Of grackles and rocket science

Position 0630 17th 4357 11505, trip 133, DMG 112. Consistent!
Earlier:
We just cracked 13000 miles from Falmouth on the GPS odometer - that's miles sailed, not distance made good, unfortunately. Takes in all the zigs and zags. Talisker moment, I think, when Pete wakes up. We are past Dirk Hartog, past Leeuwin and almost south of Freo - so Hi Val and Jill and Kimbra and Mark and J & S - look south and the wildly waving arms you can see above the horizon is us, in the mirage.
Clearly, I haven't had enough experience in high pressure systems. This one is rock solid stable and behaving exactly as the grib says it will - no erratic wind gusts, no direction changes, steady barometer, relatively calm sea. Beyond belief wonderful! Not used to this armchair ride and it's such a nice surprise after my grackly doom and gloom.
Cyril, thanks! I sort of knew grackles are birds but I like the onomatopoeia - it's what knuckles under stress ought to do...Glad you are keeping your twilight handicap under control - takes lots of cunning. Don't tell anyone though! When do the twilights finish? Will we make it for the last one?
Margy - do you have a favourite horizon? I've got lots but they depend on time of day, mood, all that stuff.
Carla, our real rocket scientist friend has advised that coffee making without filters isn't rocket science at all. Boil it all up, add a tablespoon of cold water to settle the grounds and pour the coffee off the top. Carefully. That, of course being the problem out here in the corkscrewing boonies. But we shall overcome. I could, of course, use the plunger but the coffee isn't as good. Carla also gave me the correct version of my quotation from the post a couple of days ago - it's Sir Walter Scott and, as she so rightly states, he's saying that a desk job really sucks. So that's the poetry - but what was the occasion? Nothing to do with Scott.
Run out of books to read - working on getting the 2000 odd photos into some recognisable form - there are backups and copies everywhere so I'm aiming for one complete set. Then I'll make several backups and delete some of the duplicates. (Is there a program out there, preferably freeware, that searches hard drives for duplicates?)Then I'll try to edit it and get rid of the dross - at least half of them. Massive job and should help to grind out the miles from half way. Most of the bird ones also need cropping for maximum effect. Does anyone know of a quick and easy way to get them on line so all y'all can see them. Picasa is (was?) way too slow for that many even for tiny jpgs. My ASUS EEE netbook offers free on-line storage which might work but out here I haven't been able to check it out.
Today would have been my father's 98th birthday - we'll Consult with his favourite spirit this evening.