As the Starks say, winter is coming.
Winter, today, consisted of steady rain on a darkened morning. Chilly, without being cold. My head stuffed up with cold, but everything seemed alright, as The Blue Nile's 'Hats' was playing.
There's something about Paul Buchanan's music, it's impossible not to be happy, or at least relaxed, when he's whispering in your ears. It's like being enveloped by whisky fumes. Aural seduction.
Hats and A Walk Across The Rooftops have just been re-released with bonus discs. While you're picking those up, Mid Air has also been released with a bonus CD. And yes, even though I bought the vinyl I succumbed to it. He is that addictive.
Here's Paul on Jools Holland.
b (blissed out - OOHHH vinyl releases in time for xmas....)
21 November 2012
15 November 2012
Autumn Internationals Wk1 and 2
Autumn Internationals Week 1 and Week 2 predictions
This time before the matches kick off. Radical or wot?!
Italy v Tonga 28 - 23 my pick, italy by 10
I don't think anyone watched it, really, why would you? Close, suggesting either Tonga have improved (unlikely) or Italy are worse than I thought (probable). What we can take from this, potentially the ABs will break 100 this weekend. Italy may score a couple of penalties, maybe a try, but if they break double figures, it'll be a win for them.
Aus v France 6 - 33 my pick France by 3-5
Notable for the fight, actually I say that as that's all I've seen of the match. I thought about watching it, but decided my hair care routine was more important. France, the team who came 2nd in the World Cup, turned up - rather than France, the 15 men on a pitch as they've no-where else to go. And so the Aussies went down, like a roo to an 18 wheeler. Result!
Wales v Argentina 12 - 26 my pick Wales by 5-10
The match fitness of the Puma's came through. Wales looked kinda lost, and the two tries by the Puma's were straight out of the Southern Hemisphere playbook. Comments by the UK press focussing on the forwards had given away that they didn't know much about the Puma's, and my pick that the backs were going to be very competitive with the Welsh was proven true.
Scotland v All Blacks 22 - 51 my pick NZ by 20+
The Scots turned up to play, indeed if they play like that in the 6 nations they would make the top 2 or 3. But they won't. I'm getting used to that, makes me homesick as a Wgtn supporter…
The speed of the All Black ball use highlighted the difference between the Northern and Southern hemisphere teams, quick clearing of ruck, maul and scrum ball gives the backs more time to demonstrate their skills. Scotland did well, but were ultimately the victim of poor defence giving away three tries in quick succession, ruining any chance they had of holding the mighty blackness.
It's not looking good for other 6 nation teams…
England v Fiji 54 - 12 my pick, Eng by 20+
England were on a hiding to nothing here. They beat the Fijians by a significant margin, as they should, but really they didn't look very good. And they're a professional team, Fiji come together for these matches from all over the world, with little time to develop combinations. This shows with their lack of structure in defence and attack. A continual problem with Fiji 15 a-side teams.
England, contrary to the English press, are not looking good. Their turnover ball is slow, the backs don't seem very organised, and the forwards seem back to the lumbering best. Ok, possibly not quite as bad as in the past, but certainly not as fast and skilled as other countries. England's buy-in of other country off casts is paying off, or rather Leicester's purchase policy as a feeder team for England, is paying off.
Ireland v South Africa 12 - 16 my pick SA by 10-15
Ireland, since the last 6 nations, and through the World Cup, have looked tired and uncreative. I suggest a kidney transplant.
I never said it was a good joke.
South Africa are not looking much better, but they were quicker. And that's always going to pay off. Dull and boring game, which Ireland did not deserve to win, and honestly, never looked like winning.
--
This weekend….
Wales v Samoa
Wales have rolled the changes, over the half the team, following last weeks game - and resulting from (mainly) injuries.
Samoa will hit hard, but I don't think they've got the structure to compete for 80 minutes. I also suspect the Welsh are fitter.
Wales by 10.
Italy v NZ
Pasta eaters will be on the field looking like smurfs. That's about as positive as it gets.
NZ by 60+
England v Australia
Could be the most interesting of the games this weekend. Aussie are playing like crap, and should be pretty embarrassed by their surrender to the cheese eaters. This should hopefully make them go out and take it to the English.
