The village is disappearing, as I learned last night that another one of our village people is departing these shore.Our treasured Irish person J.... ( sailor with weird sock fetish) is leaving this Friday to return to his native land. Now all of this is very sudden, but if anyone out there in Rigaland ( is there anyone left ?) would like to bid him farewell then he will be at the village lounge on Thursday evening.Also be aware that our annual Christmas dinner is in danger, as of today we have less than 7 confirmed attendees, I will be sending out an e-mail this weekend to all concerned, but to those planning to fly in I suggest you hang back from buying your air...
Skipped in the Loo?Northerners are dirtier than Suthron folk is the result of a recent survey which you can read here 'Faecal' matter is commoner on hands the further north you go, apparently. I suppose with bath tubs full of coal and washbasins with fire lighters Northerners have no where easily accessible for cleaning up after going to the loo.The survey, you will note, does not apply to Scotland. Do hands magically self clean as you cross the border or is the northern dirtier tendency accentuated. Inverness folk, faecally challenged more than most? We must await the result of a new survey to be sure. I mentioned this survey to a Dinger-of wide experience and apparently clean hands. 'Glimpse of the bluidy obvious' He said. ' Posteriors* down south are not usually cleaned by hand. Have...
The rate at which Apple renew their product lines is somewhat exhausting, but I had paid more attention to yesterdays product updates as they were for notebooks, which is on my list of to-buy items this year as my iBook G4 is showing its age and infuriating my wife (still enjoying that novel term!) with a space bar you have to punch to get it to work. So it was with great anticipation that I awaited the unveiling of what was quite possibly my new laptop, and my reaction is well, confusion mixed with disappointment. Saying all of that, I do want to with hold some judgement, as I haven’t physically seen the new notebooks, and there is always a sense in which the rumour mill whips up expectation past a reasonable level, leaving the final release an inevitable let down. The Biggest...
the way the future should have been five, originally uploaded by ccgd. The Space Needle Monorail - Seattle.You know I think I used to have a toy one of these back when I was four or five - in the mid 60's. Long consigned to the great toy scrap hap in the sky, because once you put the monorail together it just went round and round and round.Until you launched it down the...
Well, I've been to the doctor. The cough was diagnosed as probably a virus which has been complicated by asthma - the virus itself has run its course by now, but my lungs are now irritated by all the coughing. Which means that I keep coughing and irritate them further, and so on. She says I may just have lungs which are easily irritated.She's given me a preventative inhaler (which I 've never had before) and told me to rest. Which sounds good.At first I was a little incredulous, since my asthma is generally triggered only by allergens and very cold dry air, and often I don't pick up my inhaler for months at a time. But now that I think about it, this happened to me on a lesser scale when I was 20: I had mild bronchitis, but the cough lingered on through most of a university term, causing...
I am back from the time off for our wedding and honeymoon and there will be some blog posts on the way soon, particularly, I hope on South Africa, which I found a fascinating country. But for now I am just pointing in the direction of things that are catching my attention on the web today: Apple are having yet another product release event today (@6pm UK time), greatest anticipation is for the new Apple Laptop range with rumours of a sub£500 laptop and an upgraded line of MacBook Pro’s. I’m looking on with hopeful optimism as they are releasing what I hope will be my next computer purchase (though not until they have filtered into the refurb section!) There are also rumours that Microsoft is looking to buy out Blackberry (RIM) which would make sense as Microsoft...
So we had a lovely time in Devon. It was like taking a holiday in some kind of mythical kinder, gentler time, with everything you could possibly want from a seaside holiday if you are, like me, endearingly wholesome*. This included beaches (sandy and pebbly); retired donkeys; mini golf; craft galleries; stripy deckchairs on the prom; thatched cottages and elegant Georgian stuccoed houses; clifftop walks; gardens filled with flowers. And it was warm. We paddled.J started compiling a collection of Things Overheard in Devon – samples:“Joyce, what did you do with my teacake?”“Has anyone here lost a sunhat?”I slept very well and it was highly restful and I’m glad we went.J's mother sent us some photos of the trip, and while I can enjoy them as a record of us having a nice time, my...
