Dodgy Digital TV

I thought digital is meant to be better,  why some channels were scrambled.   Why wasn't it all scrambled?  Strange. 

The National Museum of Computing

The National Museum of Computing has an impressive collection of computing history artifacts.   The (expensive)  entry fee is needed just for the upkeep of these machines.   There are old video games and programmable robots you could play with. 

On the other hand,  these are all available online. 

Starship Milton Keynes

We put an order for the Starship to bring us some toasties and coffee.   It took longer than if we have walked,  but it was fun watching robotics at work. 

Water Park in Winter

Water park in the Winter always look sad.  Obviously they cannot be bothered to staff them,  otherwise I prefer going to these places in low seasons. 

Tart Risotto

I have some lemon around,  so I thought I would try it once,  adding lemon juice to a risotto,  like Jamie said.   Not again. 

Scrumptious Garlic Bread

We tried the Jamie Oliver garlic tear and share bread.   Looks good tastes good,  albeot a bit messy when rolling.

NPR - A Cash Carol

Planet Money's Supply Chain Holiday Extravaganza reckons we should avoid deadweight loss, give cash!

Merry Christmas.

Holiday Guards Down

Holiday,  another reason for a Winter spike of flu and covid,  people lets their guard down.   Classic,  the devil makes work for idle hands;   just another devil's work,  killing off your kinsman.

Merry Christmas. 

Freedom of Speech - Cancelled

If all the dissenting ideas are silenced, there is only one winner, authoritarians.

These days, authoritarians get to keep their hands clean by way of cancel culture.  We are stopping all the dissenting views, so they don't have to.

Defend Free Speech.

AWOL Dog

My neighbour's big guard dog decided another neighbour smells funny,  so ran after him instead of holding the fort.  The whole family was in panic mode when they found out the dog was not there.  Luckily the other neighbour was also a dog owner and led the dog back.   Disaster averted,  happy reunion. 

Hassleback Potato

We have been meaning to try making Hassleback potato.   Jamie has put it in his new show, in place of the normal roasties.   We took he opportunity to use the oven to make them.

They are nice, the prep were not too onerous.  I like the spoon method,  I will try the spike method next. 

It is always good to give them a quick start with the microwave.

Modern Fog Horn

Modern fog horn sounds very digital,  I am not convinced it is sufficiently low frequency to transmit a lot distance as the old ones.  On the other hand,  it maybe less objectionable to the land dwelling inhibitants in the evenings. 

East Coast Birds

In the no take zone of the shore, it states wading birds. Who takes wading birds?

 

East Coast Seals

Sarah saw some seals in Selwicks Bay. So we went to Flamborough Head looking for seals.

There were some in Selwicks Bay.

Then there were loads at the Drinking Dinosaur.

Talbot Yard Malton

We finally paid a visit to Talbot Yard.

Bluebird is like the other like Bluebird.

Florian macaroon was as good as promised.   Hot chocolate was made to order. 

Santa Suzuki Came Early

I actually won something from a lucky draw.   Thanks Suzuki! 

Unimpressive Electric Bicycle

I had a go on an electric bike, which was a bit big for me, the ergonomics was all wrong.  I thought I would still take it, consider I wouldn't be cycling very hard, especially I wasn't going very far.  How wrong was I.

Apparently electric bike can no longer be self-propelled, which is fine.  The motor output levels didn't differ very much at different levels.  The ride was good with the assist on, it was easy, it doesn't lurch much, you could just feel it if you are at the right gear at the right acceleration phase.

Just when I was going to return the bike, the battery died.  It died when it was still showing 2 (of 5) bar and only did 22 miles, which it was rated for 40.  I had to cycle this heavy bike, which is hard work when they bike wasn't setup right ergonomically.

That is another no from me.

Electrifying the existing bike would be a better idea.

Cycle The Solar System

Sarah told me about this Cycle the Solar System cycle path. I was not sure how we would visit, with only one bike transportable. Meanwhile the Halfords Electric Bike Trial has returned, and this would be a good trail to test it on.

It would not be difficult to see when I was on the Brompton, when I was on the electric bike.

If there were the next installation for Alpha Centuri, it would beover 70000km, which is nearly twice Earth circumference.  Surely they can find a route around the earth (not circumference maximum) to call the next point here?

Ugly Bread

There were so many loaves of breads behind the counter,  why was I given the ugly one.  It isn't even the nearest one.   Am I unlucky?  Are they racist?  Are they homophobic?  Or they are just "saving the good one for the regulars?"

Undressed Babka

We finally got a Street Lane Bakery babka.  She said it was fresh out the oven, that may explain why it was not (yet) coated in syrup, which is fine, I don't really like it oversweetened.

 

Harrogate Christmas Fayre

We have been to Harrogate Christmas Market before,  it was two days in November at the bottom of town,  aka mud bath.

They revamped it,  made it 10-days,  put the stall on the hard in town, call it Christmas Fayre.  They even put out a free circular road train.   They wanted to bring shoppers in so much,  they threw in mid-week parking. 

We had a walk around,  we did spend some money in Harrogate,  althought not with the market.  It was a nice little market. 

Existential Test Question

There was a test question,  where is oxygen.  They were hinting,  oxygen density is about middle of all the other gases,  hence middle.   But it would never be fully stratifed,  so if there is 1% or even 0.1% oxygen in a given volume of air,  there is still oxygen.   But apparently that is too deep for the instructor. 

