Category: Food

Out in the wide world – 24 August 2022

Posted on by Zogman

Both of us … together!

Back on the cruise, in what seems like a different world now, I felt a clicking form my dance shoes. I thought it would go away, but it didn’t. Today I was going to look for a new pair. If time allowed after that, we would go for a walk in one of the parks on the south side.

The weather didn’t look that clever in the morning, but the weather app maintained that all would be well in the afternoon, and gradually the sky lightened, the rain stopped and we went out.

We drove to the shoe shop in Rutherglen, hoping to get parked outside like we did last time, but today luck wasn’t with us, so we drove on to Tesco and parked there. Long story short, I got a pair of plain black dance shoes that seem to fit perfectly. Job done. Of course Scamp also saw a new pair of dance shoes and just had to have them!

After a couple of wrong turnings, ok, three wrong turnings, we found our way to Bellahouston Park. We had a wander through the park and found an elephant, a rusty, steel, life size elephant.  Cast from melted down scrap locomotives from India and South Africa. Locomotives that had originally been made in Glasgow. A photo of that “Nellyfunk’s Bum” became PoD, but it was close run thing between that and a couple of other images that may make their way into Flickr.

Lunch was in the Art Lovers’ Café in the House for an Art Lover in Bellahouston.  Peppermint tea for Scamp and a decent cup of coffee for me with two massive scones to keep the hunger pangs at bay, although I did fancy the Pork Belly with Potato Cake, chargrilled spring onions, Spinach and Mustard Cream sauce.  Maybe next time!

We drove home by the M8 and over a Kingston Bridge that was beginning to clog up to its usual afternoon traffic jam. Then Scamp noticed warnings that more roadworks were about to start in a couple of weeks and would last until January 2023! We’ve had months of roadworks earlier in the year, they finished in June before another set began in July. It seems that every month there has been roadworks in this stretch of motorway. I doubt if this latest set will be the last. Unfortunately for us, this is the route we take to dance class every week.

Just as we were driving in to the estate, and home, another electronic sensor in the car reported a failure. This time it’s the tyre pressure sensor which reported an error. The car goes in to the garage for service next month. I doubt if anyone will be able to diagnose the fault, but they will reset the failure log and tell me it’s fixed. Then they will want me to come in and choose my next new car. It might be a Nissan, but I doubt it. It most certainly won’t be coming from a dealer who can’t fix the problems with my current car.

I had a bit of sad news today. Jack Doyle, who I worked with for many years at school, passed away a few weeks ago. I’ll always remember Jack’s sense of humour. He was a great guy who drank beer, but never lager and told great stories, so he did!

Tomorrow I’m hopefully breaking in a new pair of dance shoes.

A dull day – 23 August 2022

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As we stroll into autumn, the temperature appears to drop significantly.

Having said that, it was warmer outside than it was in the house today. But oh what a dull day. From when we woke it seemed to grow darker and darker. Eventually Scamp said we should get up before it got too dark.

By lunchtime the day had lightened a bit, but it didn’t brighten up much more after that. There were occasional spells of sunshine, but they were few and far between. I wasn’t at my brightest either today, finding something wrong with almost everything. Even after I found that I’d achieved an ‘Explore’ in Flickr for my loaf picture, I just grumbled that there was nothing special with the photo and why was it chosen for the ultimate Flickr accolade?

I did manage to get a PoD. It was a Echinacea from the front garden. It’s a bit faked, because some of its petals had been chewed and I replaced them with other ones, but you’d have to be very picky to find which ones were replaced. We really thought these cone flowers were annuals and were surprised when they produced new flower heads in the early summer. They’re still flowering well now that it’s almost autumn.

Dinner for me was tea and toast tonight, because my stomach was a bit upset. I think it might have been a slightly sour and very dry Victoria plum I had in the afternoon, but it prevented me from cooking pasta tonight. Scamp chose to have a baked potato instead.

Tomorrow looks like the best day of the week if the weather fairies have it right. We may go out for a run somewhere. It will give us a chance to buy some of the cut-price petrol that’s appeared in the pumps, perhaps.

Spiders in the rain – 22 August 2022

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It was a wet day today. No real incentive to go out.

Scamp drove up to the chemist to get her meds, but I stayed at home. She walked over to St Mo’s later to post a couple of parcels and got thoroughly soaked for her trouble. So badly soaked was she that her raincoat is still drying in the kitchen.

