At Voyager Estate, it is all about the experience, with my father we travelled down to Margaret River but the estate was never open, the owner wanted the estate to be perfect before official opening.

Despite our annoyance at the time, we understood this philosophy as a winemaker. It is imperative and this attitude is reflected in the winemaking. It has been a while since I have been down to Voyager Estate, but if I am bringing guests, this place is on the schedule as the gardens are magnificent.

One of my former colleagues and his wife had planned to come and stay with me in 2020 but the covid restrictions really killed this trip. As he is coming from Africa, I am guessing they are more likely to be at the end of the covid vaccine roll-out so this trip with them could be a while off.

Working in a toxic workplace is exhausting, it manifests both mentally and physically creating a detrimental effect on your wellbeing. Whilst a small number of people benefit from this situation, the majority don’t and productivity is low.

Harassment is accepted as normal behaviour, this is the saddest part, this is the culture of a toxic workplace. Staff are pitted against each other – discrediting colleagues, taking credit for work and blame shifting is modus operandi. Bullying is an integral component of a toxic workplace, this is the normal behaviour of the crew in the team. This is not based on knowledge, skills or ability – this is cronyism in its purest form. There is one ringleader who generally enlists others into this clan, they are generally weak and seek the protection of the ring leader.

What a toxic workplace does is demotivate individuals, damage output, stifle creativity and ensure talent leaves so only the non-performers remain. It makes people sick, for no other reason they show up to do the minimum work to receive their paycheck – nothing more. This is purely the relationship of the weak. They are attracted to the power and seek the protection that this person in power offers. This is base schoolyard dynamics, people just seek to get through the week and this is a poor reflection of senior managers.

The TAG Heuer Carrera reference CBG2A10.BA0654 is not to my liking, this reference put me off the whole Carrera range for a long, long time.

I am guessing when Jean Claude Biver came over from Hublot to run the company, he brought the Big Bang signature features to the designers. Hublot is a new brand established in 1980, has second rate brand ambassadors and is pretty much garish. The Carrera reference CBG2A10.BA0654 is a watch for the nouveau riche. This is a statement that doesn’t sit well with me, this was a quote picked up from a former girlfriend who hung around in old money. I cannot really call myself nouveau riche, I am self made, that’s pretty much true.

The 1960s vintage Heuer Carrera design is stylish, this came at an age when the leading watchmakers were all scrambling to release their chronographs. The automobile was increasing in technology, it was also marketed to the masses. The Omega Speedmaster, Rolex Daytona and Zenith El Primero were examples of outstanding design and style. The Heuer Carrera was not out of place in this stylish group, this is a chronograph belonging in esteemed company.

The reference CBG2A10.BA0654 is too large, the skeletonised dial is too similar to the Hublot Big Bang and the diameter at 45 mm is too large. This will be a watch that will date quickly, it has no classic lines, doesn’t fit under the sleeve and is not stylish – it has a short shelf life. This watch carries the name but not the prestige of the Carrera lineage, it is too large in just about every measurement and for me has no redeeming features. It is overpriced at $8750.00 AUD and I wouldn’t be parting parting with this much for this watch.

Since covid has ravaged the world, a number of companies have reinvented themselves, they had to or face oblivion. One of those companies is Dettol, the leading antiseptic, disinfectant and cleaning supplier.

We need to now remove all the germs and virus, Dettol is the brand synonymous with cleanliness. I am going out and purchasing Dettol related cleaning products. For years, if you had a cut or graze that you wanted to prevent infection, Dettol was the product. Sure, it would burn a little, as a kid you would pull a face when it was applied but you knew it was over after that. So as we battle the covid virus, Dettol is a known and trusted brand. If you have Dettol in your cleaning products then you can forget about that as a source of infection.

The xiǎo fěnhóng known as little pinks are swarming social media, make any negative comment about China on social media and watch them attack you. It gets very personal, any replies and you are accused of being a white supremacist and racist despite these commentators discussing race themselves.

Surprisingly, the little pinks are mostly young women from what I am able to decipher, they are overseas students or working overseas. Naturally, they are Chinese nationals abroad as mainland Chinese are blocked from social media in China. They may also have special access to internet sites if they are based on mainland China and in the employ of the government.

