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<!--Generated by Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/) on Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:55:20 GMT--><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"><title>Blog</title><subtitle>Blog</subtitle><id>http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/</id><link rel="alternate" type="application/xhtml+xml" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/"/><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/atom.xml"/><updated>2011-12-10T17:05:10Z</updated><generator uri="http://www.squarespace.com/" version="Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)">Squarespace</generator><entry><title>A tale of two cheeses</title><id>http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/12/10/a-tale-of-two-cheeses.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/12/10/a-tale-of-two-cheeses.html"/><author><name>Coatsie</name></author><published>2011-12-10T16:45:03Z</published><updated>2011-12-10T16:45:03Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>The postman arrived this morning with two packages!</p>
<p>One from Holland and one from the USA ! <span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/cheese/DSC02143.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323536263419" alt="" /></span></span>I knew that my mate Flyboy Tyler was sending me something but didn't expect this !<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 300px;" src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/cheese/DSC02144.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323536368296" alt="" /></span></span>That's the Xmas cheese sorted ! Thanks Carl !</p>
<p>So I then opened the Dutch box (I knew what this would be)<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 300px;" src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/cheese/DSC02146.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323536569349" alt="" /></span></span>a box within a box? so I opened the 2nd box<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 300px;" src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/cheese/DSC02147.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323536624451" alt="" /></span></span>I am such a happy bloke today !<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 300px;" src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/cheese/DSC02149.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323536661924" alt="" /></span></span>&nbsp;</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Tinned meat product - Fray Bentos Steak &amp; Kidney pudding.</title><id>http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/12/9/tinned-meat-product-fray-bentos-steak-kidney-pudding.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/12/9/tinned-meat-product-fray-bentos-steak-kidney-pudding.html"/><author><name>Coatsie</name></author><published>2011-12-09T12:40:40Z</published><updated>2011-12-09T12:40:40Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>I've had this in the cupboard for ages.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/tinned-meat-product/IMAG0630.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323435509516" alt="" /></span></span>So today I decided to open it.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/tinned-meat-product/IMAG0631.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323435557230" alt="" /></span></span>It looks lovely doesn't it ?<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/tinned-meat-product/IMAG0632.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323435936646" alt="" /></span></span>Now 3 mins in the machine that goes ping!<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/tinned-meat-product/IMAG0633.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323435996561" alt="" /></span></span>Mmmm meaty goodness.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/tinned-meat-product/IMAG0634.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323436192720" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>I score this 5/10 - I've eaten a lot worse.</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>My Birthday trip to Berlin</title><id>http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/12/8/my-birthday-trip-to-berlin.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/12/8/my-birthday-trip-to-berlin.html"/><author><name>Coatsie</name></author><published>2011-12-08T06:42:52Z</published><updated>2011-12-08T06:42:52Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>The missus &amp; I like going to Germany to see the Xmas markets, Suzy likes the crepes and I like the gl&uuml;wiein. We let the train take the strain and travel first class to avoid the rabble. This journey however turned into a bit of a nightmare unfortunately. It started off when the bus we wanted to catch just didn't turn up, which is very unusual for Dutch buses. Luckily I'd calculated an extra hour into the journey so that we wouldn't miss our hi-speed train from Amersfoort that we'd reserved seats on.</p>
<p>We caught the next bus and made our way to Den Haag CS where we discovered that there were no trains running to Amersfoort. We were told to take the train to Schiphol and then catch the train to Amersfoort from there. However whilst we were on the train they announced that we needed to stay on the train all the way to Amsterdam CS where we would have just 6 minutes to catch the train.</p>
<p>We got off at Amsterdam and ran for the Amersfoort train which luckily we caught with about 1 minute to spare. It then got even more complicated, the ticket inspector informed us that we weren't going to make the connection with the hi-speed train at Amersfoort, we would have to get off at Hilversum and get it from there.</p>
<p>We got off at Hilversum (which btw is a city to never travel to by car, trus me it's a nightmare of one-way systems) We were waiting on the platform for the train and we decided to buy a sandwich for the journey so went into the kiosk on the platform. I then decided to buy some beer and at that moment a very dirty train pulled in, Suzy didn't say anything because she thought it couldn't be our train because it was so scruffy. I realised at the last minute and after confirming with the guard we jumped on, the doors closed and it left ! We'd nearly missed it after all that effort.</p>
<p>We laboriously made it through all the carriages filled with rabble until we got to our coupe, We then spent the rest of the journey with Suzy reading and me looking out of the window spotting wildlife and drinking German beer. A short taxi ride later and we arrived at our hotel (9 hours after leaving our house) We stayed at the <a href="http://tinyurl.com/c9n6jdu">Crowne Plaza</a> and I can recommend it highly, it has a brilliant steakhouse <a href="http://www.restaurant-wilsons.de/english/">Wilson's. <br /></a></p>
