Joe, Kristie and I sat outside from 8:15pm and waited for the eclipse, staring up at the absolutely clear sky. Sure, the moon had entered the penumbra but there was no noticeable change. So we teased the dog.
   It wasn't until after 9:30pm that the moon entered the umbra or central part of the Earth's shadow. The bottom right hand 'corner' began to darken and, over the next hour, the moon turned copper/blood red - it was perfect.
   Why did the the moon turn red? Well, for a person standing on that part of moon, the Sun would be completely behind the Earth. However sunlight bends around through Earth's atmosphere and the moon appears reddened and coloured depending on the amount of cloud and dust in the atmosphere around the Earth.
   There are rumours that there won't be another eclipse like it for a thousand years, but I doubt it (having seen one total and two partial eclipses before this). What I reckon is that the eclipse was nearly exactly perfect - NASA says that the total phase lasted 1 hour 47 minutes, which is close to the longest duration theoretically possible (and the longest total eclipse for the last 140 years).
   I had the video camera (which was lame, wouldn't focus and kept zooming in and out) and also managed to take some photos. At least, I think I did - having to position the camera on a stack of kitchen chairs and relying on the 'you're in focus' beep to know it was pointing at the moon (or using a mirror to see into the view finder)... well, I hope it worked.

(click photo for a better view)

    In August, I added two new pages to the Gekko website - links pages for geckos and penguins. This created huge interest and the Gekko now receives up to 130 visitors per week, 500+ per month, and 1000+ page views per month (which means that people generally look at a couple of pages before they leave).
   I intend to update the links pages and eventually provide a user-friendly quality resource for people interested in geckos or penguins.
   As always, you can contact me at jasemate@excite.com or Kristie at kricketcat@hotbot.com.

Jase:
   In July, Kristie an I were able to take two BMW motorbikes for a "quick fang". We took the BMW F 650GS Funduro out of Adelaide along the old freeway to Eagle on Hill, then the freeway to Hahndorf, and returned via the new freeway (tunnel was scary).
   A couple of weeks later, we tried the Dakar model of the same bike (black and white, higher off the ground, larger front wheel). We were short on time and took the bike along the new freeway to Crafers, over Mt Lofty, and returned via Greenhill Road...

Kristie:
   Going along the road - happy happy la la. Thought I might peer into the trees in the hope of seeing a koala or two. Blow me away with a sausage roll, I did see one. Huge it was. Sleeping too. How unlike a koala to do something like that.
   Jase was too busy concentrating on the road and a new bike to see the koala, and the road was too dangerous to attempt to turn around. As well as that, the fuel light was on and we needed to get back to the city.

Jase:
   Both very nice bikes, but the extra money for the Dakar isn't worth it because you actually lose more features than you gain.
   I was left thinking about trading in the bike I've got, spending stupid amounts of money that I don't have, and actually getting a bike that I can take anywhere again. Being able to ride on dirt roads and fire tracks is an experience I miss.
   The BMW was big and nice, but for that money I could go to Africa and climb Kilimanjaro (which is something I plan to do) - should I opt for fun possessions or interesting experiences? We'll see...

(click photo for a better view)

   Riff booked out the Adelaide Planetarium for his 30th birthday. The planetarium is only small, seating about 40 people in a dome-shaped room. Not that anyone could find it, hidden away in the Mawson Lakes campus of the University of Adelaide.
   Our presenter for the evening started his talk with a series of slides projected on the interior surface of the four meter dome - the planets of our solar system, meteor impact craters in America, you know the drill.
   The little Zeiss Jena projector standing in the centre of the room was controlled manually by our presenter, and projected an artificial night sky showing the relative positions and brightness of about five thousand stars visible from the Southern Hemisphere.
   The Adelaide planetarium is one of the very few in the world still operated by hand - which meant that we could ask to see whatever we wanted, but to watch the stars spin by that fast (and often the wrong way) left a few people feeling sick. After a while it was hard to tell if the stars had stopped or were still drifting across the dome.
   My own birthday in July was far more subdued - in fact it sucked. Next year should at least be interesting...

