Less than two weeks ago I reported that I had had a power cut. Since I haven't spent more than three weeks at any one time in this house before, it's revealing to see how inferior the services are in some parts of this country.
The power has gone again.
My broadband service is among the worst in the UK. I know that almost every time I return from a trip away there has been a power cut of some duration. Now I am getting to experience them.
The big problem with power cuts is that they just happen. When the power goes, who can predict what might be broken by any on/off surge?
I have recently installed an NAS server drive and of course, when the power goes, that and the router it is connected to goes.
This morning I was in the middle of a Mac Time Machine back up that has now been ruined and no doubt will have to be started again. That back up takes around 24 hours to complete.
Rubbish services.
DW
24.8.12
23.8.12
Death by Fat
I have been sceptical of Heston Blumenthal ever since I heard about his wacky snot porridge and things. Yes, he has won three Michelin stars but testicle pie does not do anything for me.
Then again, I have never seen him cooking before ... until today. I have to say I was right about him.
He was demonstrating roasting chicken and potatoes in the programme I watched. The admirable thing about him is that he is very methodical and at worst pseudo scientific. He tested six chickens to find the best. He tested five varieties to find the best. He cooked the potatoes in salted water and another lot in unsalted water ... we could see the results.
What marks this man out as very dangerous is that he uses and abuses a LOT of oil, butter and other fats. He uses alarming amounts of salt.
I should also say, I can cook a chicken that has the meat very moist and the skin brown and crispy and it doesn't take five hours to cook, or anything like it either.
He cooked carrots and broccoli in this programme: carrots fried in butter. Broccoli blanched for a minute and then cooked in butter.
He finishes the chicken off by injecting butter under the skin of his roasted chicken.
I don't rate this way of cooking and even though his Fat Duck restaurant loses money, he clearly makes a lot of money from his wacky image and pseudo scientific tomfoolery.
DW
Then again, I have never seen him cooking before ... until today. I have to say I was right about him.
He was demonstrating roasting chicken and potatoes in the programme I watched. The admirable thing about him is that he is very methodical and at worst pseudo scientific. He tested six chickens to find the best. He tested five varieties to find the best. He cooked the potatoes in salted water and another lot in unsalted water ... we could see the results.
What marks this man out as very dangerous is that he uses and abuses a LOT of oil, butter and other fats. He uses alarming amounts of salt.
I should also say, I can cook a chicken that has the meat very moist and the skin brown and crispy and it doesn't take five hours to cook, or anything like it either.
He cooked carrots and broccoli in this programme: carrots fried in butter. Broccoli blanched for a minute and then cooked in butter.
He finishes the chicken off by injecting butter under the skin of his roasted chicken.
I don't rate this way of cooking and even though his Fat Duck restaurant loses money, he clearly makes a lot of money from his wacky image and pseudo scientific tomfoolery.
DW
19.8.12
Cultural Day
I came across a performance of The Gondoliers on the telly this afternoon and was able to watch the first act of that: very enjoyable too.
At the moment I am watching Dvorak's New World symphony being performed at the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall. Very nice to see and hear.
DW
At the moment I am watching Dvorak's New World symphony being performed at the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall. Very nice to see and hear.
DW
16.8.12
It Arrived: my Excel Book
Here is the proof copy of my Excel book. 585 pages :)
I will post the link to the eshop within a couple of days.
Duncan Williamson
I will post the link to the eshop within a couple of days.
Duncan Williamson
15.8.12
Welcome Back Bulghur Wheat
For some reason I have spent the last two or three years avoiding Bulghur wheat. No idea why but I have.
Anyway, I gave started buying and preparing it again and will just say how fantastic it is.
I am using basic and coarse types: both tasty and just as easy to prepare as each other.
Well done!
DW
Anyway, I gave started buying and preparing it again and will just say how fantastic it is.
I am using basic and coarse types: both tasty and just as easy to prepare as each other.
Well done!
DW
14.8.12
SlugAlong
I put bread out in the garden for the birds. What I got was a few gastropods ... watch out for the pneumostome on two of the slugs ... their breathing holes.
So far I have seen no birds at the bread table!
DW
So far I have seen no birds at the bread table!