I suspect the English will win. But in the spirit of grumpiness, I'll stick my neck out and say:
Aus by 5.
Scotland v SA
If Scotland play as they did against the ABs they should win (presuming they tighten their defensive holes). Sth Afr are not looking very quick or creative at the moment, and Scots do have some world class players at the moment.
Scotland by 7.
France v Argentina
Good France turning up twice? It's possible, but unlikely. I also think the Puma's are still underrated by the press here, so I'm going for:
Argentina by 3-7.
10 November 2012
Rugby Autumn International Series
Bit late, but well, it's not like that's a surprise.
Wales v Argentina
this should be the best of the matches. I suspect the UK press has underestimated the Pumas, and their emphasis on the Puma scrum suggests they haven't seen much of their recent play. The logical money should be on Wales, although their tight 5 have been, as usual, decimated by injury. What might be more of a factor is that Argentina are battle hardened from the Aus/NZ/SA/Arg series, whereas this is the first Welsh test for awhile.
I would expect the Welsh fitness to be higher, as thats something they do focus on, so the clincher is likely to be Welsh discipline - they do give away a lot of penalties, and the Pumas have good kickers.
Pick: Wales by 5-10.
England v Fiji
The press has been trumpeting a new beginning to English rugby, as they do every year, and every year howls of derision are heard outside of the RFU. Stuart Lancaster does seem to have a clue on how to meld a team, and the complete restructure of the RFU does hold out some hope. Having said that, if they don't beat Fiji convincingly then Lancaster maybe following the house of L last King (Henry VI).
Pick: England by 20.
Ireland v SA
Not the best season for SA, but unless Ireland have found some fresh ideas and new blood, SA should still win this. The lack of tighthead props in Ireland has been dramatically exposed with a new boy, from NZ, being parachuted in - of the four major Irish rugby teams, three have foreign tightheads, and the only local boy is injured. Heh heh.
Pick: SA by 10-15.
Italy v Tonga
Couldn't care less.
Pick: Pasta eaters by 10
France v Aussie
Could be an interesting game, not sure if it's on TV tho'. France could play very well, and Aussie are not having a great time of it. So it should be close. The French provincial teams are playing well, so I think I'd back the French.
Pick: cheese eating surrender monkeys by 3-5.
Scotland v NZ
Scotland haven't beaten NZ in 107 years of rugby. This weekend will not change that. The potential exists in the Scottish team as their players are good, and play well as a team - mainly as they're drawn from the Glasgow and Edinburgh Euro teams so know each other well. NZ are on a blinder, and are probably playing better now than they did during the world cup, new blood is performing well (that is not a twilight reference), and I'll try to avoid bringing it up on Tues.
Pick: NZ by 20+.
Love, B
Wales v Argentina
this should be the best of the matches. I suspect the UK press has underestimated the Pumas, and their emphasis on the Puma scrum suggests they haven't seen much of their recent play. The logical money should be on Wales, although their tight 5 have been, as usual, decimated by injury. What might be more of a factor is that Argentina are battle hardened from the Aus/NZ/SA/Arg series, whereas this is the first Welsh test for awhile.
I would expect the Welsh fitness to be higher, as thats something they do focus on, so the clincher is likely to be Welsh discipline - they do give away a lot of penalties, and the Pumas have good kickers.
Pick: Wales by 5-10.
England v Fiji
The press has been trumpeting a new beginning to English rugby, as they do every year, and every year howls of derision are heard outside of the RFU. Stuart Lancaster does seem to have a clue on how to meld a team, and the complete restructure of the RFU does hold out some hope. Having said that, if they don't beat Fiji convincingly then Lancaster maybe following the house of L last King (Henry VI).
Pick: England by 20.
Ireland v SA
Not the best season for SA, but unless Ireland have found some fresh ideas and new blood, SA should still win this. The lack of tighthead props in Ireland has been dramatically exposed with a new boy, from NZ, being parachuted in - of the four major Irish rugby teams, three have foreign tightheads, and the only local boy is injured. Heh heh.
Pick: SA by 10-15.
Italy v Tonga
Couldn't care less.