Programming Jobs

Miguel got a programming job,  Pete also knows his friend moved into programming app.   Still nobody tells me what lauguage they want and at what competency level! 

Aging Smart Phone

My primary phone is losing charge very quick, probably due to aging.  I can either keep it on stamina mode and make it a little dumb or gave in and buy a power bank. 

I finally bought my first power bank... 

Spiral Fries

One of the catering boxes in Knaresborough Christmas Market was selling spiral fries.   They want £3.5 for ONE potato!?!?!?

Knaresborough Christmas Market

This is the second time we went to Knaresborough Christmas Market.   Brass band,  Town Cryer,  Christmas traders,  Yorkshire weather,  everything is delivered as promised. 

In Harrogate Do As The Harrogaters Do

We were in Harrogate,  it is really different to Leeds and even Knaresborough.   It is hard to describe.   I have to stop my face from twitching and not jaw drop when I see  prices. 

Street Food

If you cannot hold it with one hand, eat it with another whilst walking, it is not street food.

Street food: cone of chops, "cone" of scampi, fried chicken wings/drum sticks, hot dog,  etc.

Not street food: fish and chips,  whole pizza,  grilled quarter/half/whole chicken,  dosa,  donner kabab, etc

Planet Saving Shivering

In the name of carbon reduction,  I have managed to keep the heating off till now!   New record. 

Modern Blue Screen of Death

These days,  you don't get a blue dos screen,  you get a blue screen sad emoticon...

Black Friday Shoe Craze

In the name of "black Friday",  I bought 3 pairs of shoes!   This time I have given them a thorough check on arrival.   Lets hope they are as comfortable as they are nice. 

Baked Camembert

I got a camembert, I wasn't sure what to do with it.  I ended up doing the classic baked camembert, it was nice, there was still a hint of sock-ness.  I prefer other soft melty cheeses.

Stormy Snowy Weekend

With the Storm Arwen, bringing on wind and snow.  I parked my car away from the trees, just in case.  The tree look wonkier than normal.   I just cosy up at home all weekend.  Just when I thought the storm was gone, and took the washing out, the forecast changed, and I had to bring them all back in.  Winter has come.  

Nescafe Roastery

I picked up the Nescafe Roastary coffee because of the tin,  it really was not worth it.   Nice tin tho. 

South Park Post Covid

I watched South Park Post Covid, so sad.  Kenny became a scientist, nobel laureate, philanthropist and died trying to save us.

Kenny, RIP.

 

Black Friday Air Fryer

I saw this on the Black Friday sale, and I was tempted. With some luck, I secured it in a shop nearby, so I got it.  I didn't need it to be fancy, I just want something to substitute for my big gas-fired non-convection oven.

I tried it on some arancini, worked very well.

It reminds me of toaster oven, let's see how much I can electrify my cooking.

Bye Bye Antenna Pod

 I have used AntennaPod for some 6 years.  It has rejected my old phone, and I tried everything.  I have given up, so let see if other app are any better.

Try Glue

One of the buttons on one of my old gadgets kept falling off.   I resigned to losing it,  like all the other button,  then I thought I should try glue as a last ditch attempt.  It was double sided tape to start with, glue wasn't a million miles away.   It is holding so far,  fingers crossed. 

Fully Utilised

 This makes me very happy. 

The Ground Beneath My Feet Original title: Der Boden unter den Füßen

 

I am not sure I would call it psychological thriller.   I am happy the sex and sexuality of the character didn't matter in this movie,  and so it happens these psychopaths were women.  Moral of the story,  don't sleep with your boss. 

Amy's Kitchen

I have heard about Amy's Kitchen from Bon Appetite.  We finally tried one of their product, which was actually quite nice. 

Old Wii Fit

We set up an old Wii for a friend, and Wii Fit was more elementary than I expected.  Only when you revisit old tech, you realise Nintendo made a lot of improvement on Wii Fit to make Wii Fit Plus. 

Paddy's Perfect Partner

We finally found Paddy's perfect partner, a pair of speakers!  Now it is actually good for watching TV. 

Midweek Betty's Queue

Why is there a massive queue outside Betty's midweek for lunch?  Tourists?  Who has been advertising Yorkshire's worst kept secret?  When can I go to avoid queue? 

Cheat Paratha

We watched new Nadiya's show, it is quite jaw dropping.  I am not sure about the cheat paratha... 

Crisps Shortage

I cannot believe there is a crisps shortage in the home of potatoes.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

We finally watched Portrait of a Lady on Fire.  Sarah thought it was painfully slow, I thought it was a million times better than Ammonite, not in terms of story line and pace.  And in term of nudity, explicity, this was very calm for a French film.

Fresh Rainbow Trouts

We were walking around Lindley Wood, and found Farnley Fish Farm on the map, so I rang up for some fish.  She literally took the fish our of the pond, and they were flipping when we got there.

Few hours later, I threw them onto the charcoal, and viola!

Shopping Stamina

We went on a shopping spree to tick off all the Christmas presents.  Our first stop was Haribo, but before we got there we were drawn into the new deli next door, Goodworth Brothers extended their butcher shop and opened a deli.

I was disappointed not to see marked down halloween candy, but was immediately cheered up with a freshly baked warm sausage roll.

We went onto Junction 32, after round 1, I needed to stop for a coffee.  I am not sure if it was the mask, the lockdown/reduced shopping practice, or the lack of sleep, I felt my shopping stamina has dropped!

After round 2 of shopping, we sat down for lunch.  Still knackered, I sat out the shopping in The Springs.  I had to save whatever energy I had to do a roast dinner!

Orthostatic Intolerance

Apparently suspension trauma is now classified as a type of orthostatic intolerance.  And the two fainting episodes when I was small, might actually have been OI, not heat stroke.  Moral of story, don't make children stand up for a long duration.

Woodlans Creation - Chestnut II

We picked more chestnuts for the council. This time we took the seeds out.  Each pod has 3-4 chestnuts the middle ones are bigger and juicier, hence squirrels would have eaten them, then then remainder chestnuts are very thin.  I am not convinced these seeds will be viable. 

Inferiority Complex

I know someone who, no matter what the topic was on, will say "American are worse".  I was trying to work out why that was, and I can only think it is inferiority complex or plain ignorant, or a bit of both. 

Portable Heat Pump

I was wondering what can a small household do to reduce carbon emission.  We already minimize power use.  Replacing a boiler with a heat pump has a very long pay pack for a small home, and the neighbours may not like the compressor noises.  Then it dawned on me, portable heat pump!  Especially if you have a single floor, where can you just push it around to the room needing to be heated.   I did some rough calculation, it will saves about 40% of your heating needs, but then if our baseline is low, it still has a very long pay back.

Thruscross Reservior

Continue with the Yorkshire Water walks, we went to Thruscross Reservior.  In their description, they have mentioned steep muddy banks riddled with tree roots, but they did not mention about exposed moorland!  I was hoping there would be pizza, but the Yorkshire Pizza guy is no longer there!  Also, we were going to have a peep at the fancy caravans, and they literally up staked a few weeks ago!

Doner Kebab

I never had doner kebab, or gyros, or shawarma, apparently they all meant the same thing.  And I am under the impression that only drunk people have them.  Anyway, I had a chicken doner, for the first time, for lunch at a Turkish restaurant.  It was acceptable.  I definitely wouldn't like the reformed lamb doner.

Dirty Black Vehicles

When we were small, we were told dark colour clothes hide stains.  The same is not true for cars!  My black bike looks dirtier than my white bike ever used to look!

Waterproofing II

With the perceived success with the shoes waterproofing, I proceeded to NikWax my motorcycle gears.  It is more a placebo wash, with a fraction of recommended amount, out of date for 18 years.  It is good to give the motorcycle gear a wash, now the Summer is over, we can wash off a few flies.  The process of preparing motorcycle gear to wash was never easy, all the pads out, all the pockets emptied.

Let's hope there is some improvement.

Honest Government Ad | COP26 Climate Summit

 Sometimes you laugh whilst crying inside.

Van Houten

I only just found out the Van Houten chocolate was names after a person Van Houten.

Smart Meter - Base Load

I thought Smart Meter is a bit pointless to independent user like me.  But I did find some useful information, baseload.  I am happy that my baseload is quite small, on the other hand, I am not sure what baseload I can actually remove...

Greenwashing

It is a bit unfair to single out Shell when everyone is greenwashing. But Joe is funny.

Waterproofing

The rain has come and it is time to waterproof gear for the wet season.  I always see these products in outdoor shop but I never buy them.  As Sarah cleared out her store room, there is bottles and bottles of this stuff.  They are 'vintage'!  We must use them up!  Let hope they still work!

Livesey Brothers Mushrooms

My sister told me how she get spent compost from mushroom farms and get the final harvest of the mushrooms.  I have looked up mushroom farms, but I couldn't see any near me. 

The I read about Livesey Brothers from one of Waitrose's publication.  It is not the furthest diversion from Leicester, so I went to have a look.

They do sell composts, but I am not sure these one will regrow.  I did get a mixed pack and a king oyster pack.  Very fresh, very clean, excellent.  We will definitely shop there again. 

Differently Curated History

When I watch Oriental history in English, I am always complaining they are too simplified.

Then when one of the video mentioned a homosexual emperor in Han and his "coyote ugly" with his male favourite, I finally appreciate there is benefit to the different curation.

Woodland Creation - Conkers

I was adament I should try to pick all the big 4.  I thought I would just check out a small park in Wetherby.  As soon as I walked under the few big trees, I recognised the leaves as conkers, bingo!  So the leave litter was making it very hard, so I systematically sweep the leaves with my feet and try to spot the conkers.  There were not many conkers left, I assume kids might have picked some conkers earlier in the Autumn, do they still?  I managed to pick a dozen or two, mission complete!

Brompton Chain Replacement II

So everything looks fine on the bike in the resting position.  After Sarah told me to do a test ride, I did, and failed.  The chain was clearly too short!  I counted the teeth again, it is definitely 50 front teeth and 13 back teeth, 98L according to the website. 

I got the chain cutter back and added another 2, back to 100L.   I still don't understand why it wasn't 98L!

Woodland Creation - Beech II

I went to pick more beech nuts, now it is under the leave litter make them so much harder to pick.  Also I started processing them, taking them out of their shells, the haul looks a lot less impressive.

