Aspall’s New Bottle
I went to the Barbican cinema yesterday to see the film, Safety Not Guaranteed. The link is to the review in the Guardian, which gets it about right.
I did though get a bottle of Aspall’s cyder to take in to the screening. The draught cyder was in a new shape bottle.
Aspall’s New Bottle
It looked different and I suspect it saves glass and energy, but at least the cyder tasted the same.
They Don’t Just Rescue Dogs
The BBC is showing this news story about rescuing a dog from the icy waters of Lake Erie.
Many years ago, I visited one of our Artemis clients on the shores of Lake Michigan. I’m not sure of the time of year, but it was very cold and there was snow everywhere, when we flew into Benton Harbor. I remember the guy at Hertz had got all the engines of the cars running in the parking lot.
The client I was visiting was the nuclear power station called AEP Cook. I’ve been over several nuclear power stations and together with the old Sizewell A, this was the one, that was run in the most professional manner.
I remember asking whether they got any problems with the locals. The answer was that because waste heat from the power plant, in the winter, the ice tended to melt and the warmth also attracted the best fish in Lake Michigan. So regularly, they had hauled fishermen out of the water, who’d fallen through the ice.
Some people need their heads examined.
That was also the trip, where we had lunch in a restaurant that reminded us of the Rook Restaurant sketch in The Two Ronnies. Except the ubiquitous element was beans, as that is the area of the United States, where navy beans are traditionally grown.
Taking A Muffin Break
At Lewisham on the outrun to The Valley, I had plenty of time to change from the DLR to the 380 bus.
So I went into the shopping centre by the station, which could best be described as the shopping equivalent of the Kings Cross station extension. I’m sure the architect, thinks it’s one of his best pieces of work, but I thought, this is the sort of place, I walk quickly through.
I was looking for a coffee and suspected I might find a Starbucks or a Costa. I did find one of the latter, but it was rather busy, so I gave it a miss.
I did however find a coffee place called Muffin Break, with real cups and a sign that said gluten-free muffins. So I decided to at least have a try.
The picture doesn’t do the muffin justice, as it was moist, just crumbly enough and with a proper taste of berries. The later wasn’t surprising as it was a mixed berry muffin.
It was a complete surprise to find in that shopping centre in Lewisham.
Apparently, it’s a Canadian concept that has been developed by the Australians, where it has 179 stores out of 256 worldwide. Read their history here.
Who cares? It was a good muffin.
A Good Reason To Avoid Tesco
I don’t like Tesco and never shop there, except in an emergency. But today it is revealed that executives spent twenty-eight million pounds flying around in private jets. So how much of your spend there, paid for this and other executive toys? It’s all here in the Guardian.
I really only use two major supermarkets; Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. Asda after all is American-owned and there is no Morrison’s near here. Occasionally like today, I’ll use the Co-op, but I do try to use smaller shops if I can.
Fighting Cancer With A Trojan Horse
I like this report on the BBC web site. In brief the new therapy can be described like this.
The team hid cancer killing viruses inside the immune system in order to sneak them into a tumour.
Once inside, tens of thousands of viruses were released to kill the cancerous cells.
It certainly gives hope to cancer sufferers. Obviously, it has to be proven in humans, although as the study showed, it worked well in mice with prostate cancer.
I do think though, that we underestimate the value of the immune system in fighting cancer. Research has shown for instance, that those who eat their five portions of fruit and veg each day, have a better record against cancer, as do coeliacs, who stick to the gluten-free diet.
I also know of two people, one of whom was my son, who perhaps were not too sensible with their habits, who were thought by their respective families to be coeliacs. Both died of aggressive cancers.
I know two cases doesn’t prove a theory, but I do feel that as we learn more about the immune system and treatments such as this Trojan horse method, we will start to win the fight against cancer.
On the other hand, I totally despair as I pass the pub next door and see the smokers up to six deep on the pavement.
