Whether or not the moon landing was a fake is still an urban myth - after all, the Americans had just spent US$12 billion on developing a ballpoint pen that could work in zero gravity and were close to broke - but the Salisbury Poisonings were very, very real.
SBS just began to televise the serialised BBC documentary the night before we left for Sydney, with the next instalment due the following evening. Getting back to Bomaderry at a quarter past seven in the evening, we said a quick good-bye to our friends at Bomaderry's Welcome Chinese restaurant where Padma had spent the day while I went through all that poking and probing in Sydney, and hit the road.
Shortly after Nowra and after it had got dark, we got stuck behind a huge BONACCORD Freightliner. On the assumption that if he hit a roo with his huge roo-bar, it would be just a dead kangaroo, whereas if I hit one, it would be a dead me, we tailgated him all the way to the Bay.
And, of boy, do those freighliners tear along! We were constantly hovering just above the 100km-speed limit as I hypnotically followed those huge glowing rear lights through tight bends and across narrow bridges. Slightly out of breath but still breathing, we got to the Kings Highway turn-off a little over an hour later, and rolled into "Riverbend" just in time for the second instalment of "The Salisbury Poisonings".
Tonight at 8.30 is the third instalment. Padma has gone to the local craft meeting, better known as "Stitch & Bitch", which will last well into late-afternoon when she will be fired up with the local gossip while I've fired up the fireplace in time for a hot Glühwein and another episode.
By the way, the Russians didn't waste US$12 billion. They used a pencil.