Earlier I almost managed to choose a dry spell for a walk in St Mo’s. Lots of spiderwebs with their attendant spiders easily visible after the rain. One of those shots got PoD. I was quite pleased with the out of focus raindrops hanging from the web. It almost looked like the Milky Way to me. Although I did get wet, I wasn’t nearly as wet as Scamp was later in the afternoon.

Spoke to Fred for a while later and discussed paintings he’d done and sketches I’d done. I must get that back bedroom cleared out and create some space to get some painting done.

Dinner tonight was a very tasteless Spice Tailor daal. With leftover chicken from Saturday’s dinner. It’s not often we have a failure with Spice Tailor kits.

Scamp and I played Rummikub later because there really is nothing worth watching on terrestrial TV. Maybe we should have a rummage through the offerings on Amazon Prime and Netflix.

Maybe it was just a bad day and tomorrow will be better. It doesn’t really look like it though. Wednesday looks the best day of the week. We might go somewhere then.

 

There’s a light – 20 August 2022

Posted on by Zogman

It’s “… at the end of the tunnel”, I believe. Or, it might just be “… over at the Frankenstein Place …”

I held off until after midday before doing today’s Covid test. I was hoping for a line at ‘C’ but no line at ’T’. Well, it wasn’t quite like that, but the line at the ’T’ was the faintest I’ve seen. I deemed it enough of a success to show a step in the right direction, but just not enough to allow us to go to the big 70th party with a clear conscience. I certainly felt a lot better than I’ve been for at least a week. It would have been good to go to the party, but June and Ian were going in our place, so the family was represented at Hamilton Racecourse.

I managed to do my “8 active hours”, but didn’t quite reach the heady heights of 10,000 steps. I did go out in the afternoon to grab some photos over in St Mo’s. My favourite by far was the broken branch of a tree. I’ve seen it a few times but never photographed it. Today the lighting was good enough and I did take that photo which became PoD.

Earlier in the afternoon, Scamp and I went for a walk to the shops to get something for today’s lunch and also to get a chicken for tonight’s dinner. Both items were purchased. Cold meat for lunch, both for Scamp and for myself. The chicken was cooked to perfection by Scamp, because I’m not that skilled at roasting things in the oven successfully yet. Generally I overcook them and they end up a bit too dry.

The European Championships trundles on. Today was the men’s single diving championship and it was amazingly boring. At least the mountain biking circuit showed grit and determination from the contestants, but watching punters jumping off diving boards into a swimming pool isn’t breathtaking as far as I’m concerned. However, the UK showed its mettle by achieving a silver for its controlled splashes.

We watched another episode of Shetland tonight wondering who they will get to replace “Perez” and why. It’s a convoluted story with people dropping in and out from various different soap operas. It gives the viewers the chance to ask “What was he/she in?”

I’m not doing a test tomorrow. I’ll assume that the faint line will be almost invisible by then and I’ll be able to go shopping in Tesco without a mask.

An improving picture – 18 August 2022

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Scamp tested negative this morning. Me, I’m at the coo’s tail as usual, still positive.

Scamp was careful not to look at the pink column as it rose in the recording window of the test kit. Then after about twelve of the required fifteen minutes she gave a yelp. It was a negative result. Not even the slightest ghost of a ’T’ trace. At last, one of us had broken free. Mine was slower than usual to confirm a positive, but it was there for all to see by the fifteenth minute. I didn’t expect it to be any better, but it would have been a nice surprise …

I took a walk down to the shops to get some bread and a bunch of flowers to brighten the house. Also got some cherries and the stuff to make a stir fry for dinner. Later in the afternoon we both went for a walk in St Mo’s. Just once round the pond, but that was enough for me to snag a few shots of dragonflies resting on the boardwalk. I reckon it’s the daily rain showers,  another of which we had in the late afternoon, that are increasing the water level in the ponds and that’s encouraging the hatch of dragons. Mostly Common Darters, both male and female, but a few Black Darters occasionally added to the mix. One of the low down views of a dragonfly made PoD.

Stir fry was ok, but I inadvertently picked up a carton of Vegan broth mix instead of Chicken. I’ll be more careful in future. I much prefer the milder chicken flavour.

