A pet peeve, and believe me, there are plenty, is the use of statistics in newspaper journalism. Basically if you see the word 'increase' or 'percentage' written anywhere, it's generally safe to assume the paper has it wrong. You'd expect this in the tabloid papers, but this report comes from the Guardian.
So yes, I'm ranting against the Guardian.
Titled, on the website, Sharp Rise in Number of Women Killed by Violent Partners (paper version: Murders of partners by men rise sharply), the article claims that there has been a dramatic rise in deaths by partners. Reading the article provides the following:
2009 - 101 deaths
2008 - 72 deaths
As a raw percentage increase, this is, on the face of it, shocking: a 40% increase over one year. Which is obviously how the refuge charity 'Refuge' was trying to sell this.
However, let's put this in context, looking at the UK population figures (reference here):
2009 - 61,792,000
2008 - 61,398,000
Putting the death figures as a percentage of the total population:
2009 - 0.000163452 %
2008 - 0.000117268 %
I realise I shouldn't be using percentages here, but without the raw data to work from, it should do to make my point.
There is very little difference between these two figures, In fact, if I round to 3 decimal places, they are identical. This is due to the total UK population being so large that a number of 101 becomes insignificant from 72.
Indeed, run any statistical analysis of those numbers and you'll find there is no statistical difference between the two years.
there has been no dramatic rise in murders by partners when put into context of both population. What has happened is that there has been an increase in absolute numbers.
What might be more interesting would be to analyse the increase over a longer time period, as the data, as presented, can be interpreted as ' a 0.6% population increase appears to lead (but not cause?) to a greater increase in partner murders', or you could interpret the data as 'a 0.6% population increase leads to a 0.00004 (rounded)% increase in partner murders'. What you cannot say is that there has been a dramatic rise in murders.
B
10 December 2010
6 December 2010
Whisky Cabal Meeting 2
After the superb kick off, where none of us died, the Cabal assembled for round two. As things turned out, this was essentially an SMWS mix, with only one 'normal' release. I'm sure we made noises about cutting down the number of whiskies tasted, but somehow we ended up with another 7 cask strengths ....
SMWS 2.78 Kissed up by sweet promises 21yo Dist 06/88, refill butt, ex-sherry (Glenlivet) 1 of 512 bottles, 58.4%
Nose: citrus, lime, wine, sweet
Palate: dark chocolate and orange, very sweet, cough lollies [note: most of this was lost with water]
Finish: med long, sweet, hotter with water.
Remembering our group is quite tough, 7/10 neat, and due to most of the flavour dropping out with water, 6/10 with water.
It's not a bad whisky, especially neat, but we felt it is overpriced, and doesn't deliver what we expected from a 21yo cask. Personally, I felt it lacked complexity and was similar to other Glenlivet's I'd tasted. It's not a brand I like much.
SMWS 121.39 Easy drinking dream Distilled Nov 95, 14yo, refill hogshead, ex-bourbon (Isle of Arran). 54.9% 1 of 350 bottles.
Nose: golden syrup, honey, sweet, toffee - adding water increase the sweet ginger and 'cakey'-ness
Palate: sweet, thick, ginger, gingersnaps, manuka honey, crunchie/honeycomb
Finish: hot, medium length, ginger
We loved this. 8/10. It's reasonably cheap (45 quid) and its definitely worth picking up a bottle. To the point where I'm very tempted myself.
Edradour OB Decanter 13yo Sherry cask (more details maybe added later).
The LFW link is for the current expression.
Nose: toffee, treacle, leather (ya Gran's funeral - yes, we may have been on the third and getting more eloquent), honey, musty
Palate: sherry, honey, sweet, marzipan
Finish: med-long, honey. water increased the heat.
7/10 from our merry bunch. I'd rate it a little higher myself, but it did suffer a little after the 121.39 which was damn good.
SWMS 9.53 A peppery explosion Dist Apr 91, 19yo, refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 1/256 bottles, 56.% (Glen Grant)
Nose: sweet, banana, new leather
Palate: peppery, very sweet, burns, tangelos
Finish: med-long
I like Glen Grant, so this one was a bit of a disappointment, not much was happening. Addition of water brought out the hidden depths we all wanted. A much stronger fruity lime taste started coming through, which was very nice.
Neat: 5.5/10 and addition of water 7.5/10
Was interesting how water ruined the first dram, and made this one. good lesson there...drink more.
SMWS 13.43 Mediaeval combat dram 19yo, 59.2%, dist. Oct 88, 1/576 bottles (Dalmore)
Nose: peanuts, (what the fuck is that smell?), sweet, corked wine, sulphur, marshmallows, new carpet, olives
Palate: eggy toffee, honey, smooth
Finish; very short
7/10. the SMWS description is about right for this one. I'm not sure our intrepid taster actually worked out what the smell was...
