Maybe it's time for a bit of chat about JOTE.
JOTE? Indeed!
Some of you will know immediately of what I talk, but for those who don't, I shall explain.
Jewel
Of
The
East
AKA - our lovely town, Downham Market.
A bit of background. I've mentioned Facebook on here a few times already. Well the whole JOTE thing spawned from that.
On Facebook, there are groups that people make up on every single subject that you care to mention. Often these are humorous and pretty informal. JOTE was started as an affectionate look at Downham Market and the group has grown..... and grown. Currently, there are about 325 members of the group and this grows at the rate of 1 or 2 every couple of days. I read today that Facebook has 100,000 people join up every day. Pretty amazing that, isn't it.
Anyway, I discovered JOTE fairly early on in it's life and joined up. It was started by a top bloke called Lee Cooper. Fairly soon, we got nattering on and realised that we have quite a bit in common and the same (warped) sense of humour. Unbelievably though in my ten years of living in Downham and using the same watering hole (from here on in to be known as our Spiritual Home) we have never met. This was soon put right a few weeks ago.
So myself and Mr C have become good buddies and I don't think a weekend has gone by, of late, where we haven't shared at least one pint!
But there are other key members too, to name but some, there are the Soehnle brothers. Three great guys, who I knew of before and had a passing nod, but never sat down and chatted with, again since put right. Hayley gets a mention here too as she is a regular at our Annual General Meetings (these seem to occur monthly!). There are quite a few others who should get a mention, but maybe another time, as this is beginning to sound like a who's who of regular drinkers in Downham.
So moving on. I'm typing this on a newly revitalised laptop! Last Sunday morning, H mentioned that she thought that she's broken it. I had a look and the hard drive was making a strange clicking sound and it wouldn't boot up. Ooops.
A bit of diagnostics by me and I declared that it was bust! After a little searching on t'interweb, I found out that this was a not uncommon fault on the first batch of Macbooks. Considering that this is the very first problem that I've had with either Mac, I'm still pretty damn satisfied with Apple products.
Fortunately, it was the laptop though. We have a general move towards keeping all of our stuff on the main machine (that I back up fairly often). So I didn't have to go through a recovery process. All photos and music was on the main machine, and all documents are stored to a web-based area, so nothing to worry about.
I quickly sourced a supplier and chose a 160GB new hard drive (twice as big as the original). It arrived within 4 days and last Friday, I fitted it and was able to reinstall all of the applications we originally had on here. No problems, no issues, nothing lost. Smug? Well, maybe a little.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Smells Like Teen Spirit
A classic track indeed.
Anyway, last weekend saw the first gig in a run. Erasure at the UEA.
We were quite up for this. I'd been speaking to others and they said that the gig was likely to have a fair gay turn out. So this is what we were expecting.
We turned up in good time and joined the back of a queue. On getting in we grabbed a drink and found a good vantage point. More and more people were flocking and and we had the usual bunch of idiots deciding that they had the right to be at the front, so pushed past everyone else.
By the time that the support band came on, it was pretty full. Certainly fuller than the last time I was there for a Rakes gig. Onetwo were the support act, made up of one half of OMD along with the lead singer of Propaganda and a third member. They were pretty good.
Unfortunately, by the end of their set, H was suffering somewhat from the heat and crowdiness of it all, so we headed for some air and some space.
After Erasure came on, the place was even busier. We secured a vantage point where we could see, just about, but were surrounded by idiots. Instead of gay guys having a fun time, it seemed to be predominantly overweight, drunk, middle-aged women, all shouting and generally being brash (maybe I'm getting old!) It put a bit of a damper on things. Even though the boy's performance was good. The night wasn't enjoyable and we left early.
Bring on The Cribs - 7th Oct.
Anyway, last weekend saw the first gig in a run. Erasure at the UEA.
We were quite up for this. I'd been speaking to others and they said that the gig was likely to have a fair gay turn out. So this is what we were expecting.
We turned up in good time and joined the back of a queue. On getting in we grabbed a drink and found a good vantage point. More and more people were flocking and and we had the usual bunch of idiots deciding that they had the right to be at the front, so pushed past everyone else.
By the time that the support band came on, it was pretty full. Certainly fuller than the last time I was there for a Rakes gig. Onetwo were the support act, made up of one half of OMD along with the lead singer of Propaganda and a third member. They were pretty good.
Unfortunately, by the end of their set, H was suffering somewhat from the heat and crowdiness of it all, so we headed for some air and some space.
After Erasure came on, the place was even busier. We secured a vantage point where we could see, just about, but were surrounded by idiots. Instead of gay guys having a fun time, it seemed to be predominantly overweight, drunk, middle-aged women, all shouting and generally being brash (maybe I'm getting old!) It put a bit of a damper on things. Even though the boy's performance was good. The night wasn't enjoyable and we left early.
Bring on The Cribs - 7th Oct.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Discopolis
Okay, back to the usual method of blog titles it is.
Firstly a bit of a note to do with what is where.
This place will still be used as my general ramblings and will include photos from various sources. The Jack-Attack homepage has been down-sized for now. Finally, my .Mac pages are where you'll find all our family and personal photos.
Facebook has all the local and fun pic on it.
Clear? Good.
Going back to last weekend...
On 3rd September 1987 I started my first full time job. This has turned out to be my only full time job. A fact I'm quite pleased and proud of. Long may it continue - well, not that long actually. Early retirement and a hefty pension would be nice. I suspect that the sugar industry has some recovery to go through before we reach that point though.
Where was I? Oh yeah, September. Well those of you with a reasonable maths education will appreciate that this means I've been with my current employer for some 20 years.
I decided that this occasion couldn't pass without without some form of celebration.
When I was taken on, it was as part of a group called BS03. There were eighteen of us in total from all twelve factories (only four left now!). After a couple of days at the factory (mine was Bardney near Lincoln), we all got shipped to a residential college called Eaton Hall, near Retford. We then began a course of 40 weeks, going home at weekends. I have to say that these were some of the most enjoyable days of my life. I think I can say the same for the other guys on the course too.
Here's a photo of us back in the day! No prizes for guessing which one's me. Remember that this was the 80's! Seated in the middle are "Uncle Ted" and Pete Whinfield who were our main tutors on the course.
Now is not the time to go on about a lot of the things that occurred during these times, but there are many stories!
Anyway, I took it upon myself to organise a reunion. Not the easiest of tasks as seven of the guys are no longer with the company.
But I managed to get in touch with all but one. Eleven of us got together around lunchtime at Go Ape in Thetford Forest. Much fun was had (photos on Facebook), then in the evening we popped across to Sprowston Manor hotel near Norwich for a few drinks(!) and a nice meal. It was fantastic seeing everyone again and I have never spent so long reminiscing in my life!
Here's a pic of the nine of us at the hotel...
Firstly a bit of a note to do with what is where.
This place will still be used as my general ramblings and will include photos from various sources. The Jack-Attack homepage has been down-sized for now. Finally, my .Mac pages are where you'll find all our family and personal photos.
Facebook has all the local and fun pic on it.
Clear? Good.
Going back to last weekend...
On 3rd September 1987 I started my first full time job. This has turned out to be my only full time job. A fact I'm quite pleased and proud of. Long may it continue - well, not that long actually. Early retirement and a hefty pension would be nice. I suspect that the sugar industry has some recovery to go through before we reach that point though.
Where was I? Oh yeah, September. Well those of you with a reasonable maths education will appreciate that this means I've been with my current employer for some 20 years.
I decided that this occasion couldn't pass without without some form of celebration.
When I was taken on, it was as part of a group called BS03. There were eighteen of us in total from all twelve factories (only four left now!). After a couple of days at the factory (mine was Bardney near Lincoln), we all got shipped to a residential college called Eaton Hall, near Retford. We then began a course of 40 weeks, going home at weekends. I have to say that these were some of the most enjoyable days of my life. I think I can say the same for the other guys on the course too.
Here's a photo of us back in the day! No prizes for guessing which one's me. Remember that this was the 80's! Seated in the middle are "Uncle Ted" and Pete Whinfield who were our main tutors on the course.
Now is not the time to go on about a lot of the things that occurred during these times, but there are many stories!
Anyway, I took it upon myself to organise a reunion. Not the easiest of tasks as seven of the guys are no longer with the company.
But I managed to get in touch with all but one. Eleven of us got together around lunchtime at Go Ape in Thetford Forest. Much fun was had (photos on Facebook), then in the evening we popped across to Sprowston Manor hotel near Norwich for a few drinks(!) and a nice meal. It was fantastic seeing everyone again and I have never spent so long reminiscing in my life!
Here's a pic of the nine of us at the hotel...
Saturday, September 01, 2007
One Week On
Seems a while ago now, and indeed it is. I'm actually typing this offline now, so can't remember what the last bit that I wrote about Australia was. A couple of things that I meant to write about though involved traffic.
I noticed this first in Bordertown, when staying with Kerynn, but on returning to Perth, saw a couple more examples. They have drive through off-licences! Now I'm not sure what the drink driving laws are in Australia, nor how rigorously that they are enforced, but I can't see the idea going down well in the UK.
The second thing that I noticed was lane discipline. When traveling with Kerynn, I asked her what the ruling was. She said that it was pretty much the same as in the UK i.e. keep left apart from overtaking. However it was pretty much free for all in practice. This was certainly borne out from what I saw. The big difference being that no-one seemed to mind too much about being overtaken etc. Maybe it's down to the lesser volume of traffic, but there didn't seem to be the impatience that you get on British roads, and this was both in the city and the rural areas. Obeying the speed limit was also much more evident. The sort of roads that I drove on were pretty clear and straight, yet everyone seemed to pretty much stick to the limit.
Another point, whilst I'm talking about traffic, is pedestrian crossings. There only seems to be one kind, and this is your standard push button type, with the red man to stop, green man to go. Now, in the UK, if we want to cross a road, we will have a look and pretty much cross at the first available opportunity, whether we've pressed the button or not. In Perth, I noticed that almost always, people stand and wait to be given the green light to cross. They don't go if there's a gap, they will stand and wait. Fascinating stuff for a people-watcher like me.
I'm sure other observations will be thrown in as I think of them.
What else to talk about?