GSR Wheel Removal

I got the right socket for the wheel nut.  The wheel removal is straight forward.  This bike's caliper is not upside down, which  makes dropping the wheel easier.  Let's hope wheel install as easy.

Woodland Creation - Meanwood

I finally went to a ranger-led Woodland Creation event.  Because it is ranger-led, Chris showed us different trees rather then the big four.

Yew - seed is in the red berry, which is sticky and poisonous to human.

Lime - which I later found out it is also known as Linden or Lilia.

American Oak - bigger leaves with pointier leaves, acorns come every few years, and acorns sometime are not fully formed protruding nut.

Hanging birch - aka downy birch, the kind of seed pod that disburse their tiny transluscent seeds all over your car.

Holly - apparently not all holly bush has berries.

Hornbeam - It looks a little like Beech's leaves but double serrated edges, seed is attached to a wing.

Chain Replacement After Thought - Chainring

On a freewheel, chainrain and gears only subject to force on direction.  After I replaced the chain, seeing the worn chainring, I had a light bulb moment, "why can't I just flip it?".

I could just flip it, I would have to take a crank off, which is a lot of hassle and needs a couple specialist tools.  Nevermind!

Chain Replacement After Thought - Quick Links

Most chain these days come with quick links.  I never used quick link before, but Matt seems to be happy with them.  I see quick link as a quick repair kit on the road, not necessary for a permanent fix, unless you regularly take the chain off to clean down gears.

On the other hand, relinking a chain takes skills and not brute force.  Some light weight outer plate is susceptible to crushing.

Brompton Chain Replacement

Using the chain wear indicator, it says the chain is over 0.75 wear, therefore due replacement.  Leeds Bike Mill Amanda told me these Brompton uses narrow chain.  Amanda also reminded me to check the number of links from manual, not from previous replacement.

I have changed chains before, and I never had to worry about any of these, just a standard chain and repeat the last setup. 

Armed with this information, I did some research. Because Brompton is like a fixed gear bike, chain is not expected to move laterally, so narrow chain 3/32" will be better suited for application.  Brompton customer service was not particular helpful in helping me to determine the number of links required, but their website does have a guide, it also confirmed 3/32" chain.  So I counted up the teeth and confirmed it needed 98 links.

When I read up what 0.75 means, 0.75 means 0.75%, and that is enough to cause extra movement between chain and sprocket to cause undue wear!

I double checked on the Brompton, the old chain was definitely sliding sideway, unnecessarily.  I got the chain and the tool ready, lo and behold, the old chain had 100 links!  Maybe the reduced tension caused accelerated deterioration?  

When the chain is off, I can see there is visible wear on the chainring, so let's hope it holds.  I gave the rear sprocket a good clean.  

I cut the new chain to size, put it side by side with the old chain, unperceivable.  So the combination of the roller wear and the chain stretch making 0.75% difference to the original chain.  I took the rollers to check, also unperceivable, even on caliper.

I fitted the new chain and it seems okay.

Painting Prep

With the last bit of the paint, it is just enough to paint another wall, and I decided it to be in the living room.  I gave it a wipe and brush down already, but you always find holes in close up.  So I filled in all the holes, and rubbed them down.  Surely it is painting time now!

Lay Tea Leicester

We tried a new bubble tea shop, Lay Tea.  The tea is quite substandard and on the expensive side, but the straw is compostable.  Was that what I paid for?

Leeds Bike Mill Bike Maintenance

Leeds Bike Mill delivered basic bike maintenance on behalf of Cycle North.  So I brought Miles to the training and took the opportunity to learn more about a Brompton.  

I gave Miles a good clean, and found a few bald spots.  There are specialist tools I don't have at home, and it was handy to check Miles chain with a proper chain guide.  I was going to get a chain from them, but she told me I should use a narrow chain.

Good workshop.

Whittard Shortbread

We had some Whittard shortbread, and they tasted extremely evil.  I read their ingredients list, they are the classic 3 ingredients shortbread, sugar, flour, butter.  I have since adopted the 4 ingredients shortbread with corn flour.  Now I think the 3 ingredients shortbread is evil!

Equality Opportunity Gun Violence

Sometimes you come across a news story that buck the stereotype, you are happy that equal opportunity exists, albeit not a nice way.

So this off-duty female cop of East Asian descent shot her lover and lover's lover.  Silver lining - equal opportunity in action.

Brompton Technical Support

I want to double check something with Brompton.  I have used their webchat, except it was a video and audio webchat, I was probably better off just telephone them.

I have asked them a technical question, and their response was showing me their website and directed me to their authorized dealer.  I wonder what kind of questions are they can actually answer.

Toblerone

I got a black Toblerone for nostalgia, then I am reminded why I don't have them more often, not really worth the calories.

Ripley Ice-Cream II

This time I went for the soft whipped at Ripley's, it is alright.  I still don't know why it is "world famous".

It was sunny, but damn cold! It would have been cheaper and wiser to get a hot coffee...

Figure of 8

I was told to demonstrate doing figure of 8.  I haven't done that since... ever.  My little bike did not disappoint, I am quite happy I managed it.

Sourced Market

We thought about getting something from Sourced Market last time we were in Skelton Lake.  I got a little coffee from them, and I was buzzing the rest of the day, that is some rocket fuel!