DW
13.8.12
Very Third World
There I was, working away, listening to the radio and minding my own business and then ffffpp! Power cut off.
I went to my fuse box to see what had blown and found that nothing had blown.
This is a genuine Britain of the 1950s and 1960s power cut.
30 minutes and still off!
After two hours it came back on!
DW
I went to my fuse box to see what had blown and found that nothing had blown.
This is a genuine Britain of the 1950s and 1960s power cut.
30 minutes and still off!
After two hours it came back on!
DW
Do you Need to Knead?
If you watch any cookery programmes in which they demonstrate the making of bread, the trend over the last few years has been to find more and more extreme ways of kneading to stretch the gluten in the flour. It's almost got to the stage of showing bakers stretching a kilogramme or more of dough so much that it covers an entire table or bench. You MUST do that to allow the gluten to stretch and to create the perfect crumb they say.
Normally, I comply with the above but yesterday I was in a bit of a hurry to make some bread buns so I put all of the ingredients in the bowl but simply mixed it, thoroughly I have to say, with a knife: slice and fold, slice and fold. It did NOT look like my normal silky smooth dough but I put cling film over the bowl and left it to prove. Then I knocked it down and shaped it into buns and left it to prove again.
Cut to the chase: I was delighted by the result: the buns look rustic AND the crumb is delightful. Really, it's more open and the buns are a little bit crumbly. I will try a loaf using this method next time and see how that copes.
DW
Normally, I comply with the above but yesterday I was in a bit of a hurry to make some bread buns so I put all of the ingredients in the bowl but simply mixed it, thoroughly I have to say, with a knife: slice and fold, slice and fold. It did NOT look like my normal silky smooth dough but I put cling film over the bowl and left it to prove. Then I knocked it down and shaped it into buns and left it to prove again.
Cut to the chase: I was delighted by the result: the buns look rustic AND the crumb is delightful. Really, it's more open and the buns are a little bit crumbly. I will try a loaf using this method next time and see how that copes.
DW
I wish I'd Taken this
I stumbled across this photo on Wikipedia this morning and wish I'd taken it.
It comes from this page.
DW
It comes from this page.
DW
12.8.12
Today's Challenge
I made a big mistake last week and washed one set of my yellow towels with some blue towels.
I am very proud of my towels so I need to get the off yellow towels back to normal.
Can you see the difference, below?
DW
I am very proud of my towels so I need to get the off yellow towels back to normal.
Can you see the difference, below?
DW
Fantastic Mo Farah
I just watched another fabulous race at the Olympics. Mo Farah won the 5,000 metres for Team GB in terrific style. Watch it if you can!
DW
DW
11.8.12
Excel Book Submitted
I have finished my Excel book now and I have uploaded it to Kindle.
It is being reviewed now so I will have to wait to post full details here.
Within spitting distance of 600 pages.
DW
It is being reviewed now so I will have to wait to post full details here.
Within spitting distance of 600 pages.
DW
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10.8.12
Excel Book: final hurdle
585 pages and 136,291 words as at bed time last night.
I should finish the Excel Book today. Then it's introductions, summaries, bits of formatting and it's done.
Ta daa!
DW
I should finish the Excel Book today. Then it's introductions, summaries, bits of formatting and it's done.
Ta daa!
DW
9.8.12
Ching and Ken Hom
I stumbled across a cookery programme last might: Ching He and Ken Hom, travelling across China in a culinary quest.
Yes, we have seen celeb chefs going abroad but this was exciting!
Both chefs are Chinese, both speak the language and both know how to cook: they have a fundamental understanding of their ingredients and techniques.
Ken Hom seems to be shy and modest. Ching seems to be more outgoing and more willing to use her language skills.
One of the highlights of the programme was when Ching went to a B&B outside Beijing and shared a kitchen with a fantastic 57 year old local woman. The brought out Ching's personality really well.
They also went to cookery classes: not the sickly, Oh! Wow! That's amazing of a Gary Rhodes either.
Can't wait for episode two!
DE
Yes, we have seen celeb chefs going abroad but this was exciting!
Both chefs are Chinese, both speak the language and both know how to cook: they have a fundamental understanding of their ingredients and techniques.