We had a second dram of An Artists' Retreat, which was reviewed at the first tasting. And you'll be pleased to know, we still love it.
SMWS 18.30 Hippie dram dist Feb85, 24yo, refill ex-bourbon hogshead, 1/221 bottles, 45.5% (Inchgower)
My notes by this point are getting more illegible, but that's the hits you take as an gonzo journalist.
Nose: honey, custard, white sauce (fish), eggy, brandy sauce (addition of water: bread dough)
Palate: nothing,
Finish: nothing startling, very short.
We may have had a few too many by this point, but it only got a 5/10. I reckon it may need more tasting...possibly without the overly strong whiskies before it.
Again, no-one died. So that's another win. Superb line-up of whisky, it's almost a shame putting them up against each other, as they would seriously kick ass against more normal competition.
We are planning a third tasting early January, somewhere in the wilds of Derbyshire. And in the meantime I may yet have a wee dram or two up in Edinburgh. And some over Christmas.
Slainte!
the peak of life
My ipod sync system is a bit screwed at the moment. And so to keep last.fm up to date, I'm using spotify to sync the played tracks up.
This is, and there's no other word for it, sad.
10 hours of sync'd playlists will go through today, and much the same for the next few days. There's roughly a weeks worth of music to do.
How exciting is my life. So while playing Coltrane on Spotify, I'm listening to Frost* on the ipod. Rad.
Me.
This is, and there's no other word for it, sad.
10 hours of sync'd playlists will go through today, and much the same for the next few days. There's roughly a weeks worth of music to do.
How exciting is my life. So while playing Coltrane on Spotify, I'm listening to Frost* on the ipod. Rad.
Me.
5 December 2010
Bowed but not beaten, the dishwashing saga and other ramblings
It's been awhile since I did a newsy blog, and before you all panic, yes there's a whisky one a comin' soon. Obviously it's been busy, with with Assange crashing in the spare room, but you know, you do what you can for the Aussies... [yes ok, I'm aiming to up readership with that]
Word of the week, possibly fortnight, has been chilly. With overtones of snowy. The white stuff that floats down, not canines or nasal condiments. We've had a reasonable fall around here, certainly more than last year. So I can confidently say, as far as I'm concerned, it's the coldest winter on record. As appears usual, winter has caught the British unawares, and the infrastructure has collapsed, again. Trains, buses, schools, cars have all succumbed to the cold and stayed indoors. Although in their defence, it apparently has been rather cold in Europe too, even the Germans and Scandinavians have been suffering. Go have a look at the BBC or any other news outlet for pictures.
I had to visit Birmingham last week for a training course. This became quite tricky when the two trains I was going to use were cancelled. However, it appears most cross country trains head to B'ham, so I got there on time. And just in time for a severe snow storm as I wandered to the venue. Fun. Actually it was quite nice wandering up in the snow. I didn't get much chance to wander around B'ham, but what I did see in the city centre seemed nice so may wander back at some point and have a better look around.
Wednesday of the training session, I nipped out a couple of hours early as I had to get London for the National gig at the Brixton O2. This was superb. Very simple stage layout, just the band and some projections, all very effective. Hard to single out highlights, but everything I wanted to hear was played, and a nice mix of all the albums. I've heard them described by Americana, and I guess that's kinda right, but more in the Nick Cave interpretation of Americana than, say, Iron and Wine or Wilco. Their lyrics are dark and subtle, with the singer an interesting mix of Nick, possibly Crash Test Dummies, but with the ability to scream. Lyrically I probably prefer The National to Nick, at least for consistency.
Albums to try, the new one (high violet) is slightly more upbeat than previous, but you can't go wrong starting with Boxer. Unlike some bands, you can't go wrong with anything from them.
Here's the video to the first single from the current album 'High Violet'
The National - "Bloodbuzz Ohio" (official video) from The National on Vimeo.
Admittedly getting back to B'ham was 'tricky'. Trains were delayed and rerouted, meaning I ended up arriving back at the accomodation around 3am.
I got dragged to Harry Potter by S. It's no worse than I expected, however in places it almost makes Star Wars Ep1 look good. Nothing happens, no characters are developed, although jar-jar is knocked off, there is no plot, and it's still (in keeping with #1 and 2 which I have seen) lurches from scene to scene with no attempt to link. I know it's a kids film, but really, why stretch it to 2h30min? I barely survived, and even I felt sorry for the kids watching it.
Highlights? Ron making a comment along the lines of 'Don't tell Hermionineininieniene but those snatches are quite easy' - awesome, I laughed, tho appeared to be the only one in the theatre doing so. There was a moment when it looked like Harry was going to get his wand out, but then he dived into cold water, reducing the impact somewhat.
The dishwasher and I have had discussions over the last couple of weeks. I decided it would be good to run the dishwasher at night, say 5am, using cheap electricity. I knew the dishwasher had a delay button on it (3, 6 and 9hr), and so after *reading the manual* (interpret how you will), I set it up to start in 9 hours time. It started promptly and went through its cycle. Discussions ensued, and we left each other alone, both knowing this wasn't finished.