LAID BACK IN DUNSA bloggee helping with a bit of complicated DIY or in our case GAFTDI popped out to the local branch of a Borders wide hardware shop to get screws for the curtain rail in the small house in Duns.Door locked but a small message : OUT FOR A MO BACK IN A JIFFY (Signed Joe)A visiting Eastern European with a PH.D in English Literature might find this a bit puzzling. How many Mos in a minute? How many Jiffies in an hour? (Do Time Travellers carry Jiffy Bags? Discuss)But it is a part of slow moving Borders life. Manana? Insh'allah Bukra? No we have no such sense of urgency in these parts.And if he is there in a Jiffy?Come back in a couple of...
Just a quick “shout out” (is that still a commonly used phrase? or is “big up” something that would get me more “down” with the kids? or should I just shut the f#ck up and go back to my pipe and slippers?) to my wee-est of wee brothers Keithy who successfully completed the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. I am very proud. Keithy – 4:45 is a decent effort bro but I have to tell you that when I visited the Windy City in ’03, I had no trouble managing 6 and a half… and being Chicago, they were deep dish ones too! Ask Brian. I know you told me the 87 degree temperatures were a tad too hot on the day but honestly, you really need your oven fired up to about 200 minimum to produce a quality pizza experience. Maybe next year, eh? Seriously, I know you’ve raised over five grand...
I think I'm still in shock after taking down Dr Paulys Omaha game on Saturday night.I've only played a few PLO turbo sngs before and my only hope pre-game was that I wouldn't go out first or make a complete donkey of myself.I probably managed the latter but for once the poker gods were on my side.I really enjoyed the game and having to think hard ( well as hard as is possible when partaking in fine herbal greenage!) when it came to hand values etc made a welcome change from the almost robotic way I play Holdem sngs turbos.Having said that, once the final table was down to the bubble, the cards mattered less and I managed a couple of steals before luckboxing my way to glory! I only played a few ( nl!) turbos after that game and took down a couple.I usually seem to start the month badly...
Well I did it. I ventured out of the house and cowardly went where most men have gone before. I went to the blues night. My mate wasn't there when I got there, so I walked into the room, looked around at all the faces looking at me and felt completely gormless... PANIC!!!It was time for fight or flight. I don't know how it happened but I switched onto autopilot to my old crap patter, introducing myself to everyone and making wisecracks (or unwise cracks) to all and sundry. By the time my pal arrived I was all set up and ready to play. By this time I was buzzing, all wound up and pacing around the floor as if I was on whizz, desperate to get a move on.We had rehearsed 5 songs and I wanted to get them done and out of the way. I was standing behind the mike, centre stage, clutching my...
Waiting on SelkirkThe Borders Digital Roadshow hit Duns on Saturday as part of a public education programme preparing the masses for the analogue switch off in much of the Borders between 6 and 20 November. Here as in many other aspects of Life the Merse leads the UK-only a small bit of Cumbria has irrevocably moved into the Digital Age ahead of the Borders. Huttonian is up with the game with his spanking new flat screen HD ready, Olympics prepared, Credit crunch beating, Digital enhanced TV apparatus. That's the sitting room sorted. But in the kitchen a small,squat, uncool heavy analogue TV set lurks, unconverted and unrepentant at its increasingly cliff hanging existence. Come 6 November, D Day, a blank screen and irritating hum. But I wonder. The digital area maps are fuzzy at the...
Have you heard of dukkah before? I had, but hadn't actually eaten any until this June, when in Bloomington, US, I had a chance to try a lovely pistachio dukkah made by Cindy Bradley, a local food blogger. Basically, it's an Egyptian dry mixture of chopped nuts (mainly hazelnuts), seeds (coriander, cumin, sesame) and possibly some other spices. It's a popular street food, where fresh wheat bread is dipped first into olive oil and then into the dukkah-mixture. But it can also be sprinkled on salads to give some crunch (say, instead of toasted pinenuts). Apparently it can be used for breading fish and meat when cooking. Quite a few bloggers have already featured dukkah on their blogs - Heidi adds black peppercorns for some heat, Jaden adds chilli pepper for an extra kick, Rosa combines...
In an awesome display of fuckwittery, two men underwent a significant amount of tattooing in order to qualify for government work in Jakarta. This pair of idiots from Bojonegoro district of East Java were correctly assumed by the perpetrator as being “a few sandwiches short of a picnic” and I imagine a certain amount of celebration is going on in the pranksters house since the story hit the worlds press.