Facebook? Specifically The Jewel Of The East. I'm not going to go into too much detail, but for those who don't know, Facebook is a social networking site on the internet. It facilitates building a group of your friends and interacting online. "Jewel Of The East" is a group that has arisen from there. It is led by a marvelous chap (I have to say that as he has been known to read this blog). Anyway, it's all good fun. We even had a pub crawl last Sunday involving a good handful of the folk from the group. Much fun to be had. Photos are on my Facebook profile (link on the left of this page).
My week off has been spent doing exactly what I planned - not a lot. Much rest and relaxation interspersed with a bit of cycling, running and walking.
I'm still not relishing the thought of a return to work on Monday, mind!
I noticed this first in Bordertown, when staying with Kerynn, but on returning to Perth, saw a couple more examples. They have drive through off-licences! Now I'm not sure what the drink driving laws are in Australia, nor how rigorously that they are enforced, but I can't see the idea going down well in the UK.
The second thing that I noticed was lane discipline. When traveling with Kerynn, I asked her what the ruling was. She said that it was pretty much the same as in the UK i.e. keep left apart from overtaking. However it was pretty much free for all in practice. This was certainly borne out from what I saw. The big difference being that no-one seemed to mind too much about being overtaken etc. Maybe it's down to the lesser volume of traffic, but there didn't seem to be the impatience that you get on British roads, and this was both in the city and the rural areas. Obeying the speed limit was also much more evident. The sort of roads that I drove on were pretty clear and straight, yet everyone seemed to pretty much stick to the limit.
Another point, whilst I'm talking about traffic, is pedestrian crossings. There only seems to be one kind, and this is your standard push button type, with the red man to stop, green man to go. Now, in the UK, if we want to cross a road, we will have a look and pretty much cross at the first available opportunity, whether we've pressed the button or not. In Perth, I noticed that almost always, people stand and wait to be given the green light to cross. They don't go if there's a gap, they will stand and wait. Fascinating stuff for a people-watcher like me.
I'm sure other observations will be thrown in as I think of them.
What else to talk about?
Facebook? Specifically The Jewel Of The East. I'm not going to go into too much detail, but for those who don't know, Facebook is a social networking site on the internet. It facilitates building a group of your friends and interacting online. "Jewel Of The East" is a group that has arisen from there. It is led by a marvelous chap (I have to say that as he has been known to read this blog). Anyway, it's all good fun. We even had a pub crawl last Sunday involving a good handful of the folk from the group. Much fun to be had. Photos are on my Facebook profile (link on the left of this page).
My week off has been spent doing exactly what I planned - not a lot. Much rest and relaxation interspersed with a bit of cycling, running and walking.
I'm still not relishing the thought of a return to work on Monday, mind!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Oz - Wednesday Morning
So I am now sat on a bus heading Westwards (ish) towards Adelaide. What's that all about?
Well, Monday evening came round and I was planning what I still had left that I wanted to do. Not a huge amount to be honest. I was sat in my hotel room on the internet and got chatting to Kerynn. Who she? Well, Kerynn is someone that I first met on the internet, on a forum, about 18 months ago. She lives in Australia and in about July last year, she visited the UK for about three weeks and stayed with us for a weekend of that time. Her birthday is on the same days as mine albeit 2 years earlier (which I take great pleasure in reminding her).
Anyway, like I said we got chatting (mainly because she's online at at the same time as me, being in the same country). We were both saying that it was a shame that we didn't organise a visit what with me being in Australia.
Well, whilst chatting, I dived onto the Quantas website. Even at this sort notice, it was still do-able. 30 mins later, I had tickets booked. I've got to admit that my geographical knowledge of Australia isn't the best and I wasn't totally sure where Adelaide was in relation to Perth. The answer is rather a long way!
I got up at 4am yesterday morning (Wednesday) and got a taxi to the airport. I expected it to be fairly quiet, but it was pretty busy. Sill, 6.10 and I was on the plane. A spot of breakfast, a jump of 1.5 hours across the time zones and I set down in Adelaide at about 11am.
Kerynn lives in a place called Bordertown. I'd offer a link, but being on the coach, I don't have internet access. It's quite a small town, but most importantly, it's still 3 hours from Adelaide. Good old Kerynn had got up early and driven all the way to pick me up. So, we hit the road (Australian term) and set off back to her place. After 30 mins or so, we had totally cleared the city. The roads are all good, quite straight and very quiet! After a short while, I offered to give Kerynn a break from driving. This is the sort of thing that cruise control is made for. I only had to let up on the rare occasion that we caught a lorry up. Other than that it was 110 km/h all the way (68 mph). Taking it above that is a bit risky, as although the roads are so quiet, the police are pretty hot and speeding. My guess is that they get bored and so relish the opportunity to stop someone.
Okay, I chose against typing whilst riding, so two hours have past since I started this and we've just stopped for a 10min break en route.
Erm, yeah, back to Adelaide. We got to Kerynn's place at Bordertown at about 2.30pm local time. Like I said, it's a fairly simple town. Quite small and very much depends on the main freeway passing through it. All the places there are single storey and Kerynn lives in a nice house with her three boys, Jake (17), Dillon (10 I think), Jamie (6) and finally Ryan (can't remember). Ryan wasn't there though as he was poorly and was still at his dad's from the weekend, about 50km away.
So we had a quick look round the town and I then spend the next couple of hours thinking up all my best jokes, riddles and tricks to keep the younger boys entertained.
Kerynn was the perfect host and we headed out to the local bar for dinner. I need only say that the food is as good in the South as it is in the West. The steak was magnificent. We also had a dozen oysters. I admitted to never having had them before, so we had some Kilpatrick style - topped with chopped bacon, worcester sauce and grilled. I shall certainly be having them in the future, they were very tasty.
Ooops time to go again. See you in a while - I've got to get back to the in-coach movie now!
[Quick Edit - it's now just gone 11pm, but gonna add a couple of pics from Bordertown]
Firstly, Kerynn and Dillon
Now, the cheeky monkey, Jamie
I'm back and I'm now in Adelaide airport, it's 15:20. The coach got into the City at about 14:15. My flight is not until 19:55, but I caught a taxi to the airport in the hope that I could get an earlier flight. Unfortunately, I have now found out that although there is a flight at 16:45, AND there are free seats on it, I cannot bump onto it due to me buying a cheap ticket for the later flight. If I want to do so, I get no refund on my later ticket and the new fare is over $300. Hell, I've got a good back and my laptop (with wireless). It ain't worth that money to save three hours, is it?
Again, this looks to have turned into a bit of an epic. Who knows though, maybe you like reading my ramblings!
What are my plans from here on in?
Well, I'm going to finish this off, check a few websites and maybe have another beer. There looks to be a good chinese place across the way, so maybe some food is in order. Then I'll try and find a power outlet to charge this up and sit down for a few hours and have a good read.
I get into Perth at about 21:50, so with a cab I should be back at the hotel for 22:30. Grab some supper and bed.
Tomorrow, grab a bus or a taxi back to the airport (terminal 1 this time, not 2). My flight to Hong Kong is at 12:20, arriving at 20:15. four hours there and then the final flight homewards at 23:55, arriving at 05:45 Friday morning. THEN, I'm saving H the hassle of driving down and back, so I'll be making my way on the tube to King's Cross and then getting the best train I can back up to Downham. Phew!
Everyone I talk to can't believe that I've only come to Australia for 10 days, let alone popped across to Adelaide for just over 24 hours (apparently that makes me insane) , but you know, it ain't all that bad. I don't mind traveling so much. I've also got totally used to hanging around in airports. There are worse places for people watching! Not especially looking forward to the long flights back, but I'm resigned to the fact that I wont be able to sleep, so anything else is a bonus!
One thing for sure though - H is coming with me next time!
See later, or tomorrow!
Well, Monday evening came round and I was planning what I still had left that I wanted to do. Not a huge amount to be honest. I was sat in my hotel room on the internet and got chatting to Kerynn. Who she? Well, Kerynn is someone that I first met on the internet, on a forum, about 18 months ago. She lives in Australia and in about July last year, she visited the UK for about three weeks and stayed with us for a weekend of that time. Her birthday is on the same days as mine albeit 2 years earlier (which I take great pleasure in reminding her).
Anyway, like I said we got chatting (mainly because she's online at at the same time as me, being in the same country). We were both saying that it was a shame that we didn't organise a visit what with me being in Australia.
Well, whilst chatting, I dived onto the Quantas website. Even at this sort notice, it was still do-able. 30 mins later, I had tickets booked. I've got to admit that my geographical knowledge of Australia isn't the best and I wasn't totally sure where Adelaide was in relation to Perth. The answer is rather a long way!
I got up at 4am yesterday morning (Wednesday) and got a taxi to the airport. I expected it to be fairly quiet, but it was pretty busy. Sill, 6.10 and I was on the plane. A spot of breakfast, a jump of 1.5 hours across the time zones and I set down in Adelaide at about 11am.
Kerynn lives in a place called Bordertown. I'd offer a link, but being on the coach, I don't have internet access. It's quite a small town, but most importantly, it's still 3 hours from Adelaide. Good old Kerynn had got up early and driven all the way to pick me up. So, we hit the road (Australian term) and set off back to her place. After 30 mins or so, we had totally cleared the city. The roads are all good, quite straight and very quiet! After a short while, I offered to give Kerynn a break from driving. This is the sort of thing that cruise control is made for. I only had to let up on the rare occasion that we caught a lorry up. Other than that it was 110 km/h all the way (68 mph). Taking it above that is a bit risky, as although the roads are so quiet, the police are pretty hot and speeding. My guess is that they get bored and so relish the opportunity to stop someone.
Okay, I chose against typing whilst riding, so two hours have past since I started this and we've just stopped for a 10min break en route.
Erm, yeah, back to Adelaide. We got to Kerynn's place at Bordertown at about 2.30pm local time. Like I said, it's a fairly simple town. Quite small and very much depends on the main freeway passing through it. All the places there are single storey and Kerynn lives in a nice house with her three boys, Jake (17), Dillon (10 I think), Jamie (6) and finally Ryan (can't remember). Ryan wasn't there though as he was poorly and was still at his dad's from the weekend, about 50km away.
So we had a quick look round the town and I then spend the next couple of hours thinking up all my best jokes, riddles and tricks to keep the younger boys entertained.
