http://www.birdandbee.co.uk BirdandBee : Blog http://www.birdandbee.co.uk/Blog/2009/10/29/firewood/ Firewood - Old Folklore Poem Beechwood fires burn bright & clear,If the logs are kept a year,Chestnut only good they say, If for long, it’s laid away,But Ash new or Ash old, Is fit for Queen with crown of Gold,Birch & Fir logs burn too fast, Blaze up bright and do not last, It is by the Irish said, Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread, Elmwood burns like churchyard Mold, E’en the very flames are cold, But Ash green or Ash Brown, Is fit for Queen with Golden Crown,Poplar gives a bitter Smoke, Fills your eyes and makes you choke,Apple wood will scent your room, With an incense like perfume,Oaken logs if dry and old, Will keep away the winter’s cold, But Ash wet or Ash dry, A king shall warm his slippers by. Trees ENGLISH OAK Quercus robur Probably the best known tree in Britain and an important feature of the English landscape. They live for hundreds of years and have always been important for their timber. The wood has been used to build ships, houses and furniture, but is also renowned for its use in casks for maturing wines and spirits..... Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:59:00 GMT http://www.birdandbee.co.uk/Blog/2009/10/29/the-moon/ Bird&Bee’s Moon The Moon has an immense force on us, animals, the seas & oceans of Earth, it fires the imagination and gives light to us in the dark of the night. At a distance of 240,000 miles, the Moon is our nearest heavenly neighbour. Her radius is 1,080 miles compared to our Earth’s radius at 3,960 (a ratio of 3:11). The Moon is not perfectly spherical & consequently the same face is always looking at us. This gives her a ‘Dark Side’ unseen from Earth. The orbital plain of the Moon is tilted from Earth’s by 5.15o enabling periodical eclipses to occur and a fluctuation of altitude, moonrises and moonsets. Something in the Water We are all 78% water at birth and Earth is 75% covered in water - a coincidence you might say - not so. The gravitational pull of the Moon has a considerable effect on us as it does with the ebb and flow of the oceans & tides. Heed it’s movements well and you will be in step with the wax and wane of nature throughout the year. Using the Moon Cycle Different folk use the Moon cycles for all manner of uses. From checking there own cycles, looking for the next full moon, finding the next eclipse, astrological divining, planting and gardening by the moon, determining the rising or setting of the sun, or as an astronomical waymarker in the passing of time. We hope you find it both useful and a joy to look at ­­­throughout the wax and wane of the year. A Day in the Life of the Moon If you live by the sea you are made instantly aware of the power of the Moon, whose invisible hold draws the waters in & out twice daily. Our atmosphere & even the Earths crust are also susceptible to the grip the Moon has on Earth.The Lunar Day is the time between two moon rises. The moon rises roughly 52 minutes later each day. There are two, synchronized tides each lunar day, so each high tide is 26 minutes later every 12 hours. High tides always occur at the same two opposite positions of the moon in the sky at any given location (one being below the horizon). There are 28.5 lunar days therefore 57 tides in each lunar cycle. Lunar & Solar Eclipses A strange coincidence that the Sun & the Moon appear the same size to us earthlings. The Suns diameter, 400 times larger than the moon, is 400 times further away. Solar eclipses occur when the New Moon passes directly between the Sun & the Earth and can only be seen in daytime and casts a narrow corridor of shadow across the Earth. Totality, lasting only a few minutes instilling a sense of elemental wonder in all who are lucky enough to witness this astronomical event. A Lunar Eclipse simulates a whole lunar cycle within hours when the Full Moon passes through the shadow of Earth, visible to all on the night side of the Earth. The two places in a month where the Moon crosses the Ecliptic are lunar nodes. If this happens during a new moon a solar eclipse occurs, during a full moon a lunar eclipse is visible. Eclipses can only occur at this time. This was the way the ancients could trace the ecliptic along the sky; they marked the places where eclipses could occur. Solstices and Equinoxes Longest & shortest days of the year (usually 21st June & 22nd December) are the Summer & Winter Solstices. Equinoxes lie between the solstices balancing daytime& nightime all over the earth. The