I like to see myself as the outdoors type, I like scuba diving, yachting, kayaking and cycling, so I feel I fall within the scope of the outdoors lifestyle. Even into my 50s I still run, although not all that fast, I still get out there. Likewise, I am still doing weight training, although that is not as frequent as I would hope.

So, as an outdoors type, I still prefer a sports style watch for my daily wear. Yes, I have a dress watch, but that is hardly worn, except under a dress shirt and jacket. So, for most activities, the sports style watch suits my personal preferences best as it suits both my personal style and is robust enough for most sporting activities.

The main category of sports watch are:

1. Dive.
2. Pilot.
3. Yacht timer.
4. Racing chronograph.

Ok, since I am a diver, a dive watch is mandatory, even though I dive with a computer these days, I still backup my dive plan with a dive watch. Firstly, you need to get to the dive centre on time, a dive computer, with the exception of Suunto dive watch designs won’t do that. I need to time decompression stops, bottom time and surface intervals, I do that with my dive watch. For me, I like to know my bottom time, or each level if a multi-level dive. Whilst any mechanical mechanism can fail, an electronic device is more likely to let you down on a dive, so a dive watch, analogue depth timer and written dive plan suit my purposes.

A pilot watch is interesting, there was a genuine requirement for an aviator timepiece during the second world war. The pilot’s watches manufactured for the Luftwaffe by IWC is pretty much the design standard with large angled crown, 12 o’clock triangle marker. The IWC Big Crown was pretty much the standard for pilot’s watch, first manufactured in the mid 1930s, the pilot’s watch had a high degree of robustness, was capable of serious temperature fluctuations and had a large crown for easy setting with gloves on.

The yacht timer is a different take on a proven complication, a chronograph is used to countdown from a 10 minute warning gun. Most fleets these days operate on a five minute warning, some multi fleet match racing regattas operate on a three minute countdown. Yacht racing can be a crash and bash sport with a watch getting bashed around, I have had $120 digital race timers caught in ropes and sails that have been ripped from my wrist before three bounces on the deck and into the water so there is no way you would see a Rolex Yachtmaster or Yachtmaster II on my wrist when I was actually racing.

The classic chronograph is related to motor racing from the Omega Speedmaster, Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, Heuer Carrera, Carrera Monaco and Zenith El Primero. The Heuer Autavia was a dash mounted chronograph that later became a wrist mounted timepiece. The 1960s and early 1970s was a golden era for motor racing and this was reflected in the fashion for the time period. The 1960s was the time of the chronograph, this was a popular complication at the time that was based on functionality, these were genuine tool watches well before the luxury status was even considered.

What was once considered the Leeuwin Estate second line wine after the Art Series, the Prelude Series is able to stand out on its own. These days, the Prelude cabernet sauvignon is more than the poor man’s cab sav, this is a great drink. Likewise, the chardonnay is a pretty decent example of chardy winemaking too.

I do remember a long way back when the Prelude cabernet sauvignon sold for $16 per bottle, that is a big change, these days a Prelude cabernet sauvignon is found in the $29 – $32 range with the Prelude chardonnay slightly more expensive in the $31 – $ 33 price range. This is not a cheap bottle of wine, for those prices, you expect a premium product.

But I am really concentrating on the cab sav here, what does the cab sav have to offer the discerning wine drinker? With 98% cabernet sauvignon and 2% malbec, this 2019 vintage is as pretty much a pure cab sav as you get. The 2018 vintage is 90% cab sav and 10% merlot with 20 months maturation in French oak, with 33% new oak. The 2017 is 92% cab sav and 8% merlot with 20 months in oak. What I am finding interesting is every vintage is slightly different, there are subtle differences in winemaking but you still get a fairly uniform style – pretty good.

The decision by Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare to sign a security pact with China has far reaching consequences for Australia. Whilst this security agreement has only just been inked, the announcement during an Australian election cycle raises eyebrows. Absolutely, this announcement was timed to coincide with the Australian federal election.

Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare states he is on the right side of history, that remains to be seen. The Solomon Islands has switched allegiances from Taiwan to China, this is a concern for a number of reasons. However, what this turnaround has shown is the Solomon Islands is an unreliable partner that is willing to sell his country to Chinese interests.

The Solomon Islands faces enormous challenges, from an economic and development perspective, this small Pacific nation faces a harsh reality. The CCP prefers to work with totalitarian governments, they do not have a good record for transparency or good governance, I have observed this personally.

Some would consider this move by Sogavare as a power play, an attempt to hold onto power after corruption allegations and a vote of no confidence. I am starting to think Sogavare is using this Chinese influence to maintain his grip on power, the CCP likes to deal with dictatorships, this is how they influence individuals and hence control governments.

So even though Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko openly supports Vladanir Putin, you tend to feel this alliance could fall apart at any moment. Russia is marginalised, Putin has made huge strategic blunders and they are losing military assets in an unsustainable manner. Apart from conspiracy theorists and trolls from Africa, there wouldn’t be too many that want to see Putin’s forces succeed.

So where does this leave Belarus? This country is a staging area for invasion forces, but I note that Ukraine has not retaliated across their northern border, this is an interesting outcome. Troops and equipment streamed in from the north, the siege of Kyiv never eventuated and the defeated invasion force pulled back. They now claim they are concentrating on the Donbas region, that was their intention all along, nice failure deflection.

As the Putin regime had already installed a puppet government in Belarus, the government was fully supportive. But what about the people of Belarus? Who do they support? Well, they live under a communist regime, the president is a Putin puppet government, this is exactly what Putin expected to do in Ukraine. Having Volodymyr Zelenskyy display the type of leadership that Putin lacked, they knew they were being out-performed by a genuine leader of people.

There is a solid linkage between Ukrainian solidarity and Belarusian reform, if Ukraine defeats Russia then the regime is weakened enough for Belarus to forge independence. Should Ukraine prevail, this will plant the seeds of revolution in Belarus, this could be the catalyst to forming a democratic country. Known as the last dictator in Europe, Alexander Lukashenko has been president since 1994 and has ruled with terror and violance, an opportunity may open if Russia is defeated in Ukraine.

From what I am reading, from the start of the war the Belarusian people sabotaged railway signals, tracks and infrastructure. This slowed down the Russian advance launched from Belarusian territory, this no doubt beneficial to the Ukrainian fight. They also provided data on equipment and troop movements so Ukrainian forces could counter the threat, the people of Belarus assisted their neighbour when they could. If Lukashenko falls, we could see a great shift in Belarus and they are no longer the buffer between Poland and Russia and that worries Putin.

In another stunning victory, Ukraine has liberated Kherson after the surge in Russian troops failed to stem the flow of losses. Ukrainian tactics have targeted Russian supply chains, the Russian forces were exposed on the western bank of the Dnipro River. The Russian leadership were aware they were unable to supply troops on the west bank of the Dnipro River and withdrew forces brought about by the Ukrainian counteroffensive.

The sight of President Zelensky walking the streets of Kherson just days after liberation is one of the great military victories. Likewise, this defeat after announcing their partial mobilisation adds further humiliation to Russian President Putin’s failed special military operation. Yeah, this is a special military operation alright, this invasion of Ukraine will be studied by military strategists for generations to come. The case studies of this conflict will form the basis of how to lose a war. There will be further speculation whether these stunning failures will bring on Putin’s demise and the collapse of Russia on a scale of the 1991 failure of the USSR.

There is plenty to like about the Zenith Chronomaster Sport, I don’t own one, but I am able to appreciate the engineering excellence that was invested in creating this timepiece. They are not cheap these days, the El Primero is likely to set you back some serious coin.

Looking back at the time of development of the El Primero, Zenith was developing a chronograph with Movado, I would have thought that was an unlikely pairing. The development of a new movement is time consuming and expensive, it is not hard to consider that companies were seeking to share development costs. Seiko was also working on their chronograph movement, they were working alone, a little different to the Swiss perspective.

The El Primero movement has a frequency of 36,000 vph [5 Hz] with a 60 hour power reserve. In the late 1960s there were a couple of consortiums developing an automatic chronograph, Zenith and Movado were one partnership, Heuer and Breitling were the other Swiss consortium that also included Büren and Dubois Dépraz. The Zenith/Movado chronograph had three sub-dials and the Heuer/Breitling/Büren/Dubois Dépraz was a two sub-dial chronograph.

I really like reference 03.3100.3600/69.M3100 with the ceramic bezel, whilst many attribute this to a Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, I reckon this chronograph has some serious wrist presence. The 41 mm stainless steel case has 10 atm of water resistance, I like the matt white dial and I have learned to like the three coloured sub-dials. The three link integrated bracelet really finishes this timepiece.

Australia really has a lack of military assets in Western Australia; yes, there is Fleet Base West at Garden Island, but that is about it. There is no fighter jet capability on the whole west coast of Australia, this of great concern. Ok, the majority of the population is based on the east coast of Australia; however, what we have is infrastructure in Western Australia.

There are only a number of air bases, the main base, just 35 km north of Perth is RAAF Base Pearce, but this is a training centre and logistics base. There is RAAF Base Learmonth on the north west cape and RAAF Base Curtin near Derby in the Kimberly region. The air bases at both Learmonth and Curtin are not full time air bases.

These are considered just bare bases, that means they are not fully staffed and used sporadically such as when they have exercises on. RAAF Base Learmonth is available to protect assets in the Pilbara region from port facilities, iron ore rail networks, oil and gas rigs, and oil and gas processing facilities. There should be fighter jets stationed full time at RAAF Base Learmonth, the air base needs to be dramatically increased.

Likewise, RAAF Base Curtin is another bare base, it is basically an airstrip, some hangar facilities and limited fuel storage. It is basically a single runway, the facilities at Learmonth are more extensive and are very close to the Harold E. Holt naval communication station. I understand the Royal Australian Air Force is controlled by federal government budgets, the federal government needs to greatly increase spending to protect critical Western Australian assets..