Zeiss Jena projector and the planet Neptune, Adelaide Planetarium

   "ITS THE SHOW TODAY, JASE!!!" Screamed Kristie with show fervour & a maniacal glint in her eyes. The weather was abysmally wet and icky, but even so we took the afternoon off from work, caught a bus from the city and went anyway.
   The first thing we did was eat a Dagwood Dog.
   As always we did the Yellow Brick Road. You pay $6 and get to follow a map around the showgrounds, get free stuff and put it in big plastic showbag with "I'm on the Yellow Brick Road" written across it in black, very classy. We got bread from Helgas (Jase got the best loaf, Dark Rye and I got the scabby mutli-grain one - this point was pushed for the rest of the afternoon). We also got some yoghurt and apples, avocados, oranges, pears, carrots, some potato things that are yum and I'm sure that there was other stuff that I have overlooked.
   Even with the GST, a Bertie Beetle Showbag is still cheap at $3 or two for $5. I don't think that I have ever had so many showbags in my life. I got The Advertiser (the Adelaide newspaper), A Little Luxury - full of girlie things, a Bertie Beetle, Willy Wonka (with a bonus Fruit Tingles mini-bag) & a Milky Bar bag.
   My favourite stall was the bindi/henna place. For those of you who don't know, bindis are the sticky jewel things that Indian women wear and henna is a plant dye used to stain pretty patterns on the skin. Like bindis, henna is of oriental origin. There was so many pretty stick on things. [Bindies stick to your socks in Summer - Jase]
   Got to see the Tent Pegging again this year. I believe that at the Adelaide Show the event is not just for show, but is actually an International final. There were teams from New Zealand, South Africa and South Australia. Not sure who won. Tent-pegging was originally used for pulling enemy tents down before a camp raid something like that anyway, I think that it is a thrilling event to watch.
    One of the other highlights of the main arena entertainment was the Superdogs. They leapt over things and through a tunnel and barked and carried on. One over excited border collie (what a surprise) forgot to jump through the hole and cracked into the back of the jump. Apparently this is a regular thing for that particular doggie. She is is the holder of the Australian record for going fast through the agility jumpy, weavy course thing. The way that Max is going at school, maybe he will be there next year as a Superdog!    
   Clarry the Annoying Clown was unfortunately bothering everyone again. I admire the man's stunt ability, but as a clown he sucks. GET A NEW ACT CLARRY! [Yes, we realise he is doing a fantastic job, entertains the kiddies, valuable Adelaide icon etc. but his act is tired and often carelessly dangerous - Jase]
   Hot-to-trot was amazing again this year - he wasn't there last year and I missed his presence. Hot-to-trot is a bloke in a trotting sulky and HUGE amounts of fireworks. He stands up on the sulky, and the flares and crackers and rockets and spinning things are going off left, right and centre, and the horse is just trotting along loving every minute of it. I think that it is one of those things that you need to see for yourself.
   Hyundai Supercars were disappointing, not only was the track really wet and muddy, but we had been spoilt by the powerful V8 Holden Precision Driving Team. The Hyundais are V6s. Lacking traction made for a very cautious drive.
   Not sure if we would be seeing Flying Lotars, due to the nasty wind and rain, I was very happy that we did get to see them. Their claim to fame is a highwire motorbike act with a bint dangling underneath. The really cool bit was when, complete with dangling bint, the bloke Lotar monoed up the really long cable. Not only were they a really long way up, but really far away as well. This was a world first. Possibly because no one had thought of doing such a silly and dangerous thing before. [Except for Clarry - Jase]
   I almost cried when the fireworks where under threat from the yuckie weather. Thankfully they proceeded and it was wonderful. I wish that it was the show again.
   Did I mention the diving pig?

   On a more serious note - I guess you all heard about the show ride that crashed? We only looked at the Spin Dragon the night before and said "Rode that once". The following night, the ride collapsed and came crashing down pinning onlookers underneath. At least 37 people were injured and most of them ended up in various hospitals around Adelaide.
   Three teenagers were the most seriously hurt with chest and abdominal injuries requiring surgery.
   The ride apparently passed a safety check a week before arriving in Adelaide. Organisers of the Royal Adelaide Show believed that it was the worst accident in the last 148 years - a big investigation started but that's about all we heard.

(click photo for a better view)

   Some tax men claim everything, others claim nothing - we went to the nothing guy by mistake (well, first to the mower place by mistake, then to the wrong tax guy). Of course, Kristie got plenty back but what did I get - a pittance... PITT-ANCE (pit ants? nasty things)
   In any case, we have already put some tax away to buy a DVD-capable Playstation 2 which will be released in Australia in November. With the money that was left, Kristie bought lots of goodies - I bought a new G3 Sonnet chip for my old Apple Macintosh computer (which roars now) - and here's a link to Macsimise the Australian distributor for Sonnet upgrades.
   I also consoled myself with Vagrant Story for the Playstation, which is fan-tastic and must rate pretty close to Metagalactic Llamas Battle at the Edge of Time as the greatest game ever.

