You have to put your dustbins out the night before the dustbin men come here in Cairns, because they come so early. It is in fact just one man and because the streets are so wide, the bins are the big kind which the truck just picks up with an extending arm and tips into the incinerator. (If they didn't come so damned early I'd take a photo and show you.) We also have a separate yellow-top bin for re-cyclable stuff (glass, plastic etc.) which gets collected once a month.
I told you all of that because I've just taken the rubbish out and it was a crystal clear night with stars shining so bright it was a humbling experience. (That insignificance I mentioned a few days back.) I'll confess I know very little about the sky at night (I'm afraid if I was up that late, Patrick Moore and his programme of that name got short shrift from my channel changing digit), but I thought I saw Orion. I'll have to ask an expert if Orion is visible at this time of year in the southern hemisphere and also check if there is an observatory here in Cairns somewhere to learn a bit more about the southern sky. I wish I'd watched Patrick a bit more!
Posted by Joe at July 31, 2003 09:03 PM