Sunday - Friday, November 11 - 16 2012 (diary)

Last Sunday we had our first bridge session in the Tracy Village Club. Although we had only a small group (7 of us, due to several regulars being away) we had a good time. The boardroom is quite pleasant, with aircon and room for 5 bridge tables, so suitable for holding a large beginners course, perhaps in late February.

I have just completed writing a new Travel section (with separate sections for Germany, Holland and Spain) and uploaded it on my website. It features all the places I have visited in Europe over the past 5 years with relevant photos from my Blog arranged in appropriate photo galleries.

All my travel is heavily focused on nature, nature walks, art and smaller towns, and therefore may be of interest to others who prefer to stay away from the usual mass tourist destinations.
I used to love cities like London, Paris, etc. way back in the 1960s and 70s, but these days shy well away of them.

Saturday - Tuesday, November 17 - 20 2012 (diary)

We have had six or seven bursts of rain this month so far, anything between 4 and 20 mm, a total of 69mm. It has been very beneficial too as everything around is looking fresh and green.
It is quite remarkable how quickly the climate changes when moving away from the coast. I am living only 25-30 km from the coastline but it makes a lot of difference.
The day temperatures are about 5° C (10° F) higher here but at night it is 5° cooler, quite pleasant overall.
The humidity is much lower than in Darwin and Casuarina.I noticed the difference again when I went into Casuarina at midday last week, which I rarely do these days.

My weeks have a constant routine of bridge, now mainly focused on teaching, rather than competitive playing (I am somewhat bored with that). I do enjoy helping others to improve their skills and feel much satisfied by that.
We are slowly moving into the extended Christmas party period with lots of Christmas lunches and dinners organised by the various clubs and communities.
Having grown up in Europe celebrating Heilige Abend (Christmas Eve) in German style throughout my 29 years there, I have never been able to get into the Christmas spirit here. However I find that a small price to pay for now living in a wonderful country and environment. I love the warmer climates and hate the cold.