Mild Winter

There is mild winter, but this is a hot winter!  Winter is not over yet, but it has been very warm!  Just need a bit of rain to wash off the salt then we are ready to go!

Bike Hunting: Plastic Matching

For the comfort of the passenger, I really need a top box.  Coincidentally, this one was missing.  After a lot of shopping and deliberation, I decided to went with the matching top box.  It is costing an arm and a leg, let's hope it all worth it.

GWPA Holdings 583

I had some SCMP 583.  It stopped trading, it was bought and sold, now it is GWPA Holdings.  On my regular account checks, I found the share prices plunged.  You win some you lose some...

La La Land

We only just watched this movie on BBC.  Sarah hated it and I was indifferent.  We don't understand how it won so many Oscars...

Bike Hunting - Triumph Sprint

Whilst I was trying bigger bikes, the dealer slashed the price on a Sprint, I reserved for a demo.

The bike rides well, good power, I am still not biggest fan of a triple!  Despite the size, it is still manageable, the centre stand is so easy to use!  Let's go for it!

Reformed Fish

I cannot believe the canteen now serves reformed fish on fish Friday! I felt cheated!

Returned

I couldn't call this lost and found, when I don't even know it was lost!  Apparently I dropped my driving licence, and luckily someone picked it up and posted it back to me.  Lucky day.  I needed it this weekend!

Red Miso

I tried red miso for the first time.  It tastes slightly different, tastes slightly more "fermented".  I am not sure I would pay more for the red miso, I will just stick with the cheaper white miso.

Spring Gardening

It has been dry for many days, but when I mowed the lawn, it was still soft.  It is good for the weed and feed entering the soil.  

One of the two chilli plants has signs of new growth, but the other looks a little dead, let see new compost can revive them.

I have extracted another 3 baby aloe plants.  Why can't it just stop reproducing already!

Heilemann Orange Edel-Bitter 62%

I got these Heilemann from the Manchester Christmas Market.  I finally got around to this one.  This tastes very nice, and it has 0.8% orange pulps.

Bike Hunting - Desktop Study

I started looking at the power and torque curves against rpm.  I can now explain my likes and dislikes, and I have set benchmarks.

I want something has torque everywhere, and I want the low and mid range power.  That has actually ruled out Street Triple and VFR.

Why didn't I start with the graphs!

Jem SpeedShop

We stopped by Jem SpeedShop to look at bikes.  The place was nice, people were nice.

Bike Hunting - Yamaha MT-07

Steve has no faith in Yamaha's workmanship, but I took Julie's advise that I should try everything, I cannot pass up this "award winning" bike.

The bike looks very underwhelming, but when I start riding, it is a little stallion!  It is very smooth for a twin engine.  Apart from the nakedness, it is possible.  Helen said I should consider a Tracer, which is essentially an MT-07 with fairing and luggage, but I just cannot see myself on it!

After consulting the power curves, MT-07 has a lot of usable power and usable torque!  This has struck out Street Triple from the running!

Bike Hunting - CBF1000

Since I was thinking about the GSX1250, I have to gibe CBF1000 a fair chance.  Steve said if it is bright coloured, it is less an old man bike.  It felt and looked every bit practical...

Brexit Loket

The Dutch knows how to make something cute, Brexit Loket, or was that a side effect of the herbal cigarette?

Leeds City Centre Parking

I rarely drive into Leeds in the middle of working day.  I knew it would be horrendous, but I made a mistake and it was worse.  I could have stopped at NCP, but I was shocked at the price, even thought I would claim it back, it was still ridiculous.  Then I had to drive around, got lost, tried to park somewhere else that was full.  That's why I like a motorcycle!

Benchmarking

I finished the BS7671 training course and went for the exam.  I got only 88%, which is going to be a benchmark for my colleagues.  I think it is a good benchmark, it is a reputable mark, and it is achievable target by others, let's hope this give them some motivation.

HIIT Exhaustion

I listened to Joe Wicks in a podcast, and I thought his HIIT would be something Sarah wants.  I did one round of HIIT and I threw in the towel, I blame it on the cold.  Sarah did 3 rounds. she did well!

Leicester Comedy Festival - Laura Monmoth LGBTQXZ

We went to see Laura Monmoth in Leicester Comedy Festival.  We saw the title and thought we would give it a shot.  It was a small audience, and she said it was a lot more than when she was in Edinburgh.  The audiences were over 90% white and straight, very not a representative sample size of this city.  It was interesting, I was a bit peeved off when she said a Korean peeping Tom sign was from Hong Kong.  Sarah paid into the bucket, and I said "Good Job", we have done our community service.

Leicester Comedy Festival - Alfie Moore

We went to see Alfie Moore in Leicester Comedy Festival.  The audiences were over 95% white and straight, very not a representative sample size of this city.  He didn't do his fair cop thing, he just told a story, which was interesting.  I shook his hand on my way out.

Brexit Stash II

Tesco has been doing this promotion on fuel, and I have been trying to fill my order to £50.  My Brexit stash has got a lot bigger!

Hovis Granary Flour

Sarah has always wanted to bake the granary bread at home.  Since I was aiming to get the Tesco offer,  I was filling the order to £50, I added the flour into the basket.

The bread came out very soft, too soft, otherwise it was nice.  Two more loaves to go.

Flying Pasta

I put the lunch boxes on the passenger seat without having put them in a cooler bag first, when on the last 10 yards as I park, the pasta flew out of the seat and landed on the mat.  I was so lucky that it was in tack!  I mustn't do it again!

Bike Hunting - GSX1250F

I thought about Honda CBF1000, except it is really OAP style, then I saw the GSF1250.  It has got power, it has got fairing, it looks better than old bandit, and it has better fuel mileage than the Street Triple.  Let see what Steve has to say about it.

Bike Hunting - Street Triple 765

One of the newer, bigger version of the Street Triple is available at a reasonable price.  I thought about it.  The most appealing feature of the new bike isn't the programmable riding, isn't the bigger power, but the better gas mileage.  But there were plenty of comments about the injection line being jerky, and I really not sure I can make use of that excess power and the programming, so I have abandoned the idea.

Porky dumplings

Just so it happens, I got some chopped pork from the other day, so I made some dumplings.  I could not be bothered with getting expensive chives, so I thought I will try with wood ear.  At first I was very light handed with my seasoning, and that proves to be way too porky!  When I drenched it in soy and sesame, that tastes better.  Happy New Year!

Bike Hunting - Street Triple Limited Edition

Limited edition could be a good thing if that thing is sought after.  The limited power Street Triple is sought after by the new riders and nobody else.  This limited edition is limiting.  The Triumph dealer is right, why get a restrict yourself when you have a full licence.

Slideshows

I was given a homework, and I am trying to ace it.

I have done a few training slideshows for training recently, but they didn't have to look perfect.  I cannot be believe I already spent over 40 hours on this thing!

Brexit Stash

I have a always have a stash of food long before it become "advised".  I have to meet some threshold to use some vouchers.  When I cannot think of what to get from Waitrose I get the middle class staple, cous cous.  That now adds onto my stash.