This is the oil products tanker Pacific Rainbow on its way up the mouth of the Yarra to Holden Dock.  The channel is narrow so two tugs have to hip and shoulder the ship upriver.  Swathes of paint have been stripped off the sides by similar efforts.  Life is tough in the shipping business.  Rose George says ships like this bring us 90% of everything.  It’s probably worth remembering that when we buy things on Amazon.

I remember as a kiddy travelling in the back seat of a car with no seat belt whilst my mate’s mum puffed away on an Alpine as she drove us somewhere – somewhere we no doubt duly got sunburned.  Why don’t they make cars like they used to?  Because they were dangerous, burned more fuel than the space shuttle and were unreliable.  But … some of them looked awfully good.  This is an XK Falcon I saw parked on Latham Street – it might have been broken down.

The air in Canberra is like champagne and in winter is a very similar temperature.  I think it is a very beautiful city, and in Autumn there are days in Canberra when you feel you could live forever.  It is underrated.  The West Block is a spare, elegant building.  It used to house lots of government offices.  It is about to be turned into a hotel that is sure to be haunted.  The honeymoon suite will echo with the pitter patter of ghostly typing.