Today the Joie de Vivre was moored at Rouen, medieval capital of the Dukes of Normandy. We were offered a walking tour of Rouen without charge, or for a considerable fee and a very early start, a visit to the legendary monastery at Mont St Michel. I would have liked to see Mont St Michel…
During lunch the ship slipped around a curve on the Seine and moored within striking distance of Monet’s garden at Giverny. This was one location on the bucket list. I like impressionist art and I like gardens. It was a stinking hot afternoon – over forty degrees – so I was rather hoping that would…
We spent the evening of our first day in France admiring the scenery as we sailed downstream from Paris while we ate dinner. I was struck by the prevalence of white chalk cliffs along the way – but it stands to reason, really. The White Cliffs of Dover and the chalk downs are just a…
By the time you read this Pete and I will either just have arrived home from our first overseas trip in over two years, or we’re nearly there. We’ve been to France for a two-river cruise. From Paris we went down the Seine through Normandy and back. Then we caught a high-speed train from Paris…
This has to be the most profound, most deeply significant photograph I have ever seen. It was taken by the James Webb telescope stationed about 1.5 million kilometres from Earth in its orbit around the sun. It was positioned so that it moves in synchronicity with Earth. This NASA article gives more information about Webb’s…
What can I say? I forgot to write a Saturday blog, so now it’s a late blog. Sorry. After weeks of unseasonal rain, the weather here in Hervey Bay has reverted to normal programming – cool to cold nights and calm, warm, sunny days. The rain was nothing like what was experienced around the Sydney…
I can’t help thinking the world is edging toward conflict. Turkei (read Erdoğan) has agreed to allow Finland and Sweden into NATO. I wonder what that cost? He won’t have done it for nothing. That has further upset our mate Vlad who continues to rain terror on Ukraine, including a precision missile targeting a shopping…
It hasn’t taken long for the Greens and Teals to reveal their true colours. In the past week Zali Stegall has entertained us with her idea of how we can manage Australia’s teetering power grid without resorting to coal, gas or nuclear power. “We can replace baseload power by combining natural climate variability between zones…
Well gosh. We’ve hit the inevitable crunch over electricity. NSW and Queensland have been warned about blackouts as the states struggle to ensure power suppliers keep the grid working. Cost of power has been capped to protect consumers, so some of those suppliers will be making a loss. There’s no point in crying about it….
Contrary to popular belief, we do have winter here in Queensland. Granted, it doesn’t last long and it’s unlikely anyone will die of cold hereabouts but temperature is relative. When we go to the beach in winter we’ll be wearing jeans and jumpers and we’ll see lilywhite folks in bathers lying on beach towels soaking…