Costa Coffee

I had not had a Costa for a long time.  And supposedly Costa has highest caffeine content out of the High Street.  I was really not impressed.  Every child walked pass were shouting "hot chocolate!"  Maybe I will just get their hot chocolate next time.

Woodland Creation - Chestnut

I was at the park to pick more nuts,  and there were no acorn under the oaks!   So I braved myself to check out the chestnuts,  so spiky!   I should have worn gloves!   After looking at them,  I am definitely NOT eating these "sweet chestnuts".

Water Fluoridation

Water fluoridation was on the news here,  "what?! " I thought,  I grew up with fluoridated water in Hong Kong,  I cannot believe the water isn't fluoridated.   Let's blame all teeth problems on that! 

Desensitised Paddy

Paddy is not the best tablet, but it is working.  As the S4 is getting older, and apps are phasing the S4 out, Paddy is getting more and more apps.  I only just noticed one of the edges' touch sensitivity is not right, I have to keep turning to operate the button.  The worst thing is that some apps are not design to rotate, stupid!  I do try my best to keep my WEEE equipment in operation!

Dosh Flowchart

I finally did my flowchart using Visio.  It is a better flowchart tool than others.  Let's see how I keep up updated.

Woodland Creation - Beech

I came across the seed collection campaign, but I cannot make the first few sessions.  I went to look at a Beech tree, and it wasn't as hard as it look.  I hope to learn more from the ranger.

Pret Frozen Chocolate Croissant

We have croissants every so often, and I usually get them on marked down, of course.  I have contemplated getting some frozen croissants, but I cannot really justify that frozen ones are just as expensive than the "fresh" ones.  The mixed pastries also did not appeal to me.

I saw these Pret frozen croissants a few months ago, I think I would like them more than pain au chocolate.  I tried to get them a few times, but they were not available.  We finally got them.  They are smaller than expected, they are as expensive as "fresh".  They turned out quite nicely.  It is good as a novelty, but I don't think we need to have croissant ready in freezer.

Applecross

I had opportunity to go to Applecross on my motorbike the last two trips, I passed.  Watching Kate do it, confirmed my instinct was right.  What is the point?

Dumb Meter

My online account is not showing the meter readings.  I wonder when will my supplier get in touch to ask me for a new reading.

Filtered Milk

Filtered milk seems to have an unbelievably long life.  I cannot find any video on how it is done.  It is some dark magic!

Shoe Appreciation

I have a pair of real, full leather shoes, leather sole and heal, everything.  I came across Tring Shoe Shop's video.  I have a lot more appreciation of them.

Power Bank

Once upon time, we carry a second battery for our mobile devices.  For the last 15 years, people have been moving to power banks.  All the batteries on small devices give ratings in milliAmp Hours, mAh.

We had a free power bank, its rating was not properly marked, I assume it is about 1000mAh @ 5V, which is 1Ah @ 5V = 5Wh.

I bought a new one from Amazon, it was advertised as 10400mAh, and turned out to be 1400mAh.  This is the definition of mis-advertisement!  False advertisement even.

I thought I would utilise my old solar panel, so I rigged it up with a 17Ah battery as the reservoir, which is 17000mAh at 12V, which is 204Wh!  I am going to charge everything with it!

IAM Advance Rider

I finally decided to pursue the IAM advance rider qualification, let see if I can get it over the Winter. 

Wheel Nuts

I never had a car with alloy wheel, so I didn't fully understand the need or anatomy of a locking wheel nut: Weird pattern / non-standard nut.

Bloody Yob II

Those fuckers had another go at my garage door.  Thanks the neighbours calling the cops, and chased them away.  

More struts, more reinforcement.  Tossers.

First and Last Croque Monsieur

I had my first and last croque monsieur today.  Ham and cheese are great, but I hate mustard.  Bye monsieur.

La Palma Volcano

I remember watching a science programme on cable TV and it said if La Palma erupts, in a certain manner, the East coast United States will be destroyed.  So when I read La Palma volcano erupted, we are all waiting to see if it will fulfil the scientific prediction.  Not yet.

Poorly Foot

Two full weeks later, my foot was still not good enough to swim.  Walking stability is very different from kicking!  Maybe my dad was right, 40 years old take 40 days for anything to heal!

Short Man or Woman

I used to play "Is that a short man or woman?" game around biker cafes, and most of the time are "short men".  Today I was mistaken as a short man myself.  Maybe I need some pink trimmings.

Flavoured Tofu

I have heard vegetarian raved about Linda Mccartney Sausages.  I finally got a chance to taste it.  It is textured soy protein, aka tofu, just as they described.  But seriously, nothing like sausages!

It reminds me of the "vegetarian chicken". 

Emergency Car Hammer

Every so often, we see a car incident dramatized on television, and every so often, I want to buy a emergency car hammer.

Carrot Transplanting

Carrot really dislikes being transplanted.  They survived a first transplant when they were seedlings, but they did not survive this one.  Basic, carrot, plant and forget...  Don't touch them for a minimum of 3 months.

Arnold Bennett Lite

I thought I would try making Omlette Arnold Bennett at home. I could not be bothered to make white sauce, and my pan is not cast iron, hence not oven proof, I used blow torch instead.

It was quite hard to get the flame level right, for the first time, otherwise it turned out okay, I can see there is a point for white sauce being there, but it was okay without it.

Frozen Banoffee

I blitzed a frozen banana with some chocolate milk, "awesome", I was told.

