Post #304 31 July 2026

  Gentlefolk,

This post describes our main activities during the month of July 2026.

The contents of this post are in the following sequence:

Photos of our activities during July 2026 (a final week in London, then Istanbul and Bali; and home again to Caloundra).

News items which caught my eye in July 2026. 

Some key actions by President Trump during July 2026 (from MS NOW Project 47).

The 2026 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

Highlights of July 2026

As mentioned in my previous post, on 1 June we left Caloundra for our long-anticipated trip to London, Germany, Turkey, and Bali (1 June to 16 July 2026). 

Initially I was going to do one post for the whole trip , but as I had some time in London I decided to do a post which covered June, and now this post covering the month of July (including the last 2 weeks of our trip).

I've made some observations about London at the end of this post.

On 17 June the USA and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to work towards a peacen settlement within 60 days.  But active hostilities resumed in mid July, which included nightly American bombing missions. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz stopped again. The Houthis in Yemen threatened shipping in the Red Sea. Crude oil prices rose to over $100 per barrel, which was reflected in increased petrol and Diesel prices at the bowser. This (still undeclared) war is going nowhere. When will it all end???

Herewith photos of some of our activities in July 2026:

In London

The majestic St Pancras Station (Victorian Gothic Revival style) is the terminus of Eurostar trains.
It was originally built 1866-68 and housed the Midland Grand Hotel. British Rail decided to demolish the building but, thankfully, it was saved in 1967 by a heritage campaign led by poet John Betjeman.
 

The British Library was created by an Act of Parliament in 1973, with materials transferred from the British Museum. The main building is located on Euston Road, next to St Pancras Station, and was opened in 1997.
Unfortunately the Library's "Treasures Room" was closed the day we visited.

.  

The British Library has an active events program. 

The London Underground system is very extensive and serves the city well. The first line was opened in 1863, and rapidly expanded.
for example, we took the Underground from Arsenal Station to Heathrow for our flight to Germany - very good service.

Electric bikes for hire are popular. Actually, the many cyclists in London are well served with bike lanes throughout the city.

We had to check out famous Carnaby Street in Soho. It was the center of British fashion and culture in the 1960s & 70s.

We were surprised at the number of pubs in London - they are very much part of the culture.

We went to a performance of "The Mousetrap" at St Martin's Theatre in the West End. This Agatha Christie play has been continuously performed since 1952 - unbelievable! We actually took the kids to this play in 1990 during our first (and, until now, only) visit to London. 
With superb acting and a good story, it is still drawing large audiences.

Inside St Martin's Theatre.

The small corner shop about 150m from Andrew & Caz's Townhouse. 

Eddie at soccer training (Highbury Fields).

Local schools use the ovals on Highbury Fields for sports.

Samba! Adorable!

Andrew's electric car being recharged on the street outside their home. Companies install charging stations in light poles.

The impressive British Houses of Parliament, with a corner of Westminster Abbey visible on the right.

A statue of Oliver Cromwell in front of the Houses of Parliament. We visited the public galleries of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.  PM Starmer was speaking to a Bill in the Commons, so that was lucky. He is quite a good speaker, but lacks charisma and is not popular. The British Parliamentary Labour Party replaced him with Andy Burham the following week (Burnham is the 7th British PM in 10 years!)..

On our last weekday in London Vera & I visited the wonderful British Museum (again).

The huge interior concourse of the British Museum.

I joined guided tour of "Roman Britain"; the Romans ruled England for nearly 400 years, from AD43 to AD410.

Bronze head thought commemorate the visit to England by Emperor Hadrian in AD122.

The Reddie Showroom at 153 Goswell Road, Clerkenwell, London (about 4 km north of St Paul's Cathedral). Originally it housed a bank. 
Caz and Andrew (and kids Eddie & Jay) moved to London in September 2025 to open a branch of their furniture company (Reddie.com). Their impressive Showroom was opened in May 2026.
They are confident that Reddie furniture will do well in Britain and Europe. Furniture is compeitive and it is not easy to break into a market. We admire them for "having a go". 

Vera & Andrew.

Caz, Eddie and Coco at work.

Another section of the Reddie Showroom.

