The idea of the Google suite of word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software you can download to your phone, tablet or computer is a great idea if it works when you need it. I am looking at either updating my tablet or purchasing a Chromebook laptop computer for writing on the fly.

I write all of my blog posts in Google Docs first and then copy/paste into WordPress when I am done. That way I can work off-line and move forward with posts on the train, the bus or when I am sitting in a cafe somewhere. However, what I have learned I’d that Google Docs is not always available when I want it, I have to be on mobile data and that is not always.

What I like about Google Docs is that it is always on hand, when I walk around and come up with an idea for a post, I can either add it to the list of topics. Likewise, I can begin my draft whilst the inspiration is clear in my mind. This allows me to write a draft, then I can come back and edit the rough draft when I have a base idea down on a word processing document.

I do not have one of those small Google Chromebook notebook computers that I can carry around with me, but if I can get a small notebook for a good price, then I am in. I need to carry my notebook around with me and get writing again. A bar, a cafe or a restaurant makes a perfect setting for creative writing, there is plenty of stimulus.

I am really concerned about the fate of Ukraine now that we have a Trump presidency, Donald has publicly praised Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The public endorsement that “Putin is a smart guy” according to Trump has serious ramifications to the world, buoyed by any concessions he may win in Ukraine will catapult Putin onto his next invasion knowing western nations will be paralysed by both inaction and flagrant self-interest.

The Americans rattle on about liberty, freedom and all this other bullshit, yet they are not concerned about freedom in Ukraine, Trump appears to be pursuing an agenda of self-interest and rampant commercialism, he wants to do a deal with Putin and Ukraine is appearing to be on the losing side of any deal they can broker. There was no liberty for the brave Ukrainians who took on the Russian military regime and despite overwhelming odds, stopped the Russian advance in its tracks. The rhetoric from Vice President Vance is extremely concerning, he is clearly indicating he wants to unload Ukraine from US objectives.

Where Trump’s rhetoric about lowering oil prices is aimed solely at a domestic audience, the lowering of oil prices will have a negative effect on Russian oil revenues and their ability to fund the aggression against the people of Ukraine. Trump talks big on Russian action, he will be looking to cut some deals with Russia to get their hands on cheap Russian oil, this is not positive for Ukraine.

Then there are the threats of tariffs. The world has been moving towards free-trade agreements, a sustained period of international trade and relatively free movement of goods and services. This will all end, with tariffs imposed anywhere between 10% to 60% for some Chinese imports will start a trade war. One would expect countries to retaliate and impose reciprocal tariffs and charges on imports. As we saw in Australia, the massive import tariffs placed on Australian wine and seafood imports was detrimental to investment, jobs and livelihoods. If Trump and Vance want to contain China, an efficient manner would be to strangle Russia and tie up Putin’s supporter Xi Jingping.

So what we do know is Donald Trump has had a 90 minute phone conversation with Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war. Putin has expressed his willingness to end the war in Ukraine, well yeah, Russia lost the war when they failed to take Kiev in the first weeks of the invasion.

Trump is 6.3 in height and Putin stands at 5.7, but what we are seeing is the smaller man out negotiating Trump like he is an amateur. Trump is the president of the greater nation in terms of GDP and military might, yet we see where the intellectual power is. Putin is the shrewder negotiator here, this is no art of the deal, unless Trump has some concealed move he is willing to pull out and surprise everyone, what we are witnessing is a capitulation here.

Trump likes to be seen as a winner, he is looking nothing like a winner right now, he is coming across as a genuine loser and it will be Ukraine that pays the price. It appears Trump will just abandon Ukraine and embolden Russia for future military engagements. One expects Russia to go back, rebuild their military, learn some lessons and come back in a few years stronger and better prepared. None of this is a great outcome for Ukraine, they are really exposed here.

I have been fortunate enough to be introduced to the Victoria’s Yarra Valley despite having never visited the region. The Yarra Valley produces some excellent wines, I was never previously aware of this so it came as a bit of a revelation. The Yarra Yering winery is an excellent example of Victorian wine making, they offer a premium product to the consumer that comes at a premium price. Given 98 points by Jane Falkener from James Halliday’s Wine Companion, she rates it highly and I can see why.

I have tasted the Yarra Yering No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 over a number of vintages now. The No. 1 stands out as the premium wine in that range, that is the pick of the three I believe. I have done my part to support a smaller winemaker and I have an excess of premium wine I need to work through so I will not be making any purchases in the future. This is a deep dark red wine packed with black current flavours, some mulberry that is a tad earthy. This is a style that works for me, a little French in construction. There are hints of tobacco and vanilla oak, this is a pretty big wine with 13.5% alcohol.

The Dry Red No. 1 is pretty much a Bordeaux with a blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 24% merlot, 11% malbec and 5% petit verdot. As I love the Bordeaux style, this is a full bodied blended wine style that works for not just me but plenty of others. One day in the near future I will get to the Bordeaux region and try these wines at the vineyard. The tannins are fine and offers this wine some legs with a ten to fifteen year cellaring potential.

