Images

Our farm is located deep in the valleys of the northwest. We are miles from the highway, and further still from the nearest town. Visitors are rare, and so are luxuries, but we are comfortable. For years our evening entertainment was reading and the radio. Then in ’76, we had a good crop and so had a bit of money to spare. So we got a TV. Now all these hills around the place make reception a very iffy thing. There is a repeater tower on the mountain to the south, but a darn great hill stands between it and us. The image on the screen, or I should say images, were blurred, fuzzy, wobbly and doubled. The sound was good, so it was normal to turn the set on and just listen to the news and weather and not watch. It got a bit frustrating when the finals were on though. Then there were special occasions like royal visits that the wife likes to watch. She used to get so cranky when she could not see who was chatting to whom, and what they were wearing.
I bought a fancy high gain arial to try and improve reception, and had to climb the old macracarpa by the house to get maximum height. That improved things a bit, but not much. Just made both the images a bit sharper. I borrowed a mate’s set to see if that would make a difference. Didn’t. One salesman tried to sell me a 75-foot tower, but it would have cost a fortune and he could not guarantee good results. So I told him to keep it.
Then it was that special day in November. Now I ain’t a gambler. I seldom even buy a raffle ticket, except for the big one the fire brigade run. But I do like to have a couple of bob on the Melbourne Cup. Doesn’t everybody? And I always listen to the race. Take the tranny out on the tractor if necessary. This time it was raining and I had been working in the barn. Getting close to three o’clock and so wandered into the house and turned on the TV. Usual flickering and rolling picture as the commentator described the mounts, read the odds, and waffled. I thumped the side of the set in frustration. The picture went crazy and the sound died. Darn aerial wire had come loose. I swung the set round and knelt behind it to put the wire back. Over the top of the set, I could see the reflection of the screen in the mirror over the fireplace. Out in the kitchen, the wife was making a cuppa for us to have while listening. I could see her as she went to the fridge to get the milk. As she opened the fridge door, I managed to get the wire onto the terminal, and was holding it there while trying to turn the screw with my thumbnail. In the mirror was an amazing sight. A single, clear, sharp image. No fuzziness. No wobble, No blurring. The wife closed the fridge door, and the old familiar rubbish picture returned.
“Hey love, open the fridge door again will you?"
"Why?"
"Just do it. It helps the picture."
"Don’t be daft."
"It does I tell you, come and see."
Sure enough, there was the track and all the people and horses in brilliant clarity. Then the fridge door closed, drawn shut by its magnetic seal. The double images returned. Now the wife is pretty quick on the uptake, and she rushed back into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Crisp, clear picture.
"You’ve got it," I cried and stood up.
Fuzz returns. 3 horses became 6. I knelt again and returned my thumb to the wire. Clarity restored. So we saw the race clearly for the first time. She, standing holding the fridge door and watching through to the dining room. Me, kneeling behind the set viewing via the mirror.
We still don’t watch much. Just turn on for the news and weather. But, if there is something special, I get turn the set and sit on a stool behind with finger on the wire. The wife opens the fridge and holds the door with a length of string to the dresser. She can then sit in comfort and I don’t mind if it is only for a short while. One day I might see if these satellite set-ups are any good, but there will need to be something better to look at than the rubbish they show now.

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