Ken Hom seems to be shy and modest. Ching seems to be more outgoing and more willing to use her language skills.
One of the highlights of the programme was when Ching went to a B&B outside Beijing and shared a kitchen with a fantastic 57 year old local woman. The brought out Ching's personality really well.
They also went to cookery classes: not the sickly, Oh! Wow! That's amazing of a Gary Rhodes either.
Can't wait for episode two!
DE
8.8.12
Is the Cloud a Good Idea?
The Internet cloud is a great idea isn't it?
Software online, storage online, technical staff online. Software updated without the need to know it or even do anything about it.
Shangri La solution isn't it!
Well, everything has an Achilles heel doesn't it? Yes, is the answer. In my case the Achilles heel is my BT broadband connection. It is very slow and it is unstable. I have been complaining and have met engineers, had long conversations on the phone ...
Last week, the latest engineer of engineers left me a brand new router/hub. This evening my connection dropped completely and the techie on the phone said it is probably because the hub is broken.
Smart solution to leave me with a broken hub.
Why mention this, though? My book is almost complete: 570 pages written and just the index to complete. Hear this: I decided to keep it in the cloud using Dropbox so that I could easily access it from anywhere ... crap idea!
Fortunately, I also save backups locally and have TWO up to date copies on my system.
I am not impressed.
DW
Software online, storage online, technical staff online. Software updated without the need to know it or even do anything about it.
Shangri La solution isn't it!
Well, everything has an Achilles heel doesn't it? Yes, is the answer. In my case the Achilles heel is my BT broadband connection. It is very slow and it is unstable. I have been complaining and have met engineers, had long conversations on the phone ...
Last week, the latest engineer of engineers left me a brand new router/hub. This evening my connection dropped completely and the techie on the phone said it is probably because the hub is broken.
Smart solution to leave me with a broken hub.
Why mention this, though? My book is almost complete: 570 pages written and just the index to complete. Hear this: I decided to keep it in the cloud using Dropbox so that I could easily access it from anywhere ... crap idea!
Fortunately, I also save backups locally and have TWO up to date copies on my system.
I am not impressed.
DW
Words of the London Olympics
Words of the London Olympics
amazing
unbelievable
phenomenal
right now
marvellous, marvellous
hopefully
stand out
yes, no
a piece of running, a piece of history
big ask, tough ask
goosebumps
sideburns
Is ... ... ... ... the greatest British Olympian ever?
Pronunciation matters:
HeptAthlon has become HeptathLON
TriAthlon has become TriathLON
There's probably more that I should write, I'll add them later.
DW
amazing
unbelievable
phenomenal
right now
marvellous, marvellous
hopefully
stand out
yes, no
a piece of running, a piece of history
big ask, tough ask
goosebumps
sideburns
Is ... ... ... ... the greatest British Olympian ever?
Pronunciation matters:
HeptAthlon has become HeptathLON
TriAthlon has become TriathLON
There's probably more that I should write, I'll add them later.
DW
Fantastic Chris Hoy
I've just watched Sir Chris Hoy winning another gold medal with a fantastic effort in the velodrome. Really fantastic.
DW
DW
6.8.12
Champion Pasty
I was inspired to make a Cornish Pasty. I made rough puff pastry and realised, after about 45 years (quick, ef?!), that this is the pastry my mother used to make and that was so good. I used the lard that I had left over from last Xmas too.
Well, here are some photos! Instead of meat I used veggie sausage mix and that worked well.
Recommended: the one I ate, with mushy peas, was really good :)
DW
Well, here are some photos! Instead of meat I used veggie sausage mix and that worked well.
Recommended: the one I ate, with mushy peas, was really good :)
DW
5.8.12
Team GB Footballers out!
Sorry to say but it was the penalties wot done it!
Again!!
South Korea have gone through to the semi finals and good luck to them now!
Having seen those two games at Old Trafford I know how much everyone enjoyed the Olympic football so it's a pity we won't be involved any more.
DW
Again!!
South Korea have gone through to the semi finals and good luck to them now!
Having seen those two games at Old Trafford I know how much everyone enjoyed the Olympic football so it's a pity we won't be involved any more.
DW
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