Pick: Pasta eaters by 10
France v Aussie
Could be an interesting game, not sure if it's on TV tho'. France could play very well, and Aussie are not having a great time of it. So it should be close. The French provincial teams are playing well, so I think I'd back the French.
Pick: cheese eating surrender monkeys by 3-5.
Scotland v NZ
Scotland haven't beaten NZ in 107 years of rugby. This weekend will not change that. The potential exists in the Scottish team as their players are good, and play well as a team - mainly as they're drawn from the Glasgow and Edinburgh Euro teams so know each other well. NZ are on a blinder, and are probably playing better now than they did during the world cup, new blood is performing well (that is not a twilight reference), and I'll try to avoid bringing it up on Tues.
Pick: NZ by 20+.
Love, B
15 October 2012
Whisky Show 2012
The third outing of our yearly trip to the Whisky Show in London. A cold (ish) morning, brisk, and the unwelcome discovery of no coffee on the train. Ah well, I wasn't likely to have any as we were pottering around Borough market before the show.
Monmouth was, as expected, packed, so we went to the coffee stall at the back of the market. It does make me happy having good coffee, shame I have to head to london for it.
After acquiring some chocolate to keep S happy, we wandered through the whisky shop, where I singularly failed to convince Alec to buy me expensive bottles of whisky. Bastard.
And so we queued. Or rather, I queued, and Alec ran his virtual news service.
This year we had decided we may go for quality rather than quantity, and thus not get too drunk (foolish thinking!). And, although ruining the experience for Rich, I'd decided not to make full tasting notes, rather just note what we'd drunk. Therefore the latter sections of this blog won't have the translational issues of previous years - where 'sweet' could be variously read as sweet / sushi / salmon / sordid etc.
Links to buy from our favourite indie booze store Loch Fyne Whisky as/where I coudl find them.
And so it begins...
Glendronach 14yo oak, very sweet, long finish 7/10
BenRiach 20yo, very very nice, long finish 8.5/10 [my notes say, buy a bottle] LFW
BenRiach 16yo peated, very nice 8/10 LFW
Glenfarclas 105 20yo, sweet sherry lovely, all the goodness of the 105 but subtle, mature - 9/10
Adelphi blend hey it's cheap, it tastes damn good, and it gets my thumbs up
Adelphi Springbank salty very long 8/10
Adelphi Macallan light pretty typical Macallan, not really liking this one 6.5/10
Glen Moray 16yo kinda light 6/10 LFW
Glen Moray 25yo (new cask sample) - mushroom!! 8/10
Glen Moray Chenin blanc, I liked htis, shame I can't seem to find it anywhere 8.5/10
Glengoyne - first bottling 7/10
Note, Glengoyne have just refreshed their lineup and website, worth a look...
Glengoyne - 18yo 43% which is replacing the 17yo. Hints of apple, but still sherry goodness. Very tasty 8.5/10
BBR Clyneish 1997 14yo 7.5/10 it appears Clyneish are improving...
BBR Aberlour Cask #3919 quite a kick on this one
BBR Glenlivet 1973 (tho I think the link is the 74) 8.5/10
BBR Cognac XO spicy 8/10 I keep meaning to try more cognac, but get sucked into whisky instead...
Kilchoman Single Cask exactly what I want from an Islay dram, cask strength, ballsy, great 8.5/10
Brora 35yo - this is what I spent my dreamdram token on. I love Brora.
Nose: sweet, lovely floral, marshmallows, sarsparilla
Palate: sweet, floral
Finish: mid-long, absolutely wonderful.
I'm biased, but 10/10
Johnnie Walker Double Black (£35) 7/10; Platinum (£70) 6/10
hey we've no excuse other than it was something we wouldn't normally drink. the double black was much better than expected.
Talisker 25yo
Nose: dead
Palate: quite nice, interesting, smooth
Finish: short
8/10 yeah before this I didn't like talisker, but this was very nice
Talisker 30yo LFW
Nose: very oily; Palate: sweet, saltiness;
9/10 - my notes say 'fuck!!!!' as this totally blew my preconceptions of Talisker out of the window. But at £250+ I wont be having it in my collection anytime soon.