sun rises exactly in the East & sets exactly in the West (usually on 21st March & 23rd September) on a straight horizon.These events naturally divide the year into quarters, giving four seasons of 91 days. Lunar & Solar Ingress When a planet moves exactly into the first degree (00°00’00”) of a particular zodiacal sign, a chart is then calculated for a particular location. If you do an astrometeorological forecast for London then the ingress chart is coordinated and set for London. Pagan Festivals The mid-points within these quarters are marked as festival days by the ancients, Imbolc (or Oimelc, two names which refer to the lactation of the ewes, the flow of milk that heralds the return of the life-giving forces  of spring), Beltane (derived from ‘biltene’or “lucky fire” because to jump between two Beltane fires was sure to bring good fortune, health to your livestock, and prosperity), Lughnasadh (The Celtic harvest festival takes its name from the  Irish god Lugh, one of the chief gods of the Tuatha De Danann) & Samhain (marking the beginning of a whole new Celtic cycle known today as Halloween). Pagan Moons To each Lunar month a name in was assigned in accordance with the nature of the activity that took place at that time.The Moon of deepest Winter is the Wolf Moon, and its name recalls a time when our ancestors gathered close around the hearth fire as the silence of the falling snow was pierced by the howling of wolves. The Storm Moon comes in silence. Storms blanket the world in coldness, but beneath the blanket of cold & silent snow, Mother Nature sleeps. The Chaste Moon an antiquated word for pure, reflects the custom of greeting the new year with clarity. All of Nature at the waxing of the Seed Moon is pure potential waiting to be fulfilled. As the Hare Moon waxes full, observe the rabbits leaping and the hares sprinting, carefree in their mating and joyful in their games. The Dryad Moon refers to the twin constellations of Castor & Pollux. A time when all things meet their opposites in balance and harmony.A time to gather in the herbs and give thanks to Natures abundance and give an offering under the Blessing Moon. As the Corn Moon progresses the days are hot and late afternoon thunderstorms that bring the cooler air also bring about the ripening of the crop. The Harvest Moon nearest the Autumnal Equinox brings a feast from the yearly harvest to the table. Blood Moon marks the season when domestic animals were sacrificed for winter provisions. As the Winter Sun wanes and the Birch Moon waxes full, the birch-like white of winter sets in. Under Oak Moon the sacred tree of the Druids is most noble as it withstands winter’s blasts..... Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:55:00 GMT http://www.birdandbee.co.uk/Blog/2009/10/30/bird-and-bee-full-moon-newsletter/ Birch Moon: (18th October 05:33 - 16th November 19:13) Full Moon: 2nd November 19:14 Hello Friend, Autumnal greetings from Bird&Bee. Bird&Bee have been busy bees this year. We have a brand new website which is packed with pictures, blogs, knowledge bank, commissions, projects we're working on and a new shoppe! All 2010 Moon Stock is in and ready for order. We have some special offers on too at the moment. We will be releasing special offers with every Full Moon News Letter. The Moon Mug has landed - beautiful, brand new product. Firewood Collection Prints available now - brand new product. New Website launched today - Please give us your feedback. 2010 Moon Calendars available now. This year sees Bird&Bee approaching 10 years of producing The Original and Unique Lunar Wheel Moon Calendar. We also have some brand new and exciting products designed and made by Bird&Bee. Come take a look. Lunar Wheel 2010 Calendar Poster Lunar Wave 2010 Calendar Card Moon Mug 2010 Calendar Mug Brand new Website - www.birdandbee.co.uk With the new found freedoms of being solely self-employed and the pressures of modern family life in Britain to contend with, we have finally got around to updating our old website. Much loved as the old one was - it was time to add more functionality and content to it! The new site is designed to be easy to navigate and have flowing and updated content. Please give us your feedback! Tea & Wisdom "Put the kettle on, make a brew, step out into the night and consider the Cosmos a while..." Bird&Bee loves a cup of tea - especially Earl Grey - my hot beverage of choice! Over the years we have been asked many a time if we will make an annual moon calendar to go on the side of a mug. This took time to develop