Brits love soccer. The pubs and beer gardens were packed during 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The Australian Socceroos did well to progress to the second stage, but were then beaten by Egypt.

We visited busy Camden markets.

I chatted with the stall-holder selling French prints. He said that life became much more difficult after Brexit. He now takes a train to Paris, fills a suitcase, and smuggles it back to London. He buys the prints for about 10 Euros and sells them for the equivalent of about 50 euros.  

We walked from the Camden Markets along a canal to Regent's park. About 4,000 km of canals were built in the UK, and were important for transportation, then rail and road took over. There are still about 2,000 miles in operation, mainly for household/tourism use. 

A map of Regent's Park. Later Andrew & I climbed Primrose Hill for views of the City. It was a sunny, warm day and the park was filled with people picnicking and sunbathing..

The view from Primrose Hill.

City outline from Primrose Hill, using zoom. The top of St Paul's Cathedral is in the center. There are height and heritage restrictions in much of the 'old' part of London.

The Hackney Flower Market.

Another view of the Flower Market.

The pub servicing the Hackney Flower Market.

An Englsih pound was worth nearly two Aussie dollars.

Jay and me in Hackney.

Dinner in Caz & Andrew's back yard, very pleasant on a summer's evening. Eddie made pasta - delicious!

Cleaning up the back yard.

Jay waved to us as we were leaving for the airport.

Andrew very kindly drove us to Stansted Airport for our flight to Istanbul. And so ended our 3 weeks in London.

Istanbul here we come!

Our Turkish Airlines plane from London to Istanbul (4 hours  flight).

Intense farming in France.

Coming in to land at Istanbul Airport.

We stayed at the big Hilton Bomonti Hotel.

A view from our room on the 18th floor of the Hilton Bomonti Hotel.

Vera and our friend Seckin. We met David (American) and Seckin (Turkish) when we lived in Brazil in 1980 and have kept in touch (David died several years ago). We were keen to see their daughter Ayse again, but as a journalist she was in Ankara covering a NATO conference.

Seckin showed us aspects of "local life" in Istanbul. For example, she often comes to this park on the shores of the Bosphorus which has a large population of cats - all well cared for by local women. 

We had coffee & cake in a lovely restaurant on the water.

Seckin showed us her apartment, which is on the Asian side of the Bosphorus. She explained that a developer knocked the old building down and owners were given preference in buyinjg into the new building.

We had lunch at the Kandilli Seafood Restaurant, one of Seckin's favourite restaurants.

The Kandilli Restaurant featured a display honouring the life of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881 - 1938, aged 57), the founder of modern Turkey. Seckin is a big fan.

One of the 3 bridges across the Bosphorus.

The Hilton Bomonti erected a huge outdoor TV screen for people to watch the World Cup. 

Another waterside restaurant in Istanbul.

The impressive Ortakoy Mosque in Istanbul.

Vera wrote a card to Seckin thanking her for looking after us so well during our visit to Istanbul.

Turkish Airlines

We flew Business Class with Turkish Airlines from Istanbul to Bali (12.5 hours), very comfortable. 


Bali, here we come

One hour to go to Bali.  

We had six days in Bali, a great place to relax after our Europe trip. The weather was perfect this time. We stayed at the Jayakarta Hotel in Legian.

The main pool area of the Jayakarta Hotel. The rooms are a bit dated, but we like the ambience and location: the extensive gardens, nice swimming pools, good breakfasts, close to shopping and restaurants on Jalan Double-Six, and the quick access to Legian Beach. 

We took in a couple of Balinese cultural performances, one at our hotel, and the other performance nearby.

The Kecak dance is always fascinating.

A photo with the performers after the show.

The World Cup games were shown in Sports Bars in Bali, but as many visitors are Aussies who prefer rugby and Rules, it was not as popular as in England.

Every evening we had sunset on Legian Beach. Always lots happening. Good fun. 

Sunset on Legian Beach.

We spent our last afternoon around Tuban, close to the airport. Visited German Beach (Pantai Jerman). Wonder how it get its name???

One of the hotels in Tuban, across the street from German Beach.

Three months ago Jetstar started direct flights between Sunshine Coast Airport and Bali. Our return flight left Bali at midnight, and arrived at SC Airport at 7.30am. One of the sliding glass doors at Bali Airport suddenly shattered just as we were passing.



