31 December 2009, Yorkshire. Call Rupert to the back door to watch a full moon coming up behind the trees at the end of the garden. It's apparently a 'blue moon', i.e. the second full moon this month, which happens every two or three years. The next blue moon on New Year's Eve won't be until 2028 so it's the last one I shall ever see - and it's also the first that I ever knew about. The moon is strong enough to cast sharp shadows, with the sky blue except for occasional reefs of cloud so that with the snow still lying in drifts on the road earth and heaven seem one.

LRB 16 December 2010 | PDF Download