The Premier Inn, Lambeth
This is the first nomination for the Carbuncle Cup.
I think the building merits its inclusion. And don’t take my word for it, this was said on the Dezeen website in their page about the nominations.
The Premier Inn in Lambeth is a travesty in more ways than one – we shudder at its lumpen form and mourn the building demolished to make way for it.
I can never understand, why in some places like St. Pancras, we get sympathetic additions to old buildings and in other places we just don’t!
The original building was the General Lying-In Hospital.
it’s Carbuncle Cup Time Again!
They’ve just announced the shortlist for the Carbuncle Cup. It’s here on the Dezeen web site.
I’m surprised that the Shard has never been nominated. If ever there was a carbuncle, it is that monstrosity!
Who Was Germaine Necker?
This blue plaque was on the back wall of the old Dickins and Jones building in Regent Street.
Who Was Germaine Necker?
So who was she? Wikipedia shows she was a very unusual lady for her time. Here is an except.
She was one of Napoleon’s principal opponents. Celebrated for her conversational eloquence, she participated actively in the political and intellectual life of her times. Her works, both critical and fictional, made their mark on the history of European Romanticism.
Interesting!
My Shower Room Was Designed By An Idiot
If I’m being charitable, to call Jerry an idiot is probably best, but sometimes I feel he was almost a sadist.
I said how if you have a shower, a lot of the water outside the shower area, gets thoroughly wet and if you use the toilet in the morning, you need to put shoes on, as if you’re in socks, they just soak up the water.
But the shower isn’t fit for purpose. I find it impossible to stand in the shower and wash underneath my arms unless I use a flannel, which I don’t have to do in all of the other showers I’ve used over the last few years. And guess what? There’s no place to put a flannel, so it inevitably falls on the floor. I don’t have trouble picking it up, but the tiles he used are very slippery when wet and one day, they’ll claim a victim. I just hope it’s not me.
The shower too, doesn’t know how to mix the water, so depending on where you stand, you either get hot or cold water, but rarely something in between.
The sooner the builders finish the bathroom downstairs the better. As then they can fix the two shower rooms.
I’m looking forward to 2015!
Sibling Confusion
I don’t know much history or details about politicians’ families!
But I seem to think, that Ed Milliband is one of the few party leaders, who has had a brother or sister, actively involved in politics in recent years. I have always confused the two Millibands and I just wonder if this is a serious disadvantage to both of them, as I can’t be the only person to do this. The only other high profile pair of political siblings is Boris Johnson and his brother. Would this harm their chances of leading the Tory party?
Pudding Mill Lane Station – 20th August 2013
This set of pictures shows how fast Crossrail and the new Pudding Mill Lane station are progressing, when it is compared with pictures of just over a month ago.
The two tunnelling machines; Jessica and Ellie are soon to be on their way, or might have even left yet on their journey to Stepney Green.
The new station is looking like it will be one of the grandest on the Docklands Light Railway. According to this piece in Wikipedia, it will be completed this year.
As it will be one of the major stations for the Olympic Park and probably the closest to the stadium, I think we’ll start to see pressure to change the name or at least add a tag to Pudding Mill Lane like for West Ham United Stadium. After all there is a precedent at Gillespie Road station.
Spanish Practices
Is Santander getting rattled, as it has just launched a loan sale?
i don’t need a loan and if I did, I wouldn’t go any any Spanish bank! Especially, with all the Spanish practices at Gibraltar.
Mick McCarthy Splashes The Cash
Mick McCarthy seems to have got in quite a few players this summer, but he doesn’t seem to be forking out a lot of money.
The latest sighting Jordan Adekunle from Crawley is seventeen, so I don’t suppose he broke the bank.
On the other hand,not one of the new signing seems to be a complete dud!
Is This The World’s Fastest Pasta Meal?
Last night, I did the Lindsey Bareham pasta meal, which I described here.
I really do think, that if you cook it as fast as you can, it might be one of the world’s fastest pasta meals.
I started by boiling a saucepan of salted water. I used my 2.8 litre saucepan with a lid that has a built in strainer. I also put a plate in the oven to get warm.
When it was boiling hard, I threw in a tumbler of Carluccio’s gluten-free pasta, which cooks in eight minutes. After five minutes, I threw half a cup of peas, which can be frozen or fresh. Obviously, for more people you add more pasta and peas.
Whilst the pasta and peas was cooking, I’d taken half a pack of Waitrose pulled ham hock and taken out the bits with any fat and gristle, of which this time there wasn’t much. I also chppped a couple of tablespoons of chives. Note if you don’t like ham, it works equally well with smoked salmon.
When the peas tasted cooked, I just strained the mixture and that was the cooking done. With my saucepan, I just left the pasta and peas in the saucepan and then used it as a mixing bowl.
i added the ham, a good slug of Rachel’s Greek yoghurt with honey, the juice from one half of a lime, the chives and a teaspoon of marjoram to the mixture and gave it a good mix with some salt and pepper.
I then just turned it out onto the plate.
As you can see, it takes the time it takes to boil the water plus how long the pasta takes to cook and the time it takes to mix everything at the end.
I challenge anybody to properly cook a real pasta meal quicker!
Not Much Washing Up!
It doesn’t even require much washing up, as the picture shows.
My INR Ups And Downs
If you look at my INR Results, you’ll see that over the last few days from the 12th to the 20th of August my INR has swung up and down like a yo-yo. The nine readings in order have been.
2.6, 2.5, 2.7, 2.6, 2.3, 2.6, 2.2, 2.1, 3.0
The average though over that period is almost 2.5, which is my target and I’ve taken an average of 4 mg. of Warfarin. So there’s no obvious reason for the variation between 2.1 and 3. My gammy left hand too, has been a bit variable in its ability, although, it’s probably working as well as it has since the stroke.
What worries me though, is suppose you’re having your INR tested every three weeks or more in the traditional way. From my experience, you could get any number you fancy, all of which will be in the required range and you might then end up on a dose that is not the best for you.
I feel a lot happier, that I have control of my testing and dosage.
The Anonymous Widower 