[gallery link="file" order="DESC" orderby="rand"]
Related articles
- Jolly Hockey Sticks - the College edition (pdubyah.com)
- St Cuthbert's College - Mother & Daughter Breakfast (theeventnz.wordpress.com)
A life just as ordinary. Wherein I drink beer, and write badly
Monday, April 30, 2012
From the St Cuthbert's ANZAC Hockey Festival.
I wrote about the saga of the School Uniform blazers. These are just a few of the picture I took of MissPdubyah at the St Cuthbert's ANZAC Hockey Festival which is a secondary schools pre-season 3 day event, attracting visiting teams from all over the country.
[gallery link="file" order="DESC" orderby="rand"]
[gallery link="file" order="DESC" orderby="rand"]
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Beer – #20 in a series – Shepherd Neame 1698
For the win! Shepherd Neame 1698 - This had just arrived in the English Corner Shop when I went shopping, so I did the decent thing and put some in the shopping basket.
They've dialed back this fine beer to an ABV of 6.5%, but that's still getting up the scale of strong.
And, yes I look like Ive been goosed by someone under the table, but for this beer in a word "Magnificent"
1698 is brewed with Pearl malted barley and crystal malt harvested in Kent, while Target and East Kent Goldings hops are added three times during the brewing process. Time well spent.
The beer has a pale bronze colour with an enormously complex aroma very malty and moreish.
The experts would have you have that the finish is dry but beautifully balanced between sweet grain, bitter hops, tart fruit and continuing notes of butterscotch and vanilla. Malt: high. Fruit: high. Hops: medium.
Bazinga! This one really rings the bell on the pdubyah-o-meter, with an unbeatable 10. Taste, Smell, Enjoyment it's all in a handy pint sized bottle. Get in there!
They've dialed back this fine beer to an ABV of 6.5%, but that's still getting up the scale of strong.And, yes I look like Ive been goosed by someone under the table, but for this beer in a word "Magnificent"
1698 is brewed with Pearl malted barley and crystal malt harvested in Kent, while Target and East Kent Goldings hops are added three times during the brewing process. Time well spent.
The beer has a pale bronze colour with an enormously complex aroma very malty and moreish.
The experts would have you have that the finish is dry but beautifully balanced between sweet grain, bitter hops, tart fruit and continuing notes of butterscotch and vanilla. Malt: high. Fruit: high. Hops: medium.
Bazinga! This one really rings the bell on the pdubyah-o-meter, with an unbeatable 10. Taste, Smell, Enjoyment it's all in a handy pint sized bottle. Get in there!
Related articles
- 3 New Hoppy Session Beers to Swig this Spring (drinks.seriouseats.com)
- Colchester Brewery - Beer Festival Brewday #3 (thatchersbeerblog.wordpress.com)
- Beer | Maui Brewing Co. Big Swell IPA (selectism.com)
Friday, April 27, 2012
Unhappy Families - at least you can pick your friends.
My mother died just over a year ago March 2011, and despite her age suddenly, and without a will.
I'm from what would now be considered a large family of 8 children (5 boys, 3 girls) and I count myself as Number Six.
#3 child, the eldest sister and her daughter remained the closest, geographically, and spent a lot of time with mother through the years.
The rest of the family dispersed itself to parts afar and wide, myself in New Zealand, #1 Son in Australia, others to Derby, others to Norfolk, a bit all over the place really. There is even a missing person, the youngest of the family Stewart who one day just stopped talking to #3 sister( #5 child) and hasn't been heard of since.
To say we're not a close family is a bit of an understatement. And I bet this has never happened to anyone who lost a parent;
It's difficult being so far away to be judgemental, but the anger and angst that that causes is palpable and drives a wedge in the family that doesn't need to exist.
Trying to get even a guesstimate on the remaining monetary value of the estate (bank accounts, insurances etc) has proved impossible, everyone has a figure in mind, and they're all different. If someone knows then they're not saying, and trying to get a bank to disclose anything is a mission.
I know it's only a year, and I know that resolution of someone who has dies intestate may take time to resolve. The will of the family however appears to be questionable. We're not close (did I mention that) and by-and-large it seems that at least 5 out of the 8 children (can't speak for the missing one) are financially not challenged enough to want to pursue this more vigorously.
My points of contention and - if you like - anger are around who's doing what? and why are we all waiting for someone else in the family to do something?. And that someone else, why don't they email the rest of us to tell us what's going on? To which a couple of answers, one of which I already mentioned, financially it makes no difference.