   I have been working at the Records Management Project at the Department of Education Training and Employment - DETE - for well over a year now. My promotion and raise came through, as well as extra money from the GST Income Tax reduction and the South Australian Clerks Award increase. Of course, all the money disappears into repaying the house loan, and the Australian Dollar is only worth about 53¢, but the numbers look good on paper.
   I've added a Preschools Records Management database to the RMP website - http://www.learnsa.net/rmp/ - but have had to spend most of my time writing the Policies and Procedures manual (extra dull) and chasing approval for a news article about the RMP website - most of DETE doesn't know it exists!
   I wrote the article in March, maybe my extension until December will be long enough to see it published.

   HangUp (near Harris Scarfe in Grenfell Street, Adelaide) has only made one order in the past few months - books hidden in side windows aren't seen and don't sell, well not quickly. It was also a sad surprise not to see a HangUp stand at the Adelaide Show this year (the shop changed hands about a year ago). I will make my usual order of books for Christmas, but that's about all.
   I am, however, creating an online gallery for my books. It already looks very pretty, but will take some time. Until then, you can check the latest Gekko for my recent work - ORDERS WELCOME!

(click either book for a better view)

   Max, our Border Collie, is now one year old. He was lucky to see his first birthday, he got into so much trouble for chewing wires and hoses off the motorbike, chewing wires off Kristie's car, pulling clothes off the line (and chewing them too). One day we registered the dog, the next day he ate his tag!
   Anyway, he's going to school now and learning lots of new tricks - walking P-R-O-P-E-R-L-Y on a lead was a big thing, but he's keen and enjoys taunting the other dogs. His best trick is bringing in the newspaper each week - next is to get him to press the pedestrian button at traffic lights.

• Consualia - end of sowing season
• Saturnalia - feast of Saturn, god of agriculture
• Opalia - feast of Ops, goddess of plenty
• Brumalia / Sol Invictus - winter solstice
• Janus Day - (New Years Day) - Janus was god of beginnings, gates and daybreak and had two faces - one forward, one back
• Compitalia - blessing of the fields rural festival.

Kristie (as Naga the Serpent girl)
'Mumsie, Fogue Bellies, and Joe's Cocktail Party' - by Kristie

   Winter rolled around and with it Mumsie's birthday. I believe that she got a float (unassembled). From what I am told, it is now complete and a truly magnificent beast, clean and unscathed. The joys of having new stuff.
   What did I get for Mum? Unsatisfied with the hair accessories, however pretty, I found a video of the Adelaide International Horse Trials. She got that as well.
   An invitation for free food and free alcohol saw Jase and I at Drake one Friday night after work. Free food always tastes better and as for free wine HOORAH. As I wasn't required to drive home I got a bit floppy and happy and giggly.
   Towards the end of July the Fogues came to visit. It was a fairly relaxed stay. The exception being when Margaret was cooking tea and set off the smoke detector. Dad though that it was a heat detector going off - he took that off the ceiling (see last issue of Gekko for explanation of heat detector) which of course set THAT ringing and poor Daddy couldn't work out how to make it stop. It's a wonder that the fire brigade weren't called in! I'm still laughing about it.
   We went to Monarto Zoo at Murray Bridge. The latest additions to the safari style park are meercats & five cheetahs. I got to see one of the cheetahs wee on a log.
   The last Saturday of their visit, I was at a belly dancing work shop all day. Zahraa, dancer from Melbourne taught us a choreography called "Elam Elam" by Mahmoud Reda. The style was a little bit to balletic for my liking. But I did learn heaps of great moves and a really nice turn. Zahraa is a great teacher and fun to work with, I enjoyed the day very much. That night Dad, Margaret & myself went to Layla El Nougoum, a night of middle eastern dance put on by students and teachers of Belly Dance Arabesque. Maybe next year I will be good enough to perform in the event.
   Quickies ...
   I am still working at Corrections in Adelaide. No longer a contractor with Drake, I am a government contractor now. This means that I get sick days, flexitime and am able to apply for jobs within the public sector. HOORAH!
   It was Joe's birthday recently. The weekend of the week of the day (it does make sense, read it again) we went to his sister's house - temporarily Joe's residence - and had a cocktail party. I have decided that I prefer shooters to cocktails. Mind you Jase makes a really nice Toblerone ^..^ My website is making a slight comeback, i.e. I have thought about it. Hopefully I will be able to dedicate some real time to it soon. During the meanwhilst, Bright Blessings for the coming Yule festivities (or Summer Solstice).