Should We have Built It In The First Place?
One of the dramatic news stories on BBC television this morning, is the blowing up of the tower of Inverkip power station chimney in Scotland. Out of curiosity, I looked up the power station on Wikipedia and found an article, which showed how building the station seems to have been an enormous waste of money. Here’s what they say on the use of the power station.
It was to be Scotland’s first oil-fired power station. However, the soaring price of oil as a result of the 1973 oil crisis meant that by the time construction was completed generation was uneconomical. It was never utilised commercially, with 1200 MW kept in reserve and the remaining capacity being used to satisfy peak demand. It was only used at peak capacity during the miners’ strike of 1984-85, when low coal supplies prompted operation. Generation ceased in January 1988 and although the plant was retained as a strategic reserve, it was never used as such. The plant was finally mothballed in the late 1990s, but was kept fully operational until 2006 when it was decommissioned.
No wonder our electricity bills are so expensive, with gold-plated elephants like this to support.
I suppose, at least a lot of people got a cheap thrill when they saw the chimney blown up.
What’s Wrong with This New Genius Bread?
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve got the new formula Genius bread from the littleWaitrose at Highbury Corner.
What’s Wrong with This New Genius Bread?
It never seems to go off and last night, I had two slices with Benecol to go with my supper. It’s even still soft this morning, although I did toast it.
But the sell-by date was the 27th of July.
Bread shouldn’t last that long! But it does!
The only real problem I have is that the Waitrose I use most at the Angel, only sells their own-brand rubbish!
A List Of Gluten-Free Recipes
A few days ago I published a list of Lindsey Bareham’s gluten-free recipes.
Here’s a list of the others on this site.
Baked Salmon With Parmesan And Parsley Crust
A Simple Ham And Vegetable Soup
Tuna, Red Onion And White Bean Salad
The Only Four Fishcake Recipes You’ll Ever Need
My First Tomato And Onion Salad
Fish Pie With Swede And Potato Topping
Grilled Pork With Asparagus And Shiitake Mushrooms
Poached Smoked Haddock With Poached Eggs
Cooking Gluten-Free Pasta For One
A New Take On An Old Favourite
Lamb Leg Steaks With Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
Pork Chops With Cyder Apple Sauce
Pan Fried Fish With Lemon Hollandaise Sauce
Roasted Duck Fillets with Marmalade and Chilli Glaze
Tuna Steak With Tomatoes and Mushrooms
Gluten-Free Pasta with Broccoli, Feta and Puttanesca
Grilled Pepper and Sausage Penne
Rahmschnitzel (Veal Escalopes With Cream)
Dundee (or Essex) Marmalade Lamb Chops
Sausage And Red Wine Casserole
Note that a few point to The Times web site, so you might need a subscription for them.
Saturday At The Anniversary Games
These pictures show some of the races at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games on Saturday afternoon.
This day and Friday were two very good days of athletics.
Clouds In St. Pancras Station
There is now an artwork, where the Olympic rings were last year in St. Pancras station.
It is described in detail in this BBC report.
Crazy Practical Plumbing
I took this picture on the pedestrian bridge over Paddington station.
Crazy Practical Plumbing
It’s amazing what you can do with flexible rubber hose and a couple of jubilee clips! But then you’ve got to make sure the rain from the roof, goes down the drain and not where people walk.
This is an example of the sort of design I like! It’s clever, stylish, practical and above all affordable!
Barbican Station
I have some happy memories of Barbican Station and on Saturday, I passed through on the way to the Anniversary Games.
Barbican Station
I can particular remember pushing our youngest son in his buggy along the central platform, from where the picture was taken, sometimes with C and our two sons and sometimes without.
Sad to think, that C and the baby in the buggy have both died from cancer.
Men And Washing Machines
There’s an interesting survey about male clothes washing habits going the rounds and it reported in the Daily Mail.
I won’t disagree with the findings, but I always find the instructions on most domestics appliances unfathomable, unless you get out the instruction manual. And of course, you always forget where you have put them.
Most appliances have far more features than you’ll ever use, whereas if I ever designed anything, one of the aims would be to take someone with the intelligence of say a ten-year-old and expect them to work it without instructions, after a brief chat with someone, who understood how it worked.
My washer-dryer is pretty simple, except that the buttons are difficult with my hands and tend to have mind of their own. But it has got many features, I’ve never used. i also fairly unique in that my mother taught me how to wash clothes by hand.
Leaving The Olympic Stadium
I took these pictures as I left.
Or a friend took two as you can see.
The stadium is not as impressive yet, as it was at the Olympics, but I suspect it’ll get there.
Friday At The Anniversary Games
These pictures show some of the races at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games on Friday night.
It all happened very much to time.
The Anonymous Widower 