Extortionate Maintenance

"How Much!!!!????"  is what I screamed internally when Ford told me their hourly rate.  £120?!

Big Tom

We have tried to use fertilizer, Big Tom.  But instead of big tomatoes, we are getting many tomato, and I am not sure they are any bigger than otherwise.  Very misleading.

Roseberry Topping

We knew Roseberry Topping was going to be hard work, over 200 meters gain, so we chose an overcast day, but the day turned out to be NOT overcast, I was red like a lobster by the time I came down, both from the Sun and the work out!

 

Goathland

People go to Goathland for the steam train and Heathbeat, I went for the water falls. Both were very treacherous...

Mallyan Spout 

 

Thomason Foss

 

Free Raspberries

Sand Hutton has diversify over the years, pigs, raspberries, dog agility, but due to labour shortage, they had to forego their raspberries.  We went and pick some up.  Thanks Sand Hutton!

Parmo

I have seen Nic ate a Parmo before, it resemables a Chicken Parmasan in the States, except Parmo looks eviler.

So I never bother to order a parmo, but I made a mental note about Parmo having "come from" Middlesborough.

So the opportunity had come, we were "near" Teesside, so we found a pub that has good review and does it for lunch.  The chicken was real chicken, there was a layer of white sauce adding to the "richness", the cheddar is mild dyed cheddar, nothing to write home about.  It was evil, but not worth the calories.

Chocolate Milkshake

We had another milkshake.  Way too sweet!  Maybe I should not bother. 

Good Leg Up

I slipped and rolled my ankle badly.   I just need to keep muttering,  "Good leg up,  bad leg down, " until it recovers. 

Middlesborough

We only just realised,  Middlesborough is Yorkshire?!   South of Tees,  Yorkshire. 

Over Vanilla

Followed on a recent tasting of the M&S milkshake,  I got some Shaken Udder,  way too Vanillay.  

Then I have a coffee milkshake from a shop,  also too Vanillay.   More is not better!   Use sparingly! 

Omlette Arnold Bennett

We sent to the Truffled Hog for lunch,  had omlette Arnold Bennett for the first time.   It was nice.   I only found out it was a thing afterwards,  even BBC has a recipe for.  Another thing to use down my smoked haddock. 

Kapaty Bakery

I saw Kapaty has a dedicated bakery in the market,  I finally had a chance to try it.

Everyone seems to want their donut or sweet bread. 

I got a vanilla slice and a profiterole cake,  they are are as evil as they sound.

The multigrain sourdough is quite nice.  

Next time I will go earlier to avoid the queue. 

Pig Iron

We only just learnt why pig iron is called pig iron,  the shape reassembles a sow with piglets...

Sleep Score

I borrowed a fitbit to check my sleep.  I got a high 70s score,  C+,  not very good. 

Sad Chick

One of the chicks is a bit sad...  It has a couple roots,  why is it still sad?   Poor chick. 

Fresh Car Valet - Avoid

"Signature Valet",  over a hundred quid,  still dirty.

Avoid! 

Stubborn Tomatoes

Just about everyone we talked to have problem ripening their tomatoes.   I tried to ripen them on the window ledge and put keep them at a slightly cooler places,  still no joy!   

What the Hack

I thought I would have a little horseback riding, aka Hack.

It absolutely reminded me why motorcycle is a million times better. Horse has 1 horsepower and does not listen to you. Also they smell. Horse is ticked off for the next 20 years.

Rural Air Pollution

I was at a farm yesterday, the air was filled with bits from harvesting!

Resilient Pepper

Just when the pepper was fruiting, I might have killed it giving it too much fertiliser.  I refuse to kill it off even it was only left with the stalk, and it is regrowing!

Zip-Merging

Use Zip Merging, use the road!

RAC reckons, "The crux of the issue comes down to education, or a lack of, about what is the correct driving practice.  If all drivers were taught the same, to use all of the space available on the road..."

According to Greenflag, it is even in the Highway Code. 

Be educated, use the road!

Irreversible Reversing

Reversing is one of the most dangerous operation, damages cannot be undone.  Avoid at all cost, literally!

Lock Shopping

I already have 3 good quality locks, but I am considering getting yet more locks.  Like Lockpicking Lawyer say, if the lock is too hard to break, the thief will just bring the thing instead of the lock.  But it still needs to be sufficient deterrant, what variety of lock should I add to my collection?

Data Speed

My house's ASDL is a bit shit, on a recent speed check it is slower than someone with 3G mobile data connection.  Maybe copper is no longer king.

Local Breading Hole

We haven't been back to any watering hole for months.  We have bumped into a few people we know in Leeds at the Bread Coop.

Knackered Winker

The blinker on Kendrew is playing up and driving me insane.  Time to go buddy!

Radiator Coil Cleaner

I applied some coil cleaner to the little radiator, it was dripping brown!  I must treat all my radiators!

Common Houseleeks

We have acquired two "chicks".  They are "common houseleeks".  I hope they will grow into big healthy hens.

Bergeranthus

We picked up bergeranthus from the market.  Let's hope we have better luck with this succulent.

Monthly Wash

According to the manual, you are supposed to wash the bike minimum once a month.  Seriously?!  No wonder some people wash after each run...

