Samwise brought his first ever reading book home from school today.
It's fairly basic, but he can read all the words in it already - I was really proud.
He read it to me first, and then to his Mum. He's going to read it to Grandma tomorrow.
Friday 21 November 2008
Eddie Stobart Fan Club - How Much?
Speaking of Motorways - although a family of regular Eddie Stobart spotters, i.e. will shout "Eddie Stobart" whenever we see one of the company's lorries, and will attempt to identify which girls name is on the front of the cab, there is absolutely no way I will pay 12 quid a year just to get some more info from the Eddie Stobart Club Website!
Maybe we should switch to Norbert Dentressangle instead? :)
Maybe we should switch to Norbert Dentressangle instead? :)
Motorway Messages
Sighted on the Motorway on the way back from Wolves on Sunday
1. A Tanker, with the words "Succumb to the Darkness" written in the dirt on it's rear.
2. A Mercedes with the registration plate of "B1G B0SS".
1. A Tanker, with the words "Succumb to the Darkness" written in the dirt on it's rear.
2. A Mercedes with the registration plate of "B1G B0SS".
Tuesday 18 November 2008
Weekend in Wolves
I was in Wolverhampton in the Wild West Midlands last weekend, meeting up with a bunch of old pals from college. After a suggestion in June, we finally got organised enough to meet up in November. Only one last minute no-show.
It was great catching up again with folk that I've not seen for a long time. We've all got a bit older, some of us may have got a bit wiser, but mostly not. Some have less hair than they used to, some have more (but in different places). Some have changed gender.
As always we pushed the boat out a bit, then depth charged, torpedoed and sunk it to the bottom of the sea!
Have been feeling the after effects for a couple of days now - unfortunately attendance at work is compulsory - unlike lectures, so recovery time is a lot longer than it used to be. Age doesn't help either. cha0tic is still not right
3 of us stayed in a small hotel on Goldthorn Hill. Quite a nice little place, and only 30 quid a night (plus a fiver for breakfast).
Friday night was a tour of old old haunts (i.e. pubs), taking in a folk duo, and some Pizza on the way round.
Saturday - Kippers for breakfast, and a second kip, then a stroll into town. Wandered around the town centre to see what's changed and what's not. Most of it surprisingly familiar, but smartened up a lot more, with only a few new buildings.
Resisted the "old haunts" until about 3pm, then started on the beer again. Met up with most of the crowd in the second pub. Then a cracking curry, involving wine and champagne, ending up in the last pub that we'd been to the night before, where we met up with some more faces that we hadn't expected to see.
Somehow the last 4 survivors ended up in the Club Night at the Civic rehydrating themselves on coca-cola and water. Lost one of the party (called him the next day to find that he was indeed OK and hadn't gone the way of Elvis and his last burger).
3 of us caught the kind of Taxi that you can only get in the West Midlands back to the hotel - i.e. one where the face at the wheel doesn't match the one displayed on the licence in the cab, and who doesn't have a clue where anywhere is. He overshot the road that leads to the hotel and had to double back.
Full English Breakfast next morning, plus tea and toast before heading home.
Photos below - some may even be in focus.
It was great catching up again with folk that I've not seen for a long time. We've all got a bit older, some of us may have got a bit wiser, but mostly not. Some have less hair than they used to, some have more (but in different places). Some have changed gender.
As always we pushed the boat out a bit, then depth charged, torpedoed and sunk it to the bottom of the sea!
Have been feeling the after effects for a couple of days now - unfortunately attendance at work is compulsory - unlike lectures, so recovery time is a lot longer than it used to be. Age doesn't help either. cha0tic is still not right
3 of us stayed in a small hotel on Goldthorn Hill. Quite a nice little place, and only 30 quid a night (plus a fiver for breakfast).
Friday night was a tour of old old haunts (i.e. pubs), taking in a folk duo, and some Pizza on the way round.
Saturday - Kippers for breakfast, and a second kip, then a stroll into town. Wandered around the town centre to see what's changed and what's not. Most of it surprisingly familiar, but smartened up a lot more, with only a few new buildings.
