Saturday - Thursday, May 11 - 16 2013 (diary)

Monday evening at the Trailer Boat Club, watching the sunset over Fannie Bay, while waiting for my bridge students to arrive. Right in front on the bay the sailing boats of the Darwin Sailing Club (next door) are stationed at their moorings. The evening is balmy and very pleasant.

Our bridge club is progressing well so far, with several more candidates wanting to learn. I therefore hope to start yet another Beginners course within a week or two.
The atmosphere amongst the present group is very positive, cordial and enjoyable, just what I have been hoping for. It is a breath of fresh air in stark contrast to most bridge clubs, where the atmosphere tends to be too tense, too competitive (often in the wrong way), too formal (to my taste) and with too few smiles.
So I am very busy, preparing play deals, writing new materials etc. with not much time for anything else. My aim and commitment is to expand and consolidate this new bridge club.

My ex, Antien, is planning to celebrate her birthday next year (in late August) with family in Holland. She will therefore be around when I am planning our Dolmen bicycle tour through Drenthe, and she will join us on that venture early September, which is great.

Friday - Monday, May 17 - 20 2013 (diary)

Anyone skeptical about Tony Abbott as a potential future Prime Minister of Australia, should wake up and take notice !
Unlike many, I have always been a great fan of Abbott, his sincerity and intelligence clearly stand out amongst the politicians in Canberra.
This Thursday night Abbott's reply speech to the Labour Government's Budget presentation was a display of political mastery, rarely seen in this country.
Paraphrasing Winston Churchill's famous words, one media commentator described it as : ".... Tony Abbott's finest hour".
I would add just one word to that statement : "yet !", for I am sure there will be much more from where this came from.

In a confident, clearly articulated speech Abbott (wedged by Labour's political budget full of financial "booby traps" intended to spoil the Coalition's plans and embed Labour projects in a future Coalition Government) foiled Labour's attempt by a simple intelligent stroke, turning it right back onto Labour where it came from. For good measure he totally demolished any credibility the present Labour Government still might have amongst the Australian public.

The expressions of dismay on the Labour benches clearly spoke for themselves. Since then we have had a continued panicky bout of long worn out scare mongering from the Labour side, desperate shrieks of a dying animal.   Not surprisingly experienced senior, well respected Labour politicians like Ferguson, Crean and Graham Richardson, have distanced themselves from this incompetent Government rabble.

Long time Labour power broker Graham Richardson (in Friday's "The Australian" newspaper) described that as soon as Prime Minister Gillard now appears on TV clicks can be heard all over the country of viewers immediately switching to another channel. This is unheard of in Australian politics. (Mind you, many amongst the general public don't take much notice of politics anyway, unless it affects their hip pocket.)