as we wanted it shiny and of a very high quality! Now we have found a way to do this successfully and make it work - we hope you like it. The style of the mug was also important as some are too big, some too small; some to thick to drink from and some too thin. We think we have got it just right. The Moon Mug is made right here in Britain - NOT produced over seas and shipped thousands of miles across the oceans. How it is cheaper to do this does not make any sense - let's keep production here in Britain! Moon Mug 2010 Firewood for Free Politics has gone mad, money is scarce, MP's are struggling to claim their expenses and, amazingly we may be faced with a change in the law to stop us from foraging for deadfall wood to heat our homes (a civic law that has been around since the Magna Carta - c.1215). With all the goings on in Beautiful Britain this year it is sometimes difficult to see the wood for the trees. In the last few years there has been a resurgence in the use of wood burners, multi-fuel stoves and open fires to heat our homes. A sustainable, cheap and a more human way of heating our homes! 'Bird&Bee's Firewood Collection' is born. A fireside guide to burning our most sustainable heat source - wood! The gold inlaid prints will glimmer by the fireside whilst intriguing anyone with an open fire, a stove or just a love of wood & trees. Take a look here. Written and Designed by Bird&Bee it depicts our 40 British Trees and their characteristics as firewood. Bird&Bee's Firewood Collection Special Offers To kick start the new website we will be offering some special offers every new moon. The Birch Moon Special Offer will give you free shipping on orders over £50 and we will also pay the credit/debit card processing fees (4%) up until the next Full Moon (2nd November 19:14 - 2nd December 07:30). Payments are made via PayPal, which you will be directed to when you complete your order from our Shoppe. You do not have to be a member of Paypal to pay!.... Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:42:00 GMT http://www.birdandbee.co.uk/Blog/2009/11/6/bbordering-issues/ Hello from Bird&Bee. A few of my valued customers are having some difficulty in ordering through the site. We are working hard to rectify some of the little idiosyncrasies that are cropping up with the new system. It is inevitable that there would be a few teething problems but we are on it and working through them. I am going through the process regularly to make it more user friendly but rest assured you can still order form us in other ways: 1: you can email your order to me at shoppe@birdandbee.co.uk 2: You can post your order to: Bird&BeePO Box 3237SheffieldS11 9WJ  Please include your order, your postal address and a cheque for the order amount. You can work this out in the shopping cart or by emailing me.   Light my FireVery much looking forward to a big fire and some sky rockets tomorrow night. We go to our local backwater 'Chelsea Park' on Brincliffe Edge. A gathering that seems to grow and grow over the years. Last night I visited my sister and family in Notts - we went down to Forest Fields to see the Big City Show - slightly short due to cut backs me thinks but great never the less. Stepping outside early this morning, the smell of gunpowder and sulphur was still clinging to the air. .... Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:14:00 GMT http://www.birdandbee.co.uk/Blog/2009/11/18/problems-ordering-use-the-simple-shoppe/ If you are experiencing difficulties ordering  - click on the link below and submit your order request directly to me. http://www.birdandbee.co.uk/shoppe/simple-shoppe/ I will then send a payment request to you. You can make payment via Paypal or any Debit/Credit Card and I will process your order and post it straight out. Thanks for your patience - I am working hard to resolve the issues with the new system. RyanBird&Bee .... Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:14:00 GMT http://www.birdandbee.co.uk/Blog/2009/11/20/the-winds-a-whistlin-through-the-keyhole/ Now and again the wind becomes so extreme around NO13 (our house) that the wind begins to whistle through our keyhole. With every severe gust it manages to make it's way to the back door and produce a shrill note that reminds us of the forces at work outside. It has become a welcoming and familiar sound but also a reminder of extreme weather conditions that seems to have increased over the years. With floods in Cumbria and Scotland this year already and countless hurricanes and floods around the world we are reminded of the shear force of nature and of the issues risen around climate change. The houses that nestle on the cliff tops on the east coast of  Norfolk are teetering on the edge and may well be gone soon. We visited this place in the summer and whilst the romantic notion of living this close to the sea has great appeal, living in this place must fraught with worry and the inevitability of a watery end to life on the edge. High tides that a drawn in under the full moon around the time of the Equinox are particularly worrisome. This is the time when severe erosion is more likely to occur. In 2007 in Sheffield, we had a major flood that filled the 'Wicker' area for four days and brought central Sheffield to a standstill - buckling roads and leaving debris in it's wake. Over the last two weeks the tree lined streets where we live have changed so dramatically - one day covered in autumnal shades from green to deep red - the next bare branches and tree fall all over the roads and pavements. Is the weather getting more extreme where you are? B&B      .... Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:42:00 GMT http://www.birdandbee.co.uk/blog/2009/11/20/new-moon-news/ New Moon: 16th November 19:14 Full Moon: 2nd December 07:30Blue Moon: 31st December 19:13 Lunar Eclipse: 31st December 19:22 Hello Friend, Welcome to Bird&Bee’s news update.  We hope you are all well and coping with the weather, the sniffles and the onset of Christmas!We are at an exciting time at the moment with Christmas Markets hotting up, the ‘Word on the Street’ sculpture trail planning application going in next week, Creative Practitioner work underway in local schools and we have run out of Moon Mugs (don’t worry more have arrived!). Our Full Moon/New Moon Newletter will give you a flavour of what we are up to, what is happening in the night sky at the moment and any insights offered up in the process of creation….thanks for looking! RyanBird&Bee Tonight's Sky Sun: Rises: 07:40, Sets: 16:02Moon: Waxing Crescent Rises: 11:12 Sets: 18:49Meteor showers: The Leonids can still be seen tonight. Look towards the constellation Leo in the West this evening.Planets: Tonight you can see Jupiter, low in the south west; Mars is visible in the East later tonight   The Moon The Blue Moon’s a coming… A blue moon is a full moon that is not timed to the regular monthly pattern. Most years have twelve full moons, which occur approximately monthly, but in addition to those twelve full lunar cycles, each calendar year contains an excess of roughly eleven days. The extra days accumulate, so that every two or three years there is an extra full moon in the same month. This extra moon is called a blue moon and makes its appearance on New Years Eve this year with the added bonus of a Lunar Eclipse! Lunar Eclipse The Moon will be above the horizon for the duration of the Eclipse and is visible from all over Europe, Africa and Asia. Start looking on New Years Eve from 18:30 UT (GMT).Detailed explanation of the 2009 lunar eclipse Website Updates “Thanks Ryan & Sarah, They’re Fabulous! I had a lunar wave card from you last year, so I took a look at your website this time. My husband particularly loved the Firewood poster. I'm part way through a nutritional therapist course in which cleansing in the lunar cycle is recommended, so it's great to have an easy to see yearly calendar. Thanks again.” – Web customer To take a look at the Firewood Collection PrintsThank you to all who have visited our new website in the last couple of weeks. We have lots more to do on it yet, including adding a portfolio of all our current and past projects, tweaking the web shoppe and developing the Miscellanea section as a knowledge bank.Some of you have had problems in using the web shoppe but we have been working hard to iron out the idiosyncratic creases that are inevitable with these things. We have also added a ‘Simple Shoppe’ for anyone who still has difficulties.Send me your order and I will then send a payment request to you. You can make payment via Paypal or any Debit/Credit Card and I will process your order and post it straight out. Christmas Gift Ideas Moon Packs We are offering Moon Packs this year, consisting of a Lunar Wheel Moon Calendar, Moon Mug and Lunar Wave Card all for £18! That’s a saving of £3. Perfect for any Moon Lover. Take a look here Moon Mugs Moon Mugs are proving to be very popular this year - our first year of making them! We have sold out of our first batch so we have made some more in time for Christmas. With a deep blue glaze and a