Last night I tried again. Success was within reach, I set everything, I switched it on and shut the door. Nothing. Woohoo! I had won. Technology was my bitch. Cristal was poured and fireworks lit. Needless to say the fucker was teasing. I checked the machine this morning, although it had delayed itself, it hadn't actually gotten around to starting 12hrs after I set it, for a 9 hr wait.
Watch this space for Round 3.
Love, B
Word of the week, possibly fortnight, has been chilly. With overtones of snowy. The white stuff that floats down, not canines or nasal condiments. We've had a reasonable fall around here, certainly more than last year. So I can confidently say, as far as I'm concerned, it's the coldest winter on record. As appears usual, winter has caught the British unawares, and the infrastructure has collapsed, again. Trains, buses, schools, cars have all succumbed to the cold and stayed indoors. Although in their defence, it apparently has been rather cold in Europe too, even the Germans and Scandinavians have been suffering. Go have a look at the BBC or any other news outlet for pictures.
I had to visit Birmingham last week for a training course. This became quite tricky when the two trains I was going to use were cancelled. However, it appears most cross country trains head to B'ham, so I got there on time. And just in time for a severe snow storm as I wandered to the venue. Fun. Actually it was quite nice wandering up in the snow. I didn't get much chance to wander around B'ham, but what I did see in the city centre seemed nice so may wander back at some point and have a better look around.
Wednesday of the training session, I nipped out a couple of hours early as I had to get London for the National gig at the Brixton O2. This was superb. Very simple stage layout, just the band and some projections, all very effective. Hard to single out highlights, but everything I wanted to hear was played, and a nice mix of all the albums. I've heard them described by Americana, and I guess that's kinda right, but more in the Nick Cave interpretation of Americana than, say, Iron and Wine or Wilco. Their lyrics are dark and subtle, with the singer an interesting mix of Nick, possibly Crash Test Dummies, but with the ability to scream. Lyrically I probably prefer The National to Nick, at least for consistency.
Albums to try, the new one (high violet) is slightly more upbeat than previous, but you can't go wrong starting with Boxer. Unlike some bands, you can't go wrong with anything from them.
Here's the video to the first single from the current album 'High Violet'
The National - "Bloodbuzz Ohio" (official video) from The National on Vimeo.
Admittedly getting back to B'ham was 'tricky'. Trains were delayed and rerouted, meaning I ended up arriving back at the accomodation around 3am.
I got dragged to Harry Potter by S. It's no worse than I expected, however in places it almost makes Star Wars Ep1 look good. Nothing happens, no characters are developed, although jar-jar is knocked off, there is no plot, and it's still (in keeping with #1 and 2 which I have seen) lurches from scene to scene with no attempt to link. I know it's a kids film, but really, why stretch it to 2h30min? I barely survived, and even I felt sorry for the kids watching it.
Highlights? Ron making a comment along the lines of 'Don't tell Hermionineininieniene but those snatches are quite easy' - awesome, I laughed, tho appeared to be the only one in the theatre doing so. There was a moment when it looked like Harry was going to get his wand out, but then he dived into cold water, reducing the impact somewhat.
The dishwasher and I have had discussions over the last couple of weeks. I decided it would be good to run the dishwasher at night, say 5am, using cheap electricity. I knew the dishwasher had a delay button on it (3, 6 and 9hr), and so after *reading the manual* (interpret how you will), I set it up to start in 9 hours time. It started promptly and went through its cycle. Discussions ensued, and we left each other alone, both knowing this wasn't finished.
Last night I tried again. Success was within reach, I set everything, I switched it on and shut the door. Nothing. Woohoo! I had won. Technology was my bitch. Cristal was poured and fireworks lit. Needless to say the fucker was teasing. I checked the machine this morning, although it had delayed itself, it hadn't actually gotten around to starting 12hrs after I set it, for a 9 hr wait.
Watch this space for Round 3.
Love, B
28 November 2010
Cooking with Bruce : Vege tart and feta
We've had some snow, not masses, but certainly more than a dusting. Quite chilly, but nice day today - went for a wander around some snow covered fields, peaceful. Even had peaceful music (well ok, Steve Hackett live, which I find peaceful). The wander in tomorrow could be chilly. I will report later.
Made this dish the other night, which really worked for me. Technically it was advertised as a starter, but it made enough for a main and lunch the next morning. The recipe, which was the base guide, also made the pastry from scratch, you'll notice in my usual slack fashion I've cut that. Oh and bear in mind will take some time from start to finish as you are making the relish from scratch then cooking.
