they remain one of the planet's rarest geese. 

Heard the Kookaburra laughing in Sydney Botanical Gardens, and got a decent look at one in a tree as we were walking the trail in Watsons Bay. Almost comical with their big heads.

The iconic Australian Magpie has quite a repertoire of sounds, warbling and squeaking and squalking. We were visiting in February, but they can be quite aggressive toward humans in mating season (September), swooping and causing head injuries that have even resulted in deaths. Magpie Alert is a social media site dedicated to tracking activity.

Noisy Miners are both noisy and impressively aggressive for their size. Loved the distinct yellow marking its eyes.

Cockatoo

The first day we arrived in Australia we saw a solitary Sulpher Crested Cockatoo from the sightseeing bus and thought it so unique and exotic. We were soon seeing them everywhere. In Bondi, we watched a couple cockatoos fly into an apartment's open window and wondered if they were thieving.  We were pretty captivated, even by the noisy flocks, but could understand how some people might tire of the cackles. So abundant! Beautiful birds, they can live up to 20-40 years in the wild and more than 70 years in captivity. Although I think a pet cockatoo would be very lonely, indeed.

Galah

Lorikeet

Galah sightings were less frequent, although these birds are fairly common. And the Lorikeet! Brilliant feathers a perfect camouflage in the lush foliage against blue sky.

White Ibis looked more like they belonged in ancient Egypt than on the streets of Melbourne and Sydney. Otherwise known as "bin chickens" for the scavengers they've become. Bush turkeys, another scavenger, were pretty brazenly poking through people's unattended bags at Manley Beach.

White Ibis

Black swans seemed to love the ponds at the Botanical Gardens. They did look rather regal, with their red beaks.

Black Swan

Full Moon Down Under - February 2025

Hearing the loud banging of a drum we climbed the stairs of a restaurant in Sydney Australia's Chinatown and came upon the last day of celebrations for the Chineses Lunar New Year. 

What a joyful celebration! Drums! Lions dancing! People were feeding the them lettuce leaves. Lots of laughter, shouts, and smiles. I learned later that lettuce (or leafy greens) is associated with wealth and prosperity, and this "plucking of the greens" is called choy cheng (採青)... a special part of a lion dance where performers use the mouths of the lion to “eat” a head of lettuce (symbolizing good fortune) and spit it out to spread wealth to the audience. How lucky we were to have chanced upon it.

Later we explored the Chinese Garden of Friendship in the heart of downtown Sydney and, to seal our luck, walked through its Moon Gates. This garden is definitely one of the most beautiful I've ever visited. Such care and attention to detail. Wherever you looked a perfect frame.

Full moon fell in Australia on Feb 13, at :53.  

It was the Snow Moon in Toronto on Feb, 12 8:53.

Same moment different timezones.

Australia

Accommodations, transportation, and (some) day trips booked! 

Toronto > Australia

• air cab limo to Airport
• direct flight, with stopover in Vancouver
• 23 hours! movies, books, music... drink LOTS of WATER & move around
• arrive 2 days later due to time change

Sydney: Hotel Bondi  

• arrive, chill , recover from jet lag & lay on the beach
• train from Sydney to Melbourne, 11 hours to look out the window or read 

Melbourne:  Quincy Hotel

• Day trip: Puffing Billy Railway and Phillip Island Penguin Parade
• Day trip: Great Ocean Road, Shipwreck Coast, Loch And Gorge, 12 Apostles, Great Otway National Park
• things to see:  Botanical Gardens, Southern Cross, Museum of Moving Parts, Farmers Market at Flinders
  
• fly to "Tassy"

Hobart, Tazmania: Moss Hotel

• Saturday Salamanca Market
• Day trip: Port Arthur, Harbour Cruise & Tasman Park
• things to see: Botanical Gardens, Museum of Modern Art, Margate Marina, Victoria Dock, Mount Wellington
• fly to Sydney

Sydney: Boulevard Hotel

• Wedding!!  Welcome Drinks (Bondi Iceburgs) / Wedding (Centennial Park) / "Debrief" (Fields of East, Rugby House)

Bondi 38

• 
  Sydney Opera House performance in the Concert Hall
• more beach time

Australia > Toronto

• fly home & arrive back on the same day we left Australia

Full Wolf Moon / Cold Moon - January 2025

After a relatively mild winter we were hit with a cold snap and sub-zero temperatures, so it is a Cold Moon indeed

Chat Bot AI spits out this haiku

Chill moon in January,
Silver whispers through the night,
Winter's breath held tight.

I much prefer Basho (1687)

The moon glows the same:
  it is the drifting cloud forms
  make it seem to change.

Looking for an image, Google AI assists:

search:  cold moon in a suburban neighbourhood: results 

AI Overview

A moon in a suburban neighborhood can create a serene and enchanting atmosphere. The moon's light can cast long shadows and illuminate the neighborhood, making it feel magical.

Scenes of a moon in a suburban neighborhood

Moonlit street
A quiet suburban street is bathed in a soft, blue glow from the moon. The scene is peaceful and still, with neatly arranged houses on either side of the road.

Moonlit path
A quiet suburban path is illuminated by a bright moon. The path is lined with well-kept lawns and mature trees, and the leaves rustle in the night breeze.

You can find images of a moon in a suburban neighborhood on stock image websites like StockCake and Adobe Stock.

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In the political climate, our embattled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau resigned (Jan. 6), while south of the border Donald Trump's inauguration is scheduled (Jan 20). Uncertain times as Trump is blustering about Canada becoming the 51st state. How different the political climate feels versus the U.S. Democratic victories in the past decade.

ChatBotApp has an appropriate limerick

I

In the north where snowflakes cascade,

Maple syrup and kindness displayed.
If Canada’s next,
In states they’ll connect,
With a "Hey, y’all," as a warm accolade!

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History is present. The future is now. 

Happy 2025.