Kerynn was the perfect host and we headed out to the local bar for dinner. I need only say that the food is as good in the South as it is in the West. The steak was magnificent. We also had a dozen oysters. I admitted to never having had them before, so we had some Kilpatrick style - topped with chopped bacon, worcester sauce and grilled. I shall certainly be having them in the future, they were very tasty.
Ooops time to go again. See you in a while - I've got to get back to the in-coach movie now!
[Quick Edit - it's now just gone 11pm, but gonna add a couple of pics from Bordertown]
Firstly, Kerynn and Dillon
Now, the cheeky monkey, Jamie
I'm back and I'm now in Adelaide airport, it's 15:20. The coach got into the City at about 14:15. My flight is not until 19:55, but I caught a taxi to the airport in the hope that I could get an earlier flight. Unfortunately, I have now found out that although there is a flight at 16:45, AND there are free seats on it, I cannot bump onto it due to me buying a cheap ticket for the later flight. If I want to do so, I get no refund on my later ticket and the new fare is over $300. Hell, I've got a good back and my laptop (with wireless). It ain't worth that money to save three hours, is it?
Again, this looks to have turned into a bit of an epic. Who knows though, maybe you like reading my ramblings!
What are my plans from here on in?
Well, I'm going to finish this off, check a few websites and maybe have another beer. There looks to be a good chinese place across the way, so maybe some food is in order. Then I'll try and find a power outlet to charge this up and sit down for a few hours and have a good read.
I get into Perth at about 21:50, so with a cab I should be back at the hotel for 22:30. Grab some supper and bed.
Tomorrow, grab a bus or a taxi back to the airport (terminal 1 this time, not 2). My flight to Hong Kong is at 12:20, arriving at 20:15. four hours there and then the final flight homewards at 23:55, arriving at 05:45 Friday morning. THEN, I'm saving H the hassle of driving down and back, so I'll be making my way on the tube to King's Cross and then getting the best train I can back up to Downham. Phew!
Everyone I talk to can't believe that I've only come to Australia for 10 days, let alone popped across to Adelaide for just over 24 hours (apparently that makes me insane) , but you know, it ain't all that bad. I don't mind traveling so much. I've also got totally used to hanging around in airports. There are worse places for people watching! Not especially looking forward to the long flights back, but I'm resigned to the fact that I wont be able to sleep, so anything else is a bonus!
One thing for sure though - H is coming with me next time!
See later, or tomorrow!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Oz - Monday Afternoon
Well, this morning got off to a poor start. Firstly, I've got to say that I'm sleeping damn well here. More so than I do at home. I typically wake up to some noise or other at 4 something, but then soon drop off not waking again until 8-ish. So much sleep!
Anyway, This morning I woke to rain. Not good. There isn't a lot to do here when it's raining. I've done the shops etc and I'm afraid that the art galleries don't really inspire me.
Well, I planned to chill in my room until maybe 11.30, then head down to the lounge and read (whilst people watching of course) until maybe 12.30, then pop to the bar a few doors down to grab a couple of beers and a bite to eat before returning to some of the same.
I duly carried out the first part of my plan. It got round to about 11.50 and I noticed that it was getting decidedly brighter outside. Back up to my room to deposit my book and grab my jacket. I headed out.
Within seconds, literally, it was drizzling. Never mind, I'm out now. I headed for the nearest Red Cat bus stop (note - I wrongly reported it as Central Area Transport, that should have been Transit). As it was a weekday, they are much more frequent, so only 3 minutes to wait this time.
I jumped off somewhere near the shopping mall. Sure enough, the clouds had parted, I removed my jacket and wished that I had brought my sunglasses.
I wandered about for a bit and my head started to absorb where everything was. I think that some people do this better than others. No doubt someone can explain why, but some people are much better at sussing out directions, landmarks and the like to form a map in their head, whereas others have no idea whatsoever. I like to think I fall into the former. Indeed, I pride myself on being able to navigate myself around Center Parcs (Elveden) pretty much blindfold. Jealous aren't you? I can tell. Anyway, I digress.
Erm, yes. Onto the mall. My plan was still to have a wander around the shops for about an hour or so and then have a slow walk back calling at the aforementioned bar on the way home.
So I wandered. I was pretty sure I had got the hang of the little arcades both under and over ground. I decided to dive into a particular food hall (underground), expecting it to be full of greengrocers and the like. After about 100 meters, it opened up into a huge space. I had to stop and take it all in. What was in front of me was a massive diamond space full of tables. These were bordered by every single possible food outlet that you could imagine!
You know me, I'm a real "foodie". To see Indian next to Thai next to Cantonese next to Mexican next to Sandwiches next to Chinese next to Italian next to Burgers.... well, you get the idea. I had to wander round the whole place about three times to take it all in. Of course, the idea at calling off at the bar on the way back to the hotel was long since shelved. Choices, people, choices!!!
I dwelled, not for long, on taking some photos and decided that I would look like some sort of idiot, but it will stay in my head for future reference.
So after a few circuits I descended upon a particular Chinese spot. BBQ Combo Soup looked good (well, it did on the pic). At this point I must declare my utter surprise at which outlets were the busiest. Bearing in mind there was everything you could wish for on offer, the queues were at... Hungry Jacks (Burger place) and Subway (Sandwich Bar). Unbelievable! Still, I got served straight away. My server picked up a bowl. Now I will make a point of not exaggerating. It was about 200mm diameter and 150mm depth, seriously! She chucked loads of noodles and beansprouts in with a handful of pak choi. This was followed by a huge helping of clear soup. On top was placed liberal helpings of pork, and I mean liberal. Finally topped with a mound of chopped spring onion.
The cost of this? $9 or £3.75. Absolutely unbelievable.
I had a spoon, fork and chopsticks to tackle it all with. Being the professional that I am, the fork was cast aside and I practiced my chopstick skills and used the spoon for the soup.
Needless to say, there was plenty left, but I was stuffed.
So that was lunch!
Afterwards I had wander, took in a lovely phonecall from H and generally chilled.
I felt like a sitdown and a read, so headed to a bookstore. I gave the magazine rack a fair hearing, but a lot of them were UK/Euro issue and so overpriced (£8) and last months editions. I searched the biogs, but most were Aus orientated. Eventually my eye was taken by the true crimes section. Again, a lot of the books were Aus centered and so not strictly relevant. However I did notice the (Jeffrey) Archer prison book. Now I have this thing about Archer. He's one of those blokes that I want to dislike. Indeed when I see him on TV or interviews in the press, I no doubt end up cursing him. But I've always been taken with his novels. I decided to give this book a go (although there are 2 further books). So, I went into it with a slightly cynical head on, especially as I now have some insider knowledge of the prison service.
Damn you Archer!!! The man has got an amazing talent for writing. It is an absolute pleasure to read. I started it at a coffee bar in town and set off back to the hotel, pausing at that aforementioned bar to have another couple of chapters. It's really rather good you know.
So, the day improved weather wise, and I had a nice relaxing day. It's now 6.45 and I'm relaxing with a nice glass of red.
Sorry if I've gone on a little in this last entry!
Anyway, This morning I woke to rain. Not good. There isn't a lot to do here when it's raining. I've done the shops etc and I'm afraid that the art galleries don't really inspire me.
Well, I planned to chill in my room until maybe 11.30, then head down to the lounge and read (whilst people watching of course) until maybe 12.30, then pop to the bar a few doors down to grab a couple of beers and a bite to eat before returning to some of the same.
I duly carried out the first part of my plan. It got round to about 11.50 and I noticed that it was getting decidedly brighter outside. Back up to my room to deposit my book and grab my jacket. I headed out.
Within seconds, literally, it was drizzling. Never mind, I'm out now. I headed for the nearest Red Cat bus stop (note - I wrongly reported it as Central Area Transport, that should have been Transit). As it was a weekday, they are much more frequent, so only 3 minutes to wait this time.
I jumped off somewhere near the shopping mall. Sure enough, the clouds had parted, I removed my jacket and wished that I had brought my sunglasses.
I wandered about for a bit and my head started to absorb where everything was. I think that some people do this better than others. No doubt someone can explain why, but some people are much better at sussing out directions, landmarks and the like to form a map in their head, whereas others have no idea whatsoever. I like to think I fall into the former. Indeed, I pride myself on being able to navigate myself around Center Parcs (Elveden) pretty much blindfold. Jealous aren't you? I can tell. Anyway, I digress.
Erm, yes. Onto the mall. My plan was still to have a wander around the shops for about an hour or so and then have a slow walk back calling at the aforementioned bar on the way home.
So I wandered. I was pretty sure I had got the hang of the little arcades both under and over ground. I decided to dive into a particular food hall (underground), expecting it to be full of greengrocers and the like. After about 100 meters, it opened up into a huge space. I had to stop and take it all in. What was in front of me was a massive diamond space full of tables. These were bordered by every single possible food outlet that you could imagine!
You know me, I'm a real "foodie". To see Indian next to Thai next to Cantonese next to Mexican next to Sandwiches next to Chinese next to Italian next to Burgers.... well, you get the idea. I had to wander round the whole place about three times to take it all in. Of course, the idea at calling off at the bar on the way back to the hotel was long since shelved. Choices, people, choices!!!
I dwelled, not for long, on taking some photos and decided that I would look like some sort of idiot, but it will stay in my head for future reference.
So after a few circuits I descended upon a particular Chinese spot. BBQ Combo Soup looked good (well, it did on the pic). At this point I must declare my utter surprise at which outlets were the busiest. Bearing in mind there was everything you could wish for on offer, the queues were at... Hungry Jacks (Burger place) and Subway (Sandwich Bar). Unbelievable! Still, I got served straight away. My server picked up a bowl. Now I will make a point of not exaggerating. It was about 200mm diameter and 150mm depth, seriously! She chucked loads of noodles and beansprouts in with a handful of pak choi. This was followed by a huge helping of clear soup. On top was placed liberal helpings of pork, and I mean liberal. Finally topped with a mound of chopped spring onion.
The cost of this? $9 or £3.75. Absolutely unbelievable.
I had a spoon, fork and chopsticks to tackle it all with. Being the professional that I am, the fork was cast aside and I practiced my chopstick skills and used the spoon for the soup.
Needless to say, there was plenty left, but I was stuffed.
So that was lunch!
Afterwards I had wander, took in a lovely phonecall from H and generally chilled.
