This is fascinating. I can't wait to spend more time with this.

Buried in the footpath near the river was this piece of metal. It's about .50 inches diameter and is a reference point for survey tools. A modern equivalent of the phaeon symbol used as a benchmark.

Fruits, vegetables, and lentils (for protein). Ready to go under pressure for 15 minutes.

I don't know why this old spiritual came to mind, but it did.

youtu.be/zSif77IVQdY?si=0U6b8lfrU7GckEaX

This is the River Brock which borders Preston and runs through Lancashire.

May 4th means it's Star Wars day!

If you've ever been out with a Jedi or Star Wars fan, you won't forget it... or the date 😅

My friend gave me some coffee beans. They make a very floral brew.

Weetbix with milk and mandarin segments.

The flowers are traditionally 'over' but they still look pleasant and brighten up the table.

The spoon was designed in the 60s by David Mellor. it's part of the 'Thrift' canteen that was designed for government use in such places as hospitals, schools, and prisons (until metal cutlery was replaced with plastics).

Confusingly, the church in the background is Saint Pancras. A fine looking portico.

Today's lunch was a medley of beans - cannelini, borlotti, haricots, black, green lentils, chick peas. And a good quantity of tomato - crushed, puree, whatever I could find.

Soften some onions, add garlic, lots of paprika, salt and pepper. Bring up to a simmer for a while and allow to reduce. Add a heap of grated mozzarella and sharp cheddar; stir well.

Taste ... a bit flat. So a couple of dollops of sriracha to lift but not over-power.

Job done for less than a pound per person.

More info here:

whc.unesco.org/en/list/1170/#:~:text=The%20city%20of%20Ya....

#android #androidography #fotodroids #galaxynexus #instagram #Switzerland #luzern #cityscape #River #bridge

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Today was time for cheesy beans again. Too boring for words so i browned some finely chopped onions with garlic and a smidgeon of cayenne pepper which i mixed into the beans. Topped with a cheese and crushed cracker topping and garnished with my tomato and red onion jam. Baked for 10 minutes. No leftovers so i guess the people liked it. Cheese topped rolls to go on the side. About 70p per serve.

I'm not a train enthusiast but I enjoy seeing unusual trains. This Pullman train is painted in Nanking Blue. It's some kind of excursion rather than a scheduled service, and 'fine dining' is available onboard.

Here it is again. No, not this drink but the lead up to the coughs and colds season. It's time to give the immune system a wakeup call.

Whole fruits

2 oranges

1 lemon, half if you must

4 dates

A thumb sized lump of ginger

Whizz

Add some water and shake

Add honey if your face turns inside out 😅

Is it good? Not really. But this is the first time I've succeeded in making hearts on my coffee. My barista friend has shown me how to properly combine the milk in the jug. Now I need to practice a lot ☕

I'm late leaving for work so there's just time for a coffee and a stick of celery. A grind of salt completes it!

It's nice to see the celery has perked up in the jar overnight.

The local water company had a pop up information stand at the local mall the other day. Giving useful advice to avoid freezing pipes and wasting water. They gave me this ice scraper 'free'.

Imagine my amusement to read that water bills are going up again, 'to cover investment in infrastructure'. The share price is up 30% over the year, so dividends should be up, too. I should be grateful for my piece of plastic.

Doing my duty by supporting California.

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In some countries, householders and shopkeepers are required to keep their pavements and outside areas clean. Here, it's done with this machine.

Another of the window dinosaurs

After the shops, it's time for lunch at one of the cafes. This was an unexpected take on a classic. And the service was prompt and charming. Couldn't ask for more.

Provençal inspired chicken

After 6 hours on low in the crock pot.

Chicken wings

Shallots

Garlic

Tomatoes

Zucchini

Mushrooms

Parsley

Herbes de Provence

Stock

Wine

Pepper and salt

Being in a new place I was feeling a bit overwhelmed, so i found a loo in order to gather my thoughts. The porcelain was from Laufen and the flusher was from Geberit. Even the grouting in the tiles was clean - I could almost have been back in Germany. Of course, I was calm again very quickly!

It's Friday, so that means making soup for a crowd again.

Having made the base and added chopped mushrooms, it's made a bit more attractive by a minute or two with an immersion blender.

A term that's still in use. Not the same as the 'Street of Shame', although some denizens of both places are frequently one and the same.

From Doctor Johnson's dictionary.

One of my kitchen timers lives in a mug. The cuteness of this monkey is out of the gate. Well, that's what I think.

Today this is an unusual collective noun for snails. At the time of Doctor Johnson, an escargatoire was a source of protein that was proliferated by the Romans.

Confusingly, the Roman snail (Helix pomatia) is a protected species in England, so goodness knows what is served in restaurants.

This is very special in this season. Springflowers in the winter. It gives the grey days some colors.

The first of my bulbs appear.

I bought a bag of bulbs in the market a while ago and potted them up for spring. This one seems keen to arrive early.

I have no clue what they will be.

Before TV monopolized living rooms, people played games and talked. This was produced in 1934.

Sunday lunch needs be no more complicated than a bacon sammy.

Delicious, and more time to get outside to see interesting things.

I love laundry day and it's so nice to be able to dry in sunlight again.

The plants benefit from the extra humidity.

I thought I'd try one of the YouTube air fryer recipes. This is for French apple cake. I forgot to include the milk in this shot.

2 eggs

50 g sugar

100 g plain flour

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp baking powder

50 ml milk

1 red apple, peeled and chopped

beat eggs and sugar till airy

add vanilla

combine flour, apple, milk, baking powder without knocking out the air

pour into a greased silicon dish

bake in air fryer for 30 mins at 160 deg C

turn out onto a rack to cool

decorate with icing sugar

Verbena wrapped around some agapanthus seed pods.

Sir Peter Hesketh-Fleetwood, 1st Baronet, (9 May 1801 – 12 April 1866) was an English landowner, developer and Member of Parliament who founded the town of Fleetwood, in Lancashire, England.

Before its foundation, Fleetwood was described as a massive rabbit warren on huge snd dunes

This bust was made in Rome by Henry Behnes Burlowe.

Lancaster Priory as the sun goes down. The trees are bare, revealing the ancient parts of the Priory.

The title comes from the lyrics to Taps:

Day is done, gone the sun,

From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;

All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Today the world celebrates World Typing Day, where we reflect on the speed, accuracy, and efficiency of typed communication.

This is my double-shot pudding keyboard in QWERTY layout, as invented by Christopher Latham Sholes in 1874 for his new-fangled Type-Writer. I have tried other layouts, including Dvorak, but always come back to this - it's hard to overcome muscle memory.

You might use QWERTZ, AZERTY, ŪGJRMV, ЙЦУКЕН, or another kind for your own language. But they all kicked off from QWERTY's original design and purpose (increase speed and acccuracy, and reduce the chance for typewriter mechanism to become jammed).

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For 40. 2 trays enough for 40 and a few second helpings. £24

Recipe from Cook for an Army, online.

Torn crust and excessive crumbs mean my bread knife is blunt. A diamond coated rat tail file is more expensive than a new knife. When I was a child a man with a handcart used to come along our street each month and sharpen knives and tools for a few pennies. Where did such tradesmen go?

When writing letters was a thing it was common to see two post boxes together. One for local and one for foreign mail. Or a similar mix depending on the area. It probably costs too much to remove the redundant one of this well maintained pair.

These odd things are worn when having a brain scan (EEG).

The wall hooks made me smile.

The caps are soaked in brine to achieve good electrical contact. Sadly, the brine was quite cold.

The good news was that activity was detected. Even better was the cup of tea afterwards.