Category Archives: ramblings

food+drink, ramblings

Disaster. Result.

Well that was a very unexpected result from a bit of a disaster!

Sunday evening, about midnight. Noreen discovers the freezer is not working. I am summoned. I confirm the veracity of Noreen’s suspicion. No lights on the front panel at all; not a glimmer; and none of the buttons does anything. Socket checked: OK. Plug checked: OK. Fuse checked: OK but changed as a precaution. Obviously the kitchen ring main is OK, and there have been no power interruptions. Cable checked as far as possible: OK. How long has it been off? We don’t know; it could even be a day!

Bugger! Especially as the freezer is only 6 months old; an AEG bought from John Lewis. Unfortunately we’ve voided the warranty as we had to remove the moulded-on plug to wire it in. Fortunately it is packed solid. So leave the door shut and see what transpires.

Decision. Do not waste time on trying to get a repair; whether or not the warranty is valid it’ll take too long. Better to spend money and buy another new one as we can get next day delivery. Worry about the warranty later.

Not many people make free-standing, under-the-counter freezers these days; first choice Bosch don’t make them any longer. So at 1AM we’re ordering a new freezer from John Lewis (own brand this time); they’re trusted to do next day delivery. But we’re now in Monday so delivery will be Tuesday. Hmmm. Best we can do. We have neither time nor transport to try sourcing one locally in the morning.

Go to bed, hatching various plans for using the thawing contents.

Monday morning. John Lewis customer service confirm we’ve voided the warranty. Insurance company confirm loss of freezer food is covered on our insurance, but we have a £200 excess. Decide not worth contemplating a claim as contents unlikely to top £200. Still considering how to handle the freezer contents.

Monday lunchtime. Noreen extracts fish fingers from freezer for lunch (may as well use what we can). Reports everything still well frozen. Decide to leave freezer shut and wait until new one arrives tomorrow. Then we’ll consider what to use and what to bin.

Tuesday. New freezer delivered at lunchtime. We install it (without removing the moulded-on plug this time!) and leave it to settle, as instructed. Turn it on at about 5PM. By 8PM (after eating) the freezer’s getting well cold. Decide to unpack the old freezer. We divide contents into 4 categories:

  1. Definitely going to be binned as not immediately useable: ice lollies; bags of stock; bags of fresh pasta; odd portions of curry; couple of small packs smoked salmon (damn we’d even fed the cats, so the fox can have the benefit!); half bag of peas; the same of cauliflower. We knew this was going to be a lot.
  2. Thawing fast, needs using now: couple of boring nut roasts; bag of crumble topping. Is that all? – Not bad. Nut roasts go in the oven and will be OK cold for lunch tomorrow; large dish of fruit crumble also in the oven.
  3. Thawing but useable tomorrow, put in fridge: 3 packs of bacon; pack of sausages; some pork slices; small bag lamb’s liver; some garlic butter. Make casserole? No, a better idea: terrine.
  4. Still well frozen; keep frozen but use ASAP: all the meat in the centre of the freezer (small lamb joints; some bacon; turkey joints; a pheasant; couple of steaks; 2 large boxes fish fingers); pack of pastry; even a bag of ice cubes! And yes this stuff really was rock solid.

Wow! That’s a result! Around 50% of the contents of the freezer (and most of the expensive stuff) is saved. Amazing! We know one is always told a switched off freezer will be OK for 12-24 hours. But we really hadn’t expected to salvage anything much after almost 48 hours.

Yes, it would have been better to have the freezer fixed. But doing so would have taken time and probably lost the whole of the contents and cost for the repair. When added up would that have been greener that buying a new freezer? Maybe. Maybe not. But buying a new one was probably the more economic decision.

Oh, and that (large) terrine has just come out of the oven; now cooling and being pressed. Basically it is a variant of our Ennismore Terrine. It smells gorgeous!

Moral(s): Know when to leave well alone. Do quick risk analysis to enable quick decisions. And above all don’t panic!

amusements, ramblings

Auction Amusement

Our local auction house haven’t recently turned up the usual outstaning collections of oddly composed lots or strange things being sold. However here are the highlights of the last three sales.

