To Manly by pushmepullyou ferry

Australian craftsmen, having accidentally built a boat with two pointy ends, could think of nothing better to do with it than send it shuttling back and forth to Manly all day. (Scattering the yling-yling world championship fleet along the way).

Manly is also where skilled mountain bike riders can show their sons a clean pair of heels and leave them gasping for breath trying to ride round the dam. Something like that anyway.

Christmas in Australia; traditions which they don't seem to have:

• Salvation Army busking Christmas Carols
• Parsnips, bread sauce, brussel sprouts
• Getting new scarves, hats and gloves for Christmas and going out for a walk in them

Ludicrously they favour turkey and ham with salad (salad in December - it's madness), think it perfectly normal to drink Pimms, and insist on going in the pool and playing Croquet.  No wonder sensible placental mammals avoided the place for a few million years?

National gallery Victoria

Who'd have thought it? Turns out that around the same time old van gogh and sisley and Monet etc were daubing away, there was a whole bunch if Aussies going large with old Windsor and newton. If you don't believe it Google Arthur Screeton....

Highlight of bonny night

Steam organ music cards

The only way to travel

Hessle foreshore

Last trip of the year

Chuffing cold at Filey.

Cambridge folk festival

Before the drink set in....

Donna Nook

Bombing practice targets at Donna Nook, named after a shipwreck from the Spanish Armada, seal breeding ground and a candidate for the flattest place in Britain. No evidence of anyone ever hitting anything - perhaps they don't have to practice so much lately?

cargoes

Quinquireme of Nineveh from distant Ophir,
Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine,
With a cargo of ivory,
And apes and peacocks,
Sandalwood, cedarwood, and sweet white wine.

Stately Spanish galleon coming from the Isthmus,
Dipping through the Tropics by the palm-green shores,
With a cargo of diamonds,
Emeralds, amythysts,
Topazes, and cinnamon, and gold moidores.

Dirty British coaster with a salt-caked smoke stack,
Butting through the Channel in the mad March days,
With a cargo of Tyne coal,
Road-rails, pig-lead,
Firewood, iron-ware, and cheap tin trays.

Les Gets

Pretty innit. view from the Mont Chary lift.  Blue bit is sky, white bit is mountain.  Wispy white bit is cloud (unless it's a blown con trail).  Tree shaped bits are trees.