Secondly there is a thing called "life" that gets in the way, the birthdays, the holidays, the parties. the getting on with life in general. A day becomes a week, becomes a month, becomes 3 months, it just happens. No one is to blame.
However, whilst a few hundred or a thousand pounds/dollars might not make a difference one way or another to me (or at least 4 others in the family) it might make a difference to the other 3. IT might make a difference to a charity organisation, a sheltered accommodation group, a women's refuge. It's just in the way you look at it as to how to decide if if makes a difference.
I fear that getting to a resolution is going to cause more rifts than it cures, and for an already estranged family it might yet get just that bit stranger.
I need to say that if my family are reading this - it's not about you, it's about the way I feel about it, remember offence is taken not given, and you can choose.
I'm from what would now be considered a large family of 8 children (5 boys, 3 girls) and I count myself as Number Six.
#3 child, the eldest sister and her daughter remained the closest, geographically, and spent a lot of time with mother through the years.
The rest of the family dispersed itself to parts afar and wide, myself in New Zealand, #1 Son in Australia, others to Derby, others to Norfolk, a bit all over the place really. There is even a missing person, the youngest of the family Stewart who one day just stopped talking to #3 sister( #5 child) and hasn't been heard of since.
To say we're not a close family is a bit of an understatement. And I bet this has never happened to anyone who lost a parent;
"When we all arrived at your mums on the day of her funeral <...> had already cleared the property and all that was left were photographs and bric-a-brac. Anything of any alleged monetary value was gone"
It's difficult being so far away to be judgemental, but the anger and angst that that causes is palpable and drives a wedge in the family that doesn't need to exist.
Trying to get even a guesstimate on the remaining monetary value of the estate (bank accounts, insurances etc) has proved impossible, everyone has a figure in mind, and they're all different. If someone knows then they're not saying, and trying to get a bank to disclose anything is a mission.
I know it's only a year, and I know that resolution of someone who has dies intestate may take time to resolve. The will of the family however appears to be questionable. We're not close (did I mention that) and by-and-large it seems that at least 5 out of the 8 children (can't speak for the missing one) are financially not challenged enough to want to pursue this more vigorously.
My points of contention and - if you like - anger are around who's doing what? and why are we all waiting for someone else in the family to do something?. And that someone else, why don't they email the rest of us to tell us what's going on? To which a couple of answers, one of which I already mentioned, financially it makes no difference.
Secondly there is a thing called "life" that gets in the way, the birthdays, the holidays, the parties. the getting on with life in general. A day becomes a week, becomes a month, becomes 3 months, it just happens. No one is to blame.
However, whilst a few hundred or a thousand pounds/dollars might not make a difference one way or another to me (or at least 4 others in the family) it might make a difference to the other 3. IT might make a difference to a charity organisation, a sheltered accommodation group, a women's refuge. It's just in the way you look at it as to how to decide if if makes a difference.
I fear that getting to a resolution is going to cause more rifts than it cures, and for an already estranged family it might yet get just that bit stranger.
I need to say that if my family are reading this - it's not about you, it's about the way I feel about it, remember offence is taken not given, and you can choose.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Feeding time at the family zoo
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Breakfast (Photo credit: annalibera)"]
[/caption]
It's unusual for us as a family not to all eat at the time, particularly for the evening meal. It's a habit we've always endeavored to maintain.
Sometimes we may not be in the same room, but generally we'll all be eating the same dish.And even then not in the same room still can mean within conversation distance of each other.
Today though we had family brunch, and we all came away smiling about the nonsense we manage to discuss, from the Ball Gown (no surprises) to the ages we were as a parents when we met each other, beds. and the creepy guy at the gym.
There is nothing that brings me as much pleasure as family eating times. They're important and part of our family.
[/caption]It's unusual for us as a family not to all eat at the time, particularly for the evening meal. It's a habit we've always endeavored to maintain.
Sometimes we may not be in the same room, but generally we'll all be eating the same dish.And even then not in the same room still can mean within conversation distance of each other.
Today though we had family brunch, and we all came away smiling about the nonsense we manage to discuss, from the Ball Gown (no surprises) to the ages we were as a parents when we met each other, beds. and the creepy guy at the gym.
There is nothing that brings me as much pleasure as family eating times. They're important and part of our family.