Zero Motorcycles

I read on the Yorkshire Reporter that Zero was coming to Squires, so we made an effort to go.  I could not find any information about the show booth, I didn't expected them to have test rides.  When we arrived, there were just some Zeros pulling out, silently!  I spoke to them for a little bit, and decided to go back with gear after lunch.

I had a ride on a Zero.  During Eco mode, the "engine breaking" was strangely strong.  During Sport mode, it rolls more like a motorbike.  Anyone rides or drives an electric vehicle would probably relearn their driving to accommodate the control changes.  The acceleration was good, but I have been on powerful bikes for so many years, I kind of expected it.  It was just weird the acceleration kept coming without having to gear shift!  I found the most disconcerting was the motor noise, it was like the motor noise on a fairground ride.

Black Trousers

I needed a new pair of trousers, I thought every shop would have it, then when I looked everywhere, everyone is making elasticated trousers!  Has it to do with the lock down?

Speedstyle Sale

We were wandering at Squires and found Speedstyle is having a sale on!  I picked up a thing or two.  Free hangers!

Sing Kee Leeds II

We have recently visited Sing Kee again, they are getting bigger and bigger, now there is a massive warehouse and a "mall".  Good for them.

Real Charcoal

Much to my dislike, I have been using the charcoal briquettes, aka sawdust charcoal, it is so energy dense, I almost always left with excess heat to use.  As I am using those down, I am back to real charcoal, and they do not last as long, may be it is a good thing?

Precordial Thump

Vicky told me about the punch in the chest.  Then the bloke from YAS said that was outdated, whilst showing us a Chris Solomons video clearly showing the YAA crew clearly punching him on the chest at 2:33.

On a more recent first aid training, we were shown this video again, and I could not help myself to tell the trainer this story.  Then he blurted out, "precordial thump".  Wow, punch in the chest has a name!  Vindicated!

Harley Harressment

We were talking about bikes, and someone insisted that a Harley would suit me and keep showing me images of Harley.  That is a total harressment!

Blocked U-bend

When I lived in the city centre flat, I found a big lumps of previous tenants' hair in the shower trap.  I have regularly used soda to clear the drain, but this time it backed up so much that I had to strip it.  There was a water colour paint brush!  So all the years of soda, casutic, wasn't quite enough to melt away a paint brush!

I think we should always assume the drains are blocked unless we have stripped them ourselves.

Betty's Sourdough

We usually go to Bettys in the afternoon, so we never saw any bread.  Since we went early this time, we want to get some bread, sourdough.  Bettys Sourdough is 5p cheaper than Balterzen!  It looks refined and tastes nice.  We are more used to rustic sourdough, so we found the eveness weird!  Good bread, we will try other loaves next times.

Cruffins

We had our first and last cruffin from Balthazar.  Too sugary and I'd opt for a croissant anytime.

Plum is Prune

We had a little discussion about prune being dried plum.  I remember watching a show about some French farmer saying their prune are prune fruit.  So both of us are right.  There is a special prune plum for making prune.  As it turns out, all the plum is in subgenus of Prunus.  

Anyway, I don't eat either of them, whatever you call them.

Oceanus Germanicus

If you think it was weird the North Sea was once called German Ocean, then South China Sea is equally adsurd.  It should just be called South Sea.

Elusive Slug Eviction

A rogue slug as breached our defense and live amongst our indoor plants.  We saw a few bite marks and some slug trails, but it has evaded our eviction for months.  It was so embolden, it was making loads of trails, much to my dismay.  We finally caught it in action, and we have evicted it.  Let's hope it was just the one!

Stay on Path

I stood on some cat shit on my way to the car, the car stank the whole way, I had to wash my shoes and my mat.  The cat shit was on the grass.  So another reason why I should stay on the path.

Paddleboarder Everywhere

Everywhere you can get to a body of water, you see paddlerboarders.  I saw a few of them on the Wharfe in Wetherby!

Fix it with a Knife

So 4th engineers' best friend,  a file/knife.   Just trim it! 

Fix it with a Hammer

My shackle lock was playing up.   After consulting with the lock picking lawyer,  I concluded the bolt was snagging on the retainer,  and I have tried various paper and plastic slider method to move the bolt past the retainer to no avail.   So concluding there is no lock mechanism on that side of the lock and I have nothing to lose,  I bashed the bolt with a hammer,  the retainer fell out,  bolt slides,  sorted!   

We sometimes forget the 3rd engineers' best friend after adhesive and lubricant,  persuader! 

Heavy Weight Judo

All the athletes are all trimmed, until I saw the women +78kg Judo, I thought, maybe that is something I can do!  Just when I started typing "adult Judo" into the search bar, I remember I am in my 40s!  Nevermind, I am not sure my body can take a tumble!

Cycle North

I came across Cycle North, this could be another cause I can get my teeth into.

Current Account Switch Service

Apparently the current account switch service will keep the old account routing for 2 years.  The question is, where have I which account to what account?!  I need an event log, account evolution chart!

Tagg Lane Diary

I have drove past Tagg Lane many time, and we finally make an effort to try them out.  They are indeed very nice, also one of the most expensive!

Tandem Bicycling

Tandem bicycle: what a horrible invention.  The front rider does 80% of the work, both in paddling and steering, controlling, and the back rider do nothing apart from a useless amount of paddling, due to starting difficulty, they are not normally sit with legs suitably extended.  Never again, get your own bike!