Caol Ila 25yo LFW (think it was this one)
Nose: great. petrol, rubber, salt, rhubarb, custard
Palate: sweet, salt, peat ??
Finish: peat, short
8-8.5/10
Balblair 1979 nofinish 5/10
Balblair (I think) 12yo doublewood very nice, the notes either say very sweet or hairy sweat, your call 7/10
Balblair New spirit. Quite smooth, not nearly as exciting as the Kilchoman, but in interesting.
Dalwhinnie Rum Caribbean not much flavour, very sweet 5/10
Dalwhinnie Single barrel 15yo
Benromach 30yo apples! but very nice 8/10 LFW
Linkwood 25yo G and M 9/10
Strathisla 1970 apples on nose, leather and sherry notes, oak, lingering sherry, short-med finish 9/10
English whisky company Chapter 12 Sherry cask 46% 8.5/10
English whisky company Chapter 11 peated 8/10
Penderyn Madeira - very sweet, green apple, and something indecipherable 6/10
Penderyn peated, very weird 4/10
Glenrothes John Ramsey bottling 9.5/10
Glenrothes 1995 LFW
Glenrothes 1988
Basically, you can't go wrong with Glenrothes. Never had a bad one...
Glenglassaugh NEW! but sadly i can't read my notes :D I have a feeling the next release is called Evolution, but whatever it was, I gave it 8.5/10
Glenglassaugh 26yo 40% bloody nice, but I already knew that
and possibly something else, the notes are illegible. It appears to be a Glen something.
All in all a very very good day. We managed to get home (an achievement) with minimal damage to anyone else. And I survived Freshers Fair on Sunday morning, although it's fair to say I'd rather have been lying in bed.
Love, B
Monmouth was, as expected, packed, so we went to the coffee stall at the back of the market. It does make me happy having good coffee, shame I have to head to london for it.
After acquiring some chocolate to keep S happy, we wandered through the whisky shop, where I singularly failed to convince Alec to buy me expensive bottles of whisky. Bastard.
And so we queued. Or rather, I queued, and Alec ran his virtual news service.
This year we had decided we may go for quality rather than quantity, and thus not get too drunk (foolish thinking!). And, although ruining the experience for Rich, I'd decided not to make full tasting notes, rather just note what we'd drunk. Therefore the latter sections of this blog won't have the translational issues of previous years - where 'sweet' could be variously read as sweet / sushi / salmon / sordid etc.
Links to buy from our favourite indie booze store Loch Fyne Whisky as/where I coudl find them.
And so it begins...
Glendronach 14yo oak, very sweet, long finish 7/10
BenRiach 20yo, very very nice, long finish 8.5/10 [my notes say, buy a bottle] LFW
BenRiach 16yo peated, very nice 8/10 LFW
Glenfarclas 105 20yo, sweet sherry lovely, all the goodness of the 105 but subtle, mature - 9/10
Adelphi blend hey it's cheap, it tastes damn good, and it gets my thumbs up
Adelphi Springbank salty very long 8/10
Adelphi Macallan light pretty typical Macallan, not really liking this one 6.5/10
Glen Moray 16yo kinda light 6/10 LFW
Glen Moray 25yo (new cask sample) - mushroom!! 8/10
Glen Moray Chenin blanc, I liked htis, shame I can't seem to find it anywhere 8.5/10
Glengoyne - first bottling 7/10
Note, Glengoyne have just refreshed their lineup and website, worth a look...
Glengoyne - 18yo 43% which is replacing the 17yo. Hints of apple, but still sherry goodness. Very tasty 8.5/10
BBR Clyneish 1997 14yo 7.5/10 it appears Clyneish are improving...
BBR Aberlour Cask #3919 quite a kick on this one
BBR Glenlivet 1973 (tho I think the link is the 74) 8.5/10
BBR Cognac XO spicy 8/10 I keep meaning to try more cognac, but get sucked into whisky instead...
Kilchoman Single Cask exactly what I want from an Islay dram, cask strength, ballsy, great 8.5/10
Brora 35yo - this is what I spent my dreamdram token on. I love Brora.
Nose: sweet, lovely floral, marshmallows, sarsparilla
Palate: sweet, floral
Finish: mid-long, absolutely wonderful.