It was a bit dull today. Couldn’t really get myself interested in anything. I’m just finishing my first Stuart McBride book in years and am not all that impressed with it. Too predictable, I think. However, I bought the Audible version with the Kindle book and it helped the flight home pass much more quickly than reading.

We may go out somewhere tomorrow, just to get out of the house.

Šibenik – 9 August 2022

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We’ve been pronouncing it ‘Sibenik’, but the folk who live there pronounce it ‘Shibenik’. I’d assume they’ve got it right.

Looking out from our balcony at just after 9am, we were looking out over a bay to wooded hills echoing with the constant scratchy sound of a million cicadas. A couple of hours later we were walking along the seafront of Šibenik town, after being ferried from the ship’s anchorage over to the a little township in a tender and then on to one of a host of local buses out along country roads and dropped in a car park near the ferry terminal for Šibenik. We just followed our noses, admiring the expensive looking seagoing yachts, until we reached the old town and found a road taking us up and away from the sea. There was a castle right at the top of the hill, but we’d no intention of climbing up to it. A walk through the narrow streets that opened out into open squares with roads leading in different directions would do for today. Maybe a spot of lunch too.

It was very hot and we found a wee outdoor cafe where we had a beer and then decided we could manage some lunch too. I had a beef burger and Scamp had a chicken wrap, both with chips. Then I had another beer. Service was pretty slow, but we weren’t in a rush to go anywhere.

From there we walked back to the car park to get the bus that took us to the jetty and the tender back to the ship. On the way we passed a municipal building with a walkway over another path. Under the walkway a cat was snoozing in the shade. I grabbed a couple of shots, then thought I’d get a better angle from the other side. I thought I might have spooked it, but it just lazily opened one eye and then dismissively went back to sleep.

Big queue for the bus, but then four buses came at the same time. Same big queue for the tender, but there were cups of cold water ready for us on the jetty, so time passed quite quickly.

Dinner in The Glasshouse tonight and although the steak I had was lovely, the menu was limited for vegetarians and also for those with shellfish allergies. I think, too that we’d eaten more than we should have at lunch and didn’t really do the meal justice.

Tomorrow is going to be packing day. It’s a sea day and our last full day on the ship.

 

Zadar – 7 August 2022

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It’s been five years since we were last in Zadar. Quite a lot has changed.

We were berthed in a new port outside of the town and had to get a bus into Zadar proper. We both walked over to the Monument to the Sun which is an array of 300 multi-layered glass plates level with the pavement of the waterfront and in the shape of a 22 metre diameter circle. Beneath the glass are photovoltaic solar modules with lighting elements which turn on at night, and produce a light show. It was designed by Croatian architect Nikola Bašić from Zadar. The solar cell arrays made a good strong foreground and the leading lines would draw the eye into the distance. It became PoD.

While I was there, Scamp was recording the weird ‘music’ created by The Sea Organ. The sea organ is an architectural sound-art object located near the Monument to the Sun. It’s and an experimental musical instrument, which plays music by way of sea waves and tubes located underneath a set of large marble steps. It always attracts a crowd of folk, eager to find inner meaning in its drones and trills.

We found a new water feature further along which seemed to attract a fair variety of bird life, crows, seagulls and the occasional sparrow. All finding somewhere to drink in such a dry land. Good to see something architecturally pleasing but with a purpose at the same time.

I stood watching a bloke who looked as if he was shaving outside, but it turned out he was putting on white makeup because he was a street artist. I got a few photos of him which I might post on Flickr later. We did glimpse him later in a picture frame looking like a marble bust. Very clever.

One final place to find and it was where Scamp was mugged by a tree stump five years ago. She had been photographing the boats in the marina, when she took a step back and tripped over the stump and grazed her knee and her hand. Unluckily for her I was well out of earshot, but luckily there were some kind folk who pattered up her cuts and made sure she could walk.

After a few wrong turnings, we did find the spot, but the tree stump had gone. It had been replaced with a new sapling which hopefully will be better behaved.

We walked back through the town and caught the bus back to the ship. Scamp went off for a swim in the splash pool and I started writing up the week’s blog posts.

Dinner tonight was in Sindhu and it was lovely. Great service, wonderful food and no rush. Just what we had enjoyed the last time we’d visited. Nice to know that their standards aren’t slipping, because P&O’s seem to be on the slide.

We couldn’t move after our Indian meal, so instead of dancing, we sat on the balcony with a G&T instead.

