Co-operative Festive Friends Unknown Shape

I got a pack of mini festive shortbread from the Co-op.  We still not sure what shape it was.

Peppery Yorkshire Fishcakes

The chip shop at Hebden Bridge looks traditional.  I got a fish butty and a fish cake.  The fish was okay, but the fishcake is a Yorkshire style, it was unnecessarily peppery.

Montezuma Chocolate Snowmen with a Truffle Centre

I had some Montezuma before, I was not the most impressed but since they are 'expensive' and on end of season sale, I got some snowperson.  I got the 100% black and milk chocolate version.  The 100% is quite hard core, I hope I am getting the flavonoid!

Chestnut Ratings continue...

I got a bag of out of date chestnut as Christmas present.  They were from ASDA, and unlike other chestnuts I already had, these were from Turkey.  These were also quite bad, they are joint bottom with Tesco's chestnuts.

Boxing Day Shopping

Some boxing day shopping started on Christmas Eve evening!  I browsed on Next's website on Christmas Eve, and I placed an order with Next and another with Holland and Barrett by Christmas evening.

We actually went into town for the boxing day sale.  Leicester was very busy in town, and we got a few bargains, potentially those bargains can be had online.  My legs were so tired, but I remind myself this supports the high street!

Turkey Crown

This year we had turkey for Christmas dinner.  The turkey crown turned out very nicely.  Unlike a whole turkey, when the thickest thigh meats take a long time and causing the breast to dry out, the turkey crown is uniform and suitable ventilated to be evenly heated.  I shall add that to my repertoire.

Mother's Ruin

I am armed with alcohol this Christmas, but I didn't know I needed to break into them early.  As soon as children start showing attitudes, and when you are prohibited to give them correctional education, alcohol isn't a bad idea.

I heard gin been called mother's helper, but apparently it is meant to be Mother's Ruin.  When I was younger, drinking is for socialising with friends, now I am drinking for a reason!

Lidl Pre-Christmas Sale

Lidl usually marks down food within 3 days of their used by date.  As a result, they started marking down Turkey already.  We know where to shop next year!

KFC Takeaways

Sarah's friends visited, and their children insisted of fast food, so they brought KFC to Sarah's flat.  Maybe I can finally introduce more fast food to Sarah's flat!

Pre-Christmas Traffic

I was preparing for the worst Friday before Christmas traffic.  Perhaps everyone prepared for the worst, everyone travelled earlier.  I stayed late at work, thinking the road would be horrendous, and when I started driving, I got the empty road!

Santa Baby by Miley Cyrus

Nice new edit Miley!

Yorkie Pro

I never had a Yorkie before, since it is "not for girls".  They were selling some Yorkie Pro in Fultons.  "Pro" in this case stands for protein!  Let just say, keep it for the boys, I prefer something more sophisticated.

Post Office Photo Booth

I renewed my photo card at the Post Office.  For the same price as a normal photo booth and the photo is guaranteed to meet requirement, it is a good idea.

Chestnut Ratings

I have tried chestnuts from 3 shops.  Lidl, Sainsbury and Tesco.  Tesco was by far the worst...

Hilly Leeds on a Bike

I was debating which mode of transport to use to go into Leeds.  Knowing the parking would be chaotic and the bus is full of germs, I braced the prospect of taking my bike into town and check out the new derailleur.

I cycled up to A58, and by the time I got to A58, I thought I would just turn around!  I kept on cycling, and most of the way to town was downhill, I know it would be payback time on the return leg.

I probably won't do it again, I will just put a mask on and take the bus next time...

Manchester Christmas Shopping

I haven't been in Manchester city centre for a while, and Manchester certainly has a city vibe.

I got my step count by walking around all the Christmas markets.  They really have new / strange ideas!  Karaoke booth?!  The best fine was Heilemann chocolate!  Out of all the stalls, only one of them selling bar chocolates, and they sell Heilemann.  I bought loads, and they are as good as I remember them!

I popped into the Central Library,  the first time since they reopen. They also got a Santa in for today,  as well as a brass band!   The music section of the library has instruments for practice,  interesting!

Crazy Peasant Wagon

I have not been on a coach for a while, and it reminds me why I am not on them more often.

There were a lot of coughs on the coach.  Coach delay causing the driver to attempt to make time by driving fast on the windy M62.

Combi Once Over

My system pressure kept dropping below minimum, I knew I need to charge up the pressure vessel.  I borrowed the electric pump, and the plumbers in video is right, the pump doesn't stop quick enough for baby vessel like this.  