Resisted the "old haunts" until about 3pm, then started on the beer again. Met up with most of the crowd in the second pub. Then a cracking curry, involving wine and champagne, ending up in the last pub that we'd been to the night before, where we met up with some more faces that we hadn't expected to see.
Somehow the last 4 survivors ended up in the Club Night at the Civic rehydrating themselves on coca-cola and water. Lost one of the party (called him the next day to find that he was indeed OK and hadn't gone the way of Elvis and his last burger).
3 of us caught the kind of Taxi that you can only get in the West Midlands back to the hotel - i.e. one where the face at the wheel doesn't match the one displayed on the licence in the cab, and who doesn't have a clue where anywhere is. He overshot the road that leads to the hotel and had to double back.
Full English Breakfast next morning, plus tea and toast before heading home.
Photos below - some may even be in focus.
Wednesday 12 November 2008
Pea and Ham Soup
Opened a tin of Baxters Pea and Ham Soup tonight. Had this with a couple of buttered wholemeal rolls. Who needs cookery books?
Macaroni Cheese
Last night's dish was a classic, but the sauce was quite rich as it involved using Craime Freche and Parmesan cheese (or rather a substitute), as well as Cheddar.
The kids tried it, but they weren't too impressed.
It was OK, but far too creamy-rich for my tastes. I've got the remainder in my lunch box today.
I might try it again another time, but stick to a simpler sauce.
The kids tried it, but they weren't too impressed.
It was OK, but far too creamy-rich for my tastes. I've got the remainder in my lunch box today.
I might try it again another time, but stick to a simpler sauce.
Monday 10 November 2008
Godzilla (Gojira)
There are some films that we can watch again, and again. We first saw Godzilla when it was released - we were on holiday in Las Vegas at the time. It's on Sky 1 at the moment, must be about the 30th time or so that we've seen it.
Don't know why - it's just one of those films that really works for us.
Here's a few others, in no particular order.
The Running Man Only in a re-run!
Total Recall
RoboCop
Strictly Ballroom
Reservoir Dogs
Pulp Fiction
From Dusk till Dawn
Gladiator
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (we watch this more than the other two).
There are more. Sometimes (in fact more often than not) the re-viewing is due to what's being put out on TV, rather than say choosing a DVD.
Don't know why - it's just one of those films that really works for us.
Here's a few others, in no particular order.
The Running Man Only in a re-run!
Total Recall
RoboCop
Strictly Ballroom
Reservoir Dogs
Pulp Fiction
From Dusk till Dawn
Gladiator
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (we watch this more than the other two).
There are more. Sometimes (in fact more often than not) the re-viewing is due to what's being put out on TV, rather than say choosing a DVD.
Christmas Shopping
Have done quite a bit of Christmas Shopping already - mostly from the comfort of my armchair. Chosen gifts are on their way to me in the post. Isn't the Internet great!
I'm planning on taking the boys for a trip into town in December, so that we can see the Christmas lights, Carol singers, brass bands etc without the hassle of having to do some serious shopping too.
I'm planning on taking the boys for a trip into town in December, so that we can see the Christmas lights, Carol singers, brass bands etc without the hassle of having to do some serious shopping too.
Ministry of Food - Pancakes
Needed something quick for the kids tonight, so we all had pancakes.
The recipe said to use self raising flour (what - unheard of? surely it's plain flour? No that's what the recipe says so here goes...). Cup of flour, cup of milk and 1 egg to make the batter. Then used a ladle to measure out two or three small dollops into the frying pan. Cooked for a minute or two, turning over with a fish slice, since the thickness means the uncooked side stays runny - so too tricky to toss.
Result - small round, thick tasty pancakes. We had lemon juice and golden syrup on ours. The kids seemed to prefer these pancakes to the big thin ones that I made on Shrove Tuesday.
The recipe said to use self raising flour (what - unheard of? surely it's plain flour? No that's what the recipe says so here goes...). Cup of flour, cup of milk and 1 egg to make the batter. Then used a ladle to measure out two or three small dollops into the frying pan. Cooked for a minute or two, turning over with a fish slice, since the thickness means the uncooked side stays runny - so too tricky to toss.
