Oh my word. (Polite terminology for blog purposes….)
I actually want to scream with excitement!!!
What a wonderful night to be alive.
The Aurora Borealis slammed earth last night, I follow several FB pages and Aurora Hunters UK & Iceland said there were 5 enormous solar flares all sandwiched together and expected to be a direct hit on earth. He said direct hits are rare but to have 2 M class flares and 3 X class flares, together in one massive hit, is totally unheard of.
We may never see these stats again at least for the next 7 years.
That is the reason I was not going away this weekend.
I was meant to be at home.
I sat out on a seat in the back of the garden after it got dark. Letting my eyes adjust. There was nothing….. except Craig about to get into bed.
I’m in my Auntie Jac’s Christmas onesie and Ugg boots to keep warm. I do look ridiculous!
Some of the running girls can see the Aurora before I can…. It turns out I’m looking the wrong way. Despite being told to look North, this one was distinctly in the south easterly direction!
It started like this….
To the naked eye it looked like wispy clouds but through the phone camera you could see the start of the colours.
I took a lot of photos but the south easterly view from our garden is all trees covering the sky….. I bravely stepped out the front door in Auntie Jac’s Christmas onesie…. I lost count of the amount of cars that saw me. 🤦🏻♀️😂
Faintly at first, it was like a giant rainbow over our village.
At this time, the colours were only visible through the iPhone camera and not visible to the eye.
I’m up the lane over from our house. I should say… that is not our house but a very photogenic subject!
Our lovely village. the colours start to become visible.
It’s moving all the time. I tried to video it but the light is not the same.
It was just breathtaking. I managed to get Craig out of bed so he could see it. Just as well really as I still don’t like the dark much. 😂
The light was changing all the time.
There came a point where it started to fade ever so slightly and we were both shattered…. We decided to head home.
Also so I could show other passing motorists my onesie 🤦🏻♀️😂
It’s right over the house. Just beautiful.
So yeah… 12.30pm I got to bed and 5.30 I woke up… still so full of excitement from the night before. Run club was on at 6.45am and there were 7 of us this morning!
My throat was sore when I woke up so I found it pretty hard this morning… but I still ran my fastest 5k ever thanks to Claire for coming back for me at one point and Michelle for dragging me over the last 20 steps.
I was not buzzing and loving life by the end but I’m very proud of myself for doing it. We ran 5.47k at a 7.54 pace. By comparison the subsequent dog walks were about 15 km/ hr pace.
It is a beautiful hot day. It’s been 18-19°C here today. My blogger friend the Windsor waffle laughs at the Scottish definition of hot! 😂
Bhru and Calaidh first…. I’m coming for you mumma!!
Then Freya and Khaleesi. It was nice and shaded here.
Spotted my neighbour’s beautiful clematis this morning, so lovely against the blue sky.
Craig was working this morning, popped home then was heading out to meet friends in Glasgow.
So I dropped him at the train station and decided to treat myself to a Mocha Jaks strawberry milkshake!!
Sooooo good! I may have had a salad too but this was the best!
It’s the first time I have solo dined anywhere locally…. I did feel a bit odd… but I’m so glad I went as that was my treat for the day.
Mochas was also surprisingly quiet. They suited me… I sat outside.
Since I got home I’ve been lying out in the garden dozing on and off. I had a blanket over me.
When the sun when in, it got a wee bit cooler. When the sun comes out I deblanket if that’s even a word?!? I know it’s not.
I’ve done another 3 washing loads. All the dog blankets are washed now. My machine has been going all weekend 😂
There’s a good Aurora forecast for tonight but it might be cloudy here so we’ll have to wait and see. They’re predicting 10.30pm through to 2.30am. Remember to look at the sky through your phone camera. Look all round tonight as it might not necessarily be north.
Happy Aurora hunting if that’s your thing!
Stay safe everyone 🩵💜🩷
The Rambling Sloth 🦥 
Wow amazing aurora pics, you were lucky. Nothing to see here. Definitely no need of blanket for us even in the shade, another gorgeous 24 degrees C day today, 26 for us tomorrow 😎. We have even used the A/C a little 🤣🤣. Your running commitment is superb, you and your friends are looking very fit! Xx
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Oh wow the aircon is back, that still tickles me! We are back down to 12 tomorrow I think. We can’t have sun without thunderstorms and lashing rain to wash it all away!! Thank you I’m really enjoying the running. I’m one of the slowest but I’m sure I’ll get a bit faster as time goes on! 🏃🏻♀️come to think of it, I am by far the oldest…. Hmmm by about 8 years I think. I will alllow myself to be slower 😂😂 enjoy your scorchio day tomorrow while we get the winter clothes back out again. 😂😘 xx
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I showed my Mum your Aurora pics today and she loved them. I never know whether she will grasp things or not but she totally did. She also liked your running photos as she used to be a PE teacher! She said your dog looked like a really fast runner 🤣and that Claire has a lovely smile. Ted in a tin today had a new tiny Ted friend who had joined him, goodness knows where that came from but made me smile. She is now convinced they will both be stolen imminently.. paranoia is sadly often a part of dementia… x
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Oh Gail that is so lovely to hear. Honestly that has made my day. Bless her. I’m so pleased that she understood it all…. They’re saying it’s a once in a lifetime aurora so I’m so pleased I got to see it.I also love that there are now 4 teds, I wonder if you’ll ever find out where it came from. 😂 thanks for telling me that!! Xx
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If he’s still there next week I will take a photo of the new baby Ted, I do hope someone else in the care home isn’t missing him!?!
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Oh no I never thought of that, I just assumed someone had given it to her. 🤣🤣 Also love that he’s a boy ted 😂 jeez we love our teds don’t we?!? 😘
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I have come over from The Windsor Waffle to see your post of the Aurora Borealis. How lucky you were to experience that. Great pictures. Your post made me chuckle when you were commenting on drivers passing seeing you in your onesie. 😁 You’ve gotta do what you gotta do when it’s between wanting to go to bed and hoping to see the Aurora Borealis.
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Oh Liz, thank you so much for reading, Gail’s post has fair made my day! So nice of her to tag me. We’ve been blog friends for a few years. I love to tell it how it is rather than glorifying the reality…. I was cringing so badly when a car came along with main beams on, highlighting the horrific onesie… but I agree, needs must. It was one of those life changing experiences that I will never forget. 💙🩵💜🩷♥️
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It’s an experience not to miss.
I have never experienced it myself because usually where I live, you don’t see it in the UK. So I didn’t go out to see. I would have been in bed while you were watching it.
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I’m usually in bed by about 9.30pm so it was a huge commitment to stay up that late but thankfully very worthwhile. I stayed up late last night too but there was nothing. Will see what tonight brings… I’m shattered 😂😘
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I am usually in bed by 9pm. Even if it’s not a work night. But yes, staying up for that would be worthwhile if I knew I have a chance seeing it. 🙂
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Thanks so much for signing up to my blog. It means a lot! X
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You’re welcome. 🙂
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