Mon - October 22, 2007
QI Night
on Dave...
When I first heard about the new Dave channel on
Freeview I was expecting a "lads" type
channel.
So I have been pleasantly surprised to find it is more akin to BBC 2 and Radio 4 type stuff than fast cars and scantily clad women.
Last night was QI night.
I really enjoy QI, but never watched the first couple of series (don't know why, probably time, or something else was on). So it was nice to catch some of the episodes from the first, or the "a" series. As there something like eight episodes on that night until 2.20am I set the EyeTV to record the lot for watching at a more reasonable time.
Having only watched the latest QI you can see how the series has matured, it's not to say that the first series wasn't funny, just that I find the latest series is even funnier.
So if Dave continues to do this kind of thing I should be more than happy.
So I have been pleasantly surprised to find it is more akin to BBC 2 and Radio 4 type stuff than fast cars and scantily clad women.
Last night was QI night.
I really enjoy QI, but never watched the first couple of series (don't know why, probably time, or something else was on). So it was nice to catch some of the episodes from the first, or the "a" series. As there something like eight episodes on that night until 2.20am I set the EyeTV to record the lot for watching at a more reasonable time.
Having only watched the latest QI you can see how the series has matured, it's not to say that the first series wasn't funny, just that I find the latest series is even funnier.
So if Dave continues to do this kind of thing I should be more than happy.
Posted at 09:34 AM | | |
Sun - October 21, 2007
Stuffed Chicken Wrapped in Pancetta
very tasty and reasonably quick as
well..
Take some chicken thighs and took out the bone. I
prefer thighs over the breast meat in the main as I believe the flavour is so
much better and is less likely to dry out, though with this method, that is
unlikely to happen.
I then took some sausage-meat (by taking the skin of some good quality sausages) and added some finely chopped parsley and rosemary.
I laid out four slices of pancetta onto a square of foil. I laid the boned chicken thigh out on the foil. I placed some of the sausage-meat mixture on the chicken thigh and then rolled the chicken, and then ensured that the pancetta covered the chicken. I then rolled the foil up into a parcel. I ensured (by squeezing) that all the foil parcels were the same size (for even cooking).
The chicken parcels were then poached for twenty minutes, then they were removed from the water.
At this stage (in theory) you should leave them in the fridge to rest and firm up for some time. I didn’t have the time so I left them for ten minutes.
You can pan fry them (ensure that they are dry), however I roasted mine in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes on a bed of pepper, mushrooms and courgettes with a splash of olive oil.
I served the chicken with steamed vegetables, roasted potatoes and roasted parsnips.
Delicious.
I then took some sausage-meat (by taking the skin of some good quality sausages) and added some finely chopped parsley and rosemary.
I laid out four slices of pancetta onto a square of foil. I laid the boned chicken thigh out on the foil. I placed some of the sausage-meat mixture on the chicken thigh and then rolled the chicken, and then ensured that the pancetta covered the chicken. I then rolled the foil up into a parcel. I ensured (by squeezing) that all the foil parcels were the same size (for even cooking).
The chicken parcels were then poached for twenty minutes, then they were removed from the water.
At this stage (in theory) you should leave them in the fridge to rest and firm up for some time. I didn’t have the time so I left them for ten minutes.
You can pan fry them (ensure that they are dry), however I roasted mine in the oven for ten to fifteen minutes on a bed of pepper, mushrooms and courgettes with a splash of olive oil.
I served the chicken with steamed vegetables, roasted potatoes and roasted parsnips.
Delicious.
Posted at 03:08 PM | | |
Tue - October 16, 2007
Spooks is back
on tonight...
BBC's Spooks returns to our screens tonight for
another series.
Really have enjoyed this series over the years so looking forward to the new series.
Should be interesting to see where they go with this new series.
Really have enjoyed this series over the years so looking forward to the new series.
Should be interesting to see where they go with this new series.
Posted at 10:34 AM | | |
Mon - October 15, 2007
Awful tea, just like British Rail use to make…
avoid it...
A warning, I recently had a terrible cup of tea. It
was on a train and was reminiscent of the tea that British Rail use to
make!
It was on the buffet car on a South Devon Railway train from Buckfastleigh to Totnes.
I always think preserved railways have a real opportunity for on-board catering, however I am virtually always usually very disappointed.
The tea was foul and served in a depressing polystyrene cup. The milk was that awful long life milk in spring loaded containers; what’s wrong with serving fresh milk?
I was so disappointed that I decided I wouldn’t eat in the station tea rooms as I expected it to be just as bad, but on reflection that may have been a bit premature, as I was told the menu looked interesting and the food looked really nice.
