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Saturday 27th ,June 2009 It's a scorcher We've just finished podding all the peas we harvested this afternoon. We also picked fennel, turnips, leeks, blueberries, raspberries, kohl rabi and the first of the new potatoes.
Tonight for tea we will be having cod (caught by me) with allotment vegetables (grown by us)
A completely self sufficient meal (except for the drinks) Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 17:01
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Wednesday 17th ,June 2009 Jazz was great The two day jazzfest was brilliant. The roads were closed to traffic and were packed with people watching the bands. It was a great atmosphere and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
On the Saturday evening Anna celebrated her birthday in Choices and we had a scream. Helium balloons and vodka jellies were involved.
Tonight I'm off to a works do but won't be drinking because I'm in the car :-( Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 15:26
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Wednesday 10th ,June 2009 Jazz in de gracht Jazz in de gracht
A unique and free festival celebrating jazz. Live bands playing on the boat terraces.
Friday 12th from
18.00 - 22.30
Saturday 13th from
16.00 - 22.30
So come down to Choices Lounge Bar and join in the fun.
For details see Choices Lounge Bar on facebook or the Jazz in the gracht sitePosted by Chris CoatesPosted : 17:09
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Friday 5th ,June 2009 bunch of crooks This observation just in from John Mill
Oliver Cromwell's Speech on the Dissolution of the Long Parliament, 20th April 1653 .
It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonoured by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money. Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? s there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth? Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil'd this sacred place, and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors. In the name of God, go!"
Three hundred and fifty years later, very little seems to have changed. Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 13:39
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Wednesday 3rd ,June 2009 too late toms I finally got around to transplanting my tomatoes into the greenhouse this afternoon.
They're a lot behind the toms in other plots but I'm hoping they'll catch up quickly.
With the damp warm weather it's a major battle against the weeds though at the moment. Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 15:29
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Wednesday 27th ,May 2009 Liver update I went to the Doc's last week to get the results of the blood tests I had taken before I went to Norther Ireland.
Of the 5 things that were out of target last time 3 were back at good levels.
Of the other two, one that was 66 had dropped to 47 and needs to be 45
the other was at 121 and now is 89 but I don't know what it has to get down to.
So the Doc was generally pleased and so was I. I just need to keep at it. Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 12:25
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Tuesday 26th ,May 2009 Big Big Storm We had a terrible storm here last night, it lasted for hours and the lightning was constant and the rain seemed horizontal. Our garden looks very bashed and we're going to go up the the allotment this afternoon to check for damage down there. Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 13:56
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Wednesday 20th ,May 2009 NorthWest 200 2009 pics I completely forgot that my has a multishot function so I'm pretty pleased with the results of some mad clicking from me. The ones with bikes on can be found on my flickr site (I've deleted the 15 ones that just showed an empty street)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/toadrunner/ Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 08:54
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Monday 18th ,May 2009 NorthWest 200 Well I'm back from Ulster watching the bikes at the NorthWest 200 and had a ball catching up with Bill, Steve and Martin.
I'll write up a bigger post once I've uploaded some of my photos. Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 12:48
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Tuesday 12th ,May 2009 diet update After a week of dieting and exercise (except at the weekend of course) I've dropped back down to 95.5 so I'm quite pleased.
This weekend I'm with the lads in Ulster watching bike racing drinking beers and most probably eating crap. Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 10:15
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Tuesday 5th ,May 2009 fell off the diet wagon The last month or two maybe I've fallen off the diet wagon and ballooned back up to 98 kg.
Yesterday I jumped back on the wagon, I had a salad sandwich for lunch, a tinned salmon salad for tea and a cup of beef bovril for supper, I also went for a 1 & 3/4 hour walk in the countryside.
Today I started with shredded wheat, muesli & banana for breakfast washed down with a glass of pomegranite juice. I'll have a salmon & cucumber sandwich for lunch and I'll have a goat's cheese salad for my tea.