A quantity of Egyptian dried scarab beetles

Two person tent, a quantity of cricket bats, a Mandoline Pro in box, a toaster, a Daewoo deep fat fryer, and one by Russell & Hobbs, plus five sculpture puzzles including Darth Vader and an Egyptian

A pine tool-box, an African drum, a vintage three-legged milking stool

Metal milk crate containing 19 milk bottles Middle Edgarley Farm, Glastonbury and a vintage Burroughs adding machine

An Edison Bell Gem phonograph, London-made, No. 21090, a Piccolo zither, a small oak barometer of banjo form, and a combined timepiece and barometer of lancet form

A cut-glass claret jug with Continental silver-plated mount, and a pewter mug inscribed to H Churchill of the Madras Fire Service

Ten saddle stands

A vintage cast iron tram controller dead man’s lever stamped BTH Co Ltd, Rugby, England

A Bo Peep sheep stool with wool cover

An interesting 19th century pine cabin trunk the black front panel painted Pte W Bryers 7/9th Regt the inside lid pasted with a period paper ‘Presentation of Colors to the 9th Regimental of Foot’ 1848, also a paper cutting reporting the death of John Bryers by drowning in the Regents Canal following a contretemps in a local alehouse

A good quality artist’s easel with full adjustments by Winsor & Newton, and two antlers

Four shelves of mixed items including a Tiffany style ceiling light plus another, photo frames including silver-plated, a Victorian silk table screen, framed pictures, a chess set, a four-drawer jewellery box, a cased set of Apostle tea spoons, wicker baskets, a brass clock in the shape of an over-sized pocket watch, vintage advertising tins, display cases, a Cardiff City shield, Chinese scrolls, replica swords, work boots, a Thomas the Tank Engine toy etc.

A pair of silver-plated three-branch candelabra, a mantel clock, a doorstop alarm, a fold-away rucksack, a micro jet tool, cord strap, fly swats, a sensor night light, packs of card, a charger, putty, a briefcase, a hobby drill, a red bag, a portable brush holder etc.

A French bronze spelter figure of an Arab horseman, circa 1900, together with a copper and brass bugle, and four similar horns

An antique AEG Mignon typewriter, Model 4, with TCM London transfers

Three black vintage telephones, a pair of 19th century Lucas bicycle lights, two lanterns etc.

A vintage PerryBuoy lifebuoy, a Smith Maritime rev counter, two old metal pulleys, three pairs of binoculars

An American Todd Protectograph cheque writer, with label for Halsby & Co Ltd, list of patents to December 30th 1924

A Clarice Cliff Bizarre Gayday dwarf candlestick painted with flowers, and an Art Deco vase with runny decoration

A Lark tuba made in China model no. M4050

An to end with, good though this is …

A vintage taxidermy display of three ermine on simulated rocks, with paper label of W.C. Darbey, Naturalist, 12 Banbury Road, Oxford

… the pièce de résistance surely has to be …

Henry John Yeend King, an oils on panel triptych of a classical idyll typical of the Aesthetic Movement, signed, applied to a Victorian upright piano in figured walnut by Justin Browne of London, the lower panel by the pedals also painted with steps to a lily pool

More as and when the mood takes the auction house!

personal, ramblings

Ten Things, June

This year our Ten Things series is focusing on each month in turn. The Ten Things may include facts about the month, momentous events that happened, personal things, and any other idiocy I feel like – just because I can. So here are …

Ten Things about June

  1. June marks the start of meteorological Summer
  2. Dedicated to Juno, Roman goddess of marriage
  3. Magna Carta signed on 15 June 1215
  4. Summer Solstice …
  5. … which is the longest day
  6. Midsummer’s Day is on the Feast of St John Baptist, and not at the Solstice
  7. Well dressing, which is still practised in Derbyshire
  8. Trooping the Colour (above) is part of the Queen’s Official Birthday celebrations
  9. Ratcatchers Day, Hamelin, Germany
  10. Birthstone: Pearl
personal, ramblings