More railway pictures.
It was on the buffet car on a South Devon Railway train from Buckfastleigh to Totnes.
I always think preserved railways have a real opportunity for on-board catering, however I am virtually always usually very disappointed.
The tea was foul and served in a depressing polystyrene cup. The milk was that awful long life milk in spring loaded containers; what’s wrong with serving fresh milk?
I was so disappointed that I decided I wouldn’t eat in the station tea rooms as I expected it to be just as bad, but on reflection that may have been a bit premature, as I was told the menu looked interesting and the food looked really nice.
More railway pictures.
Posted at 08:41 PM | | |
Sun - October 14, 2007
Simon Pegg to play Scotty
in new Star Trek film...
It is been reported
by the likes of the BBC that Hot Fuzz and Spaced actor Simon Pegg is to play
Scotty in the new Star Trek
film.
The British comic has been offered the role of the chief engineer, played by James Doohan in the classic TV series, his manager has told BBC News. The film, directed by Lost creator JJ Abrams, focuses on the early lives of Captain James T Kirk and Mr Spock.
I am kind of looking forward to the film, but not sure if it will work, or if it will be a success.
The British comic has been offered the role of the chief engineer, played by James Doohan in the classic TV series, his manager has told BBC News. The film, directed by Lost creator JJ Abrams, focuses on the early lives of Captain James T Kirk and Mr Spock.
I am kind of looking forward to the film, but not sure if it will work, or if it will be a success.
Posted at 08:29 AM | | |
Sat - October 13, 2007
Virgin to buy Northern Rock
making Virgin Money...
Will it be a bargain or is it a publicity stunt or
is it because they really feel for the savers and investors in Northern
Rock?
I hear on the radio that Richard Branson is looking to buy Northern Rock and turn it into Virgin Money
Be interesting to see if this comes off.
I hear on the radio that Richard Branson is looking to buy Northern Rock and turn it into Virgin Money
Be interesting to see if this comes off.
Posted at 09:32 PM | | |
Tue - October 9, 2007
Mon - October 8, 2007
Ssshh, Wispa
it's back, but for how
long...
Hey look what I found in WHSmith at Paddington
Station!
Yes it is a Cadbury Wispa!
I thought these had been discarded to the litter bin in the sky where all old chocolate bars go when they are replaced by new funky chocolate bars.
Probably a limited edition.
Buy hey it’s a Wispa bar!
Yes it is a Cadbury Wispa!
I thought these had been discarded to the litter bin in the sky where all old chocolate bars go when they are replaced by new funky chocolate bars.
Probably a limited edition.
Buy hey it’s a Wispa bar!
Posted at 01:34 PM | | |
This is the age of the train....
I wish I was back in
1976...
I wish I was back in
1976...
Sometimes I wish I was Sam in Life on Mars, stranded back in 1976, well I know it was 1973, but what’s three years between friends?
Why?
The High Speed Train is now over thirty years old, introduced in 1976, they have been travelling at 125mph across the UK for over three decades (except when I am in a hurry and then there are speed restrictions which means we crawl along at a walking pace).
First Great Western, now I know on this blog I have thrown a lot at First Great Western, and when I say throw I mean in words via this blog and not literally throw physically at the train as that wouldn’t be very nice (and is probably illegal as well) and is something I wouldn’t do and you shouldn’t either, no matter how many times you find the train going nowhere or really slowly. So where was I, ah yes, so I have whinged and moaned about First Great Western a fair bit, but compared to some other train operators, naming no names, cough Virgin Trains, cough, First Great Western travel for me has on the whole been pretty good. Being a typical consumer, I write when I have something to complain about, not when everything is going well.
Well, yes this is a complaint, I have noticed (apart from on my route) that First Great Western have been updating their high speed trains, taking the thirty year old beasties and stripping them down, giving them a bit of a repaint and completely redoing the inside.
Yes they do look okay, well I am not a fan of pink are you, on the outside, and they do look nice on the inside, mauve is not my colour, but I guess it appealed to the focus group.
However my compaint (getting there) is that I try and work on a train, well try and write on a the train using a laptop which is work in some respects and not in others; on the older unrefurbished trains there were a reasonable amount of tables, so I could get out my 15” PowerBook and get writing. The problem I have with the refurbished carriages is that there are only two tables in a carriage and therefore getting a seat with a table is nigh on impossible, so I have to use these airline style fold down table thingy, which is, well not conducive to a comfortable writing position. I can’t even use my mouse, and don’t get me started on using my trackpad and the problems with that.