I'm biased, but 10/10
Johnnie Walker Double Black (£35) 7/10; Platinum (£70) 6/10
hey we've no excuse other than it was something we wouldn't normally drink. the double black was much better than expected.
Talisker 25yo
Nose: dead
Palate: quite nice, interesting, smooth
Finish: short
8/10 yeah before this I didn't like talisker, but this was very nice
Talisker 30yo LFW
Nose: very oily; Palate: sweet, saltiness;
9/10 - my notes say 'fuck!!!!' as this totally blew my preconceptions of Talisker out of the window. But at £250+ I wont be having it in my collection anytime soon.
Caol Ila 25yo LFW (think it was this one)
Nose: great. petrol, rubber, salt, rhubarb, custard
Palate: sweet, salt, peat ??
Finish: peat, short
8-8.5/10
Balblair 1979 nofinish 5/10
Balblair (I think) 12yo doublewood very nice, the notes either say very sweet or hairy sweat, your call 7/10
Balblair New spirit. Quite smooth, not nearly as exciting as the Kilchoman, but in interesting.
Dalwhinnie Rum Caribbean not much flavour, very sweet 5/10
Dalwhinnie Single barrel 15yo
Benromach 30yo apples! but very nice 8/10 LFW
Linkwood 25yo G and M 9/10
Strathisla 1970 apples on nose, leather and sherry notes, oak, lingering sherry, short-med finish 9/10
English whisky company Chapter 12 Sherry cask 46% 8.5/10
English whisky company Chapter 11 peated 8/10
Penderyn Madeira - very sweet, green apple, and something indecipherable 6/10
Penderyn peated, very weird 4/10
Glenrothes John Ramsey bottling 9.5/10
Glenrothes 1995 LFW
Glenrothes 1988
Basically, you can't go wrong with Glenrothes. Never had a bad one...
Glenglassaugh NEW! but sadly i can't read my notes :D I have a feeling the next release is called Evolution, but whatever it was, I gave it 8.5/10
Glenglassaugh 26yo 40% bloody nice, but I already knew that
and possibly something else, the notes are illegible. It appears to be a Glen something.
All in all a very very good day. We managed to get home (an achievement) with minimal damage to anyone else. And I survived Freshers Fair on Sunday morning, although it's fair to say I'd rather have been lying in bed.
Love, B
14 October 2012
Life@45rpm
Periodically Thurs Night Music Night gets a thematic makeover, last week I decided to go with everything had to be at 45rpm, hence Life@45rpm.
Out of a sense of wanting to share the excitement with everyone, here's the list of what was played, along with some videos where (in)appropriate.
This worked so well, and I've still a large number of 45's which weren't played, that there could be another night or two in the future. Sadly for listeners, not much more cheese of the Alf/The Firm/Europe/Spitting Image level, so some cheap second hand purchases may have to be made.
Rush - Time Stand Still 12"
Fish - Suits (ok, so it's an album, but the vinyl was pressed for 45rpm)
Freddie Mercury - The Great Pretender 12"
Queen - I'm going slightly mad 12" [with the brilliant Lost Opportunity]
Marillion - Lavender 12"
Talk Talk - Living in another world 12" (orig)
Alf - Stuck on Earth 12" [best 25c 12" I've bought]
Dire Straits - Twisting by the pool 12"
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls 12"
Pineapple Thief - Sherbert Gods 7" [I can see what he was trying to achieve, but it's also pretty clear why he disowns this!]
Admiral Fallow - Beetle in the box 7"
Trembling Bells - New Year's Eve's the loneliest night of the year 7"
Europe - The Final Countdown 12"
The Firm - Star Trekkin' 12"
Spitting Image - Santa Claus is on the dole 12"
Queen - Breakthru 12"
Marillion - Sympathy 12"
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome to the pleasure dome (12xztas7)
FGTH - Power of Love (12ztas5)
Love, B
Out of a sense of wanting to share the excitement with everyone, here's the list of what was played, along with some videos where (in)appropriate.
This worked so well, and I've still a large number of 45's which weren't played, that there could be another night or two in the future. Sadly for listeners, not much more cheese of the Alf/The Firm/Europe/Spitting Image level, so some cheap second hand purchases may have to be made.
