Post #303 30 June 2026

 Gentlefolk,

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

The contents of this post are in the following sequence:

Photos of our activities during June 2026.

News items which caught my eye in June 2026. 

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

Highlights of June 2026

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 I decided to do this post covering June.

The USA and Iran signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 17 June to work towards a peacean settlement within 60 days. The World gave a sigh of relief - it is 4 months since the USA & Israel suddenly attacked Iran on 28 February, and the subsequent energy shock to the world from the closure of the Starit of Hormuz, it looked as if a resolution of sorts was near. But 3 days ago fighting flared up again, with both sides accusing the other of breaking the MOU. Although he desnies it, most commentatiors believe that Trump wants an end to the conflict as the MidTerm elections in November draw closer Normally he insists on a "deal" on his terms only, but Iran has proven surprisingly obstinant so is he willing to compromise? What will happen???

Herewith photos of some of our activities in June 2026:

Bali, Kuta Beach first stop (2 nights)

We flew from Sunshine Coast Airport to Bali. Stayed for 2 nights at the Satrya Cottages, Poppies Lane 2, Kuta Beach. This statue in the Satrya garden caught my eye.  He looks forlorn and unhappy, doesn't he?

Vera admiring a huge Garuda carving in the foyer of the Kartika Plaza Hotel, Tuban.

We took in the Kecak dance perfomance held at Discovery Mall every evening. The settig was lovely, overlooking the ocean. But the performance itself was disappointing - made for tourists, much "shallower" than in the past.  

 

About 700 metres of the beach at Kuta has suffered severe erosion. The beach has had to be stabilised  with huge rocks - they look unsighly and restrict access to the water, but without them the road itself would have been threatened.
Very sad to see, as we have had many enjoyable holidays on Kuta Beach.

Bali to London with Turkish Airlines: Three hour layover in Istanbul Airport, then 4 hours to London

The impressive airport in Istanbul.

London, here we come ....

Caz & Andrew and Eddie & Jay live in a comfortable townhouse in Highbury (Borough of Islington), about 7 km from London City. 

Ardilaun Street, Highbury. A nice, quiet tree-lined street.
They bought a Mercedes electric car and fortunately there are several charging points on the street.
The nearest shops, pub (The Highbury Barn), and bus stop (for buses #4 & #19) are a few minutes walk away.

A charging point for electric cars on Ardilaun Street.

London's impressive railway network. It took a while to work it out.

After Jay's drama class, we had Japanese food for lunch at the Angel Central off Upper Road.

Dinner in our local watering hole "The Highbury Barn". 

The family has a Cockalier puppy called Samba. He is 8 months old. A lovely dog, full of beans.

Caz & Andrew take Samba for a run around the dog-park, before taking him to the Reddie Showroom. The weather was quite cool for the first 10 days of our visit to London, windy with intermittent showers.

Samba watching Eddie and Andrew playing Connect Four.

Eddie plays for the Limitless Football team. They have won 3 tournaments in recent weeks, and we watched them play in this, the 4th, tournment. It was a cold, windy and showery day. 

Eddie's team won the tournament - here getting their medals.

The winning Limitless Team. It is hard to see Eddie in the lineour, but he was there. This was their 4th win, so 4 from 4. The all the game scores were close as the teams were pretty evenly matched.

Eddie making pasta / ravioli, from scratch. He has picked up lots of skills.

Andrew, Jay and I visited the British Museum after lunch. It was packed with wonderful exhibits. London has lots of museums, all excellent. We visited severl of the top museums: Victoria & Albert (V&A, was my favourite), the Natural History Museum, and the National Gallery near Trafalgar Square. 

Jay at the British Museum.

We visited Caz and Andrew at the Reddie.com furniture showroom on Goswell St, Clerkenwell. 
In a word: IMPRESSIVE! They have done so much to establish their company in just 9 months. 

On a rainy day we visited Tate Modern Art Gallery - but not really our cup of tea.

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The view of St Paul's Cathedral walking back over Millenium Bridge from Tate Modern.

There is so much history in London - seemingly something of historical significance around every corner. Many names are familiar from playing Monopoly and the English History which was part of Australian school curriculums back in the 1950s and 60s: names such as Westminster Bridge, Regents Park, Pall Mall, Euston Road, Oxford Street, Piccadilly, Charing Cross, The Strand. Covent Garden, Leicester Square, etc, etc. 

Vera in front of the wonderful Victoria & Albert Museum.

The 'back building' of the V&A contains the lovely coffee shop and restaurant. When it's sunny, people sit on the grass around the fountain. 

There is a small Chinatown, next to Leicester Square. 

Another street in Chinatown.

We had lunch in this Cantonese food restaurant which opened in 1977. Delicious Dim Sum and other dishes. 

Trafalgar Square was closed for extensive upgrading.