Result - small round, thick tasty pancakes. We had lemon juice and golden syrup on ours. The kids seemed to prefer these pancakes to the big thin ones that I made on Shrove Tuesday.
Ministry of Food
Last week I picked up Jamie Oliver's new Ministry of Food Book at a booksale for tenner, rather than the list price of 25 quid.
Understandably Novelist Supermum has made me remove the paper sleeve, leaving a rather forties/fifties plain style hard cover underneath, rather than having to put up with the photo of the chubby smirking mockney.
I've decided to get into this learn to cook decent food lark, being particularly impressed with the recipes for busy people.
The book opens with a list of basic ingredients that you should have to hand in your cupboards and freezer, the sort of things that keep for months (herbs, spices, oils, flour, vinegar, syrups, tinned stuff etc) and suggests that you should just go out and buy the lot so that you know that you're likely to have these things to hand when you need them.
I thought that I'd go along with this theory, and went out to buy everything off the list. I came back from Tesco's on Saturday with all but three items. The only problem being that since I'd spent about 3 hours down the shops I'd ran out of time to spend cooking a decent meal, since the kids had to be quickly fed and put to bed.
(so much for cookery for busy people - thanks Jamie!).
To be fair, we had a decent Sunday Roast Chicken today. I made the gravy using a vegetable trivet, which I've never done before, and the result was delicious.
It was also great following the different recipes, and at the points where they say, "season with", "thicken with", "for extra flavour add" etc just reaching into the cupboard and retrieving the appropriate ingredient, rather than thinking "what can I use instead?".
Understandably Novelist Supermum has made me remove the paper sleeve, leaving a rather forties/fifties plain style hard cover underneath, rather than having to put up with the photo of the chubby smirking mockney.
I've decided to get into this learn to cook decent food lark, being particularly impressed with the recipes for busy people.
The book opens with a list of basic ingredients that you should have to hand in your cupboards and freezer, the sort of things that keep for months (herbs, spices, oils, flour, vinegar, syrups, tinned stuff etc) and suggests that you should just go out and buy the lot so that you know that you're likely to have these things to hand when you need them.
I thought that I'd go along with this theory, and went out to buy everything off the list. I came back from Tesco's on Saturday with all but three items. The only problem being that since I'd spent about 3 hours down the shops I'd ran out of time to spend cooking a decent meal, since the kids had to be quickly fed and put to bed.
(so much for cookery for busy people - thanks Jamie!).
To be fair, we had a decent Sunday Roast Chicken today. I made the gravy using a vegetable trivet, which I've never done before, and the result was delicious.
It was also great following the different recipes, and at the points where they say, "season with", "thicken with", "for extra flavour add" etc just reaching into the cupboard and retrieving the appropriate ingredient, rather than thinking "what can I use instead?".
Friday 7 November 2008
It's only Rock n' Roll
There were still a few star spotters outside the Malmaison hotel at 2 o'clock today, although the numbers had dwindled.
I suggested that we could bait them by shouting "Look it's Duffy!" and running past wearing a blonde wig - but we were fresh out of theatrical props in the office.
Speaking of celebrity impressions, I've remembered an incident from a long time ago...
I went to see the Rolling Stones at St James' park in Newcastle in 1982. They were giving out pink circular foam pads for the audience to use as comfy seats (needless to say most of them got thrown about).
Before the gig was due to start, one joker managed to get onto the stage, folded a pink foam disc in two, stuck it in his mouth and pranced across the stage doing a Mick Jagger impression - priceless! Even the Security were chuckling as they removed him from the stage area.
I suggested that we could bait them by shouting "Look it's Duffy!" and running past wearing a blonde wig - but we were fresh out of theatrical props in the office.
Speaking of celebrity impressions, I've remembered an incident from a long time ago...
I went to see the Rolling Stones at St James' park in Newcastle in 1982. They were giving out pink circular foam pads for the audience to use as comfy seats (needless to say most of them got thrown about).
Before the gig was due to start, one joker managed to get onto the stage, folded a pink foam disc in two, stuck it in his mouth and pranced across the stage doing a Mick Jagger impression - priceless! Even the Security were chuckling as they removed him from the stage area.
