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Wednesday 7 August 2013

Transit of Venus

Last year I ventured out to watch Venus transit the face of the Sun.

Recently this came to mind and I tried to place the event in time. I struggled as I had not used it in a memory tag.

But I've been able to place other events by exploring them until I find a link to something that is pinned to my mental calendar.

I remembered passing a school as I walked to the location where I could see the Sun. The school had banners outside for a fete taking place that weekend. Though the walk is vivid in my mind's eye, I cannot picture what is written on the banners. I cannot read the date off them.

However, I remember driving past that school with friends who visited shortly afterwards. I saw the banners again and people entering the fete.

But I could not remember which friends. If I could, then I would remember the weekend and so would be able to place the transit of Venus as being a few days before.

There were three pairs of friends it could have been: in May, June and July.

I talked about the transit of Venus with whoever it was as we drove down that road, but I could not remember which ones were with us, no matter how hard I tried. I had driven that road with them all.

Perhaps if I had waited, my memory would have eventually alighted on some key fact and everything would fall into place. It often does.

That would be a better end to this story.

Instead I gave up and searched the internet for the date. The transit of Venus was visible in part of the world at sunset on 5 June and elsewhere at sunrise on 6 June.

One pair of friends arrived on Friday 8 June and we drove past the school that Sunday.

I have now placed the memory of my walk to see the transit of Venus as an image on my mental calendar, pinned to the correct date.

I could add an image of discussing this with our friends. But that would feel like a created memory, not one remembered.

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