P10+

Tiles I'm cleaning. Heavily edited to show areas that need attention.

Cleaning brings me great peace. Sanctuary from trivial conversations and busyness.

At the west end of the church can be seen this peculiar design choice.

The tamper has a spring inside to help obtain a consistent pressure. I've set it at 8kg.

Chocolate gateau and ice cream

Making coffee without any faff. Sometimes it's the best way.

I found a set of four cups and saucers for a pound, so bought them. They are made by Ikea and feature a castellated base to the cup. Who cares? Well, it means that there won't be an air-lock under the cup in the case of spilled liquid - nothing worse than picking up the cup and briging the saucer along, too, only for the saucer to fall away and crash to the floor!

The Lancashire rose, and a beehive showing cooperative industry.

In my working kitchen this morning. How nice to find. How thoughtful.

Fresh and locally sourced

I made pesto.

As time goes on, I believe the whole world is at war, but that physical fighting isn't everywhere at the same time.

Another thing occurred to me too; any country consists of its people and its government. They are not necessarily the same.

This is a national dish of Colombia. It has lots of tripe which i adore. My mother brought me up on offal and its hard to find anyone serving it these days. I had this at Tooting Market. And yes it really is that yellow. Colombia has many beautiful exports and their cooking is just one. Mondongo. You want some, don't you?!

Enjoy every moment while it lasts.

The echiverias are pushing out more flower stalks. Here's one of them. It's amazing what a few drops of plant food combined with sunshine will do.

Just larking about.

My current machine has started to leak and is not really worth fixing, so it's off to the recycler with it. A friend suggested this replacement.

This 'Bambino Plus' arrived today after a long Ebay search for the right machine at the right price. This one has come from an area with soft water so hasn't furred up inside like a London kettle: An important consideration when it comes to serviceability and longevity.

The Guardian calls this "the perfect espresso machine for beginners" although I tend to disagree. It is fairly simple to operate (although you need to read the guide book to find out how to switch it on and off - that's truly a first for me), but my Krupps machine in the 80s was way simpler. This machine scores big-style in the way it steams milk, with use of a microchip and a heat sensor. Put milk in the jug, insert the wand, place the jug on the drip tray, and push the button. Silky, smooth, and well-textured in less than a minute. My cappuccino in the picture is the evidence.

Will this become my all-time fave? No; it doesn't have the temperamental nature of my old Faema, or the obviousness of my Pavoni. But for now, it will do nicely.

Growing in my old garden. Their season was so short.

Despite the apparent repetition each one is a subtle variation on a theme. Knocks and scrapes differentiate each one.

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P10+

Today is bread-making day again. Looking into my baking box, I found several almost empty bags of different kinds of flour. So I weighed them all into a bowl together, and this strange looking bread is the result.

It's a slow morning. I thought I would cycle some shirts to change over in spring. They all look alike. It must be a hidden obsession. Something on which to reflect.

This is a 1956 Lamborghini DL25 tractor that I was lucky to see at Joe Macari's showroom in 2019.

(Yes, I'm digging through my archive!).

The DL25 had a 2.5 litre twin-cylinder diesel engine, making 25 bhp. It was designed to be simple to operate and easy to repair by the farmer.

It was the Italian equivalent of the famous Ferguson TE20 ('Little Grey Fergy').

Sadly we no longer have Monty, he was very poorly and had to be put to sleep a few weeks ago

After 30 minutes on the cooling rack the baking tin can be removed. I lined the tin with soaked couscous.

As a rule I don't do cat pictures and I'm sure the Internet doesn't need any more. However I saw this on the way home and couldn't resist it. Miaow 🐱

in the back garden

I really considered making beans on toast today.

I'm glad I didn't.

Chicken from Ukraine. Vegetables from Lancashire and Suffolk.

Wine from Veneto.

Parsley, basil, celery, lemon and garlic stuffing made by me.

Candle holder from Germany.

Card from my friends.

I hope you all had a lovely day.

I saw this (one of a pair) on the steps of a Methodist church. Made by Turner & Allen, London. You can see their work all over the country.

Beautifully bound books on display at the British Library.

open.spotify.com/track/0bRXwKfigvpKZUurwqAlEh?si=07f3c287...

After a restorative cup of tea with my friend, it's time for a walk.

Not a breath of wind; Heysham nuclear power stations on the horizon, filling in the energy gap left by the turbines that are standing still.

Heavy rain runs down Market Street.

Hydrangea in the summer rain

Black Combe is an outlying fell, as described by Wainwright. It's a 600m high weather magnet.