I felt like a sitdown and a read, so headed to a bookstore. I gave the magazine rack a fair hearing, but a lot of them were UK/Euro issue and so overpriced (£8) and last months editions. I searched the biogs, but most were Aus orientated. Eventually my eye was taken by the true crimes section. Again, a lot of the books were Aus centered and so not strictly relevant. However I did notice the (Jeffrey) Archer prison book. Now I have this thing about Archer. He's one of those blokes that I want to dislike. Indeed when I see him on TV or interviews in the press, I no doubt end up cursing him. But I've always been taken with his novels. I decided to give this book a go (although there are 2 further books). So, I went into it with a slightly cynical head on, especially as I now have some insider knowledge of the prison service.
Damn you Archer!!! The man has got an amazing talent for writing. It is an absolute pleasure to read. I started it at a coffee bar in town and set off back to the hotel, pausing at that aforementioned bar to have another couple of chapters. It's really rather good you know.
So, the day improved weather wise, and I had a nice relaxing day. It's now 6.45 and I'm relaxing with a nice glass of red.
Sorry if I've gone on a little in this last entry!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Oz - Sunday Afternoon
Back in the hotel after a bit of an excursion North.
First glimpse of slightly worse weather today. Not bad, considering it's still winter.
After getting sorted here - making my own breakfast in my own kitchen! I headed out at about 11. A bit of rain in the air and for the first time since last Tuesday I had to stick a jacket on.
Up until now, to get around the city, I've been walking everywhere. I don't really mind walking - even when I've got a big rucksack on my back. However, what with the rain I decided to try out this bus service that they run in the city.
CAT - Central Area Transport. This is essentially three closed loops that operate in the city - the Red Cat, The Yellow Cat and The Blue Cat. Between them, the three circuits cover most of the central city. The roads that aren't covered are but a short walk from the nearest CAT stop. Also, the loops cross over, so you can jump from one to the other. At each stop, is a little display which tells you how long until the next bus. They just go round and round, no timetable. So basically, you just head to your nearest stop check the time and see whether it's worth waiting or walk a little. This morning as it was raining, I waited the 12 minutes for the next bus.
The best part about it? It's totally and utterly free! You just hop on and off as many times as you like.
So onto the train. As I mentioned in the last post, this is ridiculously easy too. Select your destination, punch in the number next to it. It then tells you the cost (in my case $3.40), look up the platform and away you go.
The stations and trains are incredibly clean too. I think it's a combination of the whole culture and the policing. There are a lot of "transit guards" about. They're not imposing though, they do seem as they're there to help.
I was heading towards the Aquarium. I followed the instructions on the brochure. When I got off the train, I checked the bus stop and realised that the service was reduced quite a lot on a Sunday. I asked one of the staff and they gave me full directions in the best way to get to the place without incurring any extra cost.
So onto the Aquarium. Now for some reason, I am drawn to these. I don't know what it is, I just am. But when I get there, they're all pretty much the same, aren't they? Just fish in big tanks. Today's was no exception. I think the possible highloght of the visit was lunch - red snapper in beer batter and chips, for less than a fiver. Really nice it was too.
Tomorrow's plan is to head to the zoo in South Perth. Let's see if the weather holds.
First glimpse of slightly worse weather today. Not bad, considering it's still winter.
After getting sorted here - making my own breakfast in my own kitchen! I headed out at about 11. A bit of rain in the air and for the first time since last Tuesday I had to stick a jacket on.
Up until now, to get around the city, I've been walking everywhere. I don't really mind walking - even when I've got a big rucksack on my back. However, what with the rain I decided to try out this bus service that they run in the city.
CAT - Central Area Transport. This is essentially three closed loops that operate in the city - the Red Cat, The Yellow Cat and The Blue Cat. Between them, the three circuits cover most of the central city. The roads that aren't covered are but a short walk from the nearest CAT stop. Also, the loops cross over, so you can jump from one to the other. At each stop, is a little display which tells you how long until the next bus. They just go round and round, no timetable. So basically, you just head to your nearest stop check the time and see whether it's worth waiting or walk a little. This morning as it was raining, I waited the 12 minutes for the next bus.
The best part about it? It's totally and utterly free! You just hop on and off as many times as you like.
So onto the train. As I mentioned in the last post, this is ridiculously easy too. Select your destination, punch in the number next to it. It then tells you the cost (in my case $3.40), look up the platform and away you go.
The stations and trains are incredibly clean too. I think it's a combination of the whole culture and the policing. There are a lot of "transit guards" about. They're not imposing though, they do seem as they're there to help.
I was heading towards the Aquarium. I followed the instructions on the brochure. When I got off the train, I checked the bus stop and realised that the service was reduced quite a lot on a Sunday. I asked one of the staff and they gave me full directions in the best way to get to the place without incurring any extra cost.
So onto the Aquarium. Now for some reason, I am drawn to these. I don't know what it is, I just am. But when I get there, they're all pretty much the same, aren't they? Just fish in big tanks. Today's was no exception. I think the possible highloght of the visit was lunch - red snapper in beer batter and chips, for less than a fiver. Really nice it was too.
Tomorrow's plan is to head to the zoo in South Perth. Let's see if the weather holds.
Oz - Sunday Morning
So, yesterday.
Well, I had a leisurely stroll up to the train station, pausing for a roll on the way. Even though I'm getting used to it, the quality and price of food here still makes me smile.
The train system from Perth is very simple. Basically, there are four lines out. These all meet at Perth, so it's just a case of catching the line that your stop is on.
My trip to Fremantle (end of the line) cost me the grand sum of £1.40.
Firstly, I had a bit of a wander. This took me down to the Roundhouse (an old Jail), then to the harbour and eventually back to the town centre where I discovered the markets.
Right outside the entrance to the markets is a large square where buskers take it in turns to perform...
The markets were great and you could sample all sorts of cooked foods mostly with an Asian influence.
I'm a bit of a sucker for buskers, so kept heading back to the square to see the different ones perform.
I took time out to visit the Motor Museum which had a fair selection. I'm sure that Brown snr will appreciate some of the pics that I took, but they'll save for later.
Here is a typical "hold the camera myself" shot, and also one of many bronze statues that are all over the place.
Well, I had a leisurely stroll up to the train station, pausing for a roll on the way. Even though I'm getting used to it, the quality and price of food here still makes me smile.
The train system from Perth is very simple. Basically, there are four lines out. These all meet at Perth, so it's just a case of catching the line that your stop is on.
My trip to Fremantle (end of the line) cost me the grand sum of £1.40.
Firstly, I had a bit of a wander. This took me down to the Roundhouse (an old Jail), then to the harbour and eventually back to the town centre where I discovered the markets.
Right outside the entrance to the markets is a large square where buskers take it in turns to perform...
The markets were great and you could sample all sorts of cooked foods mostly with an Asian influence.
I'm a bit of a sucker for buskers, so kept heading back to the square to see the different ones perform.
I took time out to visit the Motor Museum which had a fair selection. I'm sure that Brown snr will appreciate some of the pics that I took, but they'll save for later.
Here is a typical "hold the camera myself" shot, and also one of many bronze statues that are all over the place.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Oz - Saturday Morning
Right, quick catch up for you.
Thursday day time was spent having a leisurely wander into town and firstly grab something to eat. We then wandered around a bit. I did the tourist thing of just meandering around the streets looking at stuff. There was this guy...
I had offered to cook dinner so after much wandering, I headed off to Woolworths, which in Australia is a food store. Food again was relatively cheap compared to the UK. I also bagged a box of wine. I thought that £4 was pretty good for a 3 litre box. I got home and realised it was a 4 litre box!
So that was Thursday, a quiet one.
Yesterday I got up nice and early to have a walk down to the pier to catch a ferry to Rottnest Island. As the links shows, this is a lovely place. No cars allowed, you get round by bike or foot. I was determined to get round the whole island but managed it. To say it's winter here, it was bloody warm on that bike!
The main inhabitants of the island are quokkas..
I took loads of photos on the island, but these will all be on my Mac page when I get back.
Last night I transferred to a lovely hotel near the City centre. I was given the tip by a lovely lady that I met on the way back from the island.
So now I have a big room with an attached kitchen.
Today I will be heading to Freo (Freemantle) where the markets are said to be really good.
I seemed to have done loads already and I've still got 5 days to go! Bring it on!
Thursday day time was spent having a leisurely wander into town and firstly grab something to eat. We then wandered around a bit. I did the tourist thing of just meandering around the streets looking at stuff. There was this guy...
I had offered to cook dinner so after much wandering, I headed off to Woolworths, which in Australia is a food store. Food again was relatively cheap compared to the UK. I also bagged a box of wine. I thought that £4 was pretty good for a 3 litre box. I got home and realised it was a 4 litre box!
So that was Thursday, a quiet one.
Yesterday I got up nice and early to have a walk down to the pier to catch a ferry to Rottnest Island. As the links shows, this is a lovely place. No cars allowed, you get round by bike or foot. I was determined to get round the whole island but managed it. To say it's winter here, it was bloody warm on that bike!
The main inhabitants of the island are quokkas..
I took loads of photos on the island, but these will all be on my Mac page when I get back.
Last night I transferred to a lovely hotel near the City centre. I was given the tip by a lovely lady that I met on the way back from the island.
So now I have a big room with an attached kitchen.
Today I will be heading to Freo (Freemantle) where the markets are said to be really good.
I seemed to have done loads already and I've still got 5 days to go! Bring it on!
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Oz Thursday
Firstly - The Steak
The place was the called The Llama bar and is a slightly upmarket place in Subiaco, a couple of stops away from Perth centre.
I can normally take or leave steak. For me it really has to be a top quality cut, and cooked well.
Anna's friend arrived at the same time as us and we grabbed a seat at the only table that wasn't reserved. After a quick beer, Jontel went and ordered the steaks. Mine and hers were medium rare in a mushroom sauce, Anna chose rare in bearnaise.
Feast your eyes...
Oh my God, they were simply glorious. Served on creamy mash and the sauce was divine.
The best part? The price!
In the UK, I swear that this sort of thing would be the best part of £25, we paid $9 (£2.75). The same price as a pint!
I might have to go again next Wednesday before I leave.
Today brings shopping and possibly back to King's Park.
The place was the called The Llama bar and is a slightly upmarket place in Subiaco, a couple of stops away from Perth centre.
