In the shadow of the moon

Crowds began to gather on the headlands and high points of the Devon coast from around 9 o'clock onwards. The steady stream of people winding their way along the narrow cliff paths looked faintly biblical. It was as if an illustration from a childrens book of bible stories had suddenly come to life.

As the morning drew on the atmosphere of expectancy became tempered with one of disappointment. By 10.30am it was clear to us all that there was no chance of the clouds dispersing, despite the best efforts of a group of cider drinking sun worshippers determined to literally drum up the sun. The more spiritual amongst us Ommmmed, the drummers drummed and the rest of us just grumbled. We were going to miss it.

So it came as something of a shock when I began to sense a tangible change in the atmosphere. As the light gradually faded and the temperature dropped I felt a tension begin to build up accompanied by a distinct sense of unease. No longer was I a spectator on the headland, there to witness something that I might not even see, but I was part of an event, experiencing the sun's disappearance with every sense. No matter that it was not the same experience as I had expected; no matter that the safety glasses stayed safely in my bag. The eclipse had started and I was part of it.

Suddenly someone listening to a radio shouted, "It's passing Ireland" and seconds later the vast shadow of the moon filled the western horizon. Travelling at over 2000 miles an hour it quickly engulfed all visible shapes. Desperate to fix on something physical I stared at a tiny yacht in the bay below and watched as it disappeared, swallowed up by the great black silhouette. All along the horizon from beneath the shadow a fierce glow of mauvy pink light appeared, echoed to our right by a circle of brilliant colour where the clouds had parted. Looking behind me I saw the yellow light of the sun disappear as the moon shadow raced eastwards.

As the darkness passed over our heads I saw clearly defined against the re-emerging sunlight a clear black circular edge. I had stood in the shadow of the moon. Nothing I had heard or read had prepared me for the emotion I felt at that moment. The sense that I had been part of the power and the drama of a truly amazing natural phenomena. I expected to watch and to witness, to gawp in amazement at the light show to end all light shows, courtesy of sun and moon productions inc. or to go home disappointed because the show had failed to materialise. Instead I felt moved and astonished by the experience of the eclipse. By being there, by feeling the power of the sun and the instant and dramatic results of its' disappearance and by the sense of lightness and relief as the daylight returned and our bodies warmed up.

The whole experience took less than an hour but I slept like a baby afterwards, worn out with the emotion of the morning.

And as if to remind us that the sun isn't the only one with the power to amaze, the following evening the night sky gave us the most spectacular show of shooting stars I have ever seen.