The National Gallery overlooking Trafalgar Square - superb art collection.

Inside the National Gallery.

Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Big crowd. We were standing next to a group of tourists from Indonesia. Buckingham Palace has over 700 rooms - huge - undergoing major renovations for years. King Charles has said that he and Queen Camilla will continue to live in Clarence House. 

The Brits are very good at "pomp & ceremony".

More ceremony.

The grand  "Mall" leading up to Buckingham Palace. 

Visited Sir John Soane's home / museum at Lincoln's Inn Fields. He lived 1753 to 1837. His father was a bricklayer. John's potential was recognised early. He became a leading architect (Bank of England, etc). He was an avid collector and his house (which he beqeathed to the City) is filled to overflowing with antiques from all over the world.   

Portrait of Sir John Soane 1753 - 1837. UK history is full of extraordinary men and women.

One of the rooms in Sir John Soane's home/museum.

The Covent Garden district was buzzing with visitors.

We attended a performance of "Hamilton"in the Victoria Palace Theatre. It is a musical about the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of America's founding fathers.  He was born in Charlestown, Nevis. Studied in New York, and became a leader of the independence movement. He was an adjutant to George Washington during the War of Independence and became Secretary of the Treasury in the first Administration.  He died aged about 48 of injuries sustained in a duel. 

Some of the cast of "Hamilton".

Lunch with old friends from Brazil and Indonesia days: Maureen & Chris Burton and Sue & Roy Hubber.  Our kids attended the British School in Rio together and later we met up again in Jakarta. 

Maureen, Roy and Sue.

Vera and Chris.

The Natural History Museum - stunning.

Charles Darwin.

We took a riverboat up to Greenwich.

The Cutty Sark was one of the last, and fastest, "tea clippers" (they brought tea from China to England. and probably took opium back the other way. They were finally replaced by steam ships).

Greenwich had a central place in British naval history.  Many monuments to famous seafarers. 

We visited The Queen's House.

We were lucky to attend a concert in the chapel of the Naval College & Hospital. 

We had lunch in the Greenwich Market, which dates back to 1737.

Visited the National Maritime Museum. 

The British Houses of Parliament from Westminster Bridge.

We decided to visit the House of Commons for Question Time. We were about 20th in the queue. Lined up for over an hour (locals get prefence). Finally we were taken inside. After another hour or more we were told that we would get into the Chamber after Question Time, so we left. What a pity. Having worked in the Australian Parliament House for 5 years, I was keen to see it here. We'll return on another day when, hopefully, it is not as busy.

We waited for over an hour inside Westminster Hall, but couldn't get in to Question Time. Apparently the Prime Minister only attends QT once a week, and that day is always crowded. The actual Commons and Lords Chambers and respective public galleries are relatively small, 

Germany #1: Weilheim, Oberbayern

We visited Germany from 18 - 26 June. First Munich and Weilheim in Bavaria, and later Munster in northern Germany.
Conny very kindly picked us up at Munich Airport. She drove us around Munich (she is an official city guide) and then took us to the Hotel Vollmann in Weilheim, about 50kms south of Munich. She clocked 165km per hour on the Autobahn! 

An attractive region, Weilheim is in the foothills of the Alps, between Munich and Garmisch Partenkirchen. It has a history going back over a thousand years. Population of about 22,000 now. Many people commute to Munich for work.
 I was born in Weilheim Hospital in August 1946; in 1950 we emigrated to Australia. My cousins Heidi, Oda and Michael live in Weilheim and are our main contacts here.

Part of the Marien Platz, the main square of Weilheim. The Kronner Cafe was my mother's favourite. 
 

We stayed in the Hotel Vollmann, on the main Square. 

The Catholic Church (Maria Himmelfahrt) is in the main Square. The church boasts an impressive new organ and we attended a wonderful organ recital there.  

There is a "Farmer's Market" in the main Square twice a week.

Oda took us to visit Michael who had just had a hip replacement. 

Michael's hip operation was in the lovely Benedictus Krankenhaus in Tutzing, an old convent which was converted into a hospital.

 

After visiting Michael, we had dinner on the shores of Sternberger See/Lake.

It was summer and hot - local residents enjoying the lake.

For dinner we had pork ribs and a local fish, washed down with a local beer. The photo shows Oda preparing the fish, which was delicious.

On Saturday Conny and Joe hosted dinner for the family.  Conny showed us their latest hobby - they have 7 sheep in an unused meadow on the outskirts of their village. They hope to create a kind of nature reserve where people can come and commune with nature. Let's hope it works out!

Conny explaining the setup to Clements. Joe built a little "trailer" for the sheep.

Vera & me with Conny & Joe.

Anni, Oda, Conny & Vera

Joe with their sons, Gabriel and Laurenz (who has just finished High School).