Rush - Time Stand Still 12"
Fish - Suits (ok, so it's an album, but the vinyl was pressed for 45rpm)
Freddie Mercury - The Great Pretender 12"
Queen - I'm going slightly mad 12" [with the brilliant Lost Opportunity]
Marillion - Lavender 12"
Talk Talk - Living in another world 12" (orig)
Alf - Stuck on Earth 12" [best 25c 12" I've bought]
Dire Straits - Twisting by the pool 12"
Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls 12"
Pineapple Thief - Sherbert Gods 7" [I can see what he was trying to achieve, but it's also pretty clear why he disowns this!]
Admiral Fallow - Beetle in the box 7"
Trembling Bells - New Year's Eve's the loneliest night of the year 7"
Europe - The Final Countdown 12"
The Firm - Star Trekkin' 12"
Spitting Image - Santa Claus is on the dole 12"
Queen - Breakthru 12"
Marillion - Sympathy 12"
Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome to the pleasure dome (12xztas7)
FGTH - Power of Love (12ztas5)
Love, B
Gigs: Karnataka
I got hooked on Karnataka a couple of years ago when they played as a support act at the Summers End festival. As happened to at least three bands I discovered that year, they promptly imploded. In the spirit of Steve Austin (or dolly), they've been rebuilt. And so I toddled along to their gig on Friday in Leicester.
The wins
Hayley, the new vocalist, is brilliant. Power, passion, and technically seems to absolutely nail it. I'm not a huge fan of female-vox as they can get a bit screechy (I'm all about delicate). But she's perfectly in tune, and didn't push her voice to painful limits.
Gathering Light material and older stuff sounded fab, really gutsy.
Guitarist was on fire for the older stuff
The losses
Sadly the Y theatre was too big for the number of punters, although having a doors time of 830 and the band turning up onstage at 840 seem to have caught some people out as more turned up about 20 minutes in.
There did seem a number of people upstairs, and most were buying CDs so hopefully not too damaging for the band.
Guitarist seemed out of tune, I'm all for bending notes, but the plan there is for them to resolve correctly - this seemed more of a problem for the new tracks, so maybe it's a work in progress.
The new tracks, they didn't grab me. Bits of the new stuff later in the set seemed better, but none had the hooks of Gathering Light. At times it all seemed a little AOR, not bad, just not grabbing me.
Sound was muddy and unbalanced. And this wasn't just me, ended up talking to a couple of other people who made the same comment. Ian's bass was very muddy, which was unfortunate as all the cool runs in their music got lost. Keys were also very low in the mix. To a certain extent
Overall, an enjoyable gig. I'll probably get the new album when it comes out (2013) to see how things improve in the studio. I was disappointed by the new material, but hey I'm more than happy to wander down for a gig. I'd recommend going along to the rest of the tour...details here.
And a sample :
The wins
Hayley, the new vocalist, is brilliant. Power, passion, and technically seems to absolutely nail it. I'm not a huge fan of female-vox as they can get a bit screechy (I'm all about delicate). But she's perfectly in tune, and didn't push her voice to painful limits.
Gathering Light material and older stuff sounded fab, really gutsy.
Guitarist was on fire for the older stuff
The losses
Sadly the Y theatre was too big for the number of punters, although having a doors time of 830 and the band turning up onstage at 840 seem to have caught some people out as more turned up about 20 minutes in.
There did seem a number of people upstairs, and most were buying CDs so hopefully not too damaging for the band.
Guitarist seemed out of tune, I'm all for bending notes, but the plan there is for them to resolve correctly - this seemed more of a problem for the new tracks, so maybe it's a work in progress.
The new tracks, they didn't grab me. Bits of the new stuff later in the set seemed better, but none had the hooks of Gathering Light. At times it all seemed a little AOR, not bad, just not grabbing me.
Sound was muddy and unbalanced. And this wasn't just me, ended up talking to a couple of other people who made the same comment. Ian's bass was very muddy, which was unfortunate as all the cool runs in their music got lost. Keys were also very low in the mix. To a certain extent
Overall, an enjoyable gig. I'll probably get the new album when it comes out (2013) to see how things improve in the studio. I was disappointed by the new material, but hey I'm more than happy to wander down for a gig. I'd recommend going along to the rest of the tour...details here.