white inner, in fired mirror silver, with silver guilt rim - they make the perfect gift for moon lovers and tea drinkers alike. Why not go for something truly unique and original this year – it’s the only moon mug there is! See the Moon Mug - 4 Pack now available: Save £8 Firewood Collection A fireside guide to burning our most sustainable heat source...wood! The gold inlaid prints will glimmer by the fireside whilst intriguing anyone with an open fire, a stove or just a love of wood & trees. £7 each. Reduce your heating bill and heat your home for free! Firewood Collection Peace & Love at Christmas We have introduced a Christmas card bundle this year. Why not send out Peace & Love to all this Christmas. With their vibrant colours and shiny gold and silver foil they are the perfect festive card.These shiny double folded cards come with their own transparent envelope and are made using Wind Power. You can now buy a pack of 10 cards for £12   Enjoyed this Newsletter? Forward it to a friend! The Bird&Bee insignia encompasses: the Bird and Air in the North,
the Dragonfly and Fire in the East,
the Fish and Water in the South
and the Hare and Earth in the West -
all of which revolve and flow into one another. We endeavour to take traditional knowledge from nature and experience and turn it into beautiful design that is both aesthetic and useful, whilst treading as lightly as possible on planet Earth. To us, there is no point in producing anything that isn’t both useful and sustainable. We print everything on paper that has been produced by harnessing the power of the Wind and using 100% recycled paper. Please send us your comments, thoughts and ideas to:Bird&BeePO BOX 3237SheffieldS11 9WJOr you can contact us via email.... Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:25:00 GMT http://www.birdandbee.co.uk/blog/2009/12/1/a-new-decade-awaits/ As the ‘Noughties’ draw to a close we can leave behind us the misdemeanors that have occurred in the last 10 years. Some pretty bad decisions have been made on our behalf, around war and civil rights. We must look to the new decade now as a time to learn from those mistakes and forge a new way ahead. What will the new decade be called? Perhaps the ‘Tens’ or the ‘Teens’! .... Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:05:00 GMT http://www.birdandbee.co.uk/blog/2009/12/2/full-moon-news/ Full Moon: 2nd December 07:30 Half Moon Waning: 9th December 00:13 New Moon: 16nd December 12:02 Half Moon Waxing: 24th December 17:36 Blue Moon: 31st December 19:13 Lunar Eclipse: 31st December 19:22 Hello Friend, Welcome to Bird&Bee's news update. December is here and a whole new decade awaits us - a very special time indeed. We witness the passing of a year, the passing of a decade and a rare occurrence of a Blue Moon and a Lunar Eclipse. So make use of it! As the 'Noughties' draw to a close we can leave behind us the misdemeanors that have occurred in the last 10 years. Some pretty bad decisions have been made on our behalf, around war and civil rights. We must look to the new decade now as a time to learn from those mistakes and forge a new way ahead. What will the new decade be called? Perhaps the 'Tens' or the 'Teens'! We are working very hard at the moment, getting all your orders out within 48 hours. We have just got the next lot of Moon Mugs completed so we will be able to get these out to you within 48 hours now as well. If you happen to be in Nottingham over the next few days then look out for us at the Christmas Market (2nd - 5th Dec) and the Netheredge Farmers Market (Sunday 6th Dec). Any friends who are in and around Sheffield who wish to avoid the Christmas Post please get in touch with me and you can come to No. 13 and collect them in person. If anyone would like any Reclaimed Oak Frames made for Christmas then please get in touch as soon as possible - to give me time to make them. Ryan Bird&Bee Christmas 'Last Posting Dates' These are our recommended Christmas, Last Postal Dates - so please place your orders by 5.00pm the day before: 2nd Class UK & Channel Islands - Friday 18th December 2009 1st Class UK & Channel Islands - Monday 21st December 2009 Airmail Europe - Saturday 12th December 2009 Airmail USA - Thursday 10th December 2009 To avoid disappointment order early. Tonight's Sky Sun: Rises: 07:58, Sets: 15:51 Moon: Full. Rises: 14:34 Sets: 07:22 Meteor showers: Non visible. Planets: Jupiter is visible in the South, Southwest in the early evening. Later on Mars is visible, low in the East - moving towards the South in the early hours. Saturn can be glimpsed too, low in the Southeast in the early hours.     