I can normally take or leave steak. For me it really has to be a top quality cut, and cooked well.
Anna's friend arrived at the same time as us and we grabbed a seat at the only table that wasn't reserved. After a quick beer, Jontel went and ordered the steaks. Mine and hers were medium rare in a mushroom sauce, Anna chose rare in bearnaise.
Feast your eyes...
Oh my God, they were simply glorious. Served on creamy mash and the sauce was divine.
The best part? The price!
In the UK, I swear that this sort of thing would be the best part of £25, we paid $9 (£2.75). The same price as a pint!
I might have to go again next Wednesday before I leave.
Today brings shopping and possibly back to King's Park.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Oz Day 3
Well, I've certainly seen some of Perth today!
As mentioned, it was a little cloudy earlier. Fortunately the sun burnt the clouds off. I decided to go for a walking tour out of a book that the wonderful H bought me in preparation for this trip.
I started off from the flat and cut through some of the business area, up a hill and then into the famous King's Park.
I couldn't resist taking lots of shots of the skyline of Perth from the park, but I'll just put a few tasters here. I'll publish all of my pics to my Mac page when I'm done here. For now, feast your eyes on this view...
The park itself is absolutely beautiful. You're constantly looking up in the trees to see the birds that are making such a noise. A lot of these are wild parrots. Unfortunately, as they're against the sky, they only come out as silhouettes, but I will try and get some pics of them next time I go to the park.
I walked the whole length, popped into the university area and then walked back along Swan River.
This structure is called Swan Bells and is named as one of the largest musical instruments in the world.
I kept following the river and then popped onto Heirisson Island, on which there are supposed to be kangeroos. Unfortunately there weren't any there, but I grabbed this view...
If you look at the bottom photo and look at the horizon to the very far left, that is from about where that I took the first photo on here.
I headed back through town, although didn't do too much browsing as that's tomorrow's job!
All in all, I plotted it to be 11.55 miles, so a bit of a leg stretcher.
Food talk - a filled chicken roll near Swan Bells was absolutely huge and only $4.60 (£1.90). I grabbed a smoothie on the way back too. Bloomin' lovely. I have never had them at home, but may well do so from now on.
Ms Carter is taking me out for a steak somewhere tonight and to meet one of her friends from here, so that should be a nice evening.
See you tomorrow.
As mentioned, it was a little cloudy earlier. Fortunately the sun burnt the clouds off. I decided to go for a walking tour out of a book that the wonderful H bought me in preparation for this trip.
I started off from the flat and cut through some of the business area, up a hill and then into the famous King's Park.
I couldn't resist taking lots of shots of the skyline of Perth from the park, but I'll just put a few tasters here. I'll publish all of my pics to my Mac page when I'm done here. For now, feast your eyes on this view...
The park itself is absolutely beautiful. You're constantly looking up in the trees to see the birds that are making such a noise. A lot of these are wild parrots. Unfortunately, as they're against the sky, they only come out as silhouettes, but I will try and get some pics of them next time I go to the park.
I walked the whole length, popped into the university area and then walked back along Swan River.
This structure is called Swan Bells and is named as one of the largest musical instruments in the world.
I kept following the river and then popped onto Heirisson Island, on which there are supposed to be kangeroos. Unfortunately there weren't any there, but I grabbed this view...
If you look at the bottom photo and look at the horizon to the very far left, that is from about where that I took the first photo on here.
I headed back through town, although didn't do too much browsing as that's tomorrow's job!
All in all, I plotted it to be 11.55 miles, so a bit of a leg stretcher.
Food talk - a filled chicken roll near Swan Bells was absolutely huge and only $4.60 (£1.90). I grabbed a smoothie on the way back too. Bloomin' lovely. I have never had them at home, but may well do so from now on.
Ms Carter is taking me out for a steak somewhere tonight and to meet one of her friends from here, so that should be a nice evening.
See you tomorrow.
Oz Day 2
Here are the pics from Hong Kong airport. Like I said, A little dull, but at least you can see the mountains etc...
The journey from HK to Perth was pretty uneventful. This time I was sat next to a teenage Chinese boy. His English was only marginally better than my Cantonese, so the conversation was pretty much limited to "hello" and "goodbye" at the relevant times of the journey.
The food was nice again though. All things being relative, this flight lined up to be a short one, but at 7.5 hours, it wasn't really. I struggled to get to sleep again. Every single position that I attempted resulting in aches somewhere. In the end, I gave it up and watched a few films.
The sun was out as we flew in to Perth and it was good to see the city skyline. I seem to be pretty familiar with it having seen so many photos leading up to this trip.
Australia have really tightened up on quarantine inspections lately. This is a lot due to the recent foot and mouth outbreak in the UK. So arrivals took a while.
After about 30 mins. Anna turned up in a people carrier taxi. Fortunately, her recent part time job is manning the telephone for this tour place, so the trip back to the city was gratis.
We chilled for a lot of the day, but wandered around the city a little. I bought a compact sleeping bag and we headed back to her flat.
Later on we had another walk around. The sun was shining brightly, so it was pretty warm. Late afternoon saw us head to a sushi restaurant. We ordered a mixed dish of sushi, plus some (raw) tuna served on boiled rice.
I've never really sampled sushi before. It was ok, but I prefer standard Chinese fayre I think. At $17.50 (Just under £7.50) for two, it was an absolute bargain though.
An early night for me saw me getting my head down by 7pm and I pretty much slept through for 11 hours solid.
This morning it's little overcast, but it's hopefully going to brighten up. We will be heading off to King's Park for some good sightseeing and lots of snaps!
See you later.
The journey from HK to Perth was pretty uneventful. This time I was sat next to a teenage Chinese boy. His English was only marginally better than my Cantonese, so the conversation was pretty much limited to "hello" and "goodbye" at the relevant times of the journey.
The food was nice again though. All things being relative, this flight lined up to be a short one, but at 7.5 hours, it wasn't really. I struggled to get to sleep again. Every single position that I attempted resulting in aches somewhere. In the end, I gave it up and watched a few films.
The sun was out as we flew in to Perth and it was good to see the city skyline. I seem to be pretty familiar with it having seen so many photos leading up to this trip.
Australia have really tightened up on quarantine inspections lately. This is a lot due to the recent foot and mouth outbreak in the UK. So arrivals took a while.
After about 30 mins. Anna turned up in a people carrier taxi. Fortunately, her recent part time job is manning the telephone for this tour place, so the trip back to the city was gratis.
We chilled for a lot of the day, but wandered around the city a little. I bought a compact sleeping bag and we headed back to her flat.
Later on we had another walk around. The sun was shining brightly, so it was pretty warm. Late afternoon saw us head to a sushi restaurant. We ordered a mixed dish of sushi, plus some (raw) tuna served on boiled rice.
I've never really sampled sushi before. It was ok, but I prefer standard Chinese fayre I think. At $17.50 (Just under £7.50) for two, it was an absolute bargain though.
An early night for me saw me getting my head down by 7pm and I pretty much slept through for 11 hours solid.
This morning it's little overcast, but it's hopefully going to brighten up. We will be heading off to King's Park for some good sightseeing and lots of snaps!
See you later.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Oz - Day 1
Breaking with the title rule for the duration to make it a bit easier.
So I started packing about an hour before we set off. Amazing how much you can get in a rucksack.
We decided to head off down to Heathrow in good time to be able to grab some food before we went off in different directions. Good job we did as the traffic actually getting into the place was horrendous. Still don't know why. Probably due to those do-gooder climate protesters!
Still manage some nice food we did. I then escorted H back to the car park and we split. Not a dry eye in the house. Well, it is the longest (and furthest) that we've been apart - ever!
I then had 2-3 hours to kill before my actual flight. H kept texting me. It took her well over an hour to get out of the car park. Her journey then went from bad to worse. She had the Satnav, but the power outlet in her car wasn't working so the battery was on it's last legs. Somehow she ended up going wrong. The last I managed to actually speak to her, she was heading towards the North Circular. She made it home safely, but instead of before 10, it was after midnight!
My journey began in earnest.
Got on the plane about 30 mins before take off. Quite a nice chap sat next to me. His wife and daughter were sat in front. We had a bit of a chat, but pretty much kept ourselves to ourselves.
My plan was to try and get to sleep nice and early. Failed!
I had a glass of wine, and then abdout 1.5 hours in, they dished up some food. Very nice it was too. Steak casserole with mash and veg. It was now about 1am and I thought I mush be able to drop off, but no such look. So for the next 7-8 hours, I tried every single position in my seat possible. Each one lasting about 10 minutes before I had to move.
I managed a bit of rest, but no sleep as such.
So here I am in Hong Kong airport. I think I've adjusted to times already as it does indeed feel like about 8.30pm. Here's hoping for sleep on the next leg. A comparatively short hop across to Perth in just under 8 hours.
Unfortunately, it was starting to get a bit dull when I got here, so although I have some pics, they aren't so good.
Right, I'm off for a bit more of a wander about.
So I started packing about an hour before we set off. Amazing how much you can get in a rucksack.
We decided to head off down to Heathrow in good time to be able to grab some food before we went off in different directions. Good job we did as the traffic actually getting into the place was horrendous. Still don't know why. Probably due to those do-gooder climate protesters!
Still manage some nice food we did. I then escorted H back to the car park and we split. Not a dry eye in the house. Well, it is the longest (and furthest) that we've been apart - ever!
I then had 2-3 hours to kill before my actual flight. H kept texting me. It took her well over an hour to get out of the car park. Her journey then went from bad to worse. She had the Satnav, but the power outlet in her car wasn't working so the battery was on it's last legs. Somehow she ended up going wrong. The last I managed to actually speak to her, she was heading towards the North Circular. She made it home safely, but instead of before 10, it was after midnight!
My journey began in earnest.
Got on the plane about 30 mins before take off. Quite a nice chap sat next to me. His wife and daughter were sat in front. We had a bit of a chat, but pretty much kept ourselves to ourselves.
My plan was to try and get to sleep nice and early. Failed!
I had a glass of wine, and then abdout 1.5 hours in, they dished up some food. Very nice it was too. Steak casserole with mash and veg. It was now about 1am and I thought I mush be able to drop off, but no such look. So for the next 7-8 hours, I tried every single position in my seat possible. Each one lasting about 10 minutes before I had to move.
I managed a bit of rest, but no sleep as such.