<p>We freshend up and retired to the bar for drinks.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02105.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323328893739" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>Since it was my birthday my lovely wife treated me to a big rib of beef dinner and by big I mean BIG.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02107.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323329355478" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>Suzy had the Californian ladies' cut.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02106.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323329298371" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;We had a nice bottle of wine with our meal.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02108.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323329399532" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>That herb crust was delicious.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02109.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323329430906" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>Halfway through.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02110.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323329461929" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>All done !<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02111.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323329489972" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>A nice Irish coffe for pud.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02112.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323329523085" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;A meaty breakfast the following day.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img style="width: 300px;" src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02114.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323329546112" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>We went to the <a href="http://www.kadewe.de/en/home_english/">Ka-De-We</a> for a nice glass or two of champagne on Saturday.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02122.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323329746298" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>Then onto the Xmas market where gl&uuml;wiein was procured.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02123.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323329771960" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>then we went for a gro&szlig; bier<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02125.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323330436080" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>and a tasty pig knuckle dinner. <span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02126.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323330553175" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>On Sunday we went back to the Ka-De-We for a champagne brunch, Suzy had fish soup.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02131.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323330649275" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>Whilst I treated myself to a lobster platter.<span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02133.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323330831814" alt="" /></span></span>In the evening we went to an Italian for lasagne. <span class="full-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.chriscoates.com/storage/berlin-2011/DSC02135.JPG?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1323330672469" alt="" /></span></span></p>
<p>It's no wonder I gained 3.5 kilos in four days !</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Thu 7th July</title><id>http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/7/7/thu-7th-july.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/7/7/thu-7th-july.html"/><author><name>Coatsie</name></author><published>2011-07-07T12:46:42Z</published><updated>2011-07-07T12:46:42Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>Oops missed updating this for a week</p>
<p>06:00 pomegranite juice</p>
<p>08:30 muesli, oats, bran, seeds</p>
<p>12:00 Walked 4km</p>
<p>15:00 walnuts &amp; plums</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Thu 30th June</title><id>http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/30/thu-30th-june.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/30/thu-30th-june.html"/><author><name>Coatsie</name></author><published>2011-06-30T09:11:08Z</published><updated>2011-06-30T09:11:08Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>05:30 pomegranite juice</p>
<p>08:30 muesli, bran, seeds</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Wed 29th June</title><id>http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/29/wed-29th-june.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/29/wed-29th-june.html"/><author><name>Coatsie</name></author><published>2011-06-29T07:06:47Z</published><updated>2011-06-29T07:06:47Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>07:00 pomegranite juice</p>
<p>12:00&nbsp;mystery meatball sandwich &amp; veg soup</p>
<p>18:00 creamy chicken &amp; mushroom tagliatelli&nbsp;</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Tue 28th June</title><id>http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/28/tue-28th-june.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/28/tue-28th-june.html"/><author><name>Coatsie</name></author><published>2011-06-28T08:00:55Z</published><updated>2011-06-28T08:00:55Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>05:30 pomegranite juice</p>
<p>08:30 muesli, bran, seeds, raspberries</p>
<p>10:00 walnuts, cherries</p>
<p>12:00 radishes, plums</p>
<p>18:00 allotment cabbage &amp; corned beef hash</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Mon 27th June</title><id>http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/28/mon-27th-june.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/28/mon-27th-june.html"/><author><name>Coatsie</name></author><published>2011-06-28T07:57:45Z</published><updated>2011-06-28T07:57:45Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>05:30 pomegranite juice</p>
<p>18:00 1 tuna &amp; tomato sandwich &amp; 1 ham, cheese &amp; salad sandwich.</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Sun 26th June</title><id>http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/28/sun-26th-june.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/28/sun-26th-june.html"/><author><name>Coatsie</name></author><published>2011-06-28T07:49:20Z</published><updated>2011-06-28T07:49:20Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>10:00 pomegranite juice</p>
<p>17:00 club sandwich</p>
<p>several beers</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Sat 25th June</title><id>http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/25/sat-25th-june.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.chriscoates.com/blog/2011/6/25/sat-25th-june.html"/><author><name>Coatsie</name></author><published>2011-06-25T14:06:11Z</published><updated>2011-06-25T14:06:11Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-US"><![CDATA[<p>10:00 pomegranite juice</p>
<p>12:00 2 raw herrings with chopped onions</p>
<p>19:00 spare ribs etc ant the bon vivant</p>
<p>barcardi cokes and chardonnay too</p>]]></content></entry></feed>