Related articles
- I heart breakfast. (lindseyyoga.wordpress.com)
- Dropping Breakfast (dietdrop.wordpress.com)
- EPIC FAIL: Breakfast (theholisticchick.wordpress.com)
My Weird Belief System- the Moon Landings
I've always held doubts about the Moon Landings, in particular the ones we saw on TV, the Armstrong, Aldrin ones, beamed live into your lounge.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Buzz Aldrin salutes the U.S. flag on Mare Tranquillitatis during Apollo 11 in 1969. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)"]
[/caption]
Call it what you like but it seemed odd that the most complex thing that man had assembled worked first time like a dream, without a hitch. Ok so you could say that the path to success littered with failure guaranteed a success.
I've also doubted that with 1960's technology that it would be possible, and the fact that we've only managed low earth orbit with mixed success since stands out to me as something that should make you go mmmm.
Are there particular things that raise my radar. Well first up I think man did get to the moon, not the ones we think did, or when they say they did. I also think it's not about any secret alien agenda, moon bases, visitations, strategic missile bases or other warmongering, masonry, new world order, illuminati or other such.
I read somewhere that a conspiracy needs to have a monumental amount of "proof" to prove a conspiracy and that conspiracies were therefore very convoluted and confused, with many strands that if you followed them all you would naturally end up laughing.
A Conspiracy does not have to be complicated or involves hundreds or thousands of people.
Tdhe two links below contain a miss-mash of things that make me frown and things that make me laugh as they appear a bit off beam. And before anyone comments that "Mythbusters have proved it" lets just say that Mythbusters is about as reliable or credible as the War on Terror is.
I've read the books that make claims about radiation, and not being a scientist I find them compelling and yet I don't know. I'm sure I read somewhere that the moon suits were left on the moon, having been thrown out of the module somehow, I wish I could remember where I read that.
There is enough dubious content from NASA and other "official" sources that show difficult and contrary things, not in and of itself confirmation of a conspiracy, but carelessness and ill-though out rush to release.
So check out these links that I referred to.
http://apolloscam.bravehost.com/
http://mrbasheer.tripod.com/moonwalk.html
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Buzz Aldrin salutes the U.S. flag on Mare Tranquillitatis during Apollo 11 in 1969. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)"]
[/caption]Call it what you like but it seemed odd that the most complex thing that man had assembled worked first time like a dream, without a hitch. Ok so you could say that the path to success littered with failure guaranteed a success.
I've also doubted that with 1960's technology that it would be possible, and the fact that we've only managed low earth orbit with mixed success since stands out to me as something that should make you go mmmm.
Are there particular things that raise my radar. Well first up I think man did get to the moon, not the ones we think did, or when they say they did. I also think it's not about any secret alien agenda, moon bases, visitations, strategic missile bases or other warmongering, masonry, new world order, illuminati or other such.
I read somewhere that a conspiracy needs to have a monumental amount of "proof" to prove a conspiracy and that conspiracies were therefore very convoluted and confused, with many strands that if you followed them all you would naturally end up laughing.
A Conspiracy does not have to be complicated or involves hundreds or thousands of people.
Tdhe two links below contain a miss-mash of things that make me frown and things that make me laugh as they appear a bit off beam. And before anyone comments that "Mythbusters have proved it" lets just say that Mythbusters is about as reliable or credible as the War on Terror is.
I've read the books that make claims about radiation, and not being a scientist I find them compelling and yet I don't know. I'm sure I read somewhere that the moon suits were left on the moon, having been thrown out of the module somehow, I wish I could remember where I read that.
There is enough dubious content from NASA and other "official" sources that show difficult and contrary things, not in and of itself confirmation of a conspiracy, but carelessness and ill-though out rush to release.
The big question though is what would it take for me be believe?
So check out these links that I referred to.
http://apolloscam.bravehost.com/
http://mrbasheer.tripod.com/moonwalk.html
Related articles
- The Moon Landing Mystery (mysteryworlds.wordpress.com)
- Conspiracy theories 'give illusion of control' (scotsman.com)
- All the "Moon Landing" theories. What is your opinion an why (disclose.tv)
- Photos: The other Apollo moon landings (news.cnet.com)
- "Moon Landing" and related posts (scienceprojectideasforkids.com)
- Historical photos of the lunar lander (boingboing.net)
- Great Conspiracy Theory - The Americans on The Moon Landing (socyberty.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)