Provencale Vegetable Tart with Feta
Tomato Relish
1T olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
4-6 tomatoes chopped
1/2t chilli flakes
1T tomato paste (I used some tinned tomatoes so dropped this)
1 bay leaf
sprigs of thyme
salt and pepper
Heat the oil and saute (gently) the onion and garlic until lightly browned. Add chopped tomatoes, chilli, paste, bay leaf, thyme, and seasoning. Cook at low heat for around 20 minutes until reduced, remove bay and thyme. Leave to cool.
Vegetables
2 medium zucchini chopped
1 eggplant, chopped 3-5mm rounds
1 red capsicum, chopped into strips
1 onion, chopped into 8
olive oil
salt pepper
Place all in a roasting tray, drizzle with oil, season, grill under tender. Toss once to do the other side.
Assembling
Roll out the pastry to very thin (I had two long ones), spread the relish over the pastry and layer with veges. Place chopped feta (marinated maybe nice) on top and bake at 220C until brown-ing.
Drizzle with olive oil. Serve.
Bit of a note, the chilli comes through well but make sure you can taste it in the relish as it lifts things nicely.
Me.
Made this dish the other night, which really worked for me. Technically it was advertised as a starter, but it made enough for a main and lunch the next morning. The recipe, which was the base guide, also made the pastry from scratch, you'll notice in my usual slack fashion I've cut that. Oh and bear in mind will take some time from start to finish as you are making the relish from scratch then cooking.
Provencale Vegetable Tart with Feta
Tomato Relish
1T olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
4-6 tomatoes chopped
1/2t chilli flakes
1T tomato paste (I used some tinned tomatoes so dropped this)
1 bay leaf
sprigs of thyme
salt and pepper
Heat the oil and saute (gently) the onion and garlic until lightly browned. Add chopped tomatoes, chilli, paste, bay leaf, thyme, and seasoning. Cook at low heat for around 20 minutes until reduced, remove bay and thyme. Leave to cool.
Vegetables
2 medium zucchini chopped
1 eggplant, chopped 3-5mm rounds
1 red capsicum, chopped into strips
1 onion, chopped into 8
olive oil
salt pepper
Place all in a roasting tray, drizzle with oil, season, grill under tender. Toss once to do the other side.
Assembling
Roll out the pastry to very thin (I had two long ones), spread the relish over the pastry and layer with veges. Place chopped feta (marinated maybe nice) on top and bake at 220C until brown-ing.
Drizzle with olive oil. Serve.
Bit of a note, the chilli comes through well but make sure you can taste it in the relish as it lifts things nicely.
Me.
27 November 2010
Rugby Day (pt 1)
Nice snowfall last night meant a reasonably chilly day. It was also ball-numbingly cold last night, a whisky and cigar had seemed a good idea. At the time.
But onto Rugby Day.
Scotland v Samoa
The Scottish resurgence, after the massacre by NZ, did rest on following up the Sth Afr victory with a win over Samoa. Samoa are ranked below Scotland, and as pointed out on the commentary, have a population of 178,000. Which you can halve, since it is a men's sport.
Good game, very tight traditional rugger. I did feel a bit sorry for the Samoan's, Aberdeen wasn't very warm, and even the lights came on at 230pm. Yes. At late lunch time, they switched the lights on.
I enjoyed the game, both teams were messy, but it was good. Scotland's quick lead was eaten away by Samoa who were kicking penalities over (would have helped a bit last week against England). Samoa crawled back to level, and with a couple of minutes to go the game was headed for a draw - which would have been a good, reaosnable result. Sadly, Samoa couldn't keep themselves penalty free, and so Scotland escaped with a, largely undeserved, win.
Wales v New Zealand
The press has been saying Wales are a good team playing badly. Signs recently haven't convinced me of that. And the Welsh at work were not feeling too happy. Bumped into one of them this morning at the bottlestore before he headed to the game. Either way, I was confident. But the Welsh came to play, even if it was a very ugly game. Boring even. Couple of moments of brilliance, but having to listen to Jonathan Davies whinge about pretty much everything does get to you...
Having a player sent off seemed to fire the team and we scored, and at that point the tide changed. Was all a bit close until the last bit. Didn't help that the unthinkable happened, and Dan missed kicks.
England v South Africa
Heartily sick of the newspapers claiming this is the English rennaissance. Sure they are running the ball, but really a loss to NZ, win against a limited Aus team, and a struggling win over Samoa.
Sth Afr haven't been playing too well, and have suffered thanks to drugs tests and injuries. So the English were confident that they'd clean this one up. First half, Sth Afr forwards were certainly out muscling the english, leading to a two penalties apiece at halftime. Sth Afr defence is playing much better than it has recently, even if players are collapsing at a rate of knots due to injury. But their backs are running nicely, and scoring tries. Yes, I'm liking this result.
Me.
But onto Rugby Day.
Scotland v Samoa
The Scottish resurgence, after the massacre by NZ, did rest on following up the Sth Afr victory with a win over Samoa. Samoa are ranked below Scotland, and as pointed out on the commentary, have a population of 178,000. Which you can halve, since it is a men's sport.