Okay so I have written this on the train, using one of the wobbly floppy certainly not large enough to hold my PowerBook airline tables, and I have written quite a bit, nearly four hundred and seventy words (well it’s over now that I’ve written four hundred and seventy, adding this has pushed it over five hundred) according to the word count in my word processor. But writing this is certainly not as comfortable as saying sitting on a soft leather chair at a desk, but I guess I wouldn’t find that on a train!
Okay I will say one positive thing about the refurbishment, First Great Western have finally come round to the concept that we live in a connected world and some of us use laptops, mobile phones and other electrical devices on a train (well have you read the First Great Western magzaine, it makes inflight magazines look high brow). First Great Western have now provided us with power sockets. Which is great, however, as every train I have recently taken on the First Great Western network has been on the older unrefurbished (is that a word, or should I have just written furbished) carriages, I have not known about the sockets, so I left my power cable at home. So with 51% of my battery remaining and no internet access, I should really try and finish this entry and start to read the paper instead.
Do you think I should point out to First Great Western that some train operators provide free wireless on their trains, or do you think that would be pushing it?”
Sometimes I wish I was Sam in Life on Mars, stranded back in 1976, well I know it was 1973, but what’s three years between friends?
Why?
The High Speed Train is now over thirty years old, introduced in 1976, they have been travelling at 125mph across the UK for over three decades (except when I am in a hurry and then there are speed restrictions which means we crawl along at a walking pace).
First Great Western, now I know on this blog I have thrown a lot at First Great Western, and when I say throw I mean in words via this blog and not literally throw physically at the train as that wouldn’t be very nice (and is probably illegal as well) and is something I wouldn’t do and you shouldn’t either, no matter how many times you find the train going nowhere or really slowly. So where was I, ah yes, so I have whinged and moaned about First Great Western a fair bit, but compared to some other train operators, naming no names, cough Virgin Trains, cough, First Great Western travel for me has on the whole been pretty good. Being a typical consumer, I write when I have something to complain about, not when everything is going well.
Well, yes this is a complaint, I have noticed (apart from on my route) that First Great Western have been updating their high speed trains, taking the thirty year old beasties and stripping them down, giving them a bit of a repaint and completely redoing the inside.
Yes they do look okay, well I am not a fan of pink are you, on the outside, and they do look nice on the inside, mauve is not my colour, but I guess it appealed to the focus group.
However my compaint (getting there) is that I try and work on a train, well try and write on a the train using a laptop which is work in some respects and not in others; on the older unrefurbished trains there were a reasonable amount of tables, so I could get out my 15” PowerBook and get writing. The problem I have with the refurbished carriages is that there are only two tables in a carriage and therefore getting a seat with a table is nigh on impossible, so I have to use these airline style fold down table thingy, which is, well not conducive to a comfortable writing position. I can’t even use my mouse, and don’t get me started on using my trackpad and the problems with that.
Okay so I have written this on the train, using one of the wobbly floppy certainly not large enough to hold my PowerBook airline tables, and I have written quite a bit, nearly four hundred and seventy words (well it’s over now that I’ve written four hundred and seventy, adding this has pushed it over five hundred) according to the word count in my word processor. But writing this is certainly not as comfortable as saying sitting on a soft leather chair at a desk, but I guess I wouldn’t find that on a train!
Okay I will say one positive thing about the refurbishment, First Great Western have finally come round to the concept that we live in a connected world and some of us use laptops, mobile phones and other electrical devices on a train (well have you read the First Great Western magzaine, it makes inflight magazines look high brow). First Great Western have now provided us with power sockets. Which is great, however, as every train I have recently taken on the First Great Western network has been on the older unrefurbished (is that a word, or should I have just written furbished) carriages, I have not known about the sockets, so I left my power cable at home. So with 51% of my battery remaining and no internet access, I should really try and finish this entry and start to read the paper instead.
Do you think I should point out to First Great Western that some train operators provide free wireless on their trains, or do you think that would be pushing it?”
Posted at 09:36 AM | | |
Fri - October 5, 2007
Robin Hood is back
on our screens on
Saturday...
This Saturday sees the return of Robin Hood to BBC
One.
The new series (the second) will see Robin Hood and his merry men clash with the Sheriff of Nottingham.
I enjoyed the first series and I am looking forward to this one.
The new series (the second) will see Robin Hood and his merry men clash with the Sheriff of Nottingham.
I enjoyed the first series and I am looking forward to this one.
Posted at 10:14 PM | | |
Sat - September 29, 2007
Pathetic
why I love the world wide
web...
www.pathetic.org.uk is one of those sites which
makes you both wonder about certain people and also why I love the world wide
web.