From left: Vera. Conny, Joe, Gabriel, Laurenz, Anni, Oda, and me. Clemens and his wife Josefin had already left. Unfortunately Heidi and Walter couldn't come (he wasn't well).

Oda & Vera.

Saying goodbye to Walter.

Saying goodbye to Heidi. The next morning 22 June Oda took us to Weilheim Train Station where we took the train to Munich Central Station for our train to Munster (7 hours). We had a wonderful relaxing 4 days catching up with family. 

Germany #2: Munster, Westphalien

Etha (Vera's sister) and Jurgen hosted us to dinner in Munster. We actually stayed with their daughter Laura and her husband Marvin. We saw them three years ago in Medemblik, The Netherlands. 

Laura and Marvin very kindly had us stay with them at their apartment. Here we had a nice dinner on the shore of the Aasee.  Munster is a lovely old university city, known for its bike riding. 

Marvin, Laura and Vera enjoying afternoon tea in the "Hafen district"

Munster's main shopping area is the Principalmarkt. Munster was smashed during WW2, 90% of the buildings in the city centre were destroyed. Yet the city leaders decided to rebuild in the old style. I am in awe of such a strong feeling of history and tradition and culture.

A cafe in the Old Town area.

We went to the weekly market near the Dome Cathedral.

We met an Indonesian couple in the market. We all had the special fried fish (Kibiling) for lunch.

We met Marvin's grandmother and his mother Stefanie and her partner Ollie. Marvin's sister Mirijani popped in later with her baby. A delightful family.

Laura with Oma and Stefanie.

Marvin showed us around the Old City. The historic Ziege (Goat) bar is one of the oldest and smallest in Munster.

Vera lit a candle in the Over-Water Church for her brother Frans who passed away in Indonesia the previous day.

We had a snack and coffee in the Kawentsmann Cafe. They also manufacture the furniture in the cafe.

Some of the oak furniture in the Cafe.

This lovely little square with the statue of the Kleiner Kiefenkerl.

We had lunch in "Kleiner Kiefenkerl" restaurant in the square in the above photo. Their special was an asparagus dish, which was very good.

Saying goodbye, from left: Marvin, Laura, Etha, Jurgen, Vera & me. We enjoyed our 4 days in Munster with these very specail people. 

Laura, Marvin and their dog Lola. 

Marvin drove us out to the Munster-Osnabruck Airport and we took the Ryanair direct flight to Stansted, London. Andrew picked us up. 

Back in London (29 - 30 June)

We took Bus#4 to St Paul's Cathedral. St is on "Dedication of Deacons" ceremony. Afterwards I did a tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. 

The original Globe Theatre was actually about 200 yds further in from the River Thames. 

Our guide explained that an American actor working in London (Sam Wanamaker) championed the building of a replica of Shakeespeare's theatre (opened 1599). It took him more than 20 years to get the project off the ground. The new Globe Theatre was built 1992 - 97 (unfortunately Sam died in 1993). Its capacity is around 1,500 and is often fully booked. 

The next day, Sunday, we caught bus #141 to London Bridge. Lunch in Biang biang Noddles. Then visited Borough Market. It was buzzing with humanity. Good fun. 

One of the unusual stalls in Borough Market which caught our eye "Wild Mushroom Risotto".

We attended Evensong in Southwark Cathedral which is located next to Borough Market. 

The gorgeous interior of Southwark Cathedral. The choir and music were wonderful.

On the way home, we stopped at the Monument to the Great Fire of London in 1666 (see below). Then checked out Leadenhall Market with its gorgeous glass ceiling.  

The monument to the Great Fire of London which occurred in September 1666 and destroyed two-thirds of London at that time.

We wanted to take a boat ride from Little Venice to Camden. Arrived at 3pm only to find that the last boat had left at 2.30pm. Why stop so early? There were another 6 frustrated tourists.

 

We did a tour of the Guildhall, the administrative centre of the City of London (the financial district). The City has a fine collection of art works. Also, undernealth they found the remains of a Roman Amphitheatre, dating back to about 50AD. 

Some of the remains of the Roman Amphitheatre in the basement of Guildhall.

A Guildhall painting of the annual procession following the induction of the Mayor of the City of London.

......

 

News items which caught my eye in June 2026.

