Uh hi. So, life, eh? Gets away from one. I have pretty much had my head down since September or so. Possibly earlier, I don't even remember September at this point. I've been temping at one place since the beginning of October, which on one hand is nice, plus steady income. But on the other hand, I have all the time constraints of working a full ( Read more... )

So, November was a bit of a No Posting month. Whoops! I spent most of the last week violently ill, with what sounded like the rising of the Old Ones in my belly. Not good! Fortunately I am now recovered, apart from a touch of Post-Illness Feebleness ( Read more... )

Climbing went pretty well last night. I stuck to the 5As (the easy ones), but the last climb of the night was a lead climb, which is when you take the rope up with you clip in to the wall as you go. It was still a 5A climb, so the handholds were easy, but it's a much longer climb (12m) than the top-rope routes (where there is already a rope hanging ( Read more... )

( Productive, I say! )

( No-Knead Bread - the Recipe )

It was a glorious day today, warm and sunny. I got directed through a part of Chippenham I've never been to before, and took a walk through a park I didn't know existed ( Read more... )

When C visited last weekend I made the Pomegranate Pork again. It's still not right - I was in a rush and forgot to put tinfoil on it, so the ends were dry again, but the salt and pepper rub did the trick for flavouring the meat. I did cut the fillet in half, but I don't know that it helped all that much. I think it might want a longer cooking time ( Read more... )

I hardly ever get creative in the kitchen any more. Weekends I tend to be cooking just for me, and during the week I lack the energy for much more than, "Stirfry stuff, add sauce-from-a-jar, serve with rice/noodles/pasta (delete as appropriate)."

However while Sokky was visiting, I was inspired by a tub of pomegranate in the ready-to-eat fruit section ( Read more... )

My new British passport came through in what may be a record 3 days. I feel this is an attempt (however feeble) at compensating for the appalling trauma of applying for the damn thing in the first place. There were various issues and incidents, but the one I am most aggrieved by is the picture. I had a nice picture ready to go, but if you squint at ( Read more... )

So uhhhh, this year I will spend Christmas in Canada.

This is not quite as random as it sounds. Having spent 6 months wandering the deepest darkest boonies of South America my brother and his girlfriend have fetched up in Vancouver, where we have a cousin. We also have other family around Canada. I vaguely mentioned visiting him for Christmas as a ( Read more... )