So here I am in Hong Kong airport. I think I've adjusted to times already as it does indeed feel like about 8.30pm. Here's hoping for sleep on the next leg. A comparatively short hop across to Perth in just under 8 hours.
Unfortunately, it was starting to get a bit dull when I got here, so although I have some pics, they aren't so good.
Right, I'm off for a bit more of a wander about.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Just Abuse Me
You know having what I'm listening to as the blog title sometimes works, and sometimes doesn't!
I could give a big old write up about H's trip to NY. Ideally she'd do it herself, but I haven't been persuasive enough to get her on here yet.
In short, she went as with a few others as a guest of British Airways / Trump Towers.
She did lots of stuff - all expenses paid. Stayed in a fantastic suite at Trump Towers and travelled there and back, business class.
In the process, she chose(?) to headbutt the door frame in hotel bathroom and needed four stitches to accompany a black eye.
A few pics...
I could give a big old write up about H's trip to NY. Ideally she'd do it herself, but I haven't been persuasive enough to get her on here yet.
In short, she went as with a few others as a guest of British Airways / Trump Towers.
She did lots of stuff - all expenses paid. Stayed in a fantastic suite at Trump Towers and travelled there and back, business class.
In the process, she chose(?) to headbutt the door frame in hotel bathroom and needed four stitches to accompany a black eye.
A few pics...
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
I Believe
Right, hands up who can remember what they were doing exactly nine years ago today?
I can.
I was walking towards the church in Downham, having just paid a visit to the Livvy. I was in the company of several others. Four of us were wearing evening coats and fancy waistcoats.
Mrs B was having the final touches done to her general appearance... or should I say Miss S rather than Mrs B.
I'll add a few pics later, but here are some memories.
- The settling pints at the Livvy
- Nervously pacing around outside the church
- Going and saying hello to H's uni friends who I met on that day for the very first time
- The lovely, relaxed service
- Being married by my dad!
- Slipping a note to H when she walked up the aisle
- The photos (they always go on for ages)
- The few laps of Downham waving at everyone
- The very relaxed lunch
- Forgetting to thank H in my speech!
- Chilling for the rest of the day
and last but not least
- Being the happiest man in the world
I can.
I was walking towards the church in Downham, having just paid a visit to the Livvy. I was in the company of several others. Four of us were wearing evening coats and fancy waistcoats.
Mrs B was having the final touches done to her general appearance... or should I say Miss S rather than Mrs B.
I'll add a few pics later, but here are some memories.
- The settling pints at the Livvy
- Nervously pacing around outside the church
- Going and saying hello to H's uni friends who I met on that day for the very first time
- The lovely, relaxed service
- Being married by my dad!
- Slipping a note to H when she walked up the aisle
- The photos (they always go on for ages)
- The few laps of Downham waving at everyone
- The very relaxed lunch
- Forgetting to thank H in my speech!
- Chilling for the rest of the day
and last but not least
- Being the happiest man in the world
Monday, July 30, 2007
Block Rockin' Beats
Monday. Back at work. Damn.
Heck, it's only for a fortnight. I'll cope.
The weekend disappeared rather quickly. Saturday, I took Nat & Fox back to Lincoln and then called in at Reg's to wish her Happy Birthday.
Good to pick Jack up on the way home.
Yesterday, H popped into Lynn with her sister, so I took Jack to Denver Sluice and back along the river bank. We had both worked up a thirst, so headed for the Livvy on the way home.
All in all a good day.
This week sees me being on duty at 10pm tomorrow. That should make the rest of the week somewhat tiring.
H is heading to New York early on Friday which should be great fun for her.
More to follow!
Heck, it's only for a fortnight. I'll cope.
The weekend disappeared rather quickly. Saturday, I took Nat & Fox back to Lincoln and then called in at Reg's to wish her Happy Birthday.
Good to pick Jack up on the way home.
Yesterday, H popped into Lynn with her sister, so I took Jack to Denver Sluice and back along the river bank. We had both worked up a thirst, so headed for the Livvy on the way home.
All in all a good day.
This week sees me being on duty at 10pm tomorrow. That should make the rest of the week somewhat tiring.
H is heading to New York early on Friday which should be great fun for her.
More to follow!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Hundred
Well nothing too adventurous going on since last post. We headed off the a large supermarket and stocked up on various stuff (alcohol included). Today we're doing the same. My poor car will be straining under the weight!
Yesterday morning, we paid a visit to mother's sister, who lives about 7 miles away. They only moved here about three weeks ago so are in a state of unpacking. Still quite a lot to do on their house too, but time is one thing that they have lots of!
The rest of the day was spent lounging in the sun interspersed with dips in the pool to cool down.
Yesterday morning, we paid a visit to mother's sister, who lives about 7 miles away. They only moved here about three weeks ago so are in a state of unpacking. Still quite a lot to do on their house too, but time is one thing that they have lots of!
The rest of the day was spent lounging in the sun interspersed with dips in the pool to cool down.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Sam's Town
So it got around till about 10.15 last night. Nat had been busy looking up riddles on t'interweb. She finished, put down the laptop and went to stroke Tessa, one of the dogs. Tessa had been asleep and was startled by Nat. She immediately snapped at what she thought was something maybe attacking her.
So Nat went down with her hands to her nose. We thought that Tessa has maybe just caught her. Then Natalie said that her nose was bleeding. G'ma became chief nurse and went for the nose with tissues. Whilst Natalie held these against her nose, G'ma shot off upstairs. On her return, she promptly stated that I wouldn't like what she was about to do. I asked what it was, "Aloe Vera" was the reply.
Now my mother has all good intentions at heart, but she does seem to latch on to any old "old wive's" remedy that someone might suggest to her. For the last five years or so it's been Witch Hazel. What Witch Hazel can't fix isn't worth fixing! Well it seems as though Witch Hazel has been knocked off it's pedestal by Aloe Vera.
After a liberal application, much to Nat's concern, she popped off into the kitchen to fetch something else. Enough was enough and I expressed my opinion on home-made remedies quite vocally.
I had a look at Nat's nose and what initially I though might have been a graze, turned out to be a rather nasty split on both sides of her nose. At least I can profess to have been professionally trained. Stitches needed. I asked Mr B senior where the nearest A & E was. His shrugged shoulders and my realisation that every single one of us had had a few glasses of wine put that idea to bed.
In the meantime Mme B happened to mention that she thought she had some steri-strips. Ah ha! At last something useful.
So Dr Tom went to work on the split nose. The bleeding had stopped, and after some careful cleaning and quite a bit of wincing from Nat, I managed to close the cut and hold it together on both sides of the nose.
So, pics!
Note how Natty was not so pleased at me taking the second one. I did say that she'd be glad of the photos later, even if she didn't appreciate them at the time. I think she swore at me!
So Nat went down with her hands to her nose. We thought that Tessa has maybe just caught her. Then Natalie said that her nose was bleeding. G'ma became chief nurse and went for the nose with tissues. Whilst Natalie held these against her nose, G'ma shot off upstairs. On her return, she promptly stated that I wouldn't like what she was about to do. I asked what it was, "Aloe Vera" was the reply.
Now my mother has all good intentions at heart, but she does seem to latch on to any old "old wive's" remedy that someone might suggest to her. For the last five years or so it's been Witch Hazel. What Witch Hazel can't fix isn't worth fixing! Well it seems as though Witch Hazel has been knocked off it's pedestal by Aloe Vera.
After a liberal application, much to Nat's concern, she popped off into the kitchen to fetch something else. Enough was enough and I expressed my opinion on home-made remedies quite vocally.
I had a look at Nat's nose and what initially I though might have been a graze, turned out to be a rather nasty split on both sides of her nose. At least I can profess to have been professionally trained. Stitches needed. I asked Mr B senior where the nearest A & E was. His shrugged shoulders and my realisation that every single one of us had had a few glasses of wine put that idea to bed.
In the meantime Mme B happened to mention that she thought she had some steri-strips. Ah ha! At last something useful.
So Dr Tom went to work on the split nose. The bleeding had stopped, and after some careful cleaning and quite a bit of wincing from Nat, I managed to close the cut and hold it together on both sides of the nose.
So, pics!
Note how Natty was not so pleased at me taking the second one. I did say that she'd be glad of the photos later, even if she didn't appreciate them at the time. I think she swore at me!
Music Is Power
Right. Got to try and catch up here.
The weather forecast wasn't so good for yesterday, so we decided to head to FUTUROSCOPE.
Give it a look. A brief description though is that it's a visual based theme park. A lot of the attractions use film in one way or another. The park itself is visually stunning...
The first ride that we went on, for example, involved two IMax screens the first in the traditional place. The second though was beneath our feet. The seats were built upon a glass platform. This experience was pretty damn amazing, but quite difficult to describe."
The only ride, in normal sense that we went on was "Dance With Robots". It was situated in a large hall where there were ten large robot arms. Attached to the end of each were two seats. You get the picture. Yous sat in the seats and were flung all over the place for two minutes. I'm currently uploading the video to Facebook, then I'll link to it.
A lot of the rides were 3D and of course involved wearing the stupid goggles...
All in all, it was a good day and we could have quite easily stayed for a few more hours. Unfortunately time caught up with us.
Okay, more later. Most importantly, my exploits as a top surgeon!
The weather forecast wasn't so good for yesterday, so we decided to head to FUTUROSCOPE.
Give it a look. A brief description though is that it's a visual based theme park. A lot of the attractions use film in one way or another. The park itself is visually stunning...
The first ride that we went on, for example, involved two IMax screens the first in the traditional place. The second though was beneath our feet. The seats were built upon a glass platform. This experience was pretty damn amazing, but quite difficult to describe."
The only ride, in normal sense that we went on was "Dance With Robots". It was situated in a large hall where there were ten large robot arms. Attached to the end of each were two seats. You get the picture. Yous sat in the seats and were flung all over the place for two minutes. I'm currently uploading the video to Facebook, then I'll link to it.
A lot of the rides were 3D and of course involved wearing the stupid goggles...
All in all, it was a good day and we could have quite easily stayed for a few more hours. Unfortunately time caught up with us.
Okay, more later. Most importantly, my exploits as a top surgeon!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Everyday People
Where did I get to?
Ah yes (that's me just looked rather than recall my memory). Yesterday lunchtime.