Whilst I have the cover off, I thought I would give it a once over.  Pressure check, operational check, blue flame, hoover, all sorted.  I will save the "free" annual visit till next year.

Vue Knows Nothing

I was looking for show time in my local Vue, and it is showing hardly any listing.  When I go to Google, Google seems to know what is on Vue's screens better than Vue themselves!  I won't bother checking Vue website anymore.

Lift Entrapment

I remember I was trapped in a lift before.  It was in a busy industrial building, I was trapped on a busy morning with a lift full of people.  We were released within a few minutes, I think the old lifts have its normal hiccups. 

Moral of the stories, avoid goods lifts.

Nissin Demae Ramen

I finally got around trying it.  Good and nice as expected, but overrated...

The case of Curious Head Bulb

So the van's head light went, it is such a simple task.  When I looked at the bulb, it didn't seem burnt, so I took the van to the garage.  I cannot believe the garage said they do not have bulbs in stock!  Luckily, I got the bulb before I went to the garage.  I told him I had a look, but since it didn't look burnt, I thought it maybe fuses.  He said it could just be the gas.  I supposed I should have just tried it!  Silly me!

Kenilworth Daytrip

I finally persuaded Sarah to go to Kenilworth.  We went to the castle then we went into the town.  The Waitrose and the high street were good.  The Christian Cafe had good ham sandwich and good quiche.  Much to Sarah's delight, Kenilworth has two knitting shops!

Old XP Laptop

I booted up my old laptop and it is clearly on its last leg...  A lot of the software is not supported, I cannot even play BBC iplayer.

It still has it uses, I could still use Channel 4 and Youtube and general internet use.

Supermarket Arancini

I like arancini, so when I saw them in a snack pack from the supermarket, I snatched them up.  They are nothing like the authentic arancini, they added extra flour to make sure they do not fall apart, horrid...

Loacker Tortina

I always know Loacker as Italian chocolate wafers.  I saw some beautiful looking Loacker in Waitrose so I picked up some Loacker Tortina and some Loacker Gran Pasticceria.  They are both very delicate, Sarah likes Gran Pasticceria more and I like them both!

History of Barbeque

Yin asked, "Who invented barbeque, aka cooking food with fire?" And we all started chuckling...  Ever since human discovered fire...

Oranging

I got 3 packs of marked down oranges, family sizes, ie 10 fruits per pack, from Sainsbury's.  They are great!  I maybe turning orange by the end of the week!

Christmas Market Schweinhaxe

I insisted on trying a pork knackle from the Leeds Christmas Market.  The ones from Germany was definitely better. 

IKEA CHOKLAD MÖRK 70%

I picked up a dark chocolate bar from IKEA. It tastes like a £1 bar, very unnoteable.

Yorkshire Shopping Spree

We stopped at the new IKEA, Haribo, Junction 32, Lidl and Asda, we were knackered!

The Sheffield IKEA is new and nice, the view from the cafe was also nice.  We got sweet potato chips as a treat on top of our lunch!

I was happiest at Haribo.  It was literally like a child in the sweet shop.  I think only Haribo has that effect on me.  I am very academic when it comes to chocolates.

We had a good look around in Junction 32 and saw Santa!

We stopped at Lidl and Asda for food.  Knowing we were exhausted, we went for an 'Indian meal deal'.  The Asda pilau was too clove heavy...

Rainmaker Chocolatiers 75%

I got this bar at the check out area of TK Maxx.  I didn't look into the details when I picked it up.

The chocolate is nice, except I am never getting them again because of Ugandan's human rights violation, specifically institutionalised homophobia and prosecution.

Scammers From "Microsoft", Beware

I got a call purporting to be from "Microsoft Technical", two days in a roll from different numbers.  They are right dodge, and I really should not have been polite to them.

Ritual Camino Verde in Ecuador 75%

I got this Ritual bar from M&S's clearance.  It is from Ecuador, so I am reassured.  When I opened it, I wasn't sure, as it smelt of paper bag, then as it melts in my mouth, the Ecuadorean flavour came out and I am very happy with the bar.  I was searching for the actual retail price, it would be 10 bucks.  It is nice, but I am not sure it is worth 10 bucks..

Apple and User Problem

Problem with an IT equipment is usually a user problem, but there is usually a short cut, ie master reset by one mean or another.  But there is no such shortcut with Apple.  When I have exhausted all means to recover the activation password and unable to locate the receipt.  What a waste of space!  Both the Apple and the user!