And a sample :
12 October 2012
Gift horse articles in the news
You can't make this stuff up, courtesy of France and the USA. Two stalwarts of quality news.
Yes, I'm not sure the word 'euro' makes any difference there either. The key, and brilliant, points to this story:
- person is unemployed
- the bill was more than 5000x the GDP of France
- "...told by shrugging staff there was nothing they could do."
The real bill was E117.21.
Which the company eventually let her off paying. Damn socialists.
Todays vital lesson, don't try cooking squirrels with a propane torch.
Sadly the winner who did this isn't a contender for the Darwin awards. But the potential is there, go team Propane Squirrel !!
Coming soon, possibly a book blog, a whisky blog, and a music blog.
No really, I'm feeling in a bloggy mood.
2 October 2012
iphone and i'm not dead
In the wake of the continuing Samsung v Apple court cases:
I'm waiting for the pr0n industry to sue over the iPhone6.
xx
I'm waiting for the pr0n industry to sue over the iPhone6.
xx
4 August 2012
Elderly Promming Ninjas
This is a cautionary tale: Beware elderly Promming ninjas.
(for non-Brits, this is the BBC Proms, as in the classical music series that results in the (in)famous Last Night at the Proms, the 'kerchief wearing, Union Jack waving, Land of Soap and Water night of all things British - well English anyway).
I was down for a few Proms gigs (Mahler and Stravinsky mainly), went for a wander around my usual haunts on Saturday, including getting some Asafoetida which no matter where I am, proves difficult to find. Thanks to the Borough market for supplying it.
Headed to the Proms, thoroughly enjoyed it, and felt twinges in my foot during the second half. Meh, thought I, a manly man, simply a grumpy muscle. Things got worse during the night, to the point where I couldn't sleep, so had a shower figuring if it was muscular that should relieve pain.
That didn't work. So poked at it. This located the (very) sore part, and from my years of explaining anatomy (badly) to impressionable 1st years, I figured I'd broken a metatarsal, or in language the Brits will understand, the footballers injury. I pottered off the hospital early Sunday morning, managing to split between the drunks leaving, and the kids sports injuries coming in (result!). My diagnosis was treated with a patronising grunt.
Poking was done, until I called time on that. An Xray of the offending foot, and voila, vindication ! Go me. Since I had a reasonably heavy Sunday and Monday, a cast was slapped on, pain relief drugs provided, and a stern warning provided not to put weight on the cast, or get it wet.
I crutched (is this a verb?) off, promptly got caught in a London mini-torrential downpour (mini in time, not torrential-ness), caught a bus, then had to cope with the tube. The tube is distinctly unfriendly to people with: suitcases, wheelchairs, crutches, indeed any minor ambulatory ailment is ruthlessly exploited.
As you'll have guessed the cast was a bit of a mess even before the Proms that evening. Pain was present, and so that magic elixir, booze, was employed. Things improved dramatically. Great gig.
So what caused this eventful cast inducing break? I'm putting it down to those grey haired elderly classical loving prom going retired ninja's.
A more prosaic view could be me slipping when getting out of bed, slamming the great toe against the door, and causing merriment to S and I since it didn't hurt, rather it just looked dumb.
Love, your new favourite grumpy cripple, B
(for non-Brits, this is the BBC Proms, as in the classical music series that results in the (in)famous Last Night at the Proms, the 'kerchief wearing, Union Jack waving, Land of Soap and Water night of all things British - well English anyway).
I was down for a few Proms gigs (Mahler and Stravinsky mainly), went for a wander around my usual haunts on Saturday, including getting some Asafoetida which no matter where I am, proves difficult to find. Thanks to the Borough market for supplying it.
Headed to the Proms, thoroughly enjoyed it, and felt twinges in my foot during the second half. Meh, thought I, a manly man, simply a grumpy muscle. Things got worse during the night, to the point where I couldn't sleep, so had a shower figuring if it was muscular that should relieve pain.