The pair had their faces tatooed after village chief Pak Sawftuch told them he had received a text message from a government official offering them work as Jakarta intelligence officers. (Great, I read this as being the only mobile phone in the village and the chief goes from door to door dispensing text messages which he receives)
The official, who said it was a job...
This time I got the remains of Hardenberg Castle. It's some 15 minutes drive from where I live, but since the ruins are dangerous, you can only visit the castle on a guided tour. It was a pretty, warm Indian summer afternoon today, and I felt like visiting a castle and take a few pics. Here are some.Hardenberg Castle, remains of the VorderhausThe land where the Hardenberg lies is old Saxon territory that was conquered by Charlemagne. It seems that soon thereafter a fortified building was erected on the sandstone promontory that overlooks the south-north route towards the Harz and one of the west-east going trade ways. The place is first mentioned by the name of Hardenberg in a charte of 1101, as belonging to the archbishop of Mainz. The castle - more a fortified house then - was held by...
Getting WarmWe never thought we would actually ever have a wood burning stove after all the drama of non-ordering and endless faffing. But here it is. Lit two hours ago and the Old Bakery is once again smelling of newly baked bread** Actually that's the wife's bread making machine that's producing the aroma. But its HOT, man, HOT. Central Heating off throughout the ground floorAnd unlike Town Mouse no need for the cling film. The windows are open.And being wood from the Old Manse from a long deceased Elm Tree its free as...
Letter Writers and Bloggers. Pah!Being away in the big smoke I nearly missed this sad letter in the Berwickshire:SIR, - Can we through your newspaper attempt to clear up a situation which has been causing a great deal of confusion for people and upset for our family for many years.In Birgham there is a lady who is a regular contributor to your letters page, on often-controversial subjects, called Jean Cunningham. Also in Birgham is another Cunningham family: Alastair, Carol and Emma (also Esther who is in Lennel House Nursing Home).Because people often presumed we were related to Jean Cunningham we have endured many years of comments and strange looks – especially as we are very actively involved in the local community. Emma in particular suffered at school by people thinking her mother...
Carson a tha e an comas dhomh bhideoan de dheasbadan mòra agus beaga fhaighinn air làrach a’ BhBC an seo ann an Iapan air cùisean Amearaganach, is air cùisean eadar-nàiseanta eile, ach nach eil e an comas dhomh dad sam bith fhaighinn air cùisean Albannach? Chan eil dad “ri fhaotainn” far a bheil mi. Tha bacadh air na bhideoan Albannach uile cha mhòr ge b’e gur e BBC Alba no BBC Scotland a th’ annta. Nach iad cùisean eadar-nàiseanta a th’ anns na bhios a’ tachairt anns a h-uile ceàrnaidh dhen t-saoghail? Tha sinn faighinn bhideoan air làrach a’ BhBC air a h-uile rud beag bìdeach de na tha tachairt ann an iomairt cinn-suidhe nan Stàitean Aonaichte. Faodar ionnsachadh gun do “phioc Obama a shròin a-raoir”, no gun deach McCain chun taigh-bheag co-dhiù 13...
Tha mi faisg air crìoch a chuir air leabhar a tha uabhasach fhèin inntinneach agus chan eil ceangal sam bith aige leis na trioblaidean a tha a' tachairt sna làithean-sa. Chaidh an leabhar seo a sgrìobhadh ann an 2006 agus tha e stèidhte air an rannsachadh as ùire agus tha e a' toirt dom inntinn ìomhaidh as fheàrr a leugh mi riamh mu na ceud bliadhna mu dheireadh na h-Ìompaireachd Ròmanach, mar a dh' obraich ìompaireachd a shìn mìltean thar mhìltean de chileomeatairean aig àm nuair a mhaireadh turas bho cheann gu ceann suas ri 90 làithean aig car a bu luaithe. Tha an t-ùghdar ag innse sgeul a tha caran diofraichte bhon sgeul thradaiseanta a thathar ag innse mu a crìoch. An àite Iompaireachd chaogalach a thuit cha mhòr fo a chuideam fhèin, tha sinn a' faicinn...
