SOLSTICES NEW AND OLD

POST #9
A jumble of disjointed and muddled thoughts were floating around in my brain until eventually one of those thoughts formed itself into a human voice that was attached to a hand which was gently nudging my shoulder. The voice said "Eh Canadian, wake up we're in Sydney."
I awoke from my stupor to find myself lying on a bench and staring into the face of one of the band members of the night before. My head was extremely fuzzy and soon things began to come back to me. Last night was our final one aboard the P&O ocean liner Oriana, because today we would arrive in the Australian city of Sydney after an eventful and fun filled 18 day voyage from Vancouver, with port calls in Hawaii, Fiji, and New Zealand along the way. The day was December 21st, 1977. My groggy condition was the result of the heavy duty partying the night before which no one wanted to miss out on, and it continued on late into the night and had plenty of duty free drinks to go along with it.
I stumbled out onto the aft deck and into the morning heat and humidity and I was staring at the Sydney Opera house, a sight that until this moment had only been one I had seen in glossy travel brochures. It took me a few moments to grasp that I really was finally in Australia, and once I was convinced that I wasn't just continuing the dream I was having a few minutes before, I headed down to "F" deck to pack up my things and get ready to disembark the ship. This process took some time as the ship had transported about 1200 souls, most of which had stayed onboard for the entire journey. Eventually though, it was my turn to clear customs, which back then was a short and pleasant exchange with the customs officer. My how times have changed. I asked him directions to the closest pub and he directed me to one in the Rocks area of Sydney, not far from where we had docked, and with that, I and two female friends Rhonda and Karen whom I had become aquainted with over the previous 18 days wandered over to the pub to find something that would both welcome us to this new land and also help cure our hangovers. The night before I had planned to stay up and be awake as the Oriana steamed through the heads and into Sydney harbour, but it was not to be. But once we were settled in at the pub, and having our first taste of Aussie beer, I was soon over that disappointment.
And so it was on December 21st, my Australian journey began, on a summer solstice and now all these years later I am still roaming around but this time I find myself far far away from any heat and humidity in the friendly little community of Bear Creek in the Yukon Territory on this December 21st, a winter solstice.
Winter solstice is usually a great excuse here in the Yukon to have a party. From now on, the days begin to get longer, which is certainly a cause for celebration. My first taste of this party atmosphere was on this date in the year 2000 which was my first Yukon winter. What sets the Yukon apart from other places, is that most of the partying that goes on, is oddly enough done outside, even with temperatures in the minus 30's or below. A raging bonfire becomes the centre piece of the celebration, and all the participants are like human moons, in other words, they have one side facing the sun (bonfire) and the other side facing the blackness of outer space (the surrounding bush). Occasionally it's wise to do a rotation or two, just to make sure that one is evenly roasted and to ensure that your beer doesn't either freeze or get too warm. It's a unique setting for a party but it is just one of the many memorable activities which makes the Yukon such a fun place to be.
Tonight though, I don't plan on going anywhere other than to walk out into the tailings piles with my three dog friends. With any luck it will be a clear night and we will take the opportunity to look skyward and admire the night sky. The big dipper is very prominent and I can marvel at the fact that one of the stars in that constellation is about 737 trillion kilometers distant. And while I ponder that, my dog buddies will be busy chewing the ice balls off the pads of their feet waiting for the moment that the human decides that he is ready to get up, so that we can all trundle back to the warmth of the wood stove.
It will be a quiet night this solstice, an opportunity for reflection and also an opportunity to spend some quality time with my four legged friends and think about the fact that starting tomorrow, the sun begins it's journey back north.
In any event, I am sure it will be a solstice to remember.

all the best
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer