Solstice Stone

I took the opportunity afforded by recent concrete activities to cast a solstice stone this year, having missed last year (see March 13 2011 in the other place).

The same method as was used for the last one, that is to say black plastic bucket, visible at the top left of the illustration. Cast day 1, top up bucket with cold water day 2, knock stone out of bucket day 5. Water curing is supposed to add 22% to the 28 day compressive strength, not particularly important in this particular application.

This second stone was placed at 283 degrees from the first, a little off west by north, the direction of the setting sun on 20th June this year, as viewed from the new patio behind the garage, the excuse for the concrete activities in the first place. English Heritage says that the sun will set on Salisbury Plain at 2126 BST on that day, so failing any further information on the point, we shall allow 4 minutes gain from Wiltshire and be ready at our stone at 2122 precisely. Secrets of the craft forbid that I should say what happens next.

Suffice it to say that this morning I spat in the Tupperware ® box which serves as my cigar box.

I worry whether the stone will not end up facing a little away from the path once the hole settles down, but hopefully the ivy roots will push it back again over time. Picture a little deceptive as the ground slopes slightly up, northeast across the illustration.

PS: not impressed with new windows on this occasion. Having gone to the bother of trademarking the Tupperware box in the above, I find that what was the right character in Word has become a circle with a dot in it on the blog. I suppose I should have done something geekish about pixels during the copy and paste. Does windows know something about the Tupperware Corporation that I don't?