The Full Moon 2nd December The Sun is in Sagittarius and the Moon is in Gemini. The Sun, Moon and Saturn are very prominent in the sky, so I imagine it will be a powerful full Moon. The Blue Moon on New Years Eve A very special time indeed. The passing of a year, the passing of a decade and a rare occurrence of a Blue Moon and an Eclipse. So make use of it! This is a great time to put your intentions into full force. Use the evening to concentrate on the things you want to manifest in the coming year and the coming decade. Shed those negative thoughts and use this powerful time to lay waste to old patterns, create a clear picture of your intent for you and your loved ones, then release them with the Eclipse and setting of the Full Moon. Then let the new Decade begin! A blue moon is a full moon that is not timed to the regular monthly pattern. Most years have twelve full moons, which occur approximately monthly, but in addition to those twelve full lunar cycles; each calendar year contains an excess of roughly eleven days. The extra days accumulate, so that every two or three years there is an extra full moon in the same month. This extra moon is called a blue moon and makes its appearance on New Years Eve this year with the added bonus of a Lunar Eclipse! Lunar Eclipse - The Moon will be above the horizon for the duration of the Eclipse and is visible from all over Europe, Africa and Asia. Start looking on New Years Eve from 18:30 UT (GMT). View a detailed explanation of the 2009 lunar eclipse Christmas Gift Ideas Moon Packs We are offering Moon Packs this year, consisting of a Lunar Wheel Moon Calendar, Moon Mug and Lunar Wave Card all for £18! That’s a saving of £3. Perfect for any Moon Lover. Take a look here Moon Mugs Moon Mugs are proving to be very popular this year - our first year of making them! We have sold out of our first batch so we have made some more in time for Christmas. With a deep blue glaze and a white inner, in fired mirror silver, with silver guilt rim - they make the perfect gift for moon lovers and tea drinkers alike. Why not go for something truly unique and original this year – it’s the only moon mug there is! See the Moon Mug - 4 Pack now available: Save £8 Firewood Collection A fireside guide to burning our most sustainable heat source...wood! The gold inlaid prints will glimmer by the fireside whilst intriguing anyone with an open fire, a stove or just a love of wood & trees. £7 each. Reduce your heating bill and heat your home for free! Firewood Collection Peace & Love at Christmas We have introduced a Christmas card bundle this year. Why not send out Peace & Love to all this Christmas. With their vibrant colours and shiny gold and silver foil they are the perfect festive card.These shiny double folded cards come with their own transparent envelope and are made using Wind Power. You can now buy a pack of 10 cards for £12   Enjoyed this Newsletter? Forward it to a friend! The Bird&Bee insignia encompasses: the Bird and Air in the North,
the Dragonfly and Fire in the East,
the Fish and Water in the South
and the Hare and Earth in the West -
all of which revolve and flow into one another. We endeavour to take traditional knowledge from nature and experience and turn it into beautiful design that is both aesthetic and useful, whilst treading as lightly as possible on planet Earth. To us, there is no point in producing anything that isn’t both useful and sustainable. We print everything on paper that has been produced by harnessing the power of the Wind and using 100% recycled paper. Please send us your comments, thoughts and ideas to:Bird&BeePO BOX 3237SheffieldS11 9WJOr you can contact us via email .... Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:05:00 GMT http://www.birdandbee.co.uk/blog/2009/12/18/full-moon-news/ Friday 18th December 2009 Bird&Bee's Full Moon News Half Moon Waxing: 24th December 17:36 Blue Moon: 31st December 19:13 Lunar Eclipse: 31st December 19:22 Hello Friend, I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish one and all a Superb Solstice, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I will be celebrating the Blue Moon, Eclipse and the coming of the New Year at Lindisfarne, Holy Island. SO, wherever you may be, look out at 19:30 and see if you can see a shadow creeping across the Blue Moon! Most of us are under a cold snap at the moment so it seems strange to be having the most important meeting in Climate Change history in Copenhagen. We - the people, need