Monday 7 April

First cruiseliner of the season is here, the good ole Marco Polo. She has been on the go for nearly 50 years. Tragedy struck in February, when a huge wave in the English Channel smashed windows, causing the death of a passenger. We remember him, whilst wishing her godspeed.

April showers this morning, with rain, hail, snow and the kitchen-sink. Only 9C / 48F on a brisk southerly breeze.

I don't want to be insensitive or disrespectful with regards to the death of Peaches Geldof. Any death is the cause of profound sorrow and sadness for the family involved, particularly for such a young person.

Having said that, I find it a gross exaggeration to devote five whole minutes at the start of the main evening news bulletin to the death of this celebrity. There are more important things happening today. The crocodile tears of Oscar Pistorius do not rank among them. Neither, sorry folks, does the first overseas visit of Prince George.

Pistorius. Oh, I am so tempted to write down my theories on that case. But it is a live trial, and this blog is visible to all. So, die Gedanken sind frei.

Think Queensland could get a very nasty surprise this weekend. It's called tropical cyclone Ita, and it will graze the length of the eastern coast from Cape Melville a long way down towards Brisbane. That is my guess at any rate, it's still 4-5 days until the first landfall occurs.