Tomorrow on to Koper.

It’s surely not that time already – 4 August 2022

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Unfortunately it was. My phone chimed it’s ‘get up’ message at 3am, followed immediately by Scamp’s. The day had begun.

We loaded the car and drove to the airport, arriving with plenty of time to spare. Parked, dumped the cases and were through into security in no time at all. As usual my carry-on bag was searched for explosive substances in my Kindle. I’d walked through the scanner wearing my watch and didn’t get caught, but my Kindle was searched for explosives! Go figure.

Breakfast at Frankie & Bennie’s was a roll ’n’ sausage for me and two slices of toast for Scamp. Paid their usual exorbitant price and waited to find our gate. It came up right on time, and we joined the queue to board. Again no problem, we got seated and waited for the other passengers to board. Two really noisy and badly behaved Aberdonian weans were somewhere behind us. One called Skye and the other called Harris. Harris? What sort of name is that? Has he/she got a cousin called ‘Millport’? Dad and Granddad were deep in conversation, speaking fluent Seagull, “Gauk, Gauk, Gauk”. If you’ve listened to Aberdonians speaking, that’s what it sounds like. Granddad knew everything about everything and had been everywhere and was telling everyone all about it, but as Scamp says, “That’s what Granddads do.”

For the last week I’ve been really tense, going through all the possible things that could go wrong that I hadn’t planned for. Would some eejit block me at home by parking in front of me overnight? There were roadworks on the way to the airport during the night and warnings of lane closures. Would that mean we’d have to follow diversions to avoid them? I’d never used this new parking company, would something go wrong at the last minute and my parking would be cancelled then I’d need to … One of the few things I hadn’t accounted for was a casualty on board. The plane pulled on to the runway and trundled down past the ‘hold short’ line then continued off the slip and back to the stand. A woman passenger had felt ill and needed medical help. First Aid trained Firefighters came on board, assessed the situation and decided to play it safe and call for an ambulance. Then they had to wait until the passenger’s cases were removed from the hold, then, with the casualty in the ambulance they left, presumably to go to Glasgow Royal Infirmary. We needed to wait a while more before we were allowed by Flight Controllers to be cleared for taxiing and take off. All in all it was an hour’s delay, but the poor woman and her companion had just lost a holiday.

Arrived at Malta airport and entered the P&O machine. It must be the most efficiently organised system of passenger transport in the world, run in part by cheerful pensioners. Brilliant work.

We were allocated our cabin a week or so ago and today we got to enter it for the first time. It’s just a normal cruise cabin with a big wide and deep balcony. The folk above us can see into part of our cabin, but we can overlook the folk below us, so that’s fair. 😉

Food first. We went to what we’ve always called “Smash and Grab”. The Self Service restaurant. Feeling better we wandered round the deck, got lost, found ourselves, met our cabin steward and wandered round again. IT WAS HOT! 🥵. Found a splash pool near the sharp end of the ship and managed a few strokes crossing and recrossing the tiny little pool. Had our first ‘Holiday Beer’. Went to dinner in the Oriental Restaurant. Met a couple from Newcastle at our table. Discussed Bakeoff the Professionals and posh watches with them.

We wanted to see the sail away, but it was getting later and later and there were still folk wandering in from transfer buses from the airport. Eventually about an two hours late we watched from our balcony as the ship moved silently from its moorings and headed into the Mediterranean and onward to Dubrovnik.

PoD is a picture taken from our plane crossing the Alps at 37,000 ft with Mont Blanc below us.

Tomorrow is a Sea Day. There’s rarely anything to see on a sea day and nothing to do. That’s what folk will tell you. It’s not true. A sea day is what you make it.

Every light a red light – 31 July 2022

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We drove to Bishopbriggs retail park, more to get out of the house than any great desire to participate in any retail therapy.

Scamp was looking for a chance to refill the medicine cabinet. I was looking for a replacement Giotto Rocket air blower. I use it to blow dust off the camera sensor and I fear my 2007 model is blowing more dust on than its taking off. I didn’t find one in Currys. I didn’t really think I’d get one there, it’s a bit of niche tool. Scamp did, however, stock up on over the counter antiseptics, plasters, mouthwash and all sorts of fun stuff. While I was off the leash I bumped into a former colleague who was shocked to learn that it was 8 years since I’d retired. Her gaze went a bit distant when she said that she had maybe another 8 years to go before she would be able to retire. I smiled and told her she’d enjoy it when the time came. She was kind enough to smile back.