Good game, very tight traditional rugger. I did feel a bit sorry for the Samoan's, Aberdeen wasn't very warm, and even the lights came on at 230pm. Yes. At late lunch time, they switched the lights on.
I enjoyed the game, both teams were messy, but it was good. Scotland's quick lead was eaten away by Samoa who were kicking penalities over (would have helped a bit last week against England). Samoa crawled back to level, and with a couple of minutes to go the game was headed for a draw - which would have been a good, reaosnable result. Sadly, Samoa couldn't keep themselves penalty free, and so Scotland escaped with a, largely undeserved, win.
Wales v New Zealand
The press has been saying Wales are a good team playing badly. Signs recently haven't convinced me of that. And the Welsh at work were not feeling too happy. Bumped into one of them this morning at the bottlestore before he headed to the game. Either way, I was confident. But the Welsh came to play, even if it was a very ugly game. Boring even. Couple of moments of brilliance, but having to listen to Jonathan Davies whinge about pretty much everything does get to you...
Having a player sent off seemed to fire the team and we scored, and at that point the tide changed. Was all a bit close until the last bit. Didn't help that the unthinkable happened, and Dan missed kicks.
England v South Africa
Heartily sick of the newspapers claiming this is the English rennaissance. Sure they are running the ball, but really a loss to NZ, win against a limited Aus team, and a struggling win over Samoa.
Sth Afr haven't been playing too well, and have suffered thanks to drugs tests and injuries. So the English were confident that they'd clean this one up. First half, Sth Afr forwards were certainly out muscling the english, leading to a two penalties apiece at halftime. Sth Afr defence is playing much better than it has recently, even if players are collapsing at a rate of knots due to injury. But their backs are running nicely, and scoring tries. Yes, I'm liking this result.
Me.
23 November 2010
Rugby: last weekend
FFS amazon associates is showing Susan Barf's the Gift (gonnarrea? Aids? chlamydia?) while I type this.
Anyway, with the Autumn Internationals, I have designated Saturday 'Rugby Day', where I sit, nibble food, possibly have a pint, and watch Rugby. I pay S off with food and she stays quiet, mostly.
Wales v Fiji
Just for a lark, I decided to support Fiji. I expected them to get cut to pieces by the mighty Gatland and his semi-competent gunners. What the hell happened? Fiji almost played with structure, and Wales had no clue what was happening. Dropped balls, confusion, a forward pack looking like they'd all been caught in a gay sauna. It wasn't pretty. But to Fiji's credit, they kept tackling the crap out of the Welsh, and it paid off. Enjoyed this game, ugly to watch, but brought back memories of supporting Wellington. There has been criticism here of Gatland's open bollocking of his players. It seemed more than fair to me.
Scotland v Sth Africa
I know Scotland had been written off after the demolition NZ did on them last week. But really, the clinical precision of the NZ would have ripped any other team to pieces. Therefore my money was on Scotland. As I mentioned during the 6 nations, they were playing as a team, and were very unlucky to not win more of their games. So as long as that team turned up, they were in with a chance against an understrength Sth African team.
The Scottish sunshine poured down, suiting their rather good first five, Dan Parks, and the forwards held up well against the SA pack. A very well deserved Scottish victory.
England v Samoa
Oh dear god have the papers been full of the English resurgence. I guess they have a point, there is a backline and mobile pack, both of which are foreign concepts forced on a surprised English nation. Samoa were quite unlucky not to do better in this game, if they'd had a better kicker the game would haev been closer. So the upshot is, yes the English are playing much better, but it's not chicken counting time.
As an aside, they are annoying good at peaking at the right time. Does this concern anyone else?
Ireland v NZ
I for one was expecting a re-enactment of the Irish financial situation, with NZ playing the role of the IMF, and Ireland playing the dual role of barrel and people.
Bastards screwed up my plan and played a blinder.
sure they lost, but they looked good doing it. It would have been a much closer match if NZ hadn't got a bit bored just after halftime and blown the Irish out of the water. So big potential for Ireland, although their team is getting on a bit. And, B O'D is still the bomb, sure he's not half as scary as Sonny BW, but he's still got it.
me
Anyway, with the Autumn Internationals, I have designated Saturday 'Rugby Day', where I sit, nibble food, possibly have a pint, and watch Rugby. I pay S off with food and she stays quiet, mostly.
Wales v Fiji
Just for a lark, I decided to support Fiji. I expected them to get cut to pieces by the mighty Gatland and his semi-competent gunners. What the hell happened? Fiji almost played with structure, and Wales had no clue what was happening. Dropped balls, confusion, a forward pack looking like they'd all been caught in a gay sauna. It wasn't pretty. But to Fiji's credit, they kept tackling the crap out of the Welsh, and it paid off. Enjoyed this game, ugly to watch, but brought back memories of supporting Wellington. There has been criticism here of Gatland's open bollocking of his players. It seemed more than fair to me.
