Cheesecake,cycle chains...and calculations

I am no Einstein but today I developed a new theory of relativity.

Sunshine + riverside restaurant + tempting cheescake = sum total of another 4lb straight on the hips

So when I got home I decided to try to balance the figure.

I hoiked the bike out of the garage and set off with every intention of a 7.5mile round trip round the watercourse at the national watersports centre, nearby at Holme Pierrepont. I actually did it a few days ago - not bad for a wobbly (in every sense of the word) granny still rusty from so many desk-bound years.

That would surely soon subtract the 3,000 calories I must have consumed in the course of a lovely indulgent lunch.


I set out - still full. It was hard work. It was windy It was ruddy hard work.

And would you believe... The watersports centre was in full use for some kind of event (how dare they?) --- all the people spilling in and out of there were young, svelte, sporty and dressed in the proper gear.

And they were charging £5 to get in!!

I was hot, it was hurting, I was huffing and puffing. So I took my ruddy red cheeks and rusty old cycle spokes on up the road - did a U-turn and cycled home again - total covered about four sorry miles.

Relatively successful then...

Taste of the city

I am no mean real ale fan.... don't really like the taste of beer. But I was really pleased to read about the revival of the Shipstones brand in Nottingham in the Evening Post

Shipstone's, the tipple of choice for generations of Notts pub-goers, is being brewed again. The new beer is the work of Nottingham native Richard Neale and Colin Brown, a former brewer at the original Shipstone's.

In my reporting days I visited the brewery for an interview and, while I didnt relish the aroma of brewing hops etc, loved the feel of the place.... it was a beautiful building that rightly has preserved its place as a city landmark.

The Shippos label was a real home-brewed source of pride - a bit like the mining industry in this area or the heady industrial days of British Steel and ICI leading international trade from my smog-filled home turf in the north east.

It lay at the core of each of us.... and it felt personal when the brewery shut down - the old county council logo just doesnt look right up there.  So it's grand to see the Shippos brand back, albeit in a scaled down guise...

Welcome back old matey.... have one on me!

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Nottingham-ale-Shippo-s/story-19489841-detail/story.html

Sunshine, Sunday and sausages

It was hot, a surreal experience in itself since this was the weekend and we were still in England. So we piled into the car and headed off to Elvaston Castle for the joys of the Derbyshire Food and Drink festival.  Sun so hot TV chef Rosemary Shrager didnt even have to warm up the Aga to keep us entetained, and the chocolate cookies on the Latte and Laughs (not really) stall were literally melting before our eyes. This sign caught my eye. Funny and engaging... even got a chuckle out of this old veggie!

Well maybe not so soon

Birthday from hell yesterday. February definitely not my favourite month any more - too much loss to think about.



But here we are, the day after and the countdown to spring has begun.

There is so much to look forward to like...
Local library closures
Rising fuel prices
Uni places now a no-go area for all but Einstein and the privileged
Rising food prices
Cuts
Price rises
Cuts
Price rises
Cuts
Oh yeah, and price rises.....

The spectre of the dole... thank god they are revamping benefits because now I can feel reassured about that, eh??????

mf.....

the best laid plans..... back soon!

Asleep for 11 months.... I wish!

So on the face of it I've been a lazy old sod, having been nowhere near this blog since January, and here we are staring yet another new year in the face! In reality I've been tied up with lots of work (til now at least!)including some new commissions and, excitingly, signing up as a volunteer member of the editorial team with the British Naturalists Society. The idealist in me loves the thought of working to do a bit of good rather than making hefty profits (for others, not for myself!) so I've got a tick in the smug box for that one.
Working with PR students in Leicester has also opened up new doors of interest for me, not least discovering it's important to get to grips with my blog!

Back in five..... (honest)

is it that time already?

Blimey, who would have thought it... you turn your back for five minutes and the whole of January's flashed before your eyes! Almost time for my birthday and a review of where I am and where I am going. Up to the eyes in work at the moment, which is good, but still vital to take stock and plan ahead. Have not been feeling well lately - seem able to sleep anywhere, any time. But now the nights are getting lighter that should change.
News of Jeremy Beadle's death has moved me to tears, a reaction that has taken me by surprise. I think it's because that show Game for a Laugh was ingrained as part of my growing up - it really feels like grieving. What a shame someone who did so much and was pilloried while attracting millions of viewers should slip from us without so much as three cheers or a thank you? Cheers, Beadlebum... thanks for the laughter and more.