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Location: St Ladoca's Church Church of St Crida St Cuby's Church St Michael Penkevil Church St Rumon’s Church St Philleigh Church St Just in Roseland Church Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls In the Philippines, we religiously and devotedly celebrate Easter. It's a national holiday on a Maundy Thursday and Good Friday plus Black Saturday and Easter Sunday, you end up with 4 days holiday. Bisita Iglesia or the Seven Churches Visitation is a pious Roman Catholic Lenten tradition to visit seven churches on the evening of Maundy Thursday. During the Seven Churches Visitation, the faithful visit several churches – sometimes seven, sometimes fourteen, sometimes no set number depending upon the particular practice – to pray before the Blessed Sacrament in each church. First church for our "Bisita Iglesia" is the St Ladoca's Church. 2nd church for our "Bisita Iglesia" is the Church of St Crida. 3rd church for our "Bisita Iglesia" is the St Cuby's Church. 4th church for our "Bisita Iglesia" is the St Michael Penkevil Church. 5th church for our "Bisita Iglesia" is the St Rumon’s Church. 6th church for our "Bisita Iglesia" is the St Philleigh Church. 7th church for our "Bisita Iglesia" is the St Just in Roseland Church, my favourite church. A legend says that Joseph of Arimathea may have brought Jesus ashore here. Whether that is true or not, many people do feel the presence of God here, just as people have through the centuries. Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday is the start of the main Easter celebrations in the Philippines, which is part of the larger Holy Week celebrations. According to Biblical tradition, Jesus was crucified on the Cross on a Friday (hence, “Good Friday”), and Maundy Thursday commemorates the events leading up to the Crucifixion. Maundy (also known as the “Washing of the Feet”) is a religious rite. A re-enactment of the Lord’s Supper and Jesus washing his disciples’ feet are often observed on this day. Filipinos traditionally visit either seven or 14 churches (this tradition is called visita iglesia or “to visit churches”) where this re-enactment is held. Good Friday Good Friday is part of the Christian Easter Week celebrations (also known as ‘Holy Week’). Good Friday is two days before Easter Sunday, which normally coincides with the March Equinox and may also coincide with the Jewish Passover. Good Friday in the Philippines is a national public holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The crucifixion is symbolised by the Cross and, according to the Biblical Gospels, it was by this ancient form of death penalty that Jesus Christ sacrificed himself and died so that he could save humanity from their sins. Easter is a solemn holiday season and many Filipinos abstain from activities they may deem as ‘worldly’ (e.g. drinking alcohol). On Good Friday, many choose to abstain from eating meat and often pray and fast as part of their religious traditions. Masses are held in the early afternoon to commemorate and reflect on Jesus’ crucifixion. According to Christian scriptures, Jesus died on the cross at 3pm, so it is at this time in the mass that people become silent and meditate on Jesus’ sacrificial death. Catholic Filipinos observe the Stations of the Cross as part of the Good Friday mass. These ‘stations’ are often paintings or sculptures that depict specific moments of Jesus on his way to be crucified. They are also often re-enacted by actors as part of an Easter procession. In the Philippines in particular, some people even go so far as to crucify themselves on a wooden cross to symbolise their devotion, as part of their penance or vow. Black Saturday On “Black Saturday,” preparations are made for the late-night Easter vigil at church. There, the Gloria is sung, and some call it “Glorious Saturday.” In some places, an effigy of Judas is hung and burned up, though sometimes, he is blown to pieces by firecrackers. At midnight, the fasting and mourning ends because it is finally the day on which Christ arose from the grave in victory. A 4am on Easter Morning, a ceremony commemorates the meeting of Mary and Jesus after the Resurrection. The black-veiled image of Mary is unveiled by one or more people dressed up like angels, and sometimes, the veil is tied to balloons or a dove to be carried away in the air. The image of Christ also is unveiled, and flowers and confetti fall down on the statues of both Mary and Jesus. Bells ring and fireworks explode in the sky. Legend has it, however, that if the veil is removed only with difficulty, bad luck will accompany the year to come.