Back home in Nirimba / Caloundra

Back home to Caloundra and Halcyon Nirimba Village.  It took us a few days to settle back to life here. 
Barbara Roberts visited us and we attended a talk by Noel Braun. He started walking the Camino aged 77. He is now 93 and still going strong - amazing guy, a real inspiration. 

We went to Brisbane to see the family. Here Jennifer is preparing a meal. Jen and Tom both enjoy cooking.

Tom in the kitchen.  He and Jen are both excellent cooks. 

Photo with Nate. He will head back to Arkansas State University in 2 weeks. While in Brisbane for the long summer vacation, Nate had a shoulder reconstruction (injured playing rugby for the University). His rehab is going well.

The Social Club arranged for a hypnotist to put on a show. 

A number of Villagers volunteered to "go under".into trance. It was fascinating to watch.

Last night the Sydney Roosters beat the North Queensland Cowboys 82 - 12 in the NRL competiton. The Roosters are the first Rugby League team to score more than 80 points in a game since 1935.
An unexpected result as the Cowboys had been playing well and beat the Brisbane Broncos last week.  

So that brings us to the end of July.


Herewith a photos of recent happenings to people close to us.


Eddie, Jay and their cousin from Sydney, Miles.

Eddie & Jay's cousin Miles, and his mother Katherine, arrived in London the day we left, for a 3 week visit. Here the kids are enjoying icecreams.  

Miles and Eddie at the British Museum.

Miles and Eddie enjoying lunch.

Eddie cut his hair short - a big change from the "bowl cut" he has had for many years. 

Kurt celebrated his 21st birthday.

Jen & Tom at Kurt's 21st. Their eldest son.

Kurt and his girlfriend Freya at Kurt's 21st birthday party.

Birth of Evie in Canberra

Michael and Adrienne welcomed their daughter Evie (Evelyn). Mother and daughter both doing well.

Jen's run in Brisbane

In a moment of madness Jen signed up to do a 54km run/walk.

They walked most of the uphill sections.

Jen did 54km in just under 9 hours. Congrats, Jen, on a great effort!!!

Geoff's birthday in Forster

Our good friend Geoff Gray (2nd from left) turned 80 on 27 July. He is a very special person.

The 2026 FIFA Soccer World Cup

The 2026 FIFA World Cup was held 12 June to 19 July hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico. Teams from 48 countries played 104 matches in 16 cities. We were in London and Germany for the first 2 weeks, both soccer-mad countries, so lots of coverage, interest and excitement.

The final 8 (quarter finalists): France, Morrocco, Spain, Belgium, Norway, England, Switzerland, and Argentina.

Semi-finals: Spain 2 beat France 0; Argentina 2 beat England 1.

Play off for 3^rd place: England 6 beat France 4. An entertaining game with 10 goals!!! England was 4 – 0 up at half time, then France came roaring back. Young (24) Bukayo Saka scored a hat trick for England.

Etha sent this summary of the England - France game, from German TV.

Final: Spain 1 beat Argentina 0. Spain scored in the 106^th minute (in Extra Time). They were the better side and deserved to win. Argentine captain Messi cried.

Individual Awards:

Golden Boot (top scorer): Kylian Mbappe (France, 10 goals).

Golden Ball (best player): Rodri (Spanish mid fielder).

Golden Glove (best goalie): Unai Simon (Spain, only let in one goal in the whole tournament).

Best Young Player: Pan Cabarsi (Spain, 19 centre back).

President Trump attended the World Cup Final (played in new Jersey on 20 July 2026). He presented medals to the winning team (Spain).

President Trump presenting a medal to Lamine Yamal, a young, rising star.

The Spanish team: winners are grinners!

Argentinian captain Lionel Messi was distraught (teary) after the game. He led Argentina to victory in the World Cup 4 years ago, but they just missed out this time. Messi is regarded as one of the best players in the world, a real icon; he is 39 years old and this was probably his last World Cup.  

......

 

News items which caught my eye in July 2026.