Scotland v Sth Africa
I know Scotland had been written off after the demolition NZ did on them last week. But really, the clinical precision of the NZ would have ripped any other team to pieces. Therefore my money was on Scotland. As I mentioned during the 6 nations, they were playing as a team, and were very unlucky to not win more of their games. So as long as that team turned up, they were in with a chance against an understrength Sth African team.
The Scottish sunshine poured down, suiting their rather good first five, Dan Parks, and the forwards held up well against the SA pack. A very well deserved Scottish victory.
England v Samoa
Oh dear god have the papers been full of the English resurgence. I guess they have a point, there is a backline and mobile pack, both of which are foreign concepts forced on a surprised English nation. Samoa were quite unlucky not to do better in this game, if they'd had a better kicker the game would haev been closer. So the upshot is, yes the English are playing much better, but it's not chicken counting time.
As an aside, they are annoying good at peaking at the right time. Does this concern anyone else?
Ireland v NZ
I for one was expecting a re-enactment of the Irish financial situation, with NZ playing the role of the IMF, and Ireland playing the dual role of barrel and people.
Bastards screwed up my plan and played a blinder.
sure they lost, but they looked good doing it. It would have been a much closer match if NZ hadn't got a bit bored just after halftime and blown the Irish out of the water. So big potential for Ireland, although their team is getting on a bit. And, B O'D is still the bomb, sure he's not half as scary as Sonny BW, but he's still got it.
me
18 November 2010
Bluray and Hawkwind
I admit a certain level of perversity in wishing to have those two subjects in the title.
I managed to flog off my DVD player and upgraded to a Blu-Ray for no particular reason other than it could handle the DTS and SACD better than the Cambridge Audio DVD99 I had. Personally I think the sound from the Cambridge Audio may have been better, but convenience and more formats being handled made the bluray a more sensible option.
And I have to admit the DTS sound works much better with my amp. So all in all, win.
Reasons to buy bluray: Attenborough's Life. Damn was that a great series. I'd caught a couple on TV when it was shown, but had always figured I'd rather watch it in higher def. Glad I did. Brilliant series, and stunning in high def. Dunno what was the most impressive, mainly as it was all damn good. I know I've linked to the US version, but amazon UK has it quite cheap at the moment.
Next up was Watchmen on bluray. Been awhile since I saw it at the Embassy, thought it was an excellent adaptation of the book. Although I can see why people didn't like it. It's not an action movie, which unfortunately most people went in thinking it was. Anyway the bluray looks stunning and the sound was great. Mmm loud. Haven't started working through the extras, but that's next on the list. It really did set the benchmark for movie adaptations of comics. Although I am enjoying Walking Dead at the moment. It's nothing brilliant, but seems well done.
Hawkwind. How underrated were they? For a band regularly described as a bunch of stoned hippies, they were incredibly tight live (Space Ritual should be your first album). A band for whom the term 'space rock' was invented. Lyrically and musically very tight, and creative. Most people will have heard Silver Machine or Sonic Attack, but if you like your rock music pretty tripped out, but rocking, go check out their stunning double live 'Space Ritual'. I picked up the Special Edition, which comes with a DVD - which isn't, sadly, a live performance, rather its an audio (maybe 5.1, can't remember) live performance with some trippy visuals. I was rather hoping for a live DVD to watch the band, the large breasted naked dancer, and the visuals. I thought that would be rather superb. So if anyone reading this knows of a DVD performance, feel free to suggest away. By the way, cheaper at amazon.co.uk. Oh I do love this album (it's playing at the moment). Huzzah.
B
I managed to flog off my DVD player and upgraded to a Blu-Ray for no particular reason other than it could handle the DTS and SACD better than the Cambridge Audio DVD99 I had. Personally I think the sound from the Cambridge Audio may have been better, but convenience and more formats being handled made the bluray a more sensible option.
And I have to admit the DTS sound works much better with my amp. So all in all, win.
Reasons to buy bluray: Attenborough's Life. Damn was that a great series. I'd caught a couple on TV when it was shown, but had always figured I'd rather watch it in higher def. Glad I did. Brilliant series, and stunning in high def. Dunno what was the most impressive, mainly as it was all damn good. I know I've linked to the US version, but amazon UK has it quite cheap at the moment.
Next up was Watchmen on bluray. Been awhile since I saw it at the Embassy, thought it was an excellent adaptation of the book. Although I can see why people didn't like it. It's not an action movie, which unfortunately most people went in thinking it was. Anyway the bluray looks stunning and the sound was great. Mmm loud. Haven't started working through the extras, but that's next on the list. It really did set the benchmark for movie adaptations of comics. Although I am enjoying Walking Dead at the moment. It's nothing brilliant, but seems well done.