After a lovely lunch, we chilled again. Some nice sunbathing followed by a bit of a dip in the pool and more of the same.
Mme Brown did a slap up roast for dinner which went down a storm too.
Pics...
An hour or so after dinner, I really did feel the need to expend some energy. Veering off on a tangent for a minute though, I have been keeping the running up. On Saturday I did two runs, firstly round half of the village. This was not quite long enough. The second was to the next village and back. At about 3.4 miles, this was better. I did this again yesterday. Today, I've slacked and not done anything. I have been active in other ways though! I'm determined to not bang on any weight, but at the same time enjoy the food here.
Right, where was I? Yes, yesterday evening. Took a walk out and father chose to come too. Another venture with the camera...
Which brings us on to today. But this post is way too long, so more later, or even tomorrow...
Ah yes (that's me just looked rather than recall my memory). Yesterday lunchtime.
After a lovely lunch, we chilled again. Some nice sunbathing followed by a bit of a dip in the pool and more of the same.
Mme Brown did a slap up roast for dinner which went down a storm too.
Pics...
An hour or so after dinner, I really did feel the need to expend some energy. Veering off on a tangent for a minute though, I have been keeping the running up. On Saturday I did two runs, firstly round half of the village. This was not quite long enough. The second was to the next village and back. At about 3.4 miles, this was better. I did this again yesterday. Today, I've slacked and not done anything. I have been active in other ways though! I'm determined to not bang on any weight, but at the same time enjoy the food here.
Right, where was I? Yes, yesterday evening. Took a walk out and father chose to come too. Another venture with the camera...
Which brings us on to today. But this post is way too long, so more later, or even tomorrow...
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Is It Any Wonder?
Meant to put this in yesterday's. A little bit about the language barrier.
Mon pere is pretty good at French. Mine is passable. Here's an example of how it can slip though.
At the meal yesterday, five of us wanted aperitifs. The restaurant does both alcoholic and none. Of course, we all wanted the boozy one.
So the waiter asks what we want. Dad says "cinq" and I say "cinq". I'll blame it on him, but "cinq" sounds somewhat like "sans" if you don't hit that "q" fairly hard. So what the waiter hears is "cinq sans". In other words "five without".
Curses!
On to today. Up at 9-ish. Breakfast and then hit the sun loungers. It's absolutely lovely today. The sun is very hot and we're all working hard on the tans.
Mon pere has just been very good in dishing out the chilled sauvignon. Top bloke.
More later.
That pool is going to be very welcome. The temperature is not going to peak until about 4pm.
Mon pere is pretty good at French. Mine is passable. Here's an example of how it can slip though.
At the meal yesterday, five of us wanted aperitifs. The restaurant does both alcoholic and none. Of course, we all wanted the boozy one.
So the waiter asks what we want. Dad says "cinq" and I say "cinq". I'll blame it on him, but "cinq" sounds somewhat like "sans" if you don't hit that "q" fairly hard. So what the waiter hears is "cinq sans". In other words "five without".
Curses!
On to today. Up at 9-ish. Breakfast and then hit the sun loungers. It's absolutely lovely today. The sun is very hot and we're all working hard on the tans.
Mon pere has just been very good in dishing out the chilled sauvignon. Top bloke.
More later.
That pool is going to be very welcome. The temperature is not going to peak until about 4pm.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
In The Morning
Eeeek! That's a while since the last post.
Ne'er mind, who's counting.
Well, posting now en France.
I picked Nat and friend (Fox "don't call me Foxicles") up on Thursday afternoon. We all headed off for an early night (after some medicinal alcohol to help us sleep) ready for an early start.
Friday morning and my alarm went off at 4am. I had been beaten to the bathroom by the Fox (she's 18 and supposed to have lie ins! What's that all about?). Myself and H decided it might be a good time to start packing. On the road by 5.10.
Torrential rain in England yesterday, but we missed the most of it by arriving at the Chunnel by about 7.45. So that got us on an earlier shuttle at 8.23.
If you've never been on this crossing, it really is very good (says he, who's only done it twice). You barely know it's moving, it's that smooth. It's also very quick, we were hitting the French motorways by just after 9 (stick an hour on for the time difference).
Good old Tom Tom comes to the rescue at driving in a different country. Totally takes the stress out of driving leaving you to remember to drive on the right.
We were making good progress, but hit quite a bit of traffic on the outskirts of Paris. That cost us about 50 minutes, but it really wasn't that bad. In the UK, you can crack along nicely at 15 mph over the limit (not that I do of course). They do say that the French police are a little keen, so I didn't take so many chances, sitting not much more than 140 kph.
So we arrived at les parents at about 6pm local time.
For those who don't know, here's a link to where they are...
CLICK ME!
So that was yesterday.
Today, after a much needed early night, we got up and wished the old man Happy Birthday.
I the spent the next couple of hours sorting out Father's wi-fi connection. For the past 6 months, he's had a wireless router and still used his laptop wedged in the corner of the kitchen with an ethernet cable stretched across a table. Not anymore!
We then headed out to the Cheval Blanc, a really nice restaurant about 20 minutes away. What we had was a fixed five course meal. As I'm a food buff, and want to make you jealous, read on...
Aperitif to start was a juicy number with lots of fruit.
1st course, vegetable soup with warm bread rolls
2nd course, tomato cakes with jambon slices
3rd course, sliced steak with roast potato and stuffed tomato
4th course, cheese*
5th course, apricot with cream and pastry
* French cheese is just awesome. We're not talking a few lumps of cheddar and some Jacobs crackers. The cheese trolley had about 30 different cheeses on it. You have these as a separate course. No biscuits unless you specifically ask for them.
We got there at about 12.10 and left after about 3.5 hours.
Back home and the temperature had improved somewhat. Now hitting about 24, but feeling a lot warmer. The youngsters (only here, can I call myself a youngster!) hit the sunchairs and took in some rays. Nat and Fox braved the pool, but not for long.
So here we sit, out in the veranda at 8.25, blue skies, very warm, drinks in hand, typing a blog, 50m from the, now working, wireless router.
I've earned my keep already.
More tomorrow. Did I mention that it's going to hit 30+ degrees?
Photos...
Ne'er mind, who's counting.
Well, posting now en France.
I picked Nat and friend (Fox "don't call me Foxicles") up on Thursday afternoon. We all headed off for an early night (after some medicinal alcohol to help us sleep) ready for an early start.
Friday morning and my alarm went off at 4am. I had been beaten to the bathroom by the Fox (she's 18 and supposed to have lie ins! What's that all about?). Myself and H decided it might be a good time to start packing. On the road by 5.10.
Torrential rain in England yesterday, but we missed the most of it by arriving at the Chunnel by about 7.45. So that got us on an earlier shuttle at 8.23.
If you've never been on this crossing, it really is very good (says he, who's only done it twice). You barely know it's moving, it's that smooth. It's also very quick, we were hitting the French motorways by just after 9 (stick an hour on for the time difference).
Good old Tom Tom comes to the rescue at driving in a different country. Totally takes the stress out of driving leaving you to remember to drive on the right.
We were making good progress, but hit quite a bit of traffic on the outskirts of Paris. That cost us about 50 minutes, but it really wasn't that bad. In the UK, you can crack along nicely at 15 mph over the limit (not that I do of course). They do say that the French police are a little keen, so I didn't take so many chances, sitting not much more than 140 kph.
So we arrived at les parents at about 6pm local time.
For those who don't know, here's a link to where they are...
CLICK ME!
So that was yesterday.
Today, after a much needed early night, we got up and wished the old man Happy Birthday.
I the spent the next couple of hours sorting out Father's wi-fi connection. For the past 6 months, he's had a wireless router and still used his laptop wedged in the corner of the kitchen with an ethernet cable stretched across a table. Not anymore!
We then headed out to the Cheval Blanc, a really nice restaurant about 20 minutes away. What we had was a fixed five course meal. As I'm a food buff, and want to make you jealous, read on...
Aperitif to start was a juicy number with lots of fruit.
1st course, vegetable soup with warm bread rolls
2nd course, tomato cakes with jambon slices
3rd course, sliced steak with roast potato and stuffed tomato
4th course, cheese*
5th course, apricot with cream and pastry
* French cheese is just awesome. We're not talking a few lumps of cheddar and some Jacobs crackers. The cheese trolley had about 30 different cheeses on it. You have these as a separate course. No biscuits unless you specifically ask for them.
We got there at about 12.10 and left after about 3.5 hours.
Back home and the temperature had improved somewhat. Now hitting about 24, but feeling a lot warmer. The youngsters (only here, can I call myself a youngster!) hit the sunchairs and took in some rays. Nat and Fox braved the pool, but not for long.
So here we sit, out in the veranda at 8.25, blue skies, very warm, drinks in hand, typing a blog, 50m from the, now working, wireless router.
I've earned my keep already.
More tomorrow. Did I mention that it's going to hit 30+ degrees?
Photos...
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Thou Shalt Always Kill
Right, back to Edinburgh.
Friday morning came and we set off after dropping Jack off at the kennels. TomTom was telling us about 6.5 hours. Normally, I can knock that time a bit though. However, that wasn't counting on the weather. We went from drizzle to sunshine to torrential downpours and then back to sunshine again!
This slowed us up a bit and then we grabbed something to eat near Scotch corner.
So the satnav ended up being spot on. A quick call to Gordon and he popped down to guide us up to their flat. Fifth floor, so a quick hike up the steps. It really is a lovely flat too, but Di insists that it's her influence.
After a coffee, we left our car at their place and all headed to our hotel in their car. Thanks to Tesco being generous with their Deal tokens, we chose to stay at the Hilton. The receptionist's face was a picture as I strolled in wearing scruffy shorts and a T-shirt!
We decamped to our room, had a quick change and then met up again with D & G at the bar next door. After a couple of beers (which went down well after the long drive), we walked to the restaurant, past the castle and some of the city's sights.
Good choice of restaurant, it was really lovely food.
After a couple of bottles of wine and more beer, it was time to head back to the hotel. Myself and Gordon were quite up for keeping the drinking going, but the girls chose the best route of calling time.
I went out in the morning at about 7.30 for a run through one of the parks. It was great at that time in the morning. Unfortunately, the weather didn't hold and after having a large breakfast, it had started to drizzle. Donning coats, we went out to check the shops. Unfortunately, the rain got heavier and heavier and within an hour or so was really pouring down. Back to the hotel.
