Well I’m a prize gawper. Love
it, mouth open, the lot.
Was gawping some time ago out at the
Molonglo Potable Water Plant (early phase) just after sun down trying to spot the
comet.
A little later on, after dark, with comet
not too visible, my gawping was redirected to what was obviously an alien space
craft - a brilliant orange-white light hovering some miles away, very
bright, right over Canberra central.
Turns out it was an F-111 or near relative
showing off its afterburner for some memorial aerial pageant. (Wish I
could remember details better –gives greater reality to the fable).
I must have been looking at it from
absolutely the aft end, since the phenomenon appeared to be stationary.
But there I was, in all innocence, gawping
at an F111 fuel dump.
So much for astronomy, astrophysics and
cosmology.
Paul
From: Ian Fraser [
Sent: Wednesday, 30 May 2007 4:47
PM
Cc:
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Most
famous Canberra
bird?Re: [canberrabirds [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]
Now Geoffrey, you are being unfair. I do NOT believe
that the good folk who came to pay respectful homage to the owl equate it in
any way with anit-social activities like F111 fuel dumps. While many indeed
(myself included) looked 'wonderingly' I didn't notice anyone doing so
'stupidly'. (Well I suppose I might have been doing so, but then of course I
wouldn't have recognised it!)
In support of the owl's claim to BFI primacy is the longevity of interest it
has aroused; I was walking in the NBG on Sunday (ie well after the peak of
interest) and two different strangers, basing the question purely on the fact
that I had binoculars, asked "do you know where it is?".
Nice bit of wondering thanks Julian!
cheers all
IF
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Ian Fraser,
Environment Tours; Vertego Environmental Wordsmithing
GPO Box 3268, Canberra, ACT 2601
ph: 61 2 6249 1560 fax: 61 2 6247 3227
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