The Anonymous Widower

Businesses Get Bees On The Roof

I first saw this in The Times concerning law firm, Olswang.

But there is also an old video story about it on the BBC’s web site.

It obviously seems to be a good idea, as it seems to be catching on.

December 16, 2012 Posted by | Business, Food, World | , | Leave a comment

My New Cinema

I say mine, although, of course, I have had nothing to do in any way with its creation. Except perhaps some of my taxes have helped to build it.

Opposite, where we used to live in Cromwell Tower in the Barbican, was a space that was originally to be used for an exhibition centre. The Barbican Centre was still being built in those days and I hardly ever remember us going to the cinema at the time.

The Barbican Centre has had a cinema for some time, but now part of the exhibition centre has been converted into a delightful two screen cinema. I say delightful, as I’ve never been to a cinema with such a well-designed foyer/bar/restaurant, where I had a bottle of Aspall cyder before going into a cinema with such a great feeling. Sight lines were superb, seats were extremely comfortable and small things like lighting and the low-angled stairs, made it so very easy to get to your seat.

The film I saw was I, Anna, which as part of it was shot in the Barbican, was a very appropriate film for an introduction to the new cinema.

The film has it faults with dialogue and some of the continuity, but overall I’d give it four out of five.

It was however rather strange to see the end of the film in part of the Barbican, that C, myself and our children would have known extremely well. But the film brought back memories of very happy times for the years around 1970.

As to the cinema, I’d give a massive ten out of ten.

I also of course got two Suffolk beauties in an enjoyable evening; the sultrily beautiful Charlotte Rampling and the delicious cyder.

The evening was only spoilt by coming home to hear the terrible news from Connecticut.

December 15, 2012 Posted by | Food, World | , , , , | Leave a comment

Where Is A Cat When You Need One?

Last night I had poached smoked haddock and egg for supper. And very nice it was too, as it was a whole undyed fish from the fish counter in Waitrose.

The only problem, was the fish was too large for my dish, so I had to trim it. After I’d eaten it too, there was also a large piece of skin.

After living with cats since about the 1970s, I just didn’t have a handy pussy to make good use of the left-overs.

There are cats round here, but they don’t seem to come up to my end of the road.

December 14, 2012 Posted by | Food, World | , | Leave a comment

Starbucks On Southern

I was offered a cup of coffee from the trolley on the train back from Worthing today.

I refused, as the trolley had the Starbucks logo on the side.

Has the anti-Starbucks protest got to me? I think so, but we had actually discussed this at lunch.

I’ve not completely got them out of my life, but where there are alternatives like Knot Pretzels at Clapham Junction, I use them.

December 12, 2012 Posted by | Food, Transport/Travel | , , , | Leave a comment

Curry With A Kick?

I saw this sign in the window of a restaurant in Upper Street.

Curry With A Kick?

Curry With A Kick?

I wonder if it’s gluten free.

December 11, 2012 Posted by | Food, World | , | Leave a comment

This Place Doesn’t Know Its Gluten From Its Elbow

I was walking along Piccadilly, when I saw a restaurant called Cafe de Pierre.  It looked good, so I went in and asked about how coeliac friendly it was.

This Place Doesn't Know Its Gluten From Its Elbow

This Place Doesn’t Know Its Gluten From Its Elbow

I shouldn’t have bothered, as the waitress I spoke to had no idea, whether the food was gluten-free or not.

So coeliacs should probably give the restaurant a wide berth, until they get their act together.

December 10, 2012 Posted by | Food | | 2 Comments

An Excellent Gluten-Free Snack

I do like polenta cake, but Carluccio’s one seems to be difficult to find, although they do happen to have a chocolate and coconut one.  But I’ve never liked coconut and especially those biscuits called Nice, which I think are Nasty. Today though the waitress offered me a  cioccolato fondente from the gluten free menu.

An Excellent Gluten-Free Snack

An Excellent Gluten-Free Snack

I shall be having one again.

December 10, 2012 Posted by | Food | , | 1 Comment

Coffee And Pretzels At Clapham Junction

Not for me the pretzels, but the coffee was good in my pit-stop at Knot Pretzels at Clapham Junction station.

I do love their innovative use of an old trunk for the sugar and stirrers.

December 9, 2012 Posted by | Food, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , | 3 Comments

Four Gluten-Free Casseroles

The Times today, in the comic has four casserole recipes. All are gluten-free.

One doesn’t even need an oven.

I shall be trying one or more.

C and I always referred to the Colour Magazine in a newspaper as the comic. We once looked over a house in Primrose Hill, where the walls were decorated with pages from the Sunday Times Magazine.  It was just after the strike and the owner of the house had acquired these magazines, which were not needed because the paper wasn’t published.

December 8, 2012 Posted by | Food | , | Leave a comment

New Potatoes In Tomato Sauce

I wasn’t diagnosed as a coeliac until fifty, but as a child and probably for a lot of my life, I’ve often chosen foods that were good for me and avoided ones that weren’t.

One thing my mother indulged me with was new potatoes, which I would inevitably eat with tomato sauce.

New Potatoes In Tomato Sauce

New Potatoes In Tomato Sauce

It was a habit C didn’t approve of and I don’t think she’d mind, that I’ve taken up again at times.

But it is rather nice. And gluten-free too!

December 7, 2012 Posted by | Food | , | Leave a comment

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