Twelfth Day of Wandering

The food on Swiss was so much better, and the snack selection was also good.  The movie selection was also quite good.  I wasn't particularly like their seats on the long haul flight, but I did manage to get over 5 hours sleep.

I got into Zurich by 7:30am, the town was still asleep, so I decided to just jump on random trams to ride around town.  Natasha wasn't free to meet me but I did get a few pointers from her.  Everything is so expensive in Zurich!  I wasn't impressed with their Christmas markets, apparently Christmas markets are recent German influence.

I got a big bag of Haribo Cola bottles and I am very happy.  On Natasha's advise, I got a couple blocks of cheeses.

It was a foggy day, so I passed up on going to Uetliberg.

My legs were extremely by the time I got back to the airport.  I definitely got my step counts today!

The shorter flight was on a new Bombardier plane, the seats were good, the snack was good!

When I got back to Birmingham, everything went very smoothly.  I managed to jam myself into an earlier train.  Home at last!

Eleventh Day of Wandering

We had breakfast with my cousin and we went home. I was going to see Carol and ended up just resting at home.

I was not hungry, but I went out for lunch anyway to tick off another thing on the to-eat list.  Things are some so expensive and so tiny these days!

My mom had her friends over for hot pot and I invited Kalinda to join, to keep me company.

After dinner, I had a wash, put on my winter clothes and went to the airport.

Tenth Day of Wandering

I had a lazy morning and I volunteered to take my mom to Malaysian food. The restaurant was very authentic!

I rested a bit more and went out to meet Icarus.  We saw a really smart bird at the bird market, Icarus was so tempted to take it home.  

Then we stopped by a food fair, we ate so much sample food and we managed to not buy anything!

We rested a little more before heading to barbecue. I had a headache the whole time, otherwise it was good to catch up.  We are at an embarrassing time, everyone was very polite and danced around the white elephants.. 

Haylie dropped me off with their Uber and we went our ways. 

Ninth Day of Wandering

I walked to see Queenie for lunch and walked back.

I rested all afternoon then went to have dinner with Sisi.  The Taiwanese noodle place is quote good.  We stopped by the bargain shop, and she went a bit mad!

Eighth Day of Wandering

My mom grabbed me for breakfast not long before my lunch with Carol.  On my way to see Carol, I saw the long queue to Five Guys!  By the time I finished lunch with Carol, the queue was around the block!

I did some shopping before going home the slow way.  They moved the pier!

Since I didn't have any dinner plan, I decided to eat along, and tick off as many on the to-eat list as I could.  I had wanton noodles, fried chicken breast, bubble waffle and bubble tea, I was stuffed!

Seventh Day of Wandering

When I have time, I usually skip the metro and opt for buses and ferries, that's exactly what I did today.  I caught up with Mavis and we had a little discussion about LGBTQA in Hong Kong.

After lunch, I got more banking done.  I think I am nearly done with this chores!  On my ways back, stopped briefly at Tsimshatsui for a bubble tea from Ten Ren, while I was waiting for the tea, I saw iron budhha ice-cream, so I topped up my order.  Everything is made with real tea, so tasty.

We went out for dinner, and I was the head of the table this time.  I both ordered food and paid the bill.  We have a little discussion about the Chinese attitude and attitude to history.  I was glad when the discussion was over, it was hard work!

Sixth Day of Wandering

I got up early again, I went to some of my old haunts.  One of them is a breakfast place, the other is proper grafting market trader.  So I had the best rice noodles and the best tofu all by 7am in the morning.

Some rich family friends came visit.  I insisted in going to a decent place for Cantonese food, and my mother suggested I should just go to some mid-price locations.  I refused to settle for less, I settle with substandard Chinese food year round, and every other year, I would like to have something decent!  I was stuffed by the end of it.

I finally did some shopping, I got a pair of new shoe, a few bit of odds and sorts.  I got a replacement remote for the air conditioning unit.  It has been a productive day.

I headed out for dinner with Hedy.  I managed to tick off a few more on the to-eat list.  I might have made a mistake of going to her flat, because her mom also started ranting about the new mother's stubbornness.  I came home stuffed with Taiwanese goodies from their Taiwan trip!

Fifth Day of Wandering

After so many days of extreme exhaustion, I slept a lot.  I slept so much that I was late for a late gathering!  I was so dizzy that I made a mistake on the metro and caused extra delay!

The baby is in good health, but the new mom is really stressed!  I made my delivery, and I hope my extra treats would cheer her up.

When Karen bailed, I bailed too.  I went to see General Che.  I made a quick visit, a quick wish, then headed into town.