Peak District Counties

We were in the "Staffordshire Peaks", which brings onto to the whole discussion on, who has which bit of the Peak District.  Derbyshire folks like to think Derbyshire owns nearly all of it, but after having a quick look online, Yorkshire and Staffordshire chucks are both very sizeable.  I cannot believe Saddleworth Moor is part of the Peaks!

Honda NC750

A lot of people asked what bike I want next.  I know what I don't want, NC 750, I have watched a few of these in action, substandard, just like SV650, straight to the skip.

Thorpe Cloud

Last year I went up to Bunster Hill, this year I went up to Thorpe Cloud.  Bunster Hill is taller, fewer visitors you just need to watch your step...

Bye Bye Free Air

The Sainsbury near us has started charging for compressed air.  I must start doing them at home using my own pumps.

Aberystwyth Calling Lancaster Wet

My club has done a few events in Aberystwyth and when I suggested Lancaster, Graham reckoned Lancaster is wetter.  What?!

Float to Live

"Play with the hills, Don't play with water"

If you go get into trouble, don't forget to relax and float.  Float to Live.

Whole Roasted Butternut Squash

We came across a free squash, and as an experiment, we barbequed it whole.  It was hard to judge how hot and how cooked it is inside, it produces a cooked squash with no added oil or salt.  The best part is no hacking, it is easy peeling and cooking it after it is cooked.

Jimmy's Iced Coffee

As a hot afternoon pick-me-up, we popped into the shop and picked up a couple things from the chilled drink aisle, one of which is Jimmy's Iced Coffee.

It tastes fine, not as rich or icy as a Frappuccino, which we could have got from the nearby Starbucks, but that would have been twice the price.

The first question was, "Who is Jimmy?"  Even after looking at either website, I am none the wiser, probably just some catering company's new idea, and named it after the company's dog or something.

"Smart" Doorbell

I used one of these smart doorbell for the first time and I still wonder what is the point.  Just use the peep hole. 

Cherry Overdose

When my sister was young,  she ate too many lychees and has such bad GI upset that my parents took her to hospital.   Apparently cherries do the same. 

Kofta

After making koftas a few times,  I am really getting a hang at it.   As an added bonus,  they go well with lettuce wrap,  ie low carb.  They will now be a regular feature in my barbecue! 

Modern LED Bulb

Modern LED bulb as become so economical.  They are so efficient and have overcome at of the directional issues,  to be fair,  nothing a decent diffuser cannot solve.   I remember when I went from incandescent bulbs to CFL bulbs,  they paid for themselves in a month.   I am very happy to have changed out all Sarah's old higher wattage dull CFL to LED.

Market Trader Con

When you buy something by weight,  first you have to trust the scale.  It is funny that when a trader made any calculation mistake,  it is almost always overcharging, it to their benefit.  "Benefit of doubt" can soon run out! 

Gooseberries

We picked a few gooseberries from the farm with our strawberries.  I was not keen on trying one as I heard they are very tart.  Sarah had the ripest gooseberry and it was said to be sweeter than a grape.  So I was convinced to try one, the one I tried was like a grape, but a tart grape.  Apparently the last of the gooseberries were bordering inedible.  Let me stick with normal green grape, thanks.

Cauldron Organic Tofu

We picked this Cauldron tofu up on offer.  It is extra firm, and surprisingly nice.

Crystal Violet

Sometimes I search for things in my childhood just to find out they are obsolete.  So the blue stuff we use liberally on wounds is called crystal violet, which is antibacterial, antifungal, and anthelmintic,  what more can you ask for?  I wonder why it is not more common here.

Fence Hanging

I have already painted all the fence and gate, rehung the back gate.  For completeness sake, I rehung the front gate.  In hindsight, I should have done them all in one go, that save me from the later adjustments.

Monkey Bike

I sat on a Monkey bike for the first time.  It is cute, but the compliment stops there.  I cannot think of anyone buy something so small, weak, stealable, mechanically inferior bike.  A electric bicycle is cheaper and preferable.

虞美人·李煜

春花秋月何時了？往事知多少。小樓昨夜又東風，故國不堪回首月明中。

雕欄玉砌應猶在，只是朱顏改。問君能有幾多愁？恰似一江春水向東流。

Industrial Japanese

I thought I was learning Japanese growing up manga.  I am learning more Japanese from British industries.  Ikigai, kaizen .etc

Can You Hear Me Now

In the new era of online meetings, the phrase "can you hear me now?" is back in fashion.

Pick Your Own

I have been meaning to try a "Pick Your Own" experience.  We went to a couple farm shops that offer PYO, except it wasn't quite in season.

Then we found online somewhere nearer and cheaper, and had a go.  One of the reason why they were cheaper maybe because their crops are on the ground rather than on the table.  This makes harvest harder, but lower initial cost.

We ended up with 1 kilo of strewberries and a few bits of other fruits.  It was a good day/morning/hour out.

Early pickers get the strewberries!

Red Squirrels Missing Tufts

I am still confused about red squirrel's ear tufts. The ones we saw in September did not have ear tufts.

Then I saw this clearly male squirrels with ear tufts.

Then the others' ear tufts were shedding?

According to the internet, ear tufts are a Winter thing, do maybe in September it wasn't quite cold enough, and in June it wasn't quite warm enough? Confused.