Rat Poison And Sprouts Don’t Mix
This cautionary tale about mixing brussels sprouts with anti-coagulant drugs, like Warfarin, should be noted.
The trouble is that I like my sprouts, so I’ll go easy on them over Christmas.
I think though, I’ll do a before and after INR test.
I feel a bit of scientific research coming on!
What Disaster Will We Get This Year?
I can’t say I’m looking forward to Christmas.
Usually, C and I used to go away on Boxing Day or soon after to somewhere nice and warm. But this year, both my son and myself, have the builders in, which makes things difficult. At least, I can get through the door of my house and live comfortably. So we’re going to a Christmas lunch at one of his friend’s houses. It should be a good party, but I don’t like relying on the hospitality of others.
Why can’t Christmas, be like it was in my childhood?
In those days, the Christmas Day tradition was to go to White Hart Lane to see the football and then come home to Christmas lunch. I could skip the lunch and the awful Christmas television, but at least it’s reliable these days. I can remember watching High Noon one Christmas and the power was fading, so just before the gunfight we lost all the pictures. Those were the days. I think one year, life was so boring, that I took my father’s car out of the garage, put mine in there and then washed and painted the wheels a fetching shade of blue. In fact, it is the same colour, that I’ve chosen for my new carpets.
I’ve just noticed the date on the carpets post. Have my builders taken nearly three months to get virtually nowhere? Such is life! Or should it be such is builders?
But what worries me about Christmas is it’s always a time for disaster. If I look back on my life, I can remember invasions, tsunamis, earthquakes, sto,rs, floods and probably even some pestilence. With me, the worse disaster was that awful year, the AGA went AWOL on Christmas morning. And mother-in-law was here. I seem to remember one of the biggest rows between C and her mother. But we survived, as we always did.
Personally, my worse Christmas could have been 2007, the year that C died just two weeks before. I helped out at the old peoples Christmas lunch in Bury St. Edmunds and had a good time considering. Then I ate my own Christmas lunch alone on Boxing Day. That is something, I’ve not done since.
I will though follow those who believe that the year will end this Christmas and make sure I have some food in.
After all, my son and I have no transport between us, So I’ll be relying on a taxi on Christmas Day. And if it doesn’t come, I’ve got to make sure I don’t starve. As to drink, I do live bext door to a pub.
Grand Cafe Cappuccino
I had lunch here before I caught the bus to the airport.
The last time, I’d been here was with C on that birthday holiday in 2007.
As with the Caballito de Mar, they knew their gluten free.
The Caballito de Mar Restaurant, Palma Majorca
Five years ago for my sixtieth birthday, C took me to Majorca. We stayed in an excellent hotel outside of Palma and she asked them to recommend a good restaurant that could do gluten-free food. They recommended the Caballito de Mar Restaurant on the avenue along the sea-front, underneath the town. It was excellent, so on my brief trip, I went back.
In fact, I went back again, as the sea bass was so good the first time.
The restaurant made up for the sub-standard hotel.
First Class to Leeds
I travelled in First Class to Leeds yesterday. I do get more and more fed up with the standard of the class on Saturdays.
I paid about thirty pounds more for a comfy seat, a table and two cups of coffee each way. My fellow travellers also got some rather boring-looking sandwiches both ways.
But I suspect, judging by the number of empty seats and those on Virgin a couple of weeks ago, the train companies First Class offerings on Saturday, are not the hottest product.
At least that on First Hull Trains is better! But on the other hand, it didn’t seem to sell many seats.
It strikes me though, that the train companies need to do a bit of thinking about their First Class product. And whilst they’re at it, they could look at their gluten-free offerings too!
Inciodentally, I had breakfast in Carluccio’s before I travelled and got some sandwiches from Marks and Spencer in Leeds station. I also noted that Leon’s restaurant had some good gluten-free breakfast offerings.
So some things are getting better, but the trains aren’t keeping up with the competition. Although you could argue, that the presence of Leon’s and Carluccio’s in stations, is down to policy changes at Network Rail.
The Anonymous Widower 