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Location: The Lost Gardens of Heligan Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls After a long day of working infront of my computer updating websites, writing blogs, editing a photoshoot, it's great to have some fresh Cornish air and a walk around the beautiful The Lost Gardens of Heligan. It's also a great chance to renew my annual membership. Too bad, my favourite Magnolia flowers are gone now. But there's still plenty of Daffodils and Camellias. Location: Trelusback Farm Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls The weather had been really lovely. Sunny and warm. I had a wonderful day at Keith Wilson's Trelusback Farm. In the morning, we had a fantastic talk on ORKS, Online wildlife Recording for Kernow and Scilly from our guest speaker Steve Crummay, Chair of The Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Advisory Board. In the afternoon, we had a walk around Keith Wilson's lovely farm. We've seen loads of amazing wildlife. Thank you Keith Wilson for your hospitality. Thank you Steve Crummay for the very informative talk. Thank you Gloria for Purple Buddleia. I had an enjoyable and fun filled day. Location: Roseland Peninsula Pendower-Carne Beach The Quaterdeck, The Nare Hotel Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls March Equinox in Truro, England, United Kingdom is today, Tuesday, 20 March 2018, 16:15 GMT. Equal Day and Night, nearly. The March equinox marks the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator – the imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator – from south to north. This happens on March 19, 20, or 21 every year. There are two equinoxes every year – in March and September – when the Sun shines directly on the equator and the length of night and day are nearly equal. Enjoyable walk at Pendower-Carne Beach to celebrate the Spring Equinox with Rob and Simon. What a gorgeous day, sunny with a slight breeze. After that lovely walk, we need to recharge. We had a scrumptious high tea at "The Quaterdeck in The Nare Hotel" while enjoying the spectacular view of Gerrans Bay.
Location: Grampound Road, Cornwall Photographer: Rowena Castillo Nicholls Videographer: Rob Nicholls These are just some of the amazing wildlife I have in my garden. They are well-fed all throughout the year. It's really great to see them in my garden everyday. Most of my birds loves the Sunflower Hearts, Nyjer Seeds and Suet Balls. I feed my Robins with Sultanas and Mealworm. Location: Hayle Estuary Nature Reserve Species: 1x Pintail, 8x Lapwing, 1x Dunlin, 5x Teal, 10++ Wigeon, 30++ Redshank, 10++ Greenshank 20++ Godwits, 1x Firecrest, 2x Little Egret, 1x Grey Heron and a lot more... Photo Credit: Rowena Castillo Video Credit: Rob Nicholls Location: Botallack Count House, Botallack, Cornwall What a brilliant day!!! Me and Rob Nicholls were so delighted to received "The Swift Long Service Award" and a gorgeous Swift pin badge in recognition of 5 years' volunteering with the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) at the RSPB's Pre-Season get together in Botallack Count House. We also had a lovely coastal walk on the cliffs. Loads of amazing wildlife flying around. When we got home I have a letter confirming that I have been accepted and enrolled in my Teaching course. Hooray. Today is my lucky day. It's going to be a a very busy Spring and Summer season for me. As of this moment, all my days are now officially fully booked. Thank God, I'm good in multi-tasking and I have an excellent time management skill. I can juggle my work, school, my volunteering activities with RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and CBMS (Cornwall Butterfly and Moth Society). But the most important thing is, I love what I'm doing and I enjoy every moment. It gives me happiness, contentment and self satisfaction. God is great, all the time! He answers all our prayers. Location: Porth Reservoir, Newquay, Cornwall Species: Kingfisher, Great-crested Grebe, Tufted Duck, Golden Eye, Mallard Duck, Moorhen and a lot more... Location: Porthscatho Harbour Species: Long-tailed Duck, Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Cormorant and Rock Pipit Photo Credit: Rowena Castillo Video Credit: Rob Nicholls Location: Tresillian River near Malpas Gannel Estaury Trenance Boating Lake Species: Avocet, Curlew, Greenshank, Redshank and Bar-tailed Godwit, Truro River near Malpas Avocet, Curlew, Little Egret, Grey Heron and Shellduck, Gannel Estuary Ring-billed Gull, Mallard Duck and Moorhen, Trenance Boating Lake Photo Credit: Rowena Castillo Video Credit: Rob Nicholls There's been a lot of sightings of the AVOCET lately. For the past few days, we've been going to the Tresillian River to see the 2x Avocets over there. We also went to the Gannel Estuary and saw 1x Avocet. Love this pretty birds. Note: Photos are not sooo clear coz the birds were miles away from where I am standing. Location: Fraddon Village Hall Thank you to everyone who attended