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With my day finished I walk back to the car park for my ride home. I am confronted by the most hideous Porsche that I have ever seen. I usually like these little Stuttgart rockets, but the one I saw had a 'design malfunction.' To save you any distress, I post here only the rather fetching hood badge.
Frieze by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
I know this is special but all I see is a giant beetle. Not my fave of the day.
I discovered the British Library would be open 'til 8pm, so I walked down Euston Road. I've been before. I have to take a deep breath, as the exterior is hideous.
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.
The "Radical Steps" in Kirkby Lonsdale lead down from the churchyard of St Mary's Church down to the banks of the River Lune, near Ruskin's View. The steps were built in 1820 for Dr Francis Pearson, who had a reputation as a political radical, to divert the existing public footpath that ran through his garden! There was a lot of opposition to the building of steps, which thereafter became locally known as the "Radical Steps".
I'd call this the bridge to nowhere, but that's in Aotearoa New Zealand. The canal is still here, but it is silted up. All the same, it's a fine bit of stonemason's craftsmanship.
Indeed, it is possible to cook one's gnocchi in an air fryer!
My friend suggested I gave it a go - just a guess, really.
Just find a Pyrex dish that fits into the air fryer basket, add some oil, seasoning, herbs and spices, and tumble in the gnocchi and coat well. Then cook for 10 minutes, flip, and then another 10 minutes. They emerge with a crisp 'shell' and beautifully cooked through.
A report has been published this week by the Meteorological Office whose records began in 1884. The UK climate is different now from just a few decades ago. England is now hotter and wetter than before.
Being mid July I was hoping to dispense with my sou'wester and oilskins for a few weeks more. Seems not.
Time to enjoy some Chopin played by Daniil Trifunov: