Author Archives: slingsbybrowning

Travel Blog August 1 to August 6, 2012

And so we say goodbye to Margate, and travel a few miles along the northern coast of Kent, that is to say further up the Thames estuary, to Herne Bay, to spend a few days with sister Brenda and her husband Eddie. Herne Bay, with its pebbly beach and Thames mudflats at low tide couldContinue reading “Travel Blog August 1 to August 6, 2012”

Travel Blog; July 27 to July 31 2012

The weather is glorious again, with bright sunshine and a very slight breeze—just right for a trip into Margate, and a visit to the Turner Centre. The Centre is a very impressive modern gallery right beside Margate Harbour. Apparently Turner had a mistress who lived in Margate, so there is actually a connection between TurnerContinue reading “Travel Blog; July 27 to July 31 2012”

Travel Blog; July 18 to July 22 2012

Travel Blog; July 18 to July 22 2012 One thing I forgot to mention in my previous blog, was the strange sight of a small tractor driving back and forth along the inter-tidal zone of beach at St Bees. At first we thought that maybe it was scraping up debris (syringe needles, plastic bags andContinue reading “Travel Blog; July 18 to July 22 2012”

Travel Blog; July 13 to July 18, 2012

You may find this blog, like the flight from Melbourne to Manchester, rather long and tedious, but hopefully you will find that like the flight, the end result is worth the effort! 5.00pm, July 13, Helen and Phil came for a quick light snack (Auvergne omelette) before we headed to Melbourne Airport. We had alreadyContinue reading “Travel Blog; July 13 to July 18, 2012”

The Law of Unintended Consequences

In the early days of the 1665 plague in London, the Lord Mayor got it into his head that cats and dogs were the cause, and ordered that as many as possible be destroyed. The unintended consequence was an explosion in the population of rats, which by way of their fleas were the real culprit,Continue reading “The Law of Unintended Consequences”

Natural or Man-made?

I have never fully understood why some things are described as being “natural” and others described as being “man-made”, with the implication that they are therefore “not natural”. When one looks at the landscape in the Northern Territory and sees the massive termite mounds, some of which stand a couple of meters or more tallContinue reading “Natural or Man-made?”

Climate Change and Sea Level Rise

Now, do not misunderstand me. I am not a ‘climate change denier’ or ‘sceptic’ or what ever appellation you might like to add. In fact I would be more surprised if the climate did not change. After all, it has changed many times over the millennia. The last major cooling—‘The Ice Age’, came to anContinue reading “Climate Change and Sea Level Rise”

A Blast at the Advertising Industry

Over the past few years, the world has been grappling with the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), and most news bulletins and topics of conversation, particularly those involving retirees, centre on share-market volatility, sovereign debt, interest rates, lack of growth in the economy, the softness of the retail sector and so on. The causes of theContinue reading “A Blast at the Advertising Industry”