Hopefully I'll have lost a bit of weight in time to see the lads in Belfast next week for the NorthWest 200. Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 10:42
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Monday 4th ,May 2009 Cod Fishing On Friday 10 of us rented a boat plus skipper and sailed out of Stellendam. We sailed for about 2 hours before we started wreck fishing. We spent all day travelling from wreck to wreck and caught a good load of fish. I ended up with nine and when I'd filleted and skinned them I was left with just over 5 kilos of cod fillet for the freezer. Suze and I had cod and chips for tea, it was delicious. Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 08:35
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Monday 27th ,April 2009 a good day planting Yesterday I planted a lot of stuff.
Italian plum, Italian beef, cherry and normal tomatoes.
Bell, scotch bonnet, hot hot, capsicum and Italian chillis.
Sprouts, purple sprouts, cauliflowers & purple sprouting broccolli.
Most of our windowsills are now full. Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 13:00
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Thursday 23rd ,April 2009 HAPPY ST. GEORGE'S DAY TO ALL YOU GOOD ENGLISHMEN I hope you can all join me this eveing to quaff an ale or two to the name of St. George ?
And in keeping with tradition here's my usual post (author unknown)
To be born English is to have won first prize in the lottery of life. To be
English is to be part of the world's richest culture. From this sceptred
isle sprang talents as diverse as Orwell and Chaplin, Kipling and
Shakespeare, Nelson and Joe Strummer.
In every field, in every era, the evidence of English greatness is there
for all to see, from the enduring genius of Elgar to the magic of Michael
Owen's goal against the Argies. As Ian Dury once sang: "There are jewels in
the crown of England's glory, too numerous to mention, but a few."
OK, not many of us know more than the first two lines of There'll Always Be
An England, but we do know that our country gave the world football,
cricket, rugby, tennis, the Beatles and Dickens.
As a people we are not given to chest beating. Reserve and restraint are as
much English qualities as inventiveness and enterprise. But we do resent
the way Englishness is sneered at by the chattering classes. For them, the
cross of St George is tainted by memories of empire (even though the Royal
Navy smashed the slave trade). It has been like this for decades. More than 50
years ago, George Orwell wrote that "England is perhaps the only great
country whose intellectuals are ashamed of their nationality."
These sniggering fools don't even know the roots of their own radicalism.
For every Francis Drake in English history there was a Wat Tyler. For every
Wellington there was a Captain Swing. Military achievement understandably
shaped our self image. The stout Yeomen of England have been beating off
invaders for centuries.We saw off Bonaparte and smashed the Spanish Armada.
But England gave the world parliamentary democracy and the trade unions
too.
We are strong-willed people, rightly proud of our traditions of free speech
and tolerance. Our defining national characteristic is "constructive
bloodymindedness" according to Keith Waterhouse, one of the greatest living
Englishmen. Illustrated by the phrase "thus far and no further", it is why
most of us refuse to take Europe seriously. European? Never. I was born
English and I will die English, (unless Co. Durham achieves independence).
A soggy croissant will never replace egg, bacon and buttered toast.Whether
your England is summed up by a bowler hat or a pit helmet, punk rock or
Morris dancers, there are few national tapestries as rich as our beloved
Albion's.
My England is bubble and squeak and foaming pints of Boddingtons. It is Les
Dawson and Barbara Windsor, Max Miller and Page Three. My England is pie
and mash and Aston Martins, Derby day and Arfur Daley, Mods and Suedeheads,
Lennie McLean and Carry On films. My England stretches from Dennis Skinner
to Roger Scruton, from Peggy Mount to Beki Bondage. It's Blackpool beach,
Charlie Drake, roast beef, imperial measurements and fish n chips. It's
defiance. Whether it be King Alfred standing up to the Vikings, Colonel H
at Goose Green, or the Metric Martyrs giving the finger to Brussels. No-one
likes us! We don't care!
And of course it is a national disgrace that TV gives St George a blank.
But what do they know? How often do they get anything right?
If you are English turn off the TV on April 23rd and get down the pub,
preferrably in a fine Longshanks shirt. As Chesterton wrote: "St George he
was for England and before he slew the dragon, he drank a pint of English
ale out of an English flagon."
Enjoy yourself this St. George's Day. And remember, there will always be an
England. Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 08:51
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Wednesday 22nd ,April 2009 beetroots I'm very pleased to announce that my beetroot seedlings have finally decided to show themselves. Posted by Chris CoatesPosted : 13:32
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