I swing pass a waste centre and threw away the old suitcase.  The staff was very enthusiastic to take it away from me.  I bought a few food stuff to tick off the to-eat list.

When I got home, my mom was asking me IT questions, which makes me suicidal!

Forth Day of Wandering

Hedy and I planned to check out the new bridge, and I wanted to take the opportunity to visit Macau, as I haven't visited since 2002, since the major reclamation / infrastructure programs.

Due to the heat, I didn't sleep well, so I went to have breakfast at dawn.  I saw the shop was making fresh fried bread, so I got some. If it wasn't fresh off the fryer, I wouldn't bother with the empty calories!




The trip to Macau went well.  I finally got to try Portuguese suckling pig!  I also tried salt cod (croquettes).

We walked all over Macau, and I was quite happy we comprehensively ticked off Macau.  I was so tired, I suggested to start making our way home.

By the time we were back in the city, it was nearly 8pm, we had some Cantonese dinner.  The restaurant has some Cantonese food with a modern twist, and I opted for the most boring stuff, understandably!  I am both knackered and stuffed!

Third Day of Wandering

I went to see a new exhibition called Tai Kwun.  As soon as I saw the E hall, I recalled this was Victoria Prison and I visited on the open day when they closed down.


Circa 2005.

The whole site has been regenerated.  Some of the buildings are exhibition and some buildings are restaurants, shops and studios.  We ate at the social enterprise.

Then I went to Icarus' to hang out before heading back into the town for dinner.  My friends decided to take me to a western restaurant...

Second Day of Wandering

We got up early to have breakfast with my cousin.  We ordered a lot of food, some of them by mistake.  It almost looked like I was the only person eating!  I was stuffed.

I went to the dentist for a check-up and got the usual telling off.  Then I was off to the bank, got a few things sorted.  My mom presented me with some more undesirable food, and I told her that we prefer eating out because of her cooking, let's hope the message is sufficiently clear this time.

I stayed home briefly and got bored, so I thought of things that I could 'do' without much effort, so I went to a facial and a haircut.

Queenie and I went to this Japanese ramen place, as seen on the news.  The place and the noodles looked nice, I thought it was a bit salty.  I wouldn't be going back in a hurry.  We stopped for a super matcha dessert, everything was very green.

First Day of Wandering

I didn't particularly liked the long haul Air France's food either.  One of the meals came with a massive chunk of Camembert, I tried it and I wasted it.

I landed, grabbed the luggage and took a bus home.  I splashed out and took the airport bus instead of the slow bus.  I wonder why I haven't been taking the fast bus before!

I only had $7 in change, and insisted on getting a snack before I went home and fed some undesirable food, so I got a skewer of fish siu mai.

As expected, I was fed some undesirable food.  Obvious my mom did not get the message to skip the food, I sent her some 20 hours prior, as soon as I knew I was delayed.

Let the wandering begins.

Wandering

We did as much laundry as we could and ate up as much food from the fridge as we could, we hopped on a taxi and went our separate ways.

I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare.  I rested, went pass security and rested some more. I saw the botb booth, and looked it up. It is some strange raffle mixed in football game.  Just as I got to the gate, the furthest gate at the terminal, I heard my name on the tannoy, which is never a good thing.
As it turned out, the Swiss can be late, they send me onto Air France instead

I had to go back to the airline check in desk, drag my luggage from one end of the airport to another end of the airport, check in with Air France and go thorough security again.

This time, a loads of people getting stopped in my queue at the security, including me.  And apparently instant coffee looks like liquid in the x-ray machine.

The Air France pilot was in a real hurry, he started pushing back before everyone was seated. They did give us a snack, but went I saw the tomato bap, I wanted to cry... It only took 1 hour gate to gate, and the taxiing in Paris was really fast!

After some delay, the plane to Hong Kong was finally ready and off I went.

Sausage Rolls Baps

We were watching a documentary on Belfast Bap.  Some people put sausage rolls in their baps...

Inconveniently Located Burnt

Rachel's oven burnt my elbow.  Tragically located burnt, I am not happy...

Free Compensatory Food

We booked our lunch in town and the kitchen was shut because they lost gas supply.  They took my number wrong, so we turned up disappointed ... They offered us a sandwich, which we gladly accepted.  This is not the first time we got free Compensatory food from them.  How do they make money?

Cloves

We have been using this spice mix for our kedgeree, but I complained about the cloves everytime.  I will definitely flick them out next time!

Lidl Chicken Encrote

I have been saying to Sarah about salmon encroute, so when we saw these chicken encroute, we got them to try.