The purpose of a military base on Cocos Island would be the ability to enforce a blockade at the strategic chokepoint of the Strait of Malacca and Sunda Strait. With an airbase on Cocos Island, it is far enough away from Indonesia to allay their security concerns and close enough to defend with a missile defence system. As Cocos Island is just 736 km from Jakarta, it is within range of fighter jets,

Should we end up in a conflict with China, enforcing a blockade of Chinese shipping through the Strait of Malacca would severely limit their access to the South China Sea. However, the distance to Singapore is 1686 km, that requires inflight fuelling and that provides a series of logistical problems as well as security concerns for tankers.

There are the logistical benefits of a base this close to South East Asia, with a radar array and missile defence system, this protects the entry to the north west of Australia. The north west is exposed, with a Chinese threat, their forces may not attack from the north or the east like planned. Likewise, they may seek to attack from multiple points through Indonesia, although they would likely limit access.

With Quad partners, the Indian navy would have the ability to visit and utilise the facilities for replenishment purposes as one would expect the Indian navy to be tasked with patrolling the Indian Ocean and the entries to the Malacca Strait and the Sunda Strait. The early warning capability would justify the investment as a forward operating base. It was always implied in defence whitepapers that we have a decade warning to build up our military, we might already be in the ten year lead period.

As a local restaurant, Green Olives is a pretty decent small local restaurant that I normally go to with my father on Friday nights. We also have family nights there when we have everyone around, although that is pretty rare.

As I was writing this post, we find Green Olives is no more, we showed up on a Friday night to find the place closed, we tried again the next Friday night only to find the place closed up. It looks like we have another business closure due to covid – damn. This is an Italian style restaurant, they don’t have a huge menu, I like this, serve what you do well and don’t overdo it. They do this well, I am confident when I order, my order will be good, it is really what I am in the mood for.

The TAG Heuer Link is a direct descendant of the S/el, the best selling timepiece that saved TAG Heuer in the 1990s is still in the TAG Heuer line up. However, the Link is not well marketed, it is in the line-up but really neglected – it is no longer desired.

The brushed and polished 41 mm case is symmetrical, the 11.17 thickness fits easily under the sleeve. The angular stainless steel bezel has a brushed finish, to me this incarnation is more style and less sport, that is just me. The blue sunray dial of the WBC2112.BA0603 really pops without making this timepiece look garish, this is style, this watch is easily worn with a suit.

It what could be considered an unusual design, the bracelet design is the inspiration for this timepiece. The dual S-link bracelet is sharper than the former S/el design, the rounded links of the S/el fully integrate with the case. The integrated bracelet of the Link is less seamless than the S/el, yet I prefer the more rounded style of the S/el but I appreciate that I am in the minority here. The TAG Heuer Link is an under-appreciated steel sports watch that does not reach the heights of the VC Overseas, PP Nautilus or the AP Royal Oak.

The Calibre 5 automatic beats at a frequency 28,000 vpm [4 Hz]. TAG Heuer never lists the base movement and jewels, a 25 jewel movement is based on an ETA 2424-2 movement whilst a 26 jewel is a Selitta SW-200-1 movement. Both have a power reserve of 38 hours so you are not disadvantaged here. But since I mentioned some pretty decent steel sports watches with in-house movements, there is no way the TAG Heuer Link keeps up with the market leaders.

What is concerning is the absolute destruction of Ukraine by Russia, the Russian leadership is evil, they are ruthless. Even though western weapons are now flooding into Ukraine, they were initially denied the long-range weapons that could penetrate deep into Russia and cause them not only embarrassment, this could cause upheaval in Russia.

When the Russians are receiving casualties within their own borders, people will begin to question why they are taking this action. When Russian cities are hit with long-range artillery and missiles, when Russians are being displaced from their homes, when their cities are turned to rubble, then they may reasonably ask, why? The answer is why indeed, they need to feel the pain, they need to bleed, they need to lose their lives too.

The long range weapons are supplied on the proviso that they are not used to attack Russian territory. This is to allay Russian fears to provoke a wider conflict, the Russian concerns are that NATO will install missiles on the border threatening Russia. Whilst I understand their strategic concerns, that does not give them the right to invade and subjecting another country to this evil. It would be good to see Ukraine take back the Donbas region and then use their long range artillery and missiles to pound targets within Russian borders, let them feel the pain.

This action has already backfired for Russia, Finland and Sweden have now joined NATO, this was an unintended action, Norway was a founding member. Putin thought the west was weak, was divided, would not act and could be intimidated. What we are witnessing is war crimes unfolding in front of us, whilst western countries are supplying arms to Ukraine and ensuring the sanctions are crippling their economy, the war crimes continue.

With longer-range weapons finding their way into Ukraine hands, they are able to bombard Russian forces from a greater distance. Whilst they are severely outnumbered and still out-gunned, they are motivated and better organised. Regardless, the Russian playbook is a scorched earth policy of flattening cities, murdering civilians and raping captured women. There will be a time of reckoning, this war will weaken Russia, hopefully the economy will collapse and the country will implode.