I am not a fan of Tudor, I have tried some various models on previously and did not feel it on my wrist. The whole Tudor range just did not feel right, I was not that impressed. That being said, Tudor is a very popular watch brand and I am more than happy to state I sit in the minority. Is Tudor a crowd favourite because it is like purchasing a second line Rolex? Maybe, the question I ask is, would Tudor be as popular if the brand was not owned by Rolex? My guess is, probably not.

Despite my misgivings, I would like to review the Black Bay as I suggest this is the best model within the Tudor brand stable. So, what do I like about the Black Bay? I like the black dial version with round index markers and straight index markers at the 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock positions. I cannot say I am a fan of the long pointed index marker at 12 o’clock, just too long and pointed. I do like the no date dial, this is a great option.

I especially do not like the snowflake hour hand or second hand, typically, I am a fan of a rounded lollipop second hand, the snowflake shape is just too sharp – it is not for me. The minute markers between the hour markers do work, the dive watch dial is legible. I have looked hard at the logo and text on the dial, whilst I believe text is overdone on modern watches, the text is not excessive here.

The bezel with fine serrated edges looks good, the blue bezel insert contrasts well with the black dial. I do like the crown on the Black Bay, crown protectors can overwhelm the symmetry of a timepiece, the lack of crown guards with this crown does not upset the balance of this watch. I am not a fan of the Rolex style caseback, they need to offer a display caseback.

I have never been a fan of the Tudor range bracelet, every Tudor I have ever tried on did not sit on the wrist well, this has been due to the flimsy feeling bracelet. Based on the current Black Bay, at least the bracelet looks aesthetically better. The riveted bracelet appears to be an improvement over previous designs so I will be interested to see if this solves their quality problems.

The movement is the Calibre MT5602, this is a COSC certified movement and the first in-house manufactured movement with 4Hz [28,000] frequency and 70 hour power reserve. The MT designation is Manufacture Tudor, so they are pretty proud of what they have produced. The movement is regulated by a variable inertia vibrator with silicon balance spring that is held in place by a traversing bridge. The traversing bridge is a Rolex design supporting the balance wheel

So would I go out and purchase a Tudor Black Bay? The basic answer is no, I would not. Tudor sits firmly in the Oris and TAG Heuer price range. Yes, the Black Bay as a dive watch has all the required dive watch requirements from screw-in crown, screw-down caseback, sapphire crystal but has an aluminum bezel insert where the Oris and TAG Heuer have ceramic inserts along with 300 metres of water resistance and not the 200 metres the Tudor offers.

The Seiko SWR083 is a basic style of watch I was looking to purchase my partner, I had learned of a rectangular case from Seiko online but had no details. I was looking for the Seiko SWR053 without knowing the reference, so it was a pretty broad search. I had seen Jenni Elle and she had one, so I thought my partner might like one. She had shown interest in the Longines Dolce Vita so that was my starting point.

I was not a fan of the five link bracelet, this style of bracelet is pretty popular in the Breitling range, but I have never been a fan. I like the Roman numerals but have never been a fan of the Presage style lines radiating outwards from the hand anchor point. Still, the style is her choice and if that is the style she prefers, then that is what she will get.

It has been long overdue, the proposed Woodman Point munitions jetty upgrade is now moved to the design phase. The upper section of the jetty is run down, the local fishers make a real mess of the jetty, below the surface, the bottom is littered with fishing tackle and other fishing related rubbish.

Since I have been sailing throughout the summer, one day a week out on the water is enough for me. So diving in Perth has fallen by the wayside, for years I had limited myself to diving overseas in tropical waters until covid killed that life. So it has been years since I have dived in Perth, something that I would never have thought would have happened to me.

I used to be a winter diver, I still could be I suppose but now I spend weekends 75 south of Perth at the weekend house. Those winter days diving in Cockburn Sound are cold but not as cold as diving in the Swan River. I no longer dive with a drysuit so a wetsuit is all I wear. The problem was I had dived the sites so many times that it had become all too familiar, the shore dives were cheap – just the cost of an air fill.

What was good about diving on the Woodmans Point Munitions Jetty was the growth on the jetty vertical supports. The sponge growth on the piers was fantastic, there were fine telesto corals and fish life. The bottom was silty, this is the result of the dredging of Cockburn Sound and the destruction of the natural seagrass.

I am a pretty big fan of Tissot as a value option, it began with the PR100, it was the quartz version but I didn’t end up wearing it much. The PR100 went to my father along with a Visodate, so now he has a quartz and an automatic Tissot. I then started looking at another vintage inspired Tissot, the Telemeter 1938 was a model that really interested me.

So what do I like about the Telemeter 1938? I looked at the vintage styled hand-wound Petite Seconde, that was such a simple yet elegant that resonated with me. The next vintage inspired timepiece I am looking at is the Telemeter 1938 as a stylish vintage design chronograph. The Reference T142.462.16.032.00 is a nice looking chronograph, it looks great, the larger style pushers work here. The 42 mm 316 case with display caseback has a great curve for a nice wrist fit as well, this is important, the curved lugs.