They are proud, nationalistic and loud, they have no internet etiquette, they don’t just post an opinion, they seek to dominate the conversation to drown out any comments. They have fake personal images and make 20+ posts on an issue, at times, they may join together in a team to become a real nuisance. The wǔmáo, or fifty cent army are reportedly paid fifty cents per post. Most are argumentative, just about all are fake accounts and they don’t follow rules of courtesy. Ranging anywhere from 500,000 to 2,000,000, a Harvard University study found most are government employees and are organised.

I haven’t tried one on at the time of writing this post. This is unusual for me as I normally at least try one on at a boutique. We cannot exactly blame covid-19 on that, as we never had a lockdown in Perth.

I haven’t tried one on at the time of writing this post. This is unusual for me as I normally at least try one on at a boutique. We cannot exactly blame covid-19 on that, as we never had a lockdown in Perth. From what I have read, the finish isn’t that good on this timepiece, so now I am interested. Online comments have been less than brilliant, so that intrigues me. Are people genuinely disappointed or are people being too critical?

I generally like Tissot products, they are entry-level Swiss, so you know what you are getting. You are getting a reasonable quality timepiece from a Swiss manufacturer with a pretty decent heritage dating back to 1853. At the end of the day, I don’t need another dive watch, I have more than enough in rotation so I won’t be adding to that total. I have an interest in watches and while I do not buy and sell, I purchase new from authorised dealers and keep.

What I do like is checking on industry releases and following watch manufacturer products. That being said, I prefer to purchase high-end timepieces. However, on reflection, I would have more than enough entry-level watches in my collection. Although I do own three Tissot watches, two of these are currently residing with my father, so if I added to my Tissot collection, it would be one of their vintage inspired offerings. There is something I seem to find interesting in Tissot and will continue to follow this brand.

It has been a while since I was at Wise Winery, we drove through Eagle Bay on the way through to Margaret River and it gave me the opportunity to recall when we were regulars here in the early 2000s.

The tasting room was in the same area, there had been plenty of modifications since I was there last. The views from the restaurant hadn’t changed though, the view of Eagle Bay is always magnificent.

So dressing cheaply does not necessarily diminish anyone’s personal value, it indicates a subtle style that doesn’t follow a herd mentality. There are some excellent department stores with fashionable clothing that are offering great value and some really overpriced retailers. What I like seeing is the women’s fashion parade at the horse racing known as fashion on the field.

Many of the fashion winners are not the ones who go out and purchase high-priced Gucci or dresses. That is very generic, even if they purchase a one-off designer dress by a well-known or up and coming designer, I am more impressed by people who create their own style. The winners generally go to a secondhand shop, search for an old dress in decent condition, take it home and jump on their sewing machine to make alterations and add detail. The 2010 winner purchased the dress online for $18 and modified the dress with some help from her designer friend.

The Perth Cup makes for a pretty good day out along with the Spring Carnival, it gives people the chance to dress up and have some fun. Clearly, they know what they are looking for, they possess a certain style, they show ingenuity and they achieve their goals on a tight budget – great work. I like to see people living out their dreams, they know fashion and they go out and modify some retro clothes and turn these clothing into a contemporary style.

The Tissot Gentleman Powermatic 80 Silicium is a pretty decent timepiece for the price range. The round case, sunburst dial with applied index markers works well. This is a classic style that resonates with my personal tastes and style.

Sitting in the bar by myself at Brotzeit in the Perth CBD, I was enjoying the alone time tapping away on my tablet and relaxing. The modern jazz they have playing adds to the atmosphere of an empty bar on a Sunday afternoon, I like it. Unfortunately, the empty bar that liked so much in the afternoon wasn’t so good for business, they ended up closing this bar when the lease was up.

I had two weeks leave owing, so I am just hanging out. Sure, I have jobs to do and errands to run but today isn’t one of those days. For me, life is good, I can’t complain, I am who I am and I am comfortable with that. I can see myself getting up ten years in the future, retired early in Portugal and spending my time writing whilst sitting in a cafe or small bar. If I can spend my time between northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere summers, I will be pretty happy. Yeah, I like scuba diving, hiking, mountain biking, cycling, sailing and boating so I need to ensure I plan my time well to enjoy my adventure activities. Some quiet time never goes as tray though, writing is an excellent creative outlet that I really enjoy.