That didn't work. So poked at it. This located the (very) sore part, and from my years of explaining anatomy (badly) to impressionable 1st years, I figured I'd broken a metatarsal, or in language the Brits will understand, the footballers injury. I pottered off the hospital early Sunday morning, managing to split between the drunks leaving, and the kids sports injuries coming in (result!). My diagnosis was treated with a patronising grunt.
Poking was done, until I called time on that. An Xray of the offending foot, and voila, vindication ! Go me. Since I had a reasonably heavy Sunday and Monday, a cast was slapped on, pain relief drugs provided, and a stern warning provided not to put weight on the cast, or get it wet.
I crutched (is this a verb?) off, promptly got caught in a London mini-torrential downpour (mini in time, not torrential-ness), caught a bus, then had to cope with the tube. The tube is distinctly unfriendly to people with: suitcases, wheelchairs, crutches, indeed any minor ambulatory ailment is ruthlessly exploited.
As you'll have guessed the cast was a bit of a mess even before the Proms that evening. Pain was present, and so that magic elixir, booze, was employed. Things improved dramatically. Great gig.
So what caused this eventful cast inducing break? I'm putting it down to those grey haired elderly classical loving prom going retired ninja's.
A more prosaic view could be me slipping when getting out of bed, slamming the great toe against the door, and causing merriment to S and I since it didn't hurt, rather it just looked dumb.
Love, your new favourite grumpy cripple, B
8 July 2012
Cooking with Bruce : Of marinades and slaw
Hey look, that incredibly popular occasional series 'Cooking with Bruce' is back. Brilliant!
i've decided to explore marinades a bit over the coming weeks, so this will act as a record of what I play with. This has been driven by a strange stirring for the sauce/marinade used on pork ribs, which is odd, as I hate pork ribs. So the following will be using vege's, but can be applied to meat, since that's where I'm ripping the ideas from.
Oh and in a gadget update, I've got a blender. For me, this counts as a massive gadget update, since my kitchen is oddly gadget free.
Chinese 5spice style marinade
4 garlic cloves chopped roughly
ginger - thumb of, roughly chopped
100ml dark soy sauce (or mix of dark/light)
100ml hoisin sauce
50ml honey
1t chinese five spice powder
1T sunflower oil
Blend all these. Roughly chop your veges, I used capsicums, carrots, quorn, chillis - so pretty much what was left in the house. Combine marinade and veges. Bake at 200C for 45mins.
Thai slaw
Carrot, peeled then grated
2x celery stalked, finely chopped
1-2c red cabbage, grated
1 red onion, grated
1 chilli, finely chopped
mint
parsley
Dressing
1T rice vinegar
1T palm sugar
2T lime juice
2T fish sauce
1T chilli sauce
(combine and mix)
Mix slaw, toss dressing through slaw.
Serve the veges/marinade on rice and shake some sesame seeds over it. Slaw on the side baby.
B x
i've decided to explore marinades a bit over the coming weeks, so this will act as a record of what I play with. This has been driven by a strange stirring for the sauce/marinade used on pork ribs, which is odd, as I hate pork ribs. So the following will be using vege's, but can be applied to meat, since that's where I'm ripping the ideas from.
Oh and in a gadget update, I've got a blender. For me, this counts as a massive gadget update, since my kitchen is oddly gadget free.
Chinese 5spice style marinade
4 garlic cloves chopped roughly
ginger - thumb of, roughly chopped
100ml dark soy sauce (or mix of dark/light)
100ml hoisin sauce
50ml honey
1t chinese five spice powder
1T sunflower oil
Blend all these. Roughly chop your veges, I used capsicums, carrots, quorn, chillis - so pretty much what was left in the house. Combine marinade and veges. Bake at 200C for 45mins.
Thai slaw
Carrot, peeled then grated
2x celery stalked, finely chopped
1-2c red cabbage, grated
1 red onion, grated
1 chilli, finely chopped
mint
parsley
Dressing
1T rice vinegar
1T palm sugar
2T lime juice
2T fish sauce
1T chilli sauce
(combine and mix)
Mix slaw, toss dressing through slaw.
Serve the veges/marinade on rice and shake some sesame seeds over it. Slaw on the side baby.
B x
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