Phew. Ship it baby and pass the crack pipe! 4 cards goot,2 cards bad...
It's funny how some weeks the ideas and thoughts for blogging seem endless and other weeks I feel as if I've said it all and there's nothing original to write about.Perhaps it's about time I cut my posting frequency down a bit.Hmmm.On Thursday night I took down a couple of turbs and cashed in a couple more on Party for a decent profit and I sensibly went to my bed at 11.30 to try and catch up on a little sleep.I'm not keen on playing when very tired as it seems to affect both my decision making and my reaction to the beats.Last night before heading across to the S-mans for the evening I began the "Nacho no crisps diet ".( chips for any US/Canadian readers!).This was because when I popped in to pick up Step A to give her a lift to her Dads yesterday the dog jumped up with so much...
National Express trainOriginally uploaded by BrufsupNo we are on the train not photographing it from a level crossing. Thankyou Brufsup. Today we hope to experience the full range of NE's extensive reportoire. Today is a Railtrack dig up the lines week end so we are bussing from Newcastle to Berwick. And as it is a weekend for NE as well as RT the buffet car is any inconvenience regretted. We (cheapie) First Class passengers-strangely few given how cheap it is to get an 'at seat service' But I suspect it is identical to the cold fare being ladled out to the Plebs in Coaches J to A minus (Please Sir I want no more)In First Class it is served with style and Airline banned metal cutelryA Geordie lass with a nice smile and a pleasant manner.Makes up for the food,A bitIn the meanwhile we are...
The Needle at night, originally uploaded by ccgd....
Any time, after a little to long on a branch, that I go to merge back to trunk, I seem to forget the magic steps involved in making this easy. For my own reference, tag the head of the branch and then:
svn log http://example.com/url/to/branch --stop-on-copy
… will get us the revision that the branch happened from. Let’s say it’s 27101.
svn diff -r27101:HEAD http://example.com/url/to/branch --summarize
… will let us know of all the files that have changed between that revision and the head of the branch.
Then you’re free to take a trunk check-out and do a merge with full knowledge of what’s......
Despite a 'Locomotive Problem' at York National Express deposited Huttonian at Kings Cross only 25 minutes late-'late running service' a grade better than 'any inconvenience is regretted'. The difficulty at York appeared life threatening to the extent that it was the Locomotive Brake which had a problem. Or as the Service Team Leader (Train Guard in old money) put it: ' The brake is stuck so we are not going anywhere.' But we did. The resident engineer (York is the best place to break down if you have to) visited the cab, changed the two AAA batteries, flicked a mouse and off we went-inconvenience unregretted but definitely late runningHuttonian the wife are on a spot of grandparental duty made more pleasurable by a discovery that if you book well in advance its much cheaper to go...
With all he financial woes going on in the world, with exception of Latvia of course, at least according to our erstwhile politicians, it will come as no surprise to anyone that certain sections of society are clearly having some difficulties, and nowhere is this more evident than back in the good Old United Kingdom.In the last few days these stories have hit the headlines Butcher told to stop chopping meat because it is too loud A traditional butcher has been banned from chopping meat in the morning because residents complain he makes too much noise. By Lucy Cockcroft Last Updated: 6:31PM BST 09 Oct 2008 Mr Clapton argues that because the council own the freehold of the building it is liable for the cost of...
Some desserts are so simple, that it's hard to call them recipes and it's difficult to decide whether to blog about them or not. But then you did seem to like my oven-baked toffee apples a lot, and that hardly qualifies as a difficult dish. So here's another one for you. The only difficult part can be sourcing the rye bread crumbs - but you can always take couple of slices of stale rye bread (caraway seeds and all), and blitz them into fine crumbs in your food processor. As for lingonberries - I bet cranberries, which are far more easily available, would work just as well.Baked Apples with Rye Bread and Lingonberries(Õuna-pohlaküpsetis)Serves 4For rye bread mixture:200 ml (a scant cup) of fine and dry rye bread crumbs50 g butter, melted4 Tbsp caster sugarFor the fruit mixture:4-5...
I don't normally get embroiled in politics, but, I think this is a unique opportunity for one to consider the American Election and to brush up on ones Lip reading Skills....
