Sunday, 30 January 2011
Two birds
Some pictures of two birds we saw yesterday. The swan hung around for ages hoping we'd feed it. 
Thursday, 27 January 2011
My baked beauty
Not to boast, but I think this third attempt is really pretty.
Especially with strawberry jam.
Think how unbearable I'd be if I had real children made of flesh and blood.
Especially with strawberry jam.
Think how unbearable I'd be if I had real children made of flesh and blood.
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Booked to within an inch of our lives
Everything is now booked for Japan: flights, accommodation, meals (well, almost). If anything goes wrong our whole 3 week schedule will collapse and the end of the world will come.
Don't usually travel like this, but it appears to be a necessity.
Noashima is one of the places I'm really looking forward to visiting.
Don't usually travel like this, but it appears to be a necessity.
Noashima is one of the places I'm really looking forward to visiting.
Monday, 24 January 2011
How fit does cycling make you?
I cycle to work (25 minutes each way) about 3-4 times a week. That's 150-200 minutes or 2-3 hours of cycling per week. It's not massive strenuous. There are two hills each way, i.e. 4 hills per day i.e. 12-16 hills per week.
If I stopped doing this cycling, would I feel the difference do you think? In other words, is this cycling making a significant contribution to my fitness?
If I stopped doing this cycling, would I feel the difference do you think? In other words, is this cycling making a significant contribution to my fitness?
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Cold grey day...but new plants growing
Today has felt like the greyest day. It's 6 degrees with a cold strong wind. The sky is like concrete.
Bought some primroses, hyacinths and mini-daffodils from Homebase. One of the primroses was out so I planted it in a little pot and put it inside on the windowsill with the hyacinth bulbs. I can look at them as I eat my breakfast.
Also bought some lily of the valley and bleeding heart (lamprocapnos) bulbs to plant now for flowers in May/June/July. I had to remove the most ENORMOUS lumps of masonry from the front garden in order to plant them. I kid you not, these lumps were at least one foot cubed in size. I needed the spade to lever them out of the earth, which was left scarred by two huge craters.
I was extremely cheered to see a load of shoots coming through in the terracotta pots on the back terrace. No idea what they are, but I can't wait to find out.
Even on the greyest day like today, new life will out.
Bought some primroses, hyacinths and mini-daffodils from Homebase. One of the primroses was out so I planted it in a little pot and put it inside on the windowsill with the hyacinth bulbs. I can look at them as I eat my breakfast.
Also bought some lily of the valley and bleeding heart (lamprocapnos) bulbs to plant now for flowers in May/June/July. I had to remove the most ENORMOUS lumps of masonry from the front garden in order to plant them. I kid you not, these lumps were at least one foot cubed in size. I needed the spade to lever them out of the earth, which was left scarred by two huge craters.
I was extremely cheered to see a load of shoots coming through in the terracotta pots on the back terrace. No idea what they are, but I can't wait to find out.
Even on the greyest day like today, new life will out.
Japan
We've booked a trip to Japan in March! F is going out a week before me, so he'll have everything sorted by the time I arrive I hope...
After I arrive we're planning to spending a week in Tokyo, followed by a few days in Osaka and Kyoto, and then we're hoping to fly to Ishigaki, which is one of the most southerly islands off the coast of mainland Japan. We still don't know what we're going to do for the week after we fly back in to Fukuoka from Ishigaki. Suggestions welcome!
Normal domestic flights (e.g. Osaka to Ishigaki) cost about £500-600, i.e. are prohibitively expensive; however you can get massive discounts if you are not Japanese and have flown in to Japan from outside. One of the things you can do is get a oneworld Japan air pass. Actually getting one of these passes is easier said than done however, as our unsuccessful 2.5 hour phone calls with various clueless British Airways operators yesterday proved. We're going to try phoning JAL tomorrow.
Ishigaki looks well worth going to though. Because it's so far south, it should be fairly warm by the end of March , although I keep reading people's blogs who turn up and say "I thought it was supposed to be nice weather here?!". It rains quite a lot it seems. There are supposed to be fantastic coral reefs, you can do snorkling, sea kayaking and mountain walking. And it's all apparently much more chilled out than mainland Japan. But we shall see if we ever manage to get there!
After I arrive we're planning to spending a week in Tokyo, followed by a few days in Osaka and Kyoto, and then we're hoping to fly to Ishigaki, which is one of the most southerly islands off the coast of mainland Japan. We still don't know what we're going to do for the week after we fly back in to Fukuoka from Ishigaki. Suggestions welcome!
Normal domestic flights (e.g. Osaka to Ishigaki) cost about £500-600, i.e. are prohibitively expensive; however you can get massive discounts if you are not Japanese and have flown in to Japan from outside. One of the things you can do is get a oneworld Japan air pass. Actually getting one of these passes is easier said than done however, as our unsuccessful 2.5 hour phone calls with various clueless British Airways operators yesterday proved. We're going to try phoning JAL tomorrow.
Ishigaki looks well worth going to though. Because it's so far south, it should be fairly warm by the end of March , although I keep reading people's blogs who turn up and say "I thought it was supposed to be nice weather here?!". It rains quite a lot it seems. There are supposed to be fantastic coral reefs, you can do snorkling, sea kayaking and mountain walking. And it's all apparently much more chilled out than mainland Japan. But we shall see if we ever manage to get there!
Friday, 21 January 2011
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
My first ever loaf of bread
This evening I made my first ever loaf of bread, inspired by my brother-in-law who has recently discovered baking too. Here's a picture. It's made with Doves Farm barleycorn flour. I found out that Doves Farm is in the same small town my Granny lives in!
Never bleedin' happy
On normal weekdays I moan that I never have enough time in the house because I'm always at work.
Today I worked from home and by 4pm started to feel unpleasantly odd at having been in the house all day without talking to anyone.
Never happy!
Today I worked from home and by 4pm started to feel unpleasantly odd at having been in the house all day without talking to anyone.
Never happy!
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Reflections and portraits
Sunday, 9 January 2011
The sartorialist
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/ is one of my (and many others') favourite blogs, so it was really interesting to watch this little video.
He spends several hours every day trailing around the streets of various cities around the world, looking and looking for interesting people to shoot. Heartenly (is that a word?) for me, he has no training - just a great eye and clearly a lot of drive.
Speaking of photography, I'm very excited because I've just bought this Pentax K-r. It arrives on Tuesday or Wednesday. Although I'm sad to upgrade from the old MX, the mirror was sticking just too often and the film and developing is getting more and more expensive.
He spends several hours every day trailing around the streets of various cities around the world, looking and looking for interesting people to shoot. Heartenly (is that a word?) for me, he has no training - just a great eye and clearly a lot of drive.
Speaking of photography, I'm very excited because I've just bought this Pentax K-r. It arrives on Tuesday or Wednesday. Although I'm sad to upgrade from the old MX, the mirror was sticking just too often and the film and developing is getting more and more expensive.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
