Darwin Day – The annual celebration of Charles Darwin´s birthday took place on February 12th. It is 209 years since Darwin was born. This year´s entertainment was a film show by our member Deryck, of the RHS gardens at Wisley, and also a film of a variety of beautiful local flowers and insects.
This was followed by the third instalment of our member Annie´s talk on Charles Darwin´s voyage of the Beagle. We left him on the west coast of South America, and look forward to hearing about his visit to the Galapagos islands next year.
This was followed by lunch, after which we sang happy birthday and consumed the birthday cake.
Darwinian Gardeners
As well as our regular monthly event, the gardeners this month had the opportunity to visit a private garden whose owners specialise in growing cacti. In the older part of the garden, which has been established about 15 years, there was a wide variety of cacti and aloes. In another area of dry garden there were many more cacti and aloes, many of them in flower.
We were able to buy plants and were entertained to home made cake before leaving for lunch.
Our regular monthly event was a visit to the Astronomical Observatory at Puerto Lumbreras. The coach drove us to the Bocadillón restaurant in the town. Then an exciting drive on a narrow, winding road up to 800 metres to the Observatory.
After a brief film we split into 2 groups. In turn, one group used the telescope where, one by one, we saw bits of the moon magnified 700 times, while the other group went outside to look at the constellations.
February Easy Rambling
The walk was in the Sierra Espuña. At times the path emerged from the trees giving us some magnificent views of the valley below and the mountains above.
Lunch at El Mandola was enlivened by people in costume for the carnival parade, the first a family dressed as Pirates and red Indians but then a larger group of mostly men in drag costumes, as the Guardia Civil, marching to a trumpet and whistle and following barked orders, whilst wearing strange skimpy costumes and coloured wigs, all most bizzare, but quite jovial. All good fun.
For more information about Humanists of Murcia activities, including discussions, games evenings and walks, please visit our website, humanistsofmurcia.com.
For information about humanist weddings, funerals and naming ceremonies, contact the celebrant on 634 025 711.
