Weird Night Sky Show

It was early morning a week ago, Friday 15 July. I woke and needed a pee. That done, I poured an inch of apple cider into a glass from the fridge to fix the dry mouth. I then went to the kitchen window, as is my routine, to look at the brilliant morning star (maybe Venus) that rises in the eastern sky over my neighbour's roof.

There was a bright star, too low I thought to be my bright one, which I thought should have been much higher. But I had no real idea of the time, so I checked on the mobile phone which was on the kitchen bench, where I leave it every night for exactly that purpose. Even in the dark I know where it is, and I can illuminate the face with a touch on the side. 5.26 it showed.

Before returning to bed I thought I'll have another quick look at the star through the window. It shone brightly and seemed to flicker and it held my attention for a moment. Then, the weird show began. A little higher, and a bit to the north, a quickly moving star appeared, trajectory upwards, followed by another one, then another and another. Six or eight at time moving across the sky in a straight line. As they reached a certain point they disappeared at the high point in the line, to be replaced by another coming in at the start of the line. Totally freaky I thought. The show stopped when the last one disappeared, after they stopped entering at the beginning of the line.

I had no idea what I had just seen, definitely a first in my lifetime. I checked my phone again, 5.29, so the thing only was visible to me for a couple of minutes. I went back to bed and lay awake for a while wondering what the hell.

Next day I posted on the Facebook Victor Harbor community site, describing what I'd seen and asking if anyone else had seen it, and did anyone have a clue to what it was. There were numerous answers posted. Only one other said they had seen it, and that it freaked them out. Several others knew what it was, apparently a series of satellites launched at the same time, 46 in all, an Elon Musk communication system (Starline or something). They are launched one after the other, must be in a straight line, till they reach a certain point then they disperse to their allotted location in space. One person said there's a launch every week for a while. Apparently this is to improve communications world wide. Someone said they are being used to greatly assist strategy in the current war in Europe. Someone else said that's a hell of a lot of future space junk.

I was relieved to have an explanation, and that it was not an alien invasion or foreign drone force preparing to attack. The average Joe really has no idea what could be going on in space. The mind boggles really if you think too hard. Let's hope whatever is happening is used for peaceful purposes not warfare for example targeting missile attacks. Certainly war will never be like the old days.

July Already

Here we are 7 days into July and the idea of "Dry July" has not been a consideration until I sat here to write just now. Alcohol beverage has not passed my lips since September 25 last year, when I imbibed red wine during the AFL Grand Final, then drank another bottle by myself, slowly, watching the replay late at night in quiet solitude and celebration. Prior to that night I had taken alcohol in small quantity on 4 occasions in the preceding 21 months, since January 5 2020, when I embarked on the goal of alcohol free existence. This will be my third dry July in succession. No longer is it difficult to abstain. It's normal. There are fleeting moments when the wine witch calls, or the idea of a dry sherry appeals on a cold evening, but these are easily dismissed. It's freeing to know that alcohol is not necessary to relax or celebrate, and that life in general for me has no need of it.

The day after I had that wine on Grand Final Day I set myself to go the next 12 months without alcohol. A 12 month streak. The thing is, I did enjoy it, the taste, and the warm buzz. But next day I felt no need to repeat it, nor had any desire to. I knew that if I started to have a few now and again no worries, I would slowly, or quickly, slip back into the old lifestyle of relying on that relaxing drink. Better I stay off it. Life is great without it.

Until tonight, I had it in the back of my mind, that if Melbourne made the 2022 Grand Final I'd enjoy another bottle of red for the occasion. Tonight I watched Geelong defeat Melbourne by five goals and displace them on top of the AFL ladder. The Cats look the goods and would now be favourites to win the premiership. So be it if they do, they'll have deserved it, if they can win three finals matches away from their dunghill home ground advantage. Melbourne have lost 4 of their last 6 games and have a hard run home. I doubt they are a serious threat to win another premiership this year. That does not concern me. The win last year breaking a 57 year drought brought huge satisfaction that remains and cannot be taken from me. No matter who's playing this year in the GF, I'll not be drinking alcohol.