Thursday 6 November 2008
Star Spotting
There's been a small crowd of star spotters, and more than a few photographers hanging around outside the Malmaison hotel today. The reason is of course the MTV Europe Music Awards, which are being hosted at the Liverpool Echo Arena tonight.
Some of entertainers are staying at the hotel. I watched a yellow Rolls Royce going back and forth this afternoon.
I came across this photo of Leona Lewis leaving the hotel today. See that slightly out of focus red brick building in the background? I'm inside it. So that's me and Leona photographed together :)
Some of entertainers are staying at the hotel. I watched a yellow Rolls Royce going back and forth this afternoon.
I came across this photo of Leona Lewis leaving the hotel today. See that slightly out of focus red brick building in the background? I'm inside it. So that's me and Leona photographed together :)
Wednesday 5 November 2008
Flowers in the Sky
Bonfire Night, or should I say "Organised Fireworks Display Night" - does anybody have a bonfire any more? I haven't seen a single Guy Fawkes go up in flames for years.
Frodo was poorly, so just Samwise and myself went to see the firework display at Sefton Park.
It was the first time for Samwise, although he's seen a few individual fireworks before, he's never seen 20 minutes worth of arial bombardment, so he was suitably impressed.
"They're like Flowers in the Sky Daddy" he said.
Frodo was poorly, so just Samwise and myself went to see the firework display at Sefton Park.
It was the first time for Samwise, although he's seen a few individual fireworks before, he's never seen 20 minutes worth of arial bombardment, so he was suitably impressed.
"They're like Flowers in the Sky Daddy" he said.
Tuesday 4 November 2008
Is it Tuesday already?
Well that's messed up 1 post a day already. Maybe that's why the NaBloPoMo exercise is called "30 posts in a 30 days". Perhaps I can still achieve that.
Appreciation
Did a 14.5 hour shift at work on Sunday starting at 1am.
Were my efforts appreciated? They should have been, but were lost in a "witch-hunt" over a couple of separate incidents, none of which were of my making, but I got caught up in them, so nobody said thank-you.
C'est la vie. I'll take my reward in cash.
Were my efforts appreciated? They should have been, but were lost in a "witch-hunt" over a couple of separate incidents, none of which were of my making, but I got caught up in them, so nobody said thank-you.
C'est la vie. I'll take my reward in cash.
Sunday 2 November 2008
Quantum of Solace
I'm in work right now exporting and importing database files, so I thought I'd do my 2nd Blog Post this month.
I thoroughly enjoyed Daniel Craig's second outing as James Bond at the new Liverpool 1 Odeon cinema earlier tonight.
I'll be lazy and refer you to Impworks Review (who was with us tonight).
This new Bond is a really nasty piece of work... and so he should be - he is an assassin, after all.
I thoroughly enjoyed Daniel Craig's second outing as James Bond at the new Liverpool 1 Odeon cinema earlier tonight.
I'll be lazy and refer you to Impworks Review (who was with us tonight).
This new Bond is a really nasty piece of work... and so he should be - he is an assassin, after all.
Saturday 1 November 2008
National Blog Posting Month 2008
It's that time of year again. Here we go again, let's see if I can manage 30 posts in 30 days for NaBloPoMo...
Hallowe'en last night. Did the traditional carving of a pumpkin lantern, bobbing for apples and disconnecting the doorbell to avoid the "Trick or Treaters".
Heard this rant on Radio 4 last night - "When I was a boy we didn't go knocking on doors, begging for sweets. No we used to create a straw effigy and go out on the streets begging for money instead." :)
Dropped the boys off at their Grandma's this morning and went off to do some early Christmas shopping. Not doing too badly considering it's only the beginning of November - only a few more to get.
Going to see the new James Bond film "Quantum of Solace" tonight. Hope it's as good as the last one.
There's a panic on at work, and we're trying to recover a failed system - so I've got to go in at 04:00 on Sunday morning to help nurse the recovery along. At least I'll get a good view of the Church of the Bright Green Neon Rabbit on my way past at that time in the morning.
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