They were evil as expected, the most evil bit was the bacon flavoured pastry! But I cannot believe how small the chicken was! Both of us were happy to have tried it  but we will get a different encroute elsewhere... 

Homemade Tri Formage Pizza

We tried to use up some old cheeses on a pizza. But since I made the sauce too wet by mistake and the mozzarella were also wet, Sarah's patience ran out and we ate the sloppy pizza. I was quite happy with my day old pizza properly dried out in the oven.  The moral of the story is to make a less wet sauce!

Lidl Challenge Completed

We got this coupon from the newspaper, spend £30 and get £5 off.  I took up the challenge and did well.

Leicester Business Festival

I was clicking around Leicester websites to see what is happening and found Leicester Business Festival.  Perfect opportunity for me to get some free CPD (and other freebies!).

Greek Pastitsio

We finally got around making the pastitsio.  It is nice, and extremely rich...

Urban Myths About Contactless

Someone was boasting about their contactless cards protection.  I remember hearing about this urban myth a while ago, but I never pay attention as it was not from a reputable sources, nor was there any crime statistics associate with the articles.  So I found the details of the contactless card security and sent it across.

Loyalty Programmes

I was in the Food Warehouse, which is a branch of Iceland.  Their offerings are quite good, as good as Aldi next door.  When I was at the cashier, I was offered to join the Iceland loyalty programme.  I can't be dealing with another membership!

Green and Black's Dark 85%

I was given this G&B 85% chocolate bar.  I had G&B 70% before and I was not impressed.  I didn't have high hope on this 85% bar.  It turns out very well, much exceeding expectation.

Rehabilitation Swim

I went for a quick swim with my new swimming costume.  It fits well, the neon pink is no bad thing.

I didn't have goggle and hat with me, so I kept to breast stroke.  I called it after 500 meters, it wasn't a bad start.

Polish Mushroom Soup

I popped into this spiritual something cafe something for a snack, then the cafe is actually partnered with a Polish diner.  I chose a mushroom soup, but I didn't expect it to be a Polish mushroom soup.

It has got wild mushrooms, root vegetables, herbs, some type of stock, it tasted interesting...

Working from Home

I spent all morning clearing up the emails, then Austin turned up with a pile of paperwork.  Let's the work commence.

Two Person Hotpot

We finally broke open the mushroom soup base Sarah got from her visitors.  It tasted okay, and we had suitable amount of food.  I am now dreading the next soup, curry...

Santa in October

We were in town and Leeds City Council has put up a big marquee with information about how to save money in preparation for Christmas.

Sarah said it is not for us, but I countered that freebies are for us!  We popped the head in, chatted with a few people, got a few freebies.

I still cannot believe they put a Santa outside the marquee!  It is only October!

Inferior Food

I went to a restaurant with a heavily discounted menu.  Apparently that's what everyone is having so I also picked from that menu, what a mistake.

The food was horrendous, I might even say it is top 3 of worst ever food I ever had.  The mushroom soup has no sign of mushroom.  The mashed potato was the only food with any flavour on the main course.

I will choose more carefully next time.

Bone Dissolving Dragons

My friend's baby hasn't come yet, and she is already complaining how expensive they are.  I also have witnessed my sister's four bone dissolving dragons.

I will try to help as much as I can.  First up, baby formula.

Biryani Centre

This shop on Granby Street has changed at least 4 times in 5 years.  The latest installment is Biryani Centre, and it maybe here to stay.  Simple and agreeable food, reasonable price, popular with students, I may even go back to try something else next visit.

All Crows Are Black - Engineering

I made a mistake talking the Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge with my friend, and she started ranting about Chinese engineering.  I made a few examples that Swiss engineering on the Ngong Ping cable cars weren't that brilliant either.  Having been working in engineering, I have seen enough bad designs, bad results, much like the rest of globalisation effects, I don't think any countries can boast about their engineering records anymore...

Dubbed Shows

I have been watching some Chinese period drama.  I recognised an actor being a Hong Kong actor, when I read his lips, realised he spoke Cantonese and dubbed into Mandarin.  I wonder if all the other actors are dubbed for the version sold to Hong Kong.

Cedars Lebanese Restaurant

Sarah and I went to try the Cedars Lebanese Restaurant.  We were worry about the food being too rich and we were careful with our starters.  The starters were quite nice.  I always said, if in doubt, chicken rice.  So I had a roasted baby chicken with rice and Sarah had the roasted sea bass.  Both mains were very nice, the serving size were also quite big, we left very satisfied!