At about lunchtime, G phoned and asked if we fancied the art galleries. This we did and they were pretty good. A coffee and snacks followed and the rain ceased.
Now was chosen to be a great time to head up Arthurs Seat, which is a a craggy hill that overlooks the city. Behold...
You can see how much the weather had improved. Look at the sweat!
After the swift climb and descent, we headed back to their flat for more refreshments.
The evening was spent quietly at the hotel.
G & D joined us for the huge breakfast in the morning, and then we headed for home. A much better journey back, knocking about 50 mins off the Tomtom time. I didn't speed once - honest!
All in all, it really was a nice weekend, despite the weather. Already looking forward to the next time that we get to meet up.
Friday morning came and we set off after dropping Jack off at the kennels. TomTom was telling us about 6.5 hours. Normally, I can knock that time a bit though. However, that wasn't counting on the weather. We went from drizzle to sunshine to torrential downpours and then back to sunshine again!
This slowed us up a bit and then we grabbed something to eat near Scotch corner.
So the satnav ended up being spot on. A quick call to Gordon and he popped down to guide us up to their flat. Fifth floor, so a quick hike up the steps. It really is a lovely flat too, but Di insists that it's her influence.
After a coffee, we left our car at their place and all headed to our hotel in their car. Thanks to Tesco being generous with their Deal tokens, we chose to stay at the Hilton. The receptionist's face was a picture as I strolled in wearing scruffy shorts and a T-shirt!
We decamped to our room, had a quick change and then met up again with D & G at the bar next door. After a couple of beers (which went down well after the long drive), we walked to the restaurant, past the castle and some of the city's sights.
Good choice of restaurant, it was really lovely food.
After a couple of bottles of wine and more beer, it was time to head back to the hotel. Myself and Gordon were quite up for keeping the drinking going, but the girls chose the best route of calling time.
I went out in the morning at about 7.30 for a run through one of the parks. It was great at that time in the morning. Unfortunately, the weather didn't hold and after having a large breakfast, it had started to drizzle. Donning coats, we went out to check the shops. Unfortunately, the rain got heavier and heavier and within an hour or so was really pouring down. Back to the hotel.
At about lunchtime, G phoned and asked if we fancied the art galleries. This we did and they were pretty good. A coffee and snacks followed and the rain ceased.
Now was chosen to be a great time to head up Arthurs Seat, which is a a craggy hill that overlooks the city. Behold...
You can see how much the weather had improved. Look at the sweat!
After the swift climb and descent, we headed back to their flat for more refreshments.
The evening was spent quietly at the hotel.
G & D joined us for the huge breakfast in the morning, and then we headed for home. A much better journey back, knocking about 50 mins off the Tomtom time. I didn't speed once - honest!
All in all, it really was a nice weekend, despite the weather. Already looking forward to the next time that we get to meet up.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Victims
The weekend was spent in Edinburgh with some great friends of ours - Gordon & Di. More of that later, but for some reason yesterday, I felt like being creative in the kitchen, so this post is about that.
I e-mailed H during the day and asked what she fancied. Her response was "Moroccan".
Well, nothing like a challenge! So called off at Tesco on the way home.
So here is my take on Moroccan Chicken.
Coarsely chop a red pepper and a couple of onions. Thinly slice 2-3 cloves of garlic and a couple of red chillies (de-seed where you can)
Take some chicken portions (I used six thighs). Brown these well on all sides to seal. Fry the chopped peppers, onions etc. Add some smoked paprika.
Fry for a while.
Add about a pint and a half of chicken stock. Reduce to a simmer.
Add a tin of chick peas. Season (I also added a small sprinkle of curry powder). Add some brown rice (don't ask how much, I just judged it!).
Stir well. Remove from the heat. Place the chicken on top, bang on a lid and chuck it in the oven, 180 for about 90 mins.
Pre-oven...
Post-oven...
Plate the chicken, add some freshly torn corriander to the mix and stir well beofre plating up with the chicken.
It was very good. So much so that we're having the leftovers tonight. Gonna add some sour cream after heating it, to give it a bit of a different taste.
I e-mailed H during the day and asked what she fancied. Her response was "Moroccan".
Well, nothing like a challenge! So called off at Tesco on the way home.
So here is my take on Moroccan Chicken.
Coarsely chop a red pepper and a couple of onions. Thinly slice 2-3 cloves of garlic and a couple of red chillies (de-seed where you can)
Take some chicken portions (I used six thighs). Brown these well on all sides to seal. Fry the chopped peppers, onions etc. Add some smoked paprika.
Fry for a while.
Add about a pint and a half of chicken stock. Reduce to a simmer.
Add a tin of chick peas. Season (I also added a small sprinkle of curry powder). Add some brown rice (don't ask how much, I just judged it!).
Stir well. Remove from the heat. Place the chicken on top, bang on a lid and chuck it in the oven, 180 for about 90 mins.
Pre-oven...
Post-oven...
Plate the chicken, add some freshly torn corriander to the mix and stir well beofre plating up with the chicken.
It was very good. So much so that we're having the leftovers tonight. Gonna add some sour cream after heating it, to give it a bit of a different taste.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Shape Of My Heart
Well so much for my "creating". But the thing is, that I haven't actually done any since last Wednesday.
What news?
Firstly a spot of luck for H rather than me. As PA to two of the directors, she deals a lot with a travel company booking flights and the like.
Last week, they phoned her up and asked if she, along with another PA, would like to go out for dinner as their guest. That's nice, isn't it?
The venue? New York!
So, they're being flown Business Class, to New York. Being put up in Trump Towers and generally wined and dined for a couple of days.
This is well deserved though because she does work bloody hard.
Next. It was our friends Tim & Bobby christening for Zach on Sunday. We headed down there in the afternoon. Another new experience being a Greek Orthodox service. Very relaxed and informal. It was the same at their wedding. People just seem to get up and wander round taking photos and the like. As for the "bun fight" afterwards, it was divine! Fantastic food.
Another one of our jaunts this weekend. We're heading up to Edinburgh on Friday. We're spending time with some friends, Di & Gordon. Looking forward to that muchly and some good photo taking opportunities. I just hope that the rain holds off a bit. That's not very likely as it's Glastonbury weekend, so guaranteed to rain. Talking of which, a big wave at Mazz, Vicky and PN who are all braving the conditions to be there.
What news?
Firstly a spot of luck for H rather than me. As PA to two of the directors, she deals a lot with a travel company booking flights and the like.
Last week, they phoned her up and asked if she, along with another PA, would like to go out for dinner as their guest. That's nice, isn't it?
The venue? New York!
So, they're being flown Business Class, to New York. Being put up in Trump Towers and generally wined and dined for a couple of days.
This is well deserved though because she does work bloody hard.
Next. It was our friends Tim & Bobby christening for Zach on Sunday. We headed down there in the afternoon. Another new experience being a Greek Orthodox service. Very relaxed and informal. It was the same at their wedding. People just seem to get up and wander round taking photos and the like. As for the "bun fight" afterwards, it was divine! Fantastic food.
Another one of our jaunts this weekend. We're heading up to Edinburgh on Friday. We're spending time with some friends, Di & Gordon. Looking forward to that muchly and some good photo taking opportunities. I just hope that the rain holds off a bit. That's not very likely as it's Glastonbury weekend, so guaranteed to rain. Talking of which, a big wave at Mazz, Vicky and PN who are all braving the conditions to be there.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Good Times Are Killing Me
Right, going to carry out something that I thought of a while back. I already incorporate music into here quite a bit (more recommendations coming up soon). But what I'm going to try and do is incorporate one of my other passions - cooking.
So when I make something new, I'll post it up here (with pics if I remember).
The lastest creation was risotto that I made on Sunday...
As usual with my cooking, all measures are approximate!
Soften some finely chopped garlic (two cloves) in olive oil
Make up about a pint and half of vegetable stock
Add a good glass of white wine
Add the arborio rice (you'll have to judge how much yourself)
Season
Simmer away so that the rice absorbs the stock
About 15 mins to go, add some crumbled up smoked haddock (two fillets)
Add some king prawns
5 mins to go, add some frozen peas and some rough chopped onion
Just before serving add some grated parmesan to absorb any remaining liquid
It was very, very nice :)
Tonight, I'm throwing something together as well. I've got some leftover fresh spaghetti from the weekend. We also had sausages last night, so I've got four of those. So...
Slice up the sausages
Cut some bacon into strips
Fry both in olive oil
Chop up some onion
Chop up a couple of cloves of garlic
Add these and keep frying
Add a tin of tomatoes
Reduce heat to simmer
Add a couple of sliced chillies
Add roughly chopped basil and coriander
Season a little
Serve over the cooked spaghetti
Add parmesan shavings
So, we'll wait and see on that ones. Like I said, photos if I remember!
I think I wont just publish new stuff. I might post fave stuff of mine that I make anyway.
Edit: So here are the before, during and after pics. It was absolutely delicious :)
So when I make something new, I'll post it up here (with pics if I remember).
The lastest creation was risotto that I made on Sunday...
As usual with my cooking, all measures are approximate!
Soften some finely chopped garlic (two cloves) in olive oil
Make up about a pint and half of vegetable stock
Add a good glass of white wine
Add the arborio rice (you'll have to judge how much yourself)
Season
Simmer away so that the rice absorbs the stock
About 15 mins to go, add some crumbled up smoked haddock (two fillets)
Add some king prawns
5 mins to go, add some frozen peas and some rough chopped onion
Just before serving add some grated parmesan to absorb any remaining liquid
It was very, very nice :)
Tonight, I'm throwing something together as well. I've got some leftover fresh spaghetti from the weekend. We also had sausages last night, so I've got four of those. So...
Slice up the sausages
Cut some bacon into strips
Fry both in olive oil
Chop up some onion
Chop up a couple of cloves of garlic
Add these and keep frying
Add a tin of tomatoes
Reduce heat to simmer
Add a couple of sliced chillies
Add roughly chopped basil and coriander
Season a little
Serve over the cooked spaghetti
Add parmesan shavings
So, we'll wait and see on that ones. Like I said, photos if I remember!
I think I wont just publish new stuff. I might post fave stuff of mine that I make anyway.
Edit: So here are the before, during and after pics. It was absolutely delicious :)
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