to show our support for what might turn out to be the most important human endeavour in modern history - limiting the effects industry and politics has on our planet. You can visit the link to the petition below and sign up - it is already at 11 million people and is now the biggest petition of all time! There has never been a more important time to add your name - our message is being delivered to leaders at the Copenhagen climate summit later this week. Please add your voice P.S. Just to let you know we can still post out for Xmas up to Monday the 21st December. If you don't need anything for Christmas we will be checking in over the holiday to complete orders but back to business on Monday 4th January 2010. Thanks and see you in 2010! Ryan Bird&Bee Christmas 'Last Posting Dates' 2nd Class UK & Channel Islands - Friday 18th December 2009 1st Class UK & Channel Islands - Monday 21st December 2009 The Blue Moon on New Years Eve A very special time indeed. The passing of a year, the passing of a decade and a rare occurrence of a Blue Moon and an Eclipse. So make use of it! This is a great time to put your intentions into full force. Use the evening to concentrate on the things you want to manifest in the coming year and the coming decade. Shed those negative thoughts and use this powerful time to lay waste to old patterns, create a clear picture of your intent for you and your loved ones, then release them with the Eclipse and setting of the Full Moon. Then let the new Decade begin! A blue moon is a full moon that is not timed to the regular monthly pattern. Most years have twelve full moons, which occur approximately monthly, but in addition to those twelve full lunar cycles; each calendar year contains an excess of roughly eleven days. The extra days accumulate, so that every two or three years there is an extra full moon in the same month. This extra moon is called a blue moon and makes its appearance on New Years Eve this year with the added bonus of a Lunar Eclipse! Lunar Eclipse - The Moon will be above the horizon for the duration of the Eclipse and is visible from all over Europe, Africa and Asia. Start looking on New Years Eve from 18:30 UT (GMT). View a detailed explanation of the 2009 lunar eclipse Christmas Gift Ideas Moon Packs We are offering Moon Packs this year, consisting of a Lunar Wheel Moon Calendar, Moon Mug and Lunar Wave Card all for £18! That's a saving of £3. Perfect for any Moon Lover. Take a look here Moon Mugs Moon Mugs are proving to be very popular this year - our first year of making them! We have sold out of our first batch so we have made some more in time for Christmas. With a deep blue glaze and a white inner, in fired mirror silver, with silver guilt rim - they make the perfect gift for moon lovers and tea drinkers alike. Why not go for something truly unique and original this year - it's the only moon mug there is! See the Moon Mug - 4 Pack now available: Save £8 Firewood Collection A fireside guide to burning our most sustainable heat source...wood! The gold inlaid prints will glimmer by the fireside whilst intriguing anyone with an open fire, a stove or just a love of wood & trees. £7 each. Reduce your heating bill and heat your home for free! Firewood Collection Peace & Love at Christmas We have introduced a Christmas card bundle this year. Why not send out Peace & Love to all this Christmas. With their vibrant colours and shiny gold and silver foil they are the perfect festive card. These shiny double folded cards come with their own transparent envelope and are made using Wind Power. You can now buy a pack of 10 cards for £12 The Bird&Bee insignia encompasses: the Bird and Air in the North, the Dragonfly and Fire in the East, the Fish and Water in the South and the Hare and Earth in the West - all of which revolve and flow into one another. We endeavour to take traditional knowledge from nature and experience and turn it into beautiful design that is both aesthetic and useful, whilst treading as lightly as possible on planet Earth. To us, there is no point in producing anything that isn't both useful and sustainable. We print everything on paper that has been produced by harnessing the power of the Wind and using 100% recycled paper. Please send us your comments, thoughts and ideas to: Bird&Bee PO BOX 3237 Sheffield S11 9WJ Or you can contact us via email We hope you have enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it to your friends and help spread the word, thank you..... Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:37:00 GMT