Bucatini

As early as when I was in Nashville, I have seen holey spaghetti.  I finally came across some to try.  I was meaning to make pastitsio, but I only made bolognese instead.  They just turned out to be chunky spaghetti.  I will try to make pastitsio in the near future.

Tiny Waitrose Mountsorrel

We stopped at Waitrose hoping for the Fish Friday, only when I walked around the shop to find out this Mountsorrel Waitrose has no fish counter!  It also has no meat or hot food counter.  Noted...

Blatant Double Yellow Parking

I was visiting Sarah on campus, and I saw an ice-cream van blatantly parked on the double yellow.  I said loudly, "WHY ARE THEY PARKING ON DOUBLE YELLOW?!", and I heard some maniacal laughter...

Freestyle Tarka Daal

I liked the tarka daal near Angela's, and we made it a few times.  The previous trials all a bit too wet to my taste, this time I freestyled it.  It tasted very well, I could have put more spice in, otherwise turned out well.  Next time when I finalise the recipe, I will write it down.

Blessing in Disguise

I was listening to Sarah Kendall and she told a story about an old Chinese story.  It is so funny when I hear the Chinese stories being told in English.

Patisserie Valerie is Falling Down

I always knew Patisserie Valerie being in Soho, then it expanded everywhere, I thought it seemed unsustainable.  Then their products were all over Groupon, I bought a Groupon for a meal at one of their sister restaurants, Philpotts.  Then they made the news and I cancelled the Groupon as soon as I could...  I still wonder why they had to expand...

Freestyle Cookies

I had these out of date chocolates and excessively sweet caramelised nuts, I thought I would throw them into an unsweetened cookie base to balance it out.  Sarah was skeptical, but I quite like the turn out.

Expats in Southeast Asia

Two of Sarah's friends were off to Southeast Asia to travel and teach English.  I am sure they will come back with a lot of tales...

Homemade Kedgeree II

We made another kedgeree, made with the best undyed haddock.  This recipe used very little spices, I am not sure it qualified as a kedgeree.  We shall try another recipe another time.

Carr's Deception

We got a packet of Carr's crackers completed with Carlisle's City crest, only when we read the box to find it they were made in the Netherlands.  Even though made in the UK was not why I bought them, but I still feel cheated.

Benito's Hat

We finally got to try Benito's Hat in Leicester.  It was edible. but it was not cheap.  I will take Taco Bell over them anyday.  I am not sure Sarah would go as far.

Canadian Bread Flour

I have been having bread machine bread daily as planned.  The bread made with the Canadian bread flour is so good!

Fibrous Chocolate

As part of the recovery preparation, we read up what is high fiber food.  Dark chocolate is on the list of high fiber food, but obviously we are not suppose to eat a lot of it.

Then when we saw two marked down desserts, we were going to get only one, the chocolate dessert that I wanted has twice the fiber than the cheesease that Sarah wanted!  Anyway, we bought both!

Let's the Recovery Begin

After getting the surgery and recovered at the hospital for two days, I was finally discharged and got back to Leicester.  Let's the recovery begin...

Cocoa Tree Manchester

Angela and Sofy came to see me in the hospital and brought chocolate.  The chocolate was from an Artisan shop called Cocoa Tree.  I was still very drowsy, but I dived straight into the dark chocolate covered coffee beans.  They are some of the nicest I had before!

Autumn Mowing

I was hoping the mower will hoover up the leaves, most of the leaves are now left around the edges.  Maybe I should have raked them into the lawn first...  Let see if I need another mow in November...

Konjac Rice

Konjac should never be made into rice shape, as it has no taste or texture reassembles rice...

English Miso Paste

I got some Asda Miso paste, horrible!  It is so bad, I am throwing it out!

Spirulina Bread

We are still looking for ways to use up the spirulina, and I suggested to add some into the bread.

It might have affected the yeast, and the bread did not rise as much as normal.

It tasted okay, it could be the way we use them up.  It is important to fortify homemade bread!

Sharwoods Japanese Katsu Curry

I got this to try, and I won't be getting this again.  It tastes nothing like a normal Katsu curry...

Dolfin Crystallised Orange Dark Chocolate Bar

I didn't know what to expect when I got this orange chocolate bar, everything is in French.  It tastes good, tastes like posh chocolate orange with will candied peels.  I am glad I tried, but I am not buying it again.

Taiwanese Noodles

We finally tried the Taiwanese noodle package we got from the supermarket.  I explained to Sarah what is lo mein, and how Taiwanese food is very flavoursome.  The noodles are nice, but I did not like the vinegar...  Also the amount of chilli flakes is quite impossible, luckily we didn't add all of it.  I think I will assign the sauce to other noodles I have at home at a larger quantity, and I will reassign the nice noodle with a nice broth.