($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)

Global	Soccer: Arsenal won the English Premier League; huge celebrations in Islington.  Paris St Germain beat Arsenal on penalties (4-3) to win the Champions League. 2026 Football World Cup 12 June to 19 July hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico. There will be 104 matches in 16 cities. The Final will be held in New Jersey. Tennis: French Open Women’s Singles was won by Mirra Andreeva (she beat Maja Chwalinska); Alexander Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli to win the Men’s Singles. UK: PM Starmer announced his resignation; likely successor is Andy Burnham, former Mayor of Greater Manchester. University of Cambridge announced first vaccine developed by AI. Rioting in Northern Ireland following the stabbing of Stephen Oglivie by Hadi Alodid (a 30yo refugee from Sudan) El Nino: emerges in the Pacific; likely heralding more extreme weather. Switzerland: a referendum rejected (55-45) a cap of 10M on population. G7: Pres Macron of France hosted a G7 leaders meeting (USA, EU, Canada, Italy, France, Germany, UK and Japan). Europe: Heat wave conditions covered much of Europe. Venezuela: two major earthquakes near Caracas: 1,500+ dead, many injured. USA / IRAN: Signed an MOU to immediately open the Strait of Hormuz and remove sanctions; and finalise a full peace agreement within 60 days. But there have already been clashes, with both sides blaming the other.
USA	SpaceX IPO sold shares at $135 raised $75B, biggest ever. The shares opened at $150 and climbed. Elon Musk owns 42% and became the world’s first trillionaire. Court orders the removal of Trump’s name from the Kennedy Centre. The Obama Presidential Centre opened in Chicago. Campus covers 19 acres and has many community facilities. Cost $850M. Trump dropped the planned $1.8B “weaponisation fund” following strong objection including from his own party. Both the House and the Senate passed a Bill to limit Trump’s war powers (but for some reason, not enforceable). For the first time renewables generated more power than coal in the USA.  The Dept of Justice approved Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros (including CNN)  for $110B. NBA: The NY Knicks beat San Antonio Spurs 4-1 to be basketball champions; their first win since 1973. As part of his 80th birthday celebrations, and America’s 250th commemoration, Trump hosted a UFC contest on the South Lawn of the White House.  Seating for 4,300. The UFC spent $60M to stage the event. Wall Street suffered AI jitters. The Supreme Court asserted the President's power over 'independent regulators' but blocked Trump's efforts to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve. Teh USSC also confirmed that Trump (Feds) could not regulate State's control of mail=in ballots.
Australia	The Fair Work Commission raised the minimum wage 4.75% to A$26 an hour or A$1,004 a week. James Boag will close its Launceston Brewery (started operations in 1881). Rebecca Vassarotti will replace Shane Rattenbury when he retires from the ACT Legislative Assembly. Former Australian of the Year, research pathologist Dr Richard Scolyn (59) died fighting brain cancer. A court awarded Shock-jock Kyle Sandilands A$12M when his contract was cancelled by ARN Media. Lincraft to close its 30 stores after operating for 80 years; BBQ Galore also closing down. Labor’s Budget (encompassing major changes to CGT and Negative Gearing) passed the Senate with Greens support. According to ATO the median income of 13.3 million tax-paying Australians in 2023-24 was A$73K. Two TEALS, Allegra Spender and Zali Steggall, announced the formation of a new political party “Community Strong”.

 

President Trump continues to dominate the media. American government policy is dependent on Trump posts on Truth Social, his social media site.

 

Trump’s key actions

From MS NOW Project 47

 

In week ending 6 June 2026

Faced a setback in his quest to build a White House ballroom when Senate Republicans stripped funding from a spending bill

Saw the Iowa gubernatorial candidate he endorsed, Rep. Randy Feenstra, narrowly lose the Republican primary

Named the highly controversial director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency to serve as acting director of national intelligence

Called for the impeachment of a judge who ruled that adding his name to the Kennedy Center in Washington was illegal

 

In week ending 12 June 2026

Continued planning for a 250-foot-tall arch in front of Arlington National Cemetery, with as much as 20 hours of construction work needed each day

Responded, when asked about the consumer price index hitting its highest level since April 2023, “I love the inflation”

Began selling Trump-branded medallions tied to the upcoming UFC event on the White House’s South Lawn

Pardoned a former Republican representative who was convicted of insider trading in 2023

 

Week ending 18 June 2026

Joked that if the Iran deal doesn’t work out, he’ll blame Vice President JD Vance, and if it does, he’ll take credit

Approved a $5 million no-bid contract to a gilding studio in Maryland to apply gold-toned coasting to four bronze horse statues in Washington

Named a former member of his criminal defense team as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, a key prosecutorial post

Called for Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island to be impeached for criticizing his handling of Iran

 

In week ending 25 June 2026

Said he would not sign into law a bipartisan housing bill unless Congress passes an unrelated bill restricting voting

Said, when asked if he had learned the limits of presidential powers during the Iran war, “there are no limits”

Said, without offering evidence, that vandals were responsible for problems with the Reflecting Pool

Successfully pressured Senate Republicans to vote down a second Iran war powers resolution

......

That's it for this post.

We have a few more days in London, then to Istanbul and finally 6 nights in Bali before returning home to Caloundra.

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Vera & Alex Olah

London, UK

30 June 2026