Hawkwind. How underrated were they? For a band regularly described as a bunch of stoned hippies, they were incredibly tight live (Space Ritual should be your first album). A band for whom the term 'space rock' was invented. Lyrically and musically very tight, and creative. Most people will have heard Silver Machine or Sonic Attack, but if you like your rock music pretty tripped out, but rocking, go check out their stunning double live 'Space Ritual'. I picked up the Special Edition, which comes with a DVD - which isn't, sadly, a live performance, rather its an audio (maybe 5.1, can't remember) live performance with some trippy visuals. I was rather hoping for a live DVD to watch the band, the large breasted naked dancer, and the visuals. I thought that would be rather superb. So if anyone reading this knows of a DVD performance, feel free to suggest away. By the way, cheaper at amazon.co.uk. Oh I do love this album (it's playing at the moment). Huzzah.
B
12 November 2010
The ol' home town
What passes for news in New Zealand.
More newsworthy would have been 'Sheep learns to say no', but at least the article puts the size of this bugger in context, 'bigger than an All Black prop'.
b
More newsworthy would have been 'Sheep learns to say no', but at least the article puts the size of this bugger in context, 'bigger than an All Black prop'.
b
1 November 2010
Whisky Show
The Whisky Show
Having won tickets worth 95quid each,it would have been churlish not to attend. And so, early on Sat morning, I found myself on a train heading to London with Alec. We wandered up to the rather lovely venue, The Brewery, picking up our gift bags - tasting glass, bottle of water, meal ticket, and other advertising crap- oh and a token to get an expensive whisky sample.
First impressions, nice relaxed layout and one of the obvious reasons for the increased ticket price was to limit the number of people in the hall. So made for a nice informal vibe.
Tasting notes start off OK, although I was writing while holding the glass which made life difficult. And after our break for food, I gave up and just noted *most* of those we tried.
Tastings were about 10ml but even so, we got through a fair number…
Entering the hall I went to Bruichladdich first, and we tried their 16yo Cuvee Margaux from their 16yo french oak finishes range, 46%.
N: very sherry, wine, warm
P: warm, sweet, very tasty, sherry
F: medium; wine, sherry
8/10 very lovely warm whisky. could do with a bit more on the finish, but as an excuse to curl up with a whisky, yeah it works.
Headed across to the Bowmore stand, which was quite disappointing with only the 12, 15 and 18 yo standard released. And a salesman who really wasn't interested. Tried the 18yo, 48%
Very sweet whisky, strong chocolate taste on the back of the palate, but hints of salty peat in there too. Both worked nicely as complementary flavours. Finish was very short. 6.5/10
Ohhh look, one of my favourite distilleries is here, Glengoyne. Chatted to the main dude there, explained how much I loved the 20yo single cask I have here. So he said, well then you'll love the 23yo 55% cask we're releasing soon. He was very right.
N: great, candyfloss, foot odour (this is good by the way)
P: sweet, complex, tangy spice, sherry, xmas cake
F: long, spicy.
Very lovely whisky. 8.5/10 and yes I would like a bottle. They are supposed to be retailing for around 170quid I think. So maybe next year :(
Never heard of them before, which was,of course, red flag to a drinking bull. And since it was still early we had a nice long chat to the Manager. They are an older distillery which was mothballed, which recently re-opened in 2008. So too young for new whisky, but they'd brought down some of their new spirits - including flavourings from bourbon, wine, plain, and a peaty version. Very tasty.
Glenglassaugh 46% 26yo 150quid
N: complex, wood, sweet sherry
P: sweet, spicy, flavoursome
F: long
8/10 Oddly, for a coastal distillery, there's no hint of salt. But really is beautiful.
One of nice things was the opportunity to try their expensive whisky by using the token. And after some discussion - the Manager saying it's the best whisky in the world, me saying really, how does it compare to Brora 24yo or the Adelphi Whisky that cannot be named etc, we decided to go ahead.
Seeing as we'd spent some time chatting we both got some, and he threw in a sample of the 41yo as well. Result. Although having now had his whisky, I will be buying some when it's released.
So we also tried the 36yo and the 41yo. the 36yo was a very young whisky - sprightly - whereas the 41yo was more a mature form of the 26yo. Which is odd, but worked beautifully. I think I'd agree with the Manager than the 36yo was the better, or at least, the more unique, of the two. Prices were about 500 for the 36 and 1500 for the 41.
I'm picking a 9 or 10/10 for both those.
This is exactly the reason whisky shows are good, I came away from this stand very excited, and very keen to buy their booze when it's whisky. Quite tempted to buy some of their new spirit as well, it's that good.
Oh damn, next door was my favourite indie bottlers, Adelphi
Even worse, they had a longhorn 18yo 55.6% bottling. Oh well, needs must:
N: toasting marshmallows, cut grass
P: sweet, marshmallows, fluffy!!
F: med
7/10. Very light and drinkable whisky. For breakfast?