Biohazard

biohazard noun
bio·haz·ard | \ ˈbī-ō-ˌha-zərd \
Definition of Biohazard : a biological agent or condition that is a hazard to humans or the environment also : a hazard posed by such an agent or condition

Someone at work used the word biohazard to describe basic biology...  When something clearly not normally hazardous...

Little Rome Hibernation

I took Little Rome for a final spin of the year and put her on a paddock stand ready for hibernation.  The list of remedial works is getting very long.  Let see if she gets up from the hibernation...

Spam Automated Phonecalls

The automated spam phone calls are getting more sophisticated.  I received a phone call, I usually wait to tell them to get delete me off the list, it took me a few seconds to realise it was a recorded message.  There is no need to be polite to a machine, so I just hung up.

Konjac Shopping

We have loads of Konjac products at home and they are making into the mainstream in the UK.  I am now stockpiling them for the next few months when I want to take in extra fiber.

There are some in mainstream supermarkets, but I found some bulk buy discount online, perfect.

Left Clicking Shoulder

My right clicking shoulder is clicking less, and now my left shoulder started clicking...  When I do the strengthening exercises, I do on both.  Why is it still bad?  I am attributing all my tendon issues to the stupid medication, let's hope it will all return to normal by end of the year...

English Chorizo

I got some real Spanish made chroizo from Lidl. I finally got around cooking them.  I am not convinced they are better than the English chorizo!

Manchester Hipster Cafes

I was catching up with various people in Manchester. 

I went to Trove for a scrambled eggs on sourdough and coffee.  The bread was good, the scrambled eggs were sickeningly rich, and the coffee was small!

Then went to The Elk for a cake and another coffee.  The coffee and walnut cake was good, but it was a bit of a cheat and it was not cut right!  The cafe was a normal sponge, and the only coffee was in icing and the only walnut was on or in the icing.

Tesco Flu Jab

I was planning about my upcoming recovery period.  I thought I would get a flu jab despite I hate the needle.  This year's flu fab just came out and I am one of the earliest recipient.  After a screening and a consent form and a little chit chat, I got the jab.  The jab was not as horrible as some other vaccine.  Let see if this will save me from flu this winter.  It was horrendous last year!

Cold Killers

My used Cold Killers gloves served us well on our trip.  I saw more Cold Killers promotion, so I now have a complete set of Cold Killers gloves, socks and Maxi-Tube!  I can't wait to try them.

Little Valued Rome

After the long trip, I wonder if Little Rome needs to be retired.  I looked online, some slightly younger Little Romes still worth some money, but when I look at free valuation, they wouldn't give her one...

Leather Trousers on the Road

I finally tried on the leather trousers on the road.  It is a bit scratchy.  They hug the legs better.  I am not completely sold on leather yet.

Poussin

I got a poussin on marked down, so I proceeded in cooking it.  I ended up poaching it, and the juice is turned into a broth.  Good buy!

Aldi Vegetable Savory Snacks

I tried the lentil crisps and the pop outs, both nice, I will be getting them again.

Heritage Open Day - Calderdale Industrial Museum

This year we went to Calderdale Industrial Museum as part of Heritage Open Day.  The museum has a good and large collection with volunteers familiar with exhibits.  It was a good visit.

Typhoon and Hurricane

My sister was amazed how hurricane ravages the States, and declaring it uninhabitable.  This is when a typhoon is ravaging Hong Kong.  Surely none of these is making the cities more uninhabitable than a country regularly reaches over 40C.

Motorcycle Cleaning

After the long trip, I washed my motorcycle jacket and trousers, as well as the motorcycle.  It was a lot of work to get the armour in and out, but I am glad it is done, and I won't have to worry for a while.  The dirt from Shetland and Orkney are also washed off, disgusting...

Shetland and Orkney Grand tour Day 8 + 2

On my way from Edinburgh, I stopped by the supermarket to fuel up.  I also picked up a few Scottish food stuff for the guys at work.


I saw the sign to Scott's View, so I followed the sign.  I remember being there in winter, it was a bit different!


I stopped at Leaderfoot and the borders to take a few pictures.


I stopped at Corbridge Roman Town just when their guided tour started, perfect timing.


I only just got home before 6pm, it was a long day!

Shetland and Orkney Grand tour Day 8 + 1

We are back in Aberdeen and we has a quick drive around in Aberdeen.