the Cornwall Butterfly & Moth Society Annual General Meeting at Fraddon Village Hall today most especially to the following: Dave Conway for agreeing to chair the AGM, Debi Phillips and Russell Hemmings for the catering (the cakes and sausage rolls were delicious), Richard and Felicia Mary Jones from the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Madeline Lowe, Pat James and Tony James from the Cornwall Moth Group for bringing some stick insects and some of their collection, Lee Slaughter and Lisa Slaughter for the book stall, John Chappel and Kate Jones for lending and setting up the projector. Special thanks to the 3 brilliant speakers - The Bude Water Vole Project by Teagen Hill of Westland Countryside Stewards, Our Return to Langkawi Island by Tony James and Life of a Keeper and our Conservation Projects by Sarah-Jayne Cooke of Paradise Park. Welcome to the new trustee: Andrew Carey and Simon Riley. Congratulations to all the lucky winners of the raffle and the auction. Money goes to purchasing a bench in memory of our honorary chairman, Barry Ofield Swan Reflection Location: Tresillan River Photo Credit: Rowena Castillo-Nicholls Video Credit: Rob Nicholls Nature Reflection Location: Tresillan River Photo Credit: Rowena Castillo-Nicholls Video Credit: Rob Nicholls Truro Cathedral Reflection Location: Truro Photo Credit: Rowena Castillo-Nicholls Video Credit: Rob Nicholls Location: Grampound Road Species: Lapwing Saw these lovely Lapwings flying overheard from our garden so we follow them on the field and saw 30+++ feeding on the ground. Such a beautiful bird. The Lapwing is one of our largest waders, about pigeon-sized, and is also known as the Peewit or Green Plover. From a distance the Lapwing appears black above and white below, but closer observation will reveal the upperparts as a beautiful iridescent dark green and purple. The breast and cheeks are white and under-tail coverts are orange-brown. The legs are pink. The throat is black in the summer and white in winter. Also in the winter, the back feathers have buff edges giving them a scaly appearance. Males and females are similar, except the male's crest is longer and they have blacker breasts and whiter faces. Juveniles have a shorter crest and a very scaly back. They have a slow wing beat that doesn't appear enough to keep them aloft. In the spring, amazing aerobatic displays comprising zigzagging flight, rolls and dives. Location: Home Sweet Home, Grampound Road, Cornwall Time to get energized before going out for a walk. Roast potatoes, roast pork chops with onions marinated overnight with garlic, smoked paprika, turmeric and olive oil plus tomato, lettuce and cucumber salad. Happy tummy Location: Grampound Road Today, 1 March 2018 is the start of spring if you follow the meteorological calendar. Bu it feels like it's the start of winter. Hahaha... Had an amazing time walking around our village. More soft fluffy snow falling today. I really had an enjoyable and fun-filled day feeding and taking photos of the birds in my garden. ❄❄❄ Let it snow ❄ ❄ ❄ let it snow ❄ ❄ ❄ let it snow ❄ ❄ ❄... When does spring start? How you define the first day of spring depends on whether you follow the astronomical or meteorological seasons. This year, spring will take place between March 20 and June 21, if you use the astronomical method. But it starts slightly earlier, between March 1 and May 31, if you follow the meteorological calendar. How is the date for spring decided? There are two different methods used for determining the dates of the seasons, the astronomical or meteorological method. The Met Office tend to use the meteorological seasons, these are based on the annual temperature cycle and the state of the atmosphere. The meteorological seasons also co-ordinate with the calendar ad they consist of splitting the year into four three month seasons. Using this system the seasons are defined as: Spring (March, April, May), Summer (June, July, August), Autumn (September, October, November) and Winter (December, January, February). By this system, spring starts on March 1 and runs through until May 31. Why do the dates of spring change each year? The other system is to use the astronomical seasons. These refer to the position of Earth's orbit in relation to the sun taking into account equinoxes (when the length of the day is exactly the same as the length of the night) and solstices (the longest and shortest days of the year). If you want to get technical, the astronomical calendar determines the seasons by when the Earth's rotational axis is at a 23.5 degree in relation to its orbit around the sun. By this system spring starts on March 20 and runs through until June 21. What causes the seasons? The seasons are due to the Earth rotating around the Sun. The way the Earth rotates means that certain areas of the globe are tilted towards the Sun while other parts are tilted away from it. This means there are different levels of sunlight reaching each part of the globe, causing the seasons. |
