Over Christmas and New Year, I decided to make some changes to my website, so you may notice it looks a bit different than it used to. The main reason for this was I wanted my photos to be displayed larger on the pages, so people could actually see them – that’s why I take them, after all!
The blog is set up by selecting a Theme, which dictates how the website looks and there are probably millions of Themes to choose from – it certainly seems it anyway! Some are free and others you pay for. The one I am currently using I paid for very early on and then didn’t use, as I thought it was too complicated for my simple website needs. So it sat there unloved, until I realised it would hopefully show my images off better and decided to put it to work.
I still do like the original theme I had chosen, especially the charcoal background, but I was underwhelmed by how that actually displayed my photos. So I decided to try another and fortunately, I can test out how other themes look using my website, so I can see directly how it will look. After trying out a few other themes, I chose the one I had originally rejected.
As I pushed the ‘Activate’ button, I hoped everything would transpose across nicely, which actually did happen (I suppose it could have gone very pear-shaped) and then I set the theme up to do everything the way I want it.
I have also grown a bit more used to the website world and felt a little bit more confident using this very expansive theme, but it actually means I have turned most of the copious settings off. You also quickly learn that website designers are into using total jargon, so I am not sure what most of the things I am supposed to set-up actually ARE??? If in doubt, just carry on I guess…
There are a few things I still need to tweak, if I can remember where they are, but hopefully it looks and works okay for anybody who wants to take a look!
Wandering Around Darwin
I have been waiting in Darwin, hoping to experience the Wet, which seems to be taking its time arriving. No matter, Darwin is a nice place to visit and I have been looking around. The waterfront at Darwin is designed for walking and they have provided plenty of pathways and parks for you to enjoy the water views along the way.
I have visited a few museums, too.
The pride and joy of the Aviation Museum is an American B-52 bomber and I have to say, this thing is HUGE!
It has eight jet engines to lift the massive weight off the ground and dominates all the rest of the museum. It only just fits inside their massive hanger. Being on display in a museum means the bomber is considered to be on a ‘peace mission’, so it is completely unarmed. But I presume it definitely carried arms while it was in service (1959 – mid 1990s).
You can walk inside the bomb bay, which is a bit sobering when you realize how much destructive power this thing can carry!
Darwin has a long aviation history. The original airfield is now covered by suburbs but Darwin was usually the first touchdown on the Australian continent for the early flying heroes.
Keith and Ross Smith arrived here on December 10th, 1919, having successfully achieved the first flight from England to Australia. It only took them 27 days and 20 hours to get here!
Amy Johnson landed in Darwin in 1930, the first woman to fly from England to Australia. And she did that in a single engine plane!
Cyclone: To Go or Stay?
Speaking of the Wet, there has been little rain, apart from the occasional sporadic storm but a cyclone did eventually form over the WA coast. Tropical Cyclone Blake was the first of the season and it’s interesting, as Blake was pretty quickly followed by another tropical low, forming to the north-east of Arnhem Land, which is east of me here. It could be a busy cyclone season…
Not all tropical lows form cyclones, but they often do, so I kept an eye on this one (which was tipped to become TC Claudia). Overnight, the projected path of this low shifted from going well south of Darwin to heading to target Darwin directly!
I was regularly checking any updates as they were issued. As the poor camper is not designed for a battering from high winds, I decided it was probably best to head inland if a cyclone threatened. But, as the low wavered about, deciding what it was going to do – or not, as was the case – I was advised to actually stay put.
The reasoning was that if high winds did come through, I could at least shelter where I was, placing the camper between two buildings to offer some protection from the winds. Whereas, if I had headed off and was caught out in the open (by flooded roads, for example), the impact of any winds one my unprotected vehicle could be much worse… This does make sense, I think.
This actually happened awhile back when a cyclone was predicted to hit Darwin. Many with caravans ‘escaped’ by heading down to Adelaide River, a hamlet south of Darwin, away from the coast. That was fine but then the cyclone changed direction and missed Darwin completely, smashing into – you guessed it – Adelaide River! They were all caught out in the open, suffered major wind damage and were then cut off for several days by floodwaters.
It was quite interesting waiting to see if a cyclone would develop but as it progressed, it appeared the low was just wandering around and had moved over land, so was no longer a cyclone threat to Darwin. It did rain though, which was actually very pleasant to see and that brought the temperature down significantly, which was really lovely!
And with the rain, it certainly looks like the Wet has finally arrived. It has been raining for a while now, with some heavy falls. There are flowing creeks forming along the roads in the park where I am staying. I am on higher ground so I am fine and can always move if it becomes too soggy where I am, but my chair is not really fit for purpose at the moment…
I am impressed though, every time I step outside I see how fresh the car and camper look, washed down by the rain. I really am mesmerized by how clean they get, when they are usually coated in red dust and mud! I almost don’t recognise my own set-up.
The downside of all this lovely rain is that everything is damp to the touch, as the humidity is well over 90% every day. Yuck! Oh, and the mosquitos are out in force, looking for a feast, too. Somehow they acquire access into the camper and while I can usually ‘get’ them, they usually ‘get’ me first! I have bought so much Mortein recently, I should probably own the company by now…