When we were heading back to the car I suggested that we drive in to Cowcaddens and walk to WEX to get the aforementioned Giotto Rocket. Scamp was in agreement as we had nothing else to do. I’d forgotten about the swathe of roadworks and closures that are going on in Glasgow at present. We managed with the help of the sat nav to avoid most of them and got parked, but only after we’d stopped at just about every red light on the road in. We walked over to Bath Street and climbed up the big hill then went down the other side, then found the shop shuttered and with a notice to the effect that due to unforeseen circumstances it would be closed today the 31st of July. Bummer!

We walked back to the car and drove home, but not until I’d taken a few photos in the uninspiring chasm of Cowcaddens car park. You can see what I did with the photos in Flickr. The other photo I took that I liked was a shot looking up Hill Street in town, with St Aloysius Church at the top.

Back home we both worked in different rooms taking things out of cupboards and putting them together, rearranging them and putting some back and more rearranging. Oh what fun it was. Well, not really, but it has to be done.

Dinner was trout fillets with potatoes and cauliflower. Dessert was an M&S apple pie. Then we sat down to hopefully enjoy a Hungarian GP with George Russell ending in the gravel trap in the first lap. That didn’t happen, but at least Verstappen showed him a clean pair of heels to finish first after starting in 10th place. Hamilton too beat Russell leaving him in 3rd place. If you didn’t want to know the final score you should have looked away just after “… M&S apple pie.”

Spoke to Jamie and heard about his win at a Shortbread Baking competition at work and his preparations for his last week with his present company then a week long summer holiday before starting his new job. Good luck with all of that, Jamie.

Tomorrow I may phone WEX to make sure they are open for business before I commit myself to driving in to Glasgow again. Hoping to avoid most of the red lights!

A lazy day – 30 July 2022

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A lazy morning, more like.

We just seemed to lounge about and complain about the rain, although it had been forecast for about a week with progressively more accurate details of when and where. The ‘where’ wasn’t really all that important. We knew it was going to be in the central belt of Scotland. The ‘when’ however, was important. Scamp was sure it was going to be in the morning and that it would clear up by midday. I, as usual was more down in the dumps and though it wouldn’t rain until late afternoon. Scamp’s weather forecasters got it right.

We’d half intended going to the Merchant City Festival in Glasgow if the weather had stayed fine, but as it was, that seemed unlikely and maybe would be postponed until tomorrow. Maybe we should go out to lunch, just to get out of the house. That sounded like a good choice. Scamp suggested Cotton House, or ‘The’ Cotton House, to give it its full name. I didn’t think we’d get a table, but as usual, Scamp had done her due diligence and could tell me that it was open all day at the weekends, so we could go after the usual lunchtime rush. That’s what we did.

We got a table without any problem. Scamp had her usual Thai Spring Rolls to start, followed by Chicken Chow Mein. I had Crispy Pancake Rolls and Ginger & Spring Onion Chicken with Noodles. Both excellent, both finished in double quick time.

What to do now? I’d offered a drive up to Fannyside and a walk along the path there, but then thought a walk along the Forth & Clyde towpath might be even better. We drove down to the towpath from Haggs and walked as far as the ruin of Underwood Lockhouse. An historic part of the Forth & Clyde canal that’s been ‘accidentally’ burned down twice now and remains an empty shell, hidden behind hoardings, but easily accessible if you’re of the Urban Ex frame of mind. I wasn’t, but got a shot of a half bottle of Buckfast on a line of steps that now go nowhere.

Lots of cyclists on this section of the F&C, but not many walkers. Such a beautiful day with cloudscapes that just made you want to keep taking photos. One of those views along the canal made PoD.  We walked back to the car and drove home where Scamp decided it would be a perfect afternoon for a seat in the garden, to enjoy the fruits (and flowers) of her labours.  I agreed and sat for a while reading my latest Kindle book.  After a while it began to cool down and we had to adjourn to the house.  Watched a ‘thrilling'(?) Hungarian F1 Qualifying.  I do believe that one day that commentator will simply burst with excitement at George Russell achieving something.  Anything.  Today he was getting pole position.

Tomorrow we may make that postponed trip to Glasgow.