Australian Thoughts at the Weekend. 3rd October 2009.

Australian Thoughts at the Weekend. 3rd October 2009.

MOONSHINE

Some time ago I subscribed to a free mailing list called Space Weather. For me, the interest is that it tells me what is happening in the sky above me. At various times, it alerts me to stars and planets, and passing space shuttles and the Space Station visible over head in our night sky. It is a Northern Hemisphere website but at times gives information or leads to where I can get information about the Southern Hemisphere Skies.

Early this morning (Saturday) I received this:
Space Weather News for Oct. 2, 2009
http://spaceweather.com

HARVEST MOON: This weekend's full Moon has a special name--the Harvest Moon. It's the full moon closest to the northern autumnal equinox (Sept. 22). In years past, farmers depended on the light of the Harvest Moon to gather ripening crops late into the night. Now we appreciate it mainly for its beauty. Go outside this weekend and enjoy the moonlight.
[ You are subscribed to the Space Weather mailing list, a free service of Spaceweather.com. New subscribers: To sign up for free space weather alerts, click here: http://spaceweather.com/services/ . ]

I like the bit that says “Go outside this weekend and enjoy the moonlight.” I just had a look outside and yes there is a full moon and it is clearly visible in the sky. I might have stayed outside and enjoyed the cool southerly breezes but I have to get on with typing this. The cool breezes are a real relief, too, from the 35c /95c heat on the northerly wind today.

I remember one New Year’s Eve when we had to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge to get to a family gathering. As we crossed the bridge, my wife said to our three year old daughter “Look at the beautiful full moon shining on the harbour”. Her reply “Isn’t it sexy!” completely silenced us. We decided, when we discussed it later, she had learnt something at kindergarten.

It was about 12 months before this when we lived in the central west of New South Wales that I found a full moon was a good time to go rabbit shooting with a friend. The full moon made it easier to see our targets but it also made the bush look great as it shined on leaves. Occasionally too, the moonlight gave a very special effect as it lit up the dew drops on a cobweb between the low trees.

On a good night we would get 50 rabbits. These were divided between the two of us and provided a good supplement to the family budget. Sometimes for my wife and I they replaced the family budget while we waited for the monthly cheque to arrive from Headquarters. Rabbits are a declared pest in Australia and farmers and graziers face fines for having them on their land.

I think we had rabbit in every possible way. My wife and I searched through recipe books and magazines to see if we could find another way to cook chicken which we then converted to a rabbit recipe.

Living, now, as I do on the east coast, it is rather special to watch the huge coppery coloured full moon rise above the sea. An optical illusion makes it look large as it breaks the horizon and then climbs slowly to the sky. Its light dances towards us across the waves as we watch. And passing small boats also look rather different as they are backlit by the moonlight.

When I read this morning of the “Harvest Moon” I thought when as I look at tonight’s full moon here in the Southern Hemisphere, it must be the “Sowing Moon.” I did not do any sowing today, although I had it on my list to sow some tomato and passionfruit seeds, but I did harvest a few tomatoes, lemons and some paw paws (papaya). With our mild winter climate here we can grow and harvest a lot of things all through the year.

I notice that the Harvest Moon allowed farmers to harvest crops at night. At times, I have heard on radio, telephone calls from farmers who are ploughing, sowing or harvesting at night. By what they have said they are not harvesting by the moonlight but sitting in their air-conditioned tractors which are been steered by their Global Positioning System (GPS). (see: http://www.shedmeeting.com.au/gps-harvester-mods-with-gerry-deguara.html ). This is so different to the manual harvesting of many farmers.

There is a gap in many Corps and Church calendars now that we do not celebrate the Harvest Festival. In the past, it was a great time and the festivities included a large display of the product of the harvest, plenty of food treats, and good fellowship. A good musical program or two provided good Christian entertainment as well as reminders of our Christian faith and a God who wonderfully supplies our daily needs.

Many older Salvationists and Christians could tell of Harvest Festival traditions they had encountered over the years. When my wife and I were first married we moved to the country and lived next to the Methodist Church. Their Harvest Festival included a program on the Saturday night, special services on the Sunday and on Monday night they auctioned all the produce in the Harvest Display. The highlight of this auction was the final item. This was always the special Harvest Loaf of Bread. It was made by one of the town’s bakers and was shaped like a sheaf of wheat. The men of the church bid against each other and, even in those days, paid several hundreds of dollars for the loaf.

Across the road at the Salvos we could not do anything to match that. Although I am told that the year before we arrived, the table with all the bottles of jams, pickles and chutneys for sale collapsed just as the musical program was about to start. The resultant heap of glass and sticky mess had to be scooped into buckets and thrown out. The next year a number of people checked that all the glass bottles were on the most firm table we could find.

Harvest Festival gave us great fun but it was a time to remember that God provides for our every need. It is a time of thanksgiving and to thank God for giving us our daily bread.

[look and Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBIazkBB9K4

We plough the fields, and scatter
The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered
By God's almighty hand;
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine,
The soft refreshing rain.

Chorus
All good gifts around us
Are sent from Heaven above:
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
For all his love!

He only is the maker
Of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey him,
By him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, his children,
He gives our daily bread.

We thank thee then, O Father,
For all things bright and good,
The seed time and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food.
Accept the gifts we offer
For all thy love imparts,
And, what thou most desirest,
Our humble, thankful hearts.
Authors: Matthias Claudius (1740-1815)
Translator: Jane Montgomery Campbell (1817-78)
The Salvation Army song Book: Song Number: 935

[Listen: http://www.salvoaudio.com/audio/music/mus_736.mp3 ]

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eves;
Waiting for the harvest and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Chorus
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling breeze,
By and by the harvest and the labor ended,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Go then, though with weeping, sowing for the Master,
Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
When our labor's over, he will bid us welcome;
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Author: Knowles Shaw (1834-78)
The Salvation Army Song Book: Song Number: 930

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