I had previously looked at the PRS516 as well, the chronograph was a pretty decent design, but I was not going to make the purchase. I also have to look at what I get as value for money within the Swatch Group such as a chronograph from Union Glashütte, a Longines or even a Hamilton. Style wise, the other options are not close to the Telemeter 1938 I believe. I like the Telemeter 1938 over the other options so I am definitely looking at this as a chronograph for my collection.

The dial on the Telemeter 1938 is busy, there is a lot going on here and that is ok. That silver dial with red and blue printed scales on the dial, the blued baton hands really contrast well on the dial. The two sub-dials have great balance on the dial with the inner scale running through the sub-dials with printed Arabic numerals at major index markers. This watch is very hard to view, hardly any of the retailers have sitting in their display cases so I cannot just wander into a retail outlet and try on, this cannot be a big seller for Tissot.

The A05.231 movement has a Nivachron balance spring developed within the Swatch Group that is resistant to magnetic fields. The 68 hour power reserve is pretty high, but generally comes at a cost with a lower frequency. This time the 4Hz 28,000 vph is retained so accuracy is not lost for power reserve. The A05.231 is an up-spec Valjoux 7750 with 29 jewels, first released in the early 1970s, the 7750 is a robust design that has stood the test of time.

We have this serious workplace bullying issue at an unnamed state government organisation. Their whole strategy has been deny, deny, deny despite all the evidence totally refuting their sad but inevitable denials. Fortunately, I have documented the interactions and I have directly witnessed some of these interactions. Yet, I have never been asked to provide a formal statement, nor has anyone else in the portfolio area.

They have been running a protection racket for covering up wrongdoing, the people named in the action who hold de facto status in the portfolio. They have gained pseudo power in the portfolio by engaging in questionable practices that breach the organisational code of conduct and all ethical requirements and obligations. An organisation has ethical obligations, a values statement should be more than just a document that is never referenced.

So, where to from here? I have been working from behind the scenes to bring this individual back to work. The manager named in the action that has been preventing him from returning to work has retired now. There is a little more to it than that, we are all breathing a sigh of relief. Well, his lackeys are feeling the pressure, they know the protection racket is up, they are exposed and their incompetence that has been covered up will soon be exposed. They are concerned and rightly so, they are waiting for the clean out and they know they may be targeted themselves.

The trial of Chelsea and Matilda’s soccer player is under way, we have seen a number of revelations unearthed in this trial. It is most notably the attitude of Sam Kerr, she has shown herself to be incredibly self-absorbed, entitled and blatantly rude.

When the footage of Sam Kerr in the police station was released during the trial, Sam lost both the trust and respect of many Australians. This is typically referred to as the pub test, Sam failed miserably here, her attitude is nothing short of appalling. Typically people can see the difference between a legitimate defence and pure bullshit, Sam is trying to dress up bullshit as a defence and the vast majority of people see through this flimsy charade.

I feel for the taxi driver, he had a couple of drunk and entitled women in his taxi and was forced to deal . They were loud, rude and obnoxious, when Sam threw up in the taxi, this is when most people become overly apologetic. But not Sam Kerr, her behaviour became even less restrained. Now Sam and her partner Kristie Mewis refused to pay for the cleaning and apparently became more hostile and gave the cab driver an x-rated spray.

Sam’s defense of being a vulnerable minority in a white society is laughable, this faux race defence is just pathetic. The taxi driver is an Asian guy trying to scratch out a living in the United Kingdom. Sam on the other hand is a highly paid soccer player who was clearly behaving in a drunken loutish manner. When Sam threatened to bring in the Chelsea lawyers, these threats were intended to be intimidating, we all know she is an over-paid sports person sponsored by one of the highest paid UK soccer clubs.

Sam attempted to portray a power imbalance between the white police officer and herself, the poor coloured immigrant in the UK. But first, the power imbalance between herself and the taxi driver is easily dismissed, Sam soiled the cab, then her partner damaged the vehicle when the taxi driver who had called the police for assistance was instructed to drive to the closest police station.

Now the Sam Kerr defence was she was being abducted and taken hostage by the taxi driver is unlikely to fool anyone. Sam even referenced the Claremont murders as a defence, not even a nice try and in very poor taste to the families of the murdered women. Sam Kerr is trying every meaningless tactic to wriggle out of her boozy night of poor behaviour, this is what is leaving the vast majority of people dazed. Sam, you acted like a self-entitled teenager when you were drunk, just own it and apologise the next day when you are sober.

The total disregard to the police officer was evident, when Sam Kerr began with the racial slur, if she was not so intoxicated she might have been able to read the room a little better. Even now, clearly Kerr is unable to read the room as the whole context of her defence is compromised. Yes, she was drunk and acted poorly. Plenty of us have done that in the past, the next day, come back, show a little humility and apologise for your behaviour.