Ten Things, May

This year our Ten Things series is focusing on each month in turn. The Ten Things may include facts about the month, momentous events that happened, personal things, and any other idiocy I feel like – just because I can. So here are …


Ten Things about May

  1. May Day …
  2. … which is also the pagan festival of Beltane
  3. May Day holiday, which in the UK naturally doesn’t fall on May Day but the first Monday
  4. Spring bank holiday which falls on the last Monday and replaces the old Ascension Day holiday
  5. Both my parents died in May: Father in 2006 and Mother in 2015
  6. State Opening of Parliament
  7. Helston Furry Dance (above)
  8. Dedicated to Roman goddess Maia
  9. Oak Apple Day
  10. Birthstone: Emerald
personal, ramblings

Ten Things, April

This year our Ten Things series is focusing on each month in turn. The Ten Things may include facts about the month, momentous events that happened, personal things, and any other idiocy I feel like – just because I can. So here are …

Ten Things about April

  1. In most years Easter falls in April
  2. All Fool’s Day
  3. New financial year in UK
  4. St George’s Day
  5. The birth (allegedly) & death of William Shakespeare
  6. First cuckoos & swallows normally arrive in UK
  7. Start of asparagus season
  8. Buddhist Hanamatsuri (Buddha’s birthday)
  9. Start of cricket season
  10. Walpurgis Nacht on 30th
history, ramblings

Easter? Confused?

One of our favourite London bloggers, Diamond Geezer, earlier this week picked up on something I’d missed.

If you follow the rule, Easter should be this weekend – the first Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox. The Equinox was on 20 March and the full moon on 21 March. This would make Easter almost as early as it ever can be.

But it isn’t.

Easter isn’t until 21 April, apparently a full four weeks late, and almost as late as it can be!

WTF is going on?

Well it turns out that the rule isn’t quite what we think it is. Why? Because it was set by the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD who, amongst other things, set the date of the Equinox in concrete as 21 March when it actually moves around by a day or so. No-one has since redefined it.

This means in some years Easter falls on what appears to be the wrong date, although this is only likely if the full moon and the Equinox are very close together, as they are this year.

I’ll leave it as an exercise for the student to read DG’s post and understand the details.

Another example of the Law of Things Aren’t What They Seem.

personal, ramblings

Ten Things, March

This year our Ten Things series is focusing on each month in turn. The Ten Things may include facts about the month, momentous events that happened, personal things, and any other idiocy I feel like – just because I can. So here are …

Ten Things about March

  1. March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war
  2. In Wales, St David’s day is celebrated on 1st …
  3. … and 1st is also the start of meteorological Spring
  4. Similarly the Irish celebrate St Patrick’s day on 17th
  5. My father’s birthday was also in March
  6. Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar was assassinated on the Ides of March, which is 15th
  7. Then there’s the Spring Equinox, celebrated by pagans as Ostara
  8. The Feast of the Annunciation is on 25th, exactly nine months before Christmas
  9. Birthstone: Aquamarine
  10. In the UK Summertime begins on last Sunday
personal, ramblings

Ten Things, February

This year our Ten Things series is focusing on each month in turn. The Ten Things may include facts about the month, momentous events that happened, personal things, and any other idiocy I feel like – just because I can. So here are …

Ten Things about February

  1. Was originally named after the Roman purification ritual Februa held on 15th.
  2. It is always the shortest month.
  3. Pagans celebrate Imbolc, halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox on 1st.
  4. Whereas Christians have Candlemas on 2nd.
  5. St Valentines Day is, of course, on 14th.
  6. Most years Chinese New Year falls in February; this year it is on Tuesday 5th.
  7. In Anglo-Saxon this is Sol-monath (cake month – sounds good to me!).
  8. Shrove Tuesday & Ash Wednesday fall in February in most years, unless as this year Easter is especially late when they are just in March.
  9. February is the only month which is variable in length, having the extra day every four years (except century years); there are 97 Leap Months every 400 years.
  10. Birthstone: Amethyst
personal, ramblings

