Rose hip

The rose hip are fruits from a rose bush. These berries are found in many colours and when ripe, they can be red, orange, black and purple. They can be found all around the world in different temperatures, and they can even last into Winter. These berries become ready food for wild animals. Wild edible berries, rose hips are used in cooking, desserts, side dishes and jams. Rosy red sandwiches and cakes, biscuits and jelly. Rose-hips can be used to make tea, fruit juice and wine. People in prehistory began using rose hip berries to make jam. 

It's been associated with love. Rose-hips are popular in Iceland as these are considered berries that symbolise true love. In folklore, the belief in tying a red ribbon around a bunch of roses and rose bush sticks with rose hip berries on a Friday would attract love in a person's life. 

Rose hips have been used as a form of natural medicine to treat painful menstrual cycles in women, tummy aches, headaches and the flu. In England, rose hips were a treatment for scurvy. In America, indigenous tribes used rose hip berries to treat infections and other ailments. Some believe that the seeds of rose hips can protect against bad dreams. In Medieval times, rose hip berries were worn as amulets to protect against evil. Sometimes rose hips were used for naughty pranks. Mischief makers removed fibre from rose hip berries to make itching powder. 

Storm Valkyrie

A warm greeting

 

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

May everyone enjoy a lovely cherished time close to your heart.

XXX

Storm Valkyrie 

A parade of planets

 There is an alignment of planets in our night sky. Several of them, such as Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will be visible to us. We could see it with the naked eye, unless there are clouds, but better still through a telescope. This big alignment is rare and also called a Planet Parade. It is like a carnival of the sky, which is a fun thing to see if you enjoy stargazing. Each planet in the solar system all travel on orbits, or individual paths, journeying around the sun. While we're here seeing them tonight lining up together, these planets are not actually doing this in space, its' just that our perspective can see them that way. The planets move at different speeds and they're the same distance away from each other as they've always been. The planet parade are not actually coming together to sit up there in the arena. It only appears this way when looking at it from down here on Earth.

So from now there will be six planets showing in the night sky. Later in February 2025 there will be a total of seven planets in the starry alignment when Mercury joins them. This also includes the moon so that makes it eight celestial bodies. This has happened at an important time, in January the first month of the Gregorian calendar and during celebrations of the Chinese New Year, significantly the Year of the Wood Snake. The planetary line will be in the form of a snake and the snake is symbolic of transformation, healing, wisdom and rebirth. 

The planetary parade has come also at the end of January after the destructive wildfires in California, unrest in the United Kingdom and the hostile events at the Gaza Strip. The planets lining together could be taken as a form of mystical time for balance. As there will be seven eventually, this is like the chakra system alignment. There's seven chakras for healing, yoga and meditation. The planet parade could also be taken as a different sort of meaning, if thinking another angle. It's not only just us looking at the planets on show, but the planets looking back at us! A symbolic event that might also be judgement. The planets (named after gods) will observe everything here on Earth.   

Storm Valkyrie 

Rain

 

The Clouds are shedding tears of joy,

They fall with rhythmic beat

Upon the earth, and soon destroy

Dust dunes and waves of heat.

Each falling drop enforcement bears

To river, lake and rill,

And sweet refreshment gladly shares

With wooded dell and hill.

Every flower, bud and leaf,

Each blossom, branch and tree

Distills the rain, 'tis my belief

To feed the honey bee.

I pity every wretch I find

Who, frowning in disdain,

Is deaf and dumb and also blind

To beauty in the rain.

Rain poem by Raymond Garfield Dandridge

Storm Valkyrie