Found this Bodum pour over today for less than the price of a coffee. Happy with that. Makes a decent smooth brew, too. The cafetiere will get a rest for a while.

Drink immediately if you have a cold kitchen like mine.The Habitat cup only comes out for this season.

Does anyone else hear music when looking at this? Berio or Varèse work best for me here.

I misplaced my spectacles. These arrived from an online store. A generic prescription. One lens is perfect for me. Better than nothing at all.

Read the recipe book. Then ignore it and do what you can with what's in the pantry.

180 g plain flour

70 g bran

250 g strong flour

some sugar

some milk powder

1 1/4 tsp yeast

350 g water

Arnside coastguard siren warns of the approaching incoming tide and tidal bore.

it's seriously loud!

As much as I can, I try not to stay depressed for long. This current episode seems to be hanging around a bit longer than usual. Morning yoga and weights done.

A nice cup of coffee and a walk will provide some useful distraction.

Anziano signore calmo e assorto nella lettura seduto su una seggiola di cortesia fuori dal supermercato. Elderly gentleman calm, collected and absorbed in reading sitting on a courtesy chair outside the supermarket. Candid. Street shot. Cameraphone. Bologna 2021

Faced with some tired and indifferent coffee, a twist of salt in the cafetiere revives and refreshes. Disappointment averted.

I learned this from an American submariner many years ago. People know all sorts of obscure things; the trick is to listen to them.

Soften the onions, celery, garlic, add a handful of herbs, then the potatoes, carrots, and some curly kale. Cover and allow to cook in their own steam for 10 minutes or so.

While the sun shines, make hay. Or find some shade.

Unfortunately Bella has now been missing for a week and we fear the worst.

A new tradition for me. Avocado toast with my Russian-style preserved tomatoes.

I have never liked the term 'brunch'; it has so much cultural baggage for me. But having spent the morning reading and drinking tea in bed, then brunch it is.

I learned to type on an IBM Selectric typewriter (the one with a 'golf ball' and always yearn for the feel of its keyboard.

I found this one yesterday. It doesn't feel quite the same but it makes a delightful clack when operated. The switches are all connected optically so the response time is virtually instantaneous.

I'm hard on keyboards - you may think this is a re-post but it's actually a different keyboard altogether. This is a GK61 with Gateron optical switches.

It's winter in Melb so here's a rose to look at.

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43812/a-red-red-rose

Layered ideas combine to make an unexpected reality. In life and in my dreams. Waking up and disentangling can be difficult. Melancholic friction. Vividly dreaming of R.

Bach cantata on the radio.

Yule arrives in minutes.

Euskirchen, Germany

Spring arrives and everything wakes up, including my garlic. Still usable, I'll cook it up today.

A street planter on Common Garden Street, Lancaster

Sometimes things on my windowsill just come together and make me smile.

Amazing Spanish tomatoes. I won't bother to grow mine again. These are so full of flavor and juicy, too.

Lunch for today is a bit of toasted sourdough bread, drizzled with olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, a grind of pepper, and this lush tomato. 🍅

Flavor, not quantity 👍

It took a bit less than an hour to make this, but fresh food from fresh ingredients is a real joy to me. Hopefully my friend will feel better soon.

aka Clematis vitalba.

The whole plant has many traditional medicinal uses. It is still used in homeopathic medicine for things like pain relief.

I was just happy to see this growing over a wall in Glasgow, while being rained on. I felt right at home.

The morning sun fills the kitchen and dries the dishes. Sometimes I wish I had a dishwasher. But then I'd miss out on sights like this.

On a somewhat glum January afternoon the light at Blackpool beach inspired a sense of majesty.

It's amazing how restorative even a short trip to the seaside can be.

A UK government minister used this expression in parliament last week and I was mystified by what he was on about. This is what I found:

"In the UK, 4.1 million tonnes of food is wasted in the grocery retail supply chain each year. The wasted food is safe, in-date and edible, but isn’t used by major retailers for a variety of reasons, such as faulty packaging and over-ordering.

‘Social supermarkets’ reduce this food waste by selling this ‘waste’ stock at low prices to local people on low incomes who are struggling with food poverty."

Anyway this is my dinner today. Not knowing what you will be able to buy each week makes for some creative cooking!

Maybe it is just wishful thinking, but I am sure that it will be okay, in the end.

When Fleetwood was a fishing town, fishing boats were easily identified by their funnels.

I once had a sports car that was described as a 2+2. Fun but useless for any more luggage than a shopping bag

This 2+2 (2 eggs, 2 rashers back bacon) will be useful in providing half my daily protein. Fat kept to a minimum by choosing lean bacon and cooking without fat. Eggs cooked with some milk and canola oil. All in the nuke for just a few minutes at 75% power.

Happy Sunday everyone 👍🙏

Tēnā koutou Katoa,

Today is International Day of Multilingualism. The 27th March was chosen because 27th March 196 BC is the date mentioned on the multilingual Rosetta Stone (Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, demotic text, and Greek). By comparing the Greek date with the Egyptian text, it was eventually possible to decypher the whole stone.

Language is more than just words; it is the spirit of cultures. Learning new languages helps to communicate, as well as re-wire your brain, which is believed to help ward off cognitive decay.

Heoi anō tāku mō nāianei. Ka kite =]

Ciao, bis bald, a bientot, toodaloo =]

The new kitchen light is bright! Stark, even. But being LEDs is cheap to run.

The sound of rattling milk bottles being delivered to the doorstep early each morning used to be part of the fabric of life in Britain. It's a service that has almost completely disappeared now. What fun it was to see this as I walked to my Monday gig.

📷 Google Pixel 8 Pro - Telephoto Sensor (50MP Mode) - Throwback to a Foggy Evening - November 2025

Mixing it up and getting it done.

A lucky grab shot.

The navigation skill of migrating birds never fails to amaze me.

Kept me busy for an hour or so.

Any resemblance to flic.kr/p/2qVRXeY is purely accidental ;]

One of the few things that have traveled with me.

Happy Sunday everyone 😁

After yesterday's egg débacle I've gone for a safer option. Hardy Scots should look away now in case the addition of honey and chia seeds to the porridge are offensive 😅

The National Trust maintains a walking trail around Heysham Headland.

Along the towpath are these mile markers. This one is very worn. Most likely an original from the 18th century.

Sleepy Boy

In the late 1800s London was served by up to 300 000 horses, producing an average of 2 000 000 kg of manure each day. This was referred to as the horse manure crisis. Consequently many houses had boot scrapers outside the front door. This one is a fine, elegant example.