Then we meet again in Arbroath for lunch.  I took the A92 scenic coastal route.  It was for the better, it was windy and the road is slower.  I finally get to try the Arbroath Smokies, aka hot smoked Haddock. We had it fresh off the barrel.



Then we meet again in Edinburgh!  It was very gusty after I left Arbroath!  I also crossed both Tay Bridge and Queensferry Bridge.  I picked Sarah up from Haymarket, and spent 20 minutes to travel the 1.5 miles due to road works and traffic jams.  Horrendous.


After a rest and a sugar boost, I caught up with my old friend from Vanderbilt.  We spent some time talking about life as expat.

Shetland and Orkney Grand tour Day 8

Our final day in Orkney was planned for the mainland.  We set out ambitiously to see everything in one day.  We had our work cut out with forecast rain and wind. We had a Bere Bannock to fuel us for the day.  It was dry and filling!



We packing everything and set off to Maes Howe, followed by Skara Brae, Kirbister Museum, Birsay.  We managed to avoid most of the rain!



We found Twatt then we stopped at this wool workshop before stopping at Broch of Gurness.





We were not doing bad in time, so we fueled up and headed to Italian Chapel, although I thought it was going to be open till 6pm, they were shut before 6pm.

We went all the way to South Ronaldsea had a seafood dinner before heading back to hostel.  We got back before 8pm, all in good time for the ferry.

We utilised the facilities one last time, showering and having hot drinks and free snacks before heading to terminal.  Let's hope the ferry ride is smooth to Aberdeen!

Shetland and Orkney Grand tour Day 7

The ferry for Sanday leaves at 9am, meaning we had an early start. We got to the pier just as the ferry mooring in.

Sanday is relatively easy to navigate and the roads are acceptable, although the carpark near the beaches are sandy! We sent to the Craft hub in Kettletoft for a little shopping excursion and a little chat.

They have 2 community funded community centres with tea and coffee making facilities. We have a rather leisurely, we even have time to revisit some beaches in low tide!

Shetland and Orkney Grand tour Day 6

It was the first foggy day on the bike, we headed to Houton for the ferry to Hoy.

We first went to Walls via the causeway, then back up to Hoy.  The Sun was trying to come out, but we drove into the cloud.  We were wet and cold, we followed the sign to the only cafe in Moaness, at first just looking for a hot drink, which turned into lunch.

We went to Rackwick knowing we had no time for the Old Man of Hoy.

As we headed south, the Sun has cut thorough the fog in the south.

After we got off the ferry, we went to a local butcher at Stormness for some Orkney beef.

We went back to Kirkwall via Ring of Bodgar.  Whilst Sarah was looking around, I drove around the mainland hoping to find the Twatt sign, but they were not at a convinently locations for photographs.

Shetland and Orkney Grand tour Day 5

We had our big breakfast at the B&B.  Their cooked salmon scrambled eggs were much better than the one from Hepworth!  We popped to the fish shop next door to get some fish for dinner.  Then we went to the heritage centre and post office. We got some crab claws for lunch!  We also had the time to watch for seals.

On the ferry back, the weekly Papa Westray loading took much longer than scheduled.  One the other hand, we saw how they craned livestock on board!





We had ths fish we bought for dinner, it tasted very nice and fresh, we wish we had bought more!

Shetland and Orkney Grand tour Day 4

We began our first day of Orkney.  We put all the luggage at store and went to town on foot.  We had a look around St Magnus Cathedral.  What stood out was the tomb stones in the cathedral mostly included imagery of scull and bones, weird!

The Orkney Museum was small but it was very comprehensive.  Sarah is into the prehistoric bits, and I am into Vikings and medieval.  I made a Viking rubbing to declare my love in Runes.

 

We stopped at the bakeries and got some local lunch and headed to Westray.

We took the shuttle to town and got a hire bike to go to Papa Westray.   It started raining just as we set sail, and rained the whole time we were there!

We had seafood platter and monk fish for dinner, they were nice and fresh.  The taste was reinforced by the image of clean water surrounding here!  I cannot wait to have more seafood this trip!

Shetland and Orkney Grand tour Day 3

On our last day of Shetland, we went south.  The road and the scenery was good.





We stopped at Jarlshof, and it was impressive.



We continued south to Sumburgh head  their cafe was really good! Both the food and the perfect view.



We then went to the Croft House Museum it was very complete. We spent longer than planned.  The Croft House features real dried fish and real hung lamb breasts!

We went back into town, crossed around and stopped at Shetland Museum for a quick look around.

We boarded the ferry and headed South.