We also tried something else, on the lovely ladies suggestion, I think it was a Bunnahabhain that she described as weird and wrong. But I didn't write down which one it was, I'm guessing the 9yo 59.2% from their website.
Mackay and White has a large stand, covering Jura, Fettercairn and their blends. Figured we should give a couple of the Jura's a go so:
Jura Prophecy 46% - nothing startling.. 6/10
Jura Boutique Barrel Cask. Hint of sulphur, sherry, 8/10 I liked this. At some stage I must get some Jura.
Fettercairn: another M & W, we tried some. nothing interesting. didn't make any notes, so can't have been any good at all.
Mackay and White blend: 30yo very very good, 9/10. But at around 300quid a bottle, I'd rather get some good single malts.
Glendronach
Like this a lot, 7.5-8/10
We ended up chatting to the boss and letting him pour stuff into our glass, but initially it was a cute blonde. Yes. It's a tough life researching whisky.
Virgin Oak finish 46% didn't think much of this. 5/10 lacking much flavour.
About this point we decided some food would be a plan. Which the Whisky Show was putting on, I went for a blue cheese and mushroom pie with a pasta side and salad. Superb. Really was. Finished off with a ginger and plum pudding. Yes, again taking a hit for the team.
Back into the fray saw us wander past the big guns stands, momentarily distracted by a very disappointing Clyneish from some double distilled bottler. About 14yo and no flavour. Wankers.
We stood and stared at the one remaining bottle of the worlds most expensive whisky, 100,000 quid. It came with two guards. They looked cheaper, and far less smooth. A 64yo Dalmore.
In a worrying turn, suggestive of some form of cheapskate, Alec declined my magnanimous offer of accepting the bottle if he bought it for me.
And so, still smarting from his rejection, we went back to the BenRiach/GlenDronagh stand.
We used the other token on the BenRiach 30yo.
N: bland, sherry
P: sweat, honey, fruity
F: punchy, sweet, med-long
9/10 - very lovely whisky, about 170 quid from memory
Next up was the Benriach Solstice, 15yo 51%
N: smoke, ask, peat
P: peat, subtle, port finish
9/10 - this is a new one coming out in a week or so. And I really loved it. To the point where I may pick up a bottle.
BenRiach : Authenticus, very tasty. Yes notes were getting more vague here.
And since we'd been chatting to the boss of GlenDronagh for some time he said we had to try their expensive one. Naturally we declined. Oh FFS, really, you believed that?
So yeah, around 340quid, very tasty. Full bodied. Brilliant.
And so, with heavy heart and empty vessels we moved on. I'll definitely be buying some of those two distilleries. Superb stuff.
Oh lookeehere another indie bottler. And a Mortlach.
Berry's 21yo Mortlach 46%. Not a hugely typical Mortlach,I felt it lacked complexity. But more than adequate. 60quid
Berry's 1971 Invergordon - Grain whisky. 47%.1971. 99quid. Nothing startling, but drinkable.
Berry's GlenGrant 1972 Speyside 51.8%. Couldn't go past tasting this one, Superb. And probably worth the 140quid.
Springbank, and associated, were next door to Berry's. Saying goodbye to the nice chap at Berry's, who invited us to the store where he works if we wanted to try more, we began exploring Springbank, Kilkerran and Hazelburn.
the Hazelburn Cask strength, 8yo, was superb. Getting two ticks on my new rating system (notes be damned, simply drink, not drink, or much drink).
Kilkerran is the new distillery, and is just coming of age. the 6yo 46% got one tick, but shows much promise.
N: fruit, sweet
P: strong, sherry.
By comparison the Springbank 15yo didn't' get much of a rating from me. Think I'll stick to my 100 proof sitting in the cupboard.
Port Askaig 17yo. Extensive tasting notes = Dead. Port Askaig I've since found out is where Caol Ila is, and just down the road from Bunna'. Recommend you avoid.
Lg2 : lagavulin, from speciality brands. Meh.
See, never let be said I won't try a blend. This one is based on the dude's (who we were speaking to) Grandfathers blending book. Very nice. Id' be ok with this in my cupboard, there's complexity, warmth, and it's very reasonable at 26quid.
Although I suspect if someone asked me, I'd recommend going for the Adelphi blend, which is slightly cheaper, and possibly better. But it's pretty close.
Highland Park 18yo
Ardbeg of unknown description
Bruichladdich 18
http://www.realmalt.com/prod4web/newproducts07/18yo.pdf
The lovely lass on the Bruichladdich stand was packing up early to catch a flight, and didn't want to take all the bottles. Thankfully I was there to help, and so I now have 1/3rd full bottle of BL 16yo CuveeA (yet to be tasted).
We also picked up a few glasses, to improve our respective collections.
All in all, a superb day. And I think I'll be going next year, even if I have to pay. I think the relaxed environment, and limited numbers, just made it. Great stuff.
B
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)