Ten Things, January

This year our Ten Things series is focusing on each month in turn. The Ten Things may include facts about the month, momentous events that happened, personal things, and any other idiocy I feel like – just because I can. So here are …

Ten Things about January

  1. Surprise, surprise! … It’s New Year
  2. Then there’s Twelfth Night
  3. And my birthday
  4. And Epiphany
  5. The month was originally dedicated to Roman god Janus
  6. Birthstone: Garnet
  7. January corresponds to the Anglo-Saxon Wolf Month
  8. Burns’ Night, when the Scots celebrate their national poet by eating haggis and drinking whisky, is on 25th
  9. First recorded lottery was held in England in 1569
  10. 31st is allegedly sacred to the Valkyries and the Norns
amusements, current affairs, personal, ramblings

Predictions for 2019

So once again this year I’ve retrieved my crystal ball from the back of the wardrobe and dusted it off. However it is extremely cloudy so despite regular consultations over the last month what follows are my guesses at what may happen during 2019.

As before, I’ve divided the predictions into sections: UK (Brexit), UK (Other), World and Personal. I figured that Brexit is sufficiently horrible all on its own it deserved a section to itself. Note also that various items are currently redacted (although I have them documented) as some might consider them over-sensitive.

Disclaimer. I remind you that these are just my ideas of what could happen; they’re based solely on hunches and gut feel; I have no inside knowledge, I haven’t been studying the form, and I have a success rate of about 20%. So if you base any decision on any of this I will take no responsibility for your wanton act of idiocy or its consequences.

UK (Brexit)

  1. Despite all the clamour, there will not be a second referendum on Brexit, and even if there is the result will still be Leave.
  2. Parliament will not be able to agree the negotiated deal so Britain leaves the EU on 29 March with no deal, no fall-back plan, and no “implementation period”.
  3. All trade stops as it is discovered that WTO rules cannot be applied instantly and easily. Resolution takes at least 3 months.
  4. A hard border has to be implemented in Ireland almost overnight and is accomplished only by using troops.
  5. There’s surprise that airlines cannot fly in/out of UK, and this badly affects food/medicine supply.
  6. There are delays of up to a week (ie. that’s how long trucks have to queue) to get goods in/out to Europe via the seaports. Troops are required to manage the flow of trucks.
  7. UK economy is in recession by mid-year.
  8. Food and medicine supply issues are biting hard by end April as stocks run low and imports are almost impossible. There won’t be rationing but there will be significantly empty supermarket shelves.
  9. There’s no insulin available by end May. Lack of insulin and other diabetes drugs results in 5K excess deaths during the year and another 5K avoided only due to an increased rate of amputations. The NHS estimate that a further 50K have unnecessary adverse events.
  10. Due to import issues prices rise sharply and inflation hits 20% but stabilises to 5% by year-end.
  11. Bank base rate is reduced to 0% as the banking sector is unable to do business/make money. Most savings rates are 0% while the mortgage rate rises to at least 10% resulting in an increase of repossessions.
  12. House prices fall by 20-30%.
  13. At some point during the year £1 will be worth no more than $0.90, and €0.90 (although not necessarily at the same time).
  14. Moody’s downrate UK credit rating by at least two notches.
  15. Despite this the FTSE100 ends the year up 10%.

UK (Other)