($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)

Global	Iran: Funeral/mourning of death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the USA/Israel attack on Iran on 28 February 2026. Huge crowds in cities across Iran and Iraq. Athletics: Briton Josh Kerr (28) ran new world record for the mile: 3m42s. Tennis: Serena Williams (44) came out of retirement to play at Wimbledon – beaten by Aussie Maya Joint in the first round. In the final of the Men’s Singles Jannik Sinner beat Alexander Zverev; and in the Women’s Singles Linda Noskova beat Karolina Muchova (both Czech). NATO conference was held in Ankara, Turkey. UK: Nigel Farange resigned his seat - but will contest the resulting by election (some said he was trying to avoid the investigation of his finances). Andy Burham (56) was elected leader of the Labour Party, and became British Prime Minister (the 7th in 10 years). He appointed John Healey Chancellor of the Exchequer and Ed Miliband as Foreign Secretary. The Economist EIU published its list of “most liveable cities”: Copenhagen, Vienna, Melbourne, Sydney, Zurich, Geneva, Osaka, Adelaide, Vancouver. Thailand: a fire in a bar in Bangkok resulted in 40+ deaths. Venezuela: two big earthquakes near Caracas killed 5,000+. Canada: 900+ wildfires burnt across Canada; Trump accused Canada of creating smoke haze and “bad air”, threatened tariffs. Nicaragua: President Daniel Ortega announced the cancellation of future elections. The Commonwealth Games the 23rd CG started in Glasgow; 3,000 athletes from 74 countries competing in 10 sports (reduced from 20). The Australian contingent numbers 257. As at 30 July the top three total medal winners were Australia 103, England 56, and Canada 39. Oil: back up to $100 pb with the renewed US attacks on Iran. The Houthis (supporters of Iran) in Yemen threatened shipping in the Red Sea. Wildfires in Spain and France forced the evacuation of 350,000+ residents. Cycling: Slovenian Tadej Pogacar won the Tour de France for the 5th time. Nauru (a small island in the Pacific) changed it name to Naoero. The Danube River is at its lowest level in 30 years.  Soccer: The 2026 World Cup final was held on 20 July; won by Spain. FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants to allow private equity to invest, but strong blow-back from UEFA.
USA	Pres Trump’s annual financial disclosure showed that he made $1.4B in 2025 from crypto and meme-coin businesses. He earned $26M from foreign real estate deals. Trump made a prime-time national address on TV in which he claimed the US election system was flawed; but the evidence he presented was not convincing. Commentators speculated that he is preparing the ground for November’s Mid-Term elections. The USA agreed to assist Saudi Arabia to establish nuclear power plants, if SA recognised Israel. The USA declined automatic renewal of the North America free trade agreement (USMCA) – will revert to annual discussions.  The US imposed 50% tariffs on a range of imports from Canada, alleging unfair practices by Canada on cars, dairy and alcohol. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth aid the Iran War had cost $38B, but commentators said the figure was at least double that amount. Trump wants Congress to increase the Pentagon’s annual budget by about $500B to $1.5T. Vice President JD Vance’s wife Usha had their 4th child, a boy. The US Supreme Court rejected planned restrictions on birthright citizenship. USA 250th anniversary celebrations. Congress established the “America 250” agency to coordinate events; the White House established its own program under the “Freedom 250” banner. Taylor Swift married Travis Kelce in Madison Garden, NYC. Heat wave conditions on the East Coast and Mid West. The annual hot dog eating contest held in NYC was won by Jay Chestnut (66 in 10 mins, his 18th win). The best woman was Miki Sudo who consumed 38 hot dogs in 10 mins. The US imposed 10% and 12.5% tariffs on 60 trading partners for not doing enough to combat forced labour in their supply chains. The UK got 10%, Australia 12.5%.  Many commentators said that this was just a ploy to continue tariffs which were about to expire.   LeBron James will play for the Philadelphia 76ers next season.(from Lakers). According to The Economist and YouGov, President Trump’s net approval rating has fallen to -25 (a record low). Major concerns of Americans: Prices/inflation (29%); Jobs/economy (14%); Healthcare (9%); Immigration (7%); Climate (6%).
Australia	Property prices falling in major Australian cities; auction clearance rates well down. The Govt accepted most of the recommendations of the report into Islamophobia. The Royal Commission into Antisemitism is attracting much media coverage. Popular actor Sam Neill died of cancer aged 78. The Australian Labor Party’s Conference in Adelaide. A 4 Corners investigation uncovered many instances of false or misleading  labelling of food products (tomatoes, eggs, alcohol, etc). Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan was replaced by Ben Carroll.