2021 was a big year for us. Lib and I retired and moved interstate, starting a new life. There were challenges and excitement. It worked well. Fortune favours the brave. 

2022 has been interesting. Carey started with shingles in the eye in January, no fun at all. February and March were frustrating, waiting for our roof restoration that didn't happen. We found another roof guy April, the job done within two weeks of contact. The first company threatened us with legal action, saying we had a binding contract with them. I replied the contract was voided by their unreliability. Fortunately we've heard no more from them. Carey turned 70 in April, and we took a trip to the Eyre Peninsula. May was memorable for the federal election. After an excruciating campaign the result was glorious, the riddance of that dreadful government we endured for so long being a joy almost as good as that of the Demons breaking the drought in '21. We had visitors from Victoria for a few days in the week leading up to the election. They had colds which turned out to be Covid (so we learnt the next week) and consequently Lib, Carey and Gordon in turn one after the other had Covid into June.

Last Saturday Carey decided he'd replace a washer in the tap in the back yard. It had been dripping for some time from the end of the hose. He'd put it off for weeks, tweaking the tap off very tight to stop it leaking, but knowing it needed attention. Every time someone else used the hose they didn't tweak it off hard, leaving a soggy patch on the grass. This annoyed him, so on this Saturday after a trip to the market to by his chocolate, and cheese and spinach rolls from the Greek ladies, and other normal chores, he turned off the water at the meter in front of the house and went to the offending tap with spanner in hand and new washer. Such a task, simple as it seems, always gave gave him a slight nervous edge. Experience over a lifetime, working with pumps and foot valves and irrigation fittings at the farm, and various mishaps with burst pipes and blocked drains, toilets, downpipes, septic tanks, in domestic situation, had prepared him to expect the unexpected. Plumbing was not really his go, he knew well.

All good. The tap came apart no problem, new washer inserted, tap back together, all very easy. He wondered why he hadn't done it sooner. Back out to the meter to turn the water on. Turned the lever and it came away in his hand as a fountain of water shot 30 feet into the air under great pressure. Saturated, he ran inside and rang a local plumber he'd used a few times. No Go. A Sth Aus Water job he said. He fumbled around to find the phone number. Recorded message, all sorts of useless information, your call will be answered shortly. Message repeated over and over suggesting account can be paid online etc etc. Finally a lady answered, asking for details of the property and the problem. "Is there any water coming into the house?" No, it's running down the street. "Do you have water in the house at the taps?" Carey checked. No, "That means it's broken in the off position." She then said a repair person would come and they would endeavour to be there within 5 hours. 

He tried to ignore the fact a fountain was shooting out of the front garden, not easy because people kept stopping their cars and coming to the door to ask did he know there was a fountain in his yard. A bite of lunch, a cup of coffee, watch a horse race or two on TV. He might as well go down the river and pull come weeds. About 3pm now, on the way down he checked his phone, saw there was a message from Adam from SA Water. Rang Adam, message bank said he was calling to see how urgent was the job, he was going to another job but could rearrange if mine was urgent. Carey replied on message that it was not for him to say how urgent it was, compared to other jobs that may have houses flooding, but that the water was shooting high into the air and the wastage is enormous. Adam rang quarter an hour later saying if he'd known it was urgent he could have come earlier. As it was he was 45 minutes away. Carey weeded for a while and when he got back Adam was busy at work. Job finished in fading light, Adam apologized he took so long to come, said he was told it was only a leak not a gusher.

Carey scratched his head and wondered WTF is the matter with the woman he spoke to on the phone. Maybe they all get time and a half for Saturday. He hoped he wasn't to pay for that huge amount of water that went down the street. He didn't think so. If there was no water going to the house, it can't have been going through the meter. Or could it? Next water bill will tell.