Pathetic Motorways is dedicated to those motorways within the United Kingdom and Ireland that are not perhaps, the greatest feats of engineering ever seen...
It's designed to combine fun with some serious research about the motorway network, including some ideas and plans that never got off the ground.
A website just about motorways and even motorways which never existed or are secret!!
Worth a look.
Pathetic Motorways is dedicated to those motorways within the United Kingdom and Ireland that are not perhaps, the greatest feats of engineering ever seen...
It's designed to combine fun with some serious research about the motorway network, including some ideas and plans that never got off the ground.
A website just about motorways and even motorways which never existed or are secret!!
Worth a look.
Posted at 08:43 AM | | |
Fri - September 28, 2007
Heroes
in comic form...
If you have been enjoying Heroes on BBC Two then
you may not have realised that NBC who broadcast Heroes in the US have been
supporting it with a comic.
Quite a novel idea and very well executed in a superhero comic style and the printable version is of very high quality and well suited to (actual) printing.
Quite a novel idea and very well executed in a superhero comic style and the printable version is of very high quality and well suited to (actual) printing.
Posted at 08:18 PM | | |
Tue - September 25, 2007
"lie about your wages"
borrowers told to lie about their
wages...
The BBC have been investigating the sub-prime
mortgage market. They have found evidence of wrongdoing and
mis-selling.
A BBC investigation has found evidence of serious mis-selling in Britain's sub-prime mortgage market. Industry insiders have described how people have been advised to lie about their incomes to take out loans far bigger than they can afford.
Read more
A BBC investigation has found evidence of serious mis-selling in Britain's sub-prime mortgage market. Industry insiders have described how people have been advised to lie about their incomes to take out loans far bigger than they can afford.
Read more
Posted at 07:17 AM | | |
Fri - September 21, 2007
British Food Fortnight
starts tomorrow...
Tomorrow (22nd September) sees the start of British Food
Fortnight.
It is the biggest national celebration of the diverse and delicious range of food that Britain produces.
It is the biggest national celebration of the diverse and delicious range of food that Britain produces.
Posted at 12:29 PM | | |
Wed - September 19, 2007
Northern Rock very likely now NOT to go bust
after government steps
in...
In a previous post I
said...
The problem that Northern Rock face is a lack of confidence in them by the public.
Despite the protestations of the bank, the media, the Chancellor, there were long queues outside many branches of Northern Rock today.
And it is this lack of confidence that will kill Northern Rock, not the loss in liquidity that caused them to ask the Bank of England for an "overdraft" facility.
I then at the end said...
Big question is will this affect the rest of the (fragile) banking system in the UK?
This was obviously the reason that the Chancellor stepped in and guaranteed all deposits in Northern Rock.
It was soon apparent that the "panic" was starting to spread to other banks, with queues forming outside branches of the Abbey and some other banks.
If panic spreads to more banks then that could potentially just cascade across the whole banking sector and the economy would grind to a halt, think about how little you use cash and how much of your income is "spent" via debit cards, cheques, direct debits, standing orders, etc...
The government had no real choice, with the panic about Northern Rock spreading to other institutions they had to step in. Unlike with Barings or BCCI, Northern Rock being so large if it had gone under it would have dragged a few other banks with them as the panic about banks in general spread.
At the time of writing the share price hasn't really recovered which shows that investors have no confidence in the bank.
Be interesting to see what happens next.
The problem that Northern Rock face is a lack of confidence in them by the public.
Despite the protestations of the bank, the media, the Chancellor, there were long queues outside many branches of Northern Rock today.
And it is this lack of confidence that will kill Northern Rock, not the loss in liquidity that caused them to ask the Bank of England for an "overdraft" facility.
I then at the end said...
Big question is will this affect the rest of the (fragile) banking system in the UK?
This was obviously the reason that the Chancellor stepped in and guaranteed all deposits in Northern Rock.
It was soon apparent that the "panic" was starting to spread to other banks, with queues forming outside branches of the Abbey and some other banks.
If panic spreads to more banks then that could potentially just cascade across the whole banking sector and the economy would grind to a halt, think about how little you use cash and how much of your income is "spent" via debit cards, cheques, direct debits, standing orders, etc...
The government had no real choice, with the panic about Northern Rock spreading to other institutions they had to step in. Unlike with Barings or BCCI, Northern Rock being so large if it had gone under it would have dragged a few other banks with them as the panic about banks in general spread.
At the time of writing the share price hasn't really recovered which shows that investors have no confidence in the bank.
Be interesting to see what happens next.
Posted at 06:38 PM | | |
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Published On: Oct 22, 2007 09:37 AM
Published On: Oct 22, 2007 09:37 AM