1. Original Clarks desert boots from the Shoe Superstore.
   These were first made in 1950, when they were very popular with British soldiers in Egypt, wearing them when off duty.

2. Thick, fast drying Bamboo fibre socks from the Top Saddlery Shop in Katherine.
   Great sock, anti- bacterial, not smelling even after lengthy use.

3. Hi-tech, ultra light Rivade sweater of pure quality Merino wool from Kathmandu.
   Feels great, looks good, takes hardly any luggage space, a great difference compared to all my other woolen sweaters.

4. Hi-tech, ultra light Gallium T-shirt of pure quality Merino wool from Kathmandu.
   Same as above.

5. Thin, ultra light, bright reflective yellow wind sheeter jacket of high tech nylon from Kathmandu.
   My rather conservative friends in Holland will certainly raise their eyebrows when they see me wearing this one. That alone is worth the money I paid for it.

Tuesday 11 - Thursday 20 March, 2014 (diary)

I am still making small adjustments to our Trailer Boat Bridge Club. A recent survey I conducted revealed that only 55% of our members are available on a Monday, while 80% can come and play on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.
Accordingly we have stopped playing on Monday evenings and started a regular night on Tuesdays.

Also during the busy tourist season here in Darwin (from late May until the end of August) it is hard to get a parking spot at the Trailer Boat Club or the adjacent Darwin Sailing Club. Members have to walk long distances to get to the club.
I have therefore searched for other possible suitable venues and have come to a agreement with the PINT Club in the Marrara Sports Complex, to play there Tuesday evenings. There is ample parking right in front of the club and Tuesday is the PINT Club's quietest evening of the week. The arrangement is therefore beneficial to both parties. So far we have played there twice now and all of us are enjoying it very much.

I am also starting a special Novices session this week on Sunday afternoons where only recent Beginners can play and I am around to give some advice during play. So our bridge club is gradually getting into good shape, with 40+ members now and steadily growing.

Friday 21 - Monday 31 March, 2014 (diary)

And another month has flown by. Throughout it felt as if the dry season had already started, lots of sunshine, distinctly lower humidity and only 79 mm of rain this month, 12 mm of it falling on the very last day.

I am still making small changes to my travel schedule in Europe later this year. I will spend three days on Mallorca (instead of Alicante) before heading to Barcelona on October 1.
I also hired two E-bikes from a Bicycle shop in Emmen, one for Antien, the other for myself. We will do the Dolmen cycling tour on those (Sept. 1-3). I never have driven an E-bike before and am very curious about trying one for the first time.

Yosune, my acquaintance to be and Barcelona guide, is also looking out for suitable hotels in Barcelona and I am chacking those out. Right now I have a tentative booking in Hotel Fornos right on La Rambla and not far from the harbour where I will arrive by ferry from Palma de Mallorca.

I am becoming a bit of an E-book buying addict. My tablet library is steadily growing and now contains 60 books. But I am really happy being able to buy material which is just nowhere available in regular book shops.
I now have half a dozen Edith Wharton novels, one of my favourite authors, a superbly intelligent and perceptive woman.
I also just go hold of the latest Brian Greene : "The Hidden Reality", describing 9 possible scenarios for the existence of multiple universes (a so-called "multiverse") : fascinating.