  1. This is a year of trouble, unrest and pigeons coming home to roost – not all caused by Brexit but often due to incompetence and/or poor planning. Good news is in very short supply.
  2. Theresa May resigns as PM, possibly due to ill health.
  3. Andrea Leadsom becomes PM and appoints Jacob Rees-Mogg as Chancellor, with Boris Johnson as Deputy PM.
  4. Ulster sectarian troubles boil over again; multiple shootings / bombings by both sides.
  5. Labour Party adopts an official policy to re-unify Ireland.
  6. TfL is declared bankrupt, causing chaos for London travellers. The government refuses to provide a bail-out. This results in many redundancies, pruned services and upgrade projects, and protracted strike action.
  7. Work on Crossrail is paused, and the opening delayed to 2021. The Emirates Dangleway will close. Crossrail 2 is postponed by at least 3 years.
  8. HS2 is cut back due to lack of funding. Heathrow Third Runway is also delayed due to lack of money. Hinkley C nuclear power station development is cancelled.
  9. There’s a murder on my street.
  10. The Sussex’s baby [REDACTED] will be named Diana or Iris (if a girl); Robert or David (if a boy).
  11. A reintroduced wolf or lynx kills a human.
  12. Beavers are found to be colonising the upper reaches of the Thames basin. No-one knows (or will admit to) how they got there.
  13. A feral big cat (probably lynx or puma) is conclusively confirmed somewhere in the UK; it may be captured or shot to confirm the identification.
  14. Major terrorist attack somewhere in UK (probably London) kills 50 including a high profile politician or minor royal.
  15. The country lurches even further towards pervasive surveillance and a police state with troops, and openly armed police, regularly on the streets in major conurbations.
  16. At least one train crash and one plane crash; each with 20 dead.
  17. A rail franchise will fail and have to be taken back into public ownership.
  18. A major hospital (in England) fails and closes unexpectedly.
  19. At least three major companies (possibly including a bank/building society and a supermarket) fail; 1000 job losses each.
  20. Deaths: Bill Turnbull, Tariq Ali, George Monbiot, David Jason, Derek Jacobi, Richard Branson, Leslie Phillips, Prince Philip, another Royal Duke/Prince.

World

  1. Anthropologists discover that an isolated tribe (probably in Africa; possibly pygmies) is not Homo sapiens but another hominin species.
  2. DNA recovered from ancient hominin teeth totally changes our current understanding of human evolution.
  3. Astronomers identify another extra-solar system “asteroid” visitor (like Oumuamua) and prove this one is an alien spacecraft, although it appears to be dead.
  4. The upgraded LIGO experiment fails to reproduce its previous detection of gravitational waves, throwing whole areas of physics into turmoil.
  5. There will be significant damage to ISS which forces its abandonment and a long pause in manned space-flight.
  6. Donald Trump is confirmed to be suffering from a mild form of dementia, but is ruled as still fit to govern.
  7. CO2 emissions rise by at least 5% year-on-year in US, India and China.
  8. In a petulant move, Russia cuts off gas supply to Europe for at least three months.
  9. The global average temperature for the year is at least 1°C above the long-term average.
  10. There’s a disease pandemic – cause currently unknown, but not flu, Ebola or Zika.
  11. There’s an outbreak of Ebola in South America; plus 6 cases in UK, not all imported.
  12. Major terrorist attacks in western world: 1 in USA and 2 in other places; combined deaths 250.
  13. More die in mass shootings in USA this year than in 2018.
  14. Saudi Arabia annexes one or more of UAE, Dubai, Kuwait.
  15. A Chinese warship fires at a US Navy vessel in the South China Sea; this may be the start of a US/China war in the area.
  16. MH370 is found by accident in waters between Australia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. One of the black boxes is recovered.
  17. At least one round the world sailor is lost at sea and never found (although the deserted yacht is found).
  18. There are three major transport accidents (plane/train/cruise liner/ferry) each with 100 deaths.
  19. There’s a major earthquake (around magnitude 8) along the Himalayas which causes widespread destruction in Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan with thousands of deaths. As a result the summit of Mt Everest is 1m lower.
  20. Deaths: Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Robert Mugabe, Pope Emeritus Benedict, Elon Musk, a major European politician.

Personal

  1. In family history, I finally unlock the brick wall in my Marshall line in mid-18th century, although I then get stuck at about 1700.
  2. Family. [REDACTED]
  3. Personal. [REDACTED]
  4. Doctors. [REDACTED]
  5. Friends 1. [REDACTED]
  6. Friends 2. [REDACTED]
  7. Friends 3. [REDACTED]
  8. Friends 4. [REDACTED]
  9. My total lottery winnings for the year are less than £50.
  10. Deaths. [REDACTED]

Obviously I’m going to keep a tally and will publish the results at the end of the year. I wonder if I’ll do any better than the pathetic 20% I scored in 2018?