It can't be real. But it is.
09.03.2026 18:08 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0In which I try to find some glimmer of hope in the seemingly endless death spiral of the planet.
05.03.2026 19:00 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The Suiderstrand Log
If you walk down onto the beach at Suiderstrand and take a right turn, following the coastline along and into the Agulhas National Park, you'll come across a large log on the beach, about 1½km towards the cottages out at Piet se Punt. Just next to the rocky outcrop know…
Sirens and Smoke
That might mean something else if you were in the Middle East right now, but it's very much the South and the West of the continent that I'm talking about here. At the moment, hidden away in our little corner of Africa - away from all the sirens and the smoke - seems to be a very…
Careful now, Iran
Incoming from the whirring newsreel on my second monitor this morning, this: What? Threatening the stability of the Middle East? That absolute paragon of stability throughout my lifetime? The shining example of security, solidity and steadiness for the global population? The role…
New hoodie?
Looking for the perfect gift for a loved one with winter apparently on the way? How about this hoodie featuring - almost - a well-known proverb about education and empowerment? Think about it: every person who sees you in the mall or at the bar will have something - something deep - to…
A little premature?
That thing I did on the drama of the Doomsday clock. Awful. But then, this also suggests that we could keep going at the frankly horrendous rates of killing each other and destroying the environment that we’ve been working so hard upon for the last 12 months for at least…
Solo Piano
A compilation of Solo Piano pieces by Ludovico Einaudi. Available to stream, buy on CD(!), several different types of vinyl, or even as sheet music. 17 tracks that between them have amassed well over a billion listens on Spotify alone. And, given that he's written a lot more than 17…
The hotel coffee machine row
This cartoon... ...was published before the sh1t hit the fan - or kettle? - when a so-called "influencer" revealed her repulsive hack of washing her dirty underwear when away from home: Tara Woodcox, an influencer and fitness coach, is speaking out after an earlier…
Perfect. 👌🏽
24.02.2026 06:37 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Another one
One of the spin-offs of religion dying out in the UK (and in a lot of other places too) is fewer muppets. But another spin-off is old, no longer required church buildings being converted into residential accommodation. Like this one from a few weeks ago. And this one, which I saw…
Bye!
Any football news from Up North today? Only this: Not the 20-0 rout that some foolish people were predicting. It was never going to be like that. But the history books will record that Wednesday were relegated at Bramall Lane, and that's what really matters. The three points are also very…
Don’t get distracted
With Prince Andrew being arrested this week over his connections with Jeffrey Epstein (although not for that, but who knows where the ongoing investigations may lead), suddenly someone is panicking and pulling out all of the stops in order to distract the world from his…
I don’t know what to say
I said a lot of things here, but sometimes even I run out of words when I read something like this. The story: “He just learned how to ride, he got the hang of it right away,” Ethan’s dad, Luis, said proudly. “He wanted to go outside because he wanted to jump on his…
Weather Man
Mentioned briefly here, here is some more photography by Russian Arctic photographer, Evgenia Arbugaeva. This is part of her series Weather Man, tracking the day to day activities of meteorologist, Vyacheslav Korotki for The New Yorker. It's worth clicking through on this link to see…
Test Drive
I test drove our new hob yesterday. And wow. What an amazing difference from the old model. The old model was in here when we moved in several (or more) years ago now. The old model shouldn't have been in here when we moved in, because it fails the gas certificate of compliance even at…
The more you ignore me
It's been a while since I put some music up on here. And this one is nothing new. Just an earworm I picked up and I can't get rid of. And the more I ignore it... well... you know. Incidentally, I think I picked this up from the Amy Lamé Superfans show, which is a great…
Airports
Wondering about airports? Of course you are. Wonder no more - has got you covered for all your airport data needs. You can even download a CSV file full of airport information: airports.csv (12,511,182 bytes, last modified Feb 16, 2026)Large file, containing information on all airports on…
More great Asian signs
It was quite a while ago that I (possibly) introduced you to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in India. They are the ones putting up signs like this one: ...with the sole intention of keeping you safe while on their roads. I've been sent a couple of other Asian signs…
Apple
Thought for the day: Is it true that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, or is it just one of Granny's myths?
Don’t forget…
...that you're supposed to be doing a blog post each day. It's late and you've been busy, I get it. That gas hob wasn't going to buy and install itself. United weren't going to win at Portsmouth without your support, and yes, that was an absolutely superb braai. The steak was…
Nice guy
Valentine's Day tomorrow. Commercialism gone mad, preying on the young lovers of the world, or the Feast Day of St Valentine who lived in the 3rd Century. How about both. Busy guy, too. Aside from his caring for the poor and weak during his brief time on the planet, he's also got himself…
Tell me why…
...I'm not particularly looking forward to this coming Monday. With apologies to the Boomtown Rats. One of the best bits about this blog (ok, ok: possibly the only good bit if you want to be like that) is the fact that I don't have to stick to any one given topic. This isn't a blog…
(what's left of) the Overberg would probably respectfully disagree. 🤣
12.02.2026 09:41 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Ice Road news
Great news for anyone wanting to travel between the Estonian islands of Hiiumaa and Saaremaa, but who hasn't been able to get a ferry because of all the sea ice in the... er... sea. The authorities have opened a 17km ice road between the islands - specifically between Tärkma on…
Done (a sad rant)
Forgive me. Bit of a moan incoming. When April comes around this year, it'll mean that for 20 of the last 24 months, we'll have had building work happening on our doorstep. Not literally our doorstep, obviously. Our actual doorstep is perfectly functional, but rather small and…
I could live here
It's Denmark, which is the most boring of the Scandinavian countries I have been to (n=3), but still - look at this: This bar will give you a free beer between 12 and 1pm. There's no catch, no obligation to buy another beer or any food or any other product. You just turn up and…