Today is the 15th March - The Ides of March. It became significant as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. For World War II buffs, it’s also significant as a fateful day for Europe. On this day in 1939 Hitler’s troops began the occupation of the rest of Czechoslovakia, ending the … read more

When Apple finally released the HomePod on the 9th Feb 2018 it didn’t take me long to buy one. I had looked at the Google Home and Amazon Echo with curiosity, but was never really tempted. I’m an Apple Music subscriber for one, and I was also reluctant to put an Amazon or Google listening device in … read more

Who has been the best midfielder in the history of the Premier League? Man Utd fans will pick Scholes. Chelsea fans will pick Lampard and Liverpool fans will say Steven Gerrard. Neutrals will vary between the three and the argument will go on and on in the pub and between the pundits on TV for … read more

Every gentleman has the right music for the right occasion. When Friday afternoon arrives, crack open a bottle of wine, start the playlist, set it to shuffle,  turn the volume up, and get up and jig! The Weekend - Michael Gray I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas Last Friday Night - Katy … read more

The continuing decline of the Royal Navy is a travesty. Today, it'a a shadow of its former self. When I joined the RN in 1991, the numbers, both in ships and manpower, were on the decline. This was expected. The cold war had just ended, Saddam Hussein was under containment after his adventure into … read more

Here's a couple of shots taken from the Skydeck observation deck at the top of Q1 on the Gold Coast. You need a lot of patience when taking shots from the Q1. The place was packed with selfie-stick wielding tourists, and of course, most of them had their flash turned on, which reflects off the glass … read more

This month we took a short trip to Melbourne and drove down the Great Ocean Road to see the Twelve Apostles. A few people remarked that only the English would holiday to Victoria in the middle of winter. While half of Melbourne flocked to Queensland to chase the sun, we headed the in the opposite … read more

Following on from yesterday's photo of Cataract Gorge, this is a shot from the First Basin of Cataract Gorge looking towards the suspension bridge. Now this was tranquil! What you can't see is that above where I was standing is a chair lift that you can take across the gorge. Unfortunately it stops … read more

I was only in Launceston, Tasmania for one night, and didn't think I would get time to visit Cataract Gorge, which would have been a shame as the place is amazing! I forgot about daylight savings (which we don't have in Queensland). That combined with the latitude of Tasmania meant it wasn't getting … read more

I took some time out after the New Year to go on a solo photography tour of the east coast of Tasmania. In a busy 4 days, I started in Launceston before driving over to the Bay of Fires, then down to Freycinet National Park, visiting various stops on the way, and finally on to Hobart. The weather … read more

When something tragic like what unfolded in Paris happens, we all have an opinion on what needs to be done. Well here’s mine - I’m going to play armchair general and pretend I know what I’m talking about. It seems to me that the strategy for containing ISIS/ISIL/Daesh, whatever you want to call … read more

The journey from Cairns to Kuranda has got to be one of the best railway trips in Australia. This is a shot I took hanging out the window just as it was traversing one of the many bridges and tunnels necessary to pass through the ancient rainforest. My only minor compliant - I wish they would grease … read more

I take a lot of photos of Australian beaches in bright sunshine - we have no shortage of those days, particularly in Queensland. However, you can't beat a bit of fog and rain set against a sandy beach to add some drama to the scene. I took this photo in Yamba, New South Wales last December. It was … read more

Thinking about what to do over Christmas. We've probably left it a little late this year to book anything. Plus, with Rach starting a new job she's not going to be able to take much time off work. Last year we rented a place in Yamba, NSW for a few days via AirBnB. This was the view from out … read more

The Gold Coast never sits still. It's always alive with activity, whatever the weather.  read more

No trip to Cairns is complete without a visit to Kuranda. For once, the journey is just as great as the destination. The last time we visited Cairns we got the historic train up to Kuranda, and the SkyRail for the return journey. This time we did it the other way round. Either way, going through the … read more

I need to brush up on botany as I've no idea what these plants are called, but they do look beautiful in the late afternoon sun. Shot descending from the rainforests near Cairns in Far North Queensland. read more

A girl carries her surfboard across the beach in the late afternoon sun. Taken near Elephant Rock on the Gold Coast, Australia. read more

One prominent feature of Cairns, and most of Far North Queensland for that matter, is bats. I remember a few years ago we went to Palm Cove, north of Cairns, and the place had a very distinctive smell about it - bat shit. I may be wrong. This photo shows a daily event in Cairns - thousands of bats … read more

We used the school holidays to take a brief trip to Cairns - chasing the sun. It's a few degrees warmer up in Far North Queensland this time of year. No trip to Cairns is complete without at least a day out on the Great Barrier Reef. When we did this a few years ago we went out on a large Catamaran … read more