 

President Trump continues to dominate the media. American government policy seems to be largely based on Trump posts on Truth Social, his social media site.

 

Trump’s key actions

From MS NOW Project 47

In week ending 2 July 2026

Announced that the Republican Party will hold its first-ever national convention in advance of the midterm elections

Called for Republicans in Congress to pass a bill that would end birthright citizenship after a Supreme Court ruling keeping it

Said he has not yet decided whether to sign a bipartisan housing bill, dismissing it as “a yawn” (wants Congress to pass his election bill first)

Threatened to seize control of Washington, D.C., if voters elect a mayoral candidate he opposes

 

In week ending 10 July 2026

Had a $3.8 billion defamation lawsuit from his social media company against The Washington Post thrown out by a judge

Renewed his push for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, threatening to pull U.S. troops from Europe over it at a NATO summit

Announced plans to weaken efficiency standards for home appliances that have been shown to cut electricity demand and lower utility bills

Reportedly required crews building a new helipad to work around-the-clock to finish before an upcoming state visit, driving up the cost by $875,000

 

In week ending 17 July 2026

Overturned a plan to pause Immigration and Customs Enforcement traffic stops after a deadly shooting in Maine

Walked back a dramatic plan for the U.S. to take control of the Strait of Hormuz and charge a toll

Posted on social media that a New York Times reporter would “pay the price” for her stories, arguing that she was part of a secret plot to undermine him

Had a bridge in Tennessee named for him on the same day that Palm Beach International Airport was renamed

 

In week ending 24 July 2026

Declared that data centers are “one of the biggest driving forces” for future jobs, even as polls show they have become unpopular

Announced that a Boeing luxury jet donated by Qatar would need to be taken out of service to add more defensive capabilities

Failed to persuade key Senate Republicans to back a bill to restrict voting rights after a primetime address on the subject

Claimed that soldiers who had died in the war with Iran had “said very strongly, ‘We can’t let, we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.’”

In week ending 31 July 2026

Made plans to end a subsidy program that helped hold down premiums for Medicare drug plans

Failed to file an appeal of the Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship decision, despite having publicly declared he would

Said “I haven’t thought about it” when asked when the cyclospora outbreak might end

Admitted in court filings that the administration had cut energy grants to states he lost in the 2024 election for political reasons

......

Some observations about London.

Fascinating city, history around every corner (very different from Australia).

Britain was so rich and powerful in the 1700s and 1800s, as a result of the Industrial Revolution and the Empire, and that wealth is reflected in the city.

Amazing museums and galleries and architecture. 

Ststues of famous people; lots of ovely parks.

Many familiar place names (eg Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Piccadilly, Kings Cross, Regent's Park, Greewich, Covent Garden, Park Lane, Mayfair, Knightsbridge,  etc) to Australians of my generation (we learnt British History at school in those days).

Good public transportation (buses and trains).

Churches and pubs everywhere.

Lots of pets, especially dogs; people love dogs, you can take a dog anywhere.

The weather was variable: some quite hot days, but also cool, windy and showery periods.

The days were long in June, from about 5am to 9pm (would be much shorter and less pleasant in Winter).

Lots of small shops.

We had to use the National Health System (doctor and dentist) - worked well for us.

Pubs are important social points; they were particulary busy when England palyed in the World Cup.

Lots of people of African origin around Highbury/North London. 

People, generally, seemed satisfied; we didn't witness any crime or violence, although it exists.

Markets are popular and busy.

Lots of townhouses, and bay windows (Omi would have loved it).

 

OK, that's enough for this post.

Just wanted to express our thanks again to Caz and Andrew for looking after us so well in London; Oda, Heidi & Conny in Weilheim; Etha, Jurgen, Laura & Marvin in Munster; and Seckin in Istanbul. You all made our trip so pleasant and memorable - THANK YOU!!!.

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Vera & Alex Olah

Caloundra, Australia

Friday 31 July 2026