Thursday, September 30, 2004

Things about me

This is a work in progress, so bear with me on this one.

1. I was born in Winchester, England.
2. I lived there for 5 days.
3. I was then taken to a transitionary foster home for 6 weeks.
4. And then was adopted by my parents.
5. My natural mother gave me up because she felt she couldn't give me the life she wanted for me.
6. I will never forget that incredible act.
7. I have had and am having a wonderful life and wouldn't change anything for the world.
8. I then lived in Somerset, England for 2 years.
9. We then moved to Nivelles, Belgium with my dad's job.
10. We thought we would be there for 3 years, but ended up staying for 7.
11. I think all this moving around when I was young sowed the seeds that make me a traveller today.
12. I have a younger sister called Mima.
13. We used to have epic fights, but now we are close.
14. I grew up in a local neighbourhood in French-speaking Belgium.
15. While I was there French was my first language.
16. I spoke it with my friends, sister and dad.
17. My mum never learnt to speak French. It made talking to each other a bit more interesting.
18. I am still friends with people from Belgium.
19. I am a Piscean.
20. I moved back to the UK when I was 10.
21. It was hard moving back to a small village, but maybe it was more strange for the local kids than even me.
22. After 2 years I went to a private school away from my new friends.
23. It was hard at times, but I really enjoyed my 7 years there.
24. Not sure if the school always enjoyed me ...
25. I took a year out after school because I had had enough of classrooms.
26. So I went to Zimbabwe and became a teacher in a school!
27. I lived in a mud house in the bush for a year.
28. I had no electricity and had to pump my own water out of the ground.
29. I was teaching classes of up to 50, aged from 12 to 26.
30. I was only 18 at the time!
31. It was hard, but rewarding. I would never want to be a classroom teacher again though.
32. I taught Maths, Commerce and Geography.
33. It was the toughest year of my life and I was pushed mentally and physically beyond what I thought my limits were.
34. In retrospect this was a good thing.
35. I got to go to some amazine places and have some fantastic adventures.
36. Despite having a hard year I fell in love with Africa and it will always hold a special place in my heart.
37. I went to Bangor University in North Wales, to study French.
38. I spent 4 years learning more about life and having adventures.
39. The third year was spent partly studying in Belgium and partly travelling the world.
40. The latter taught me more.
41. I have visited England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Spain, Canary Isles, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bali, Fiji, Mauritius, Australia, USA, China, Macau in my life so far.
42. I consider myself very lucky.
43. There are many more places that I will visit.
44. I left university with a 2:1 degree in French and Modern France.
45. I work in publishing.
46. I fell into it completely by accident, but I really like it.
47. I always wanted to do a creative and positive job.
48. I started off as a journalist, but didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.
49. So I moved into a more specialised area called production, where I still am today.
50. Last year I changed company and became a production director.
51. I take this responsibility very seriously, but also find it ammusing to be in this position at my age.
52. My friends tell me I'm very ambitious, but I'm not sure.
53. I associate ambition with being a bastard, and I don't think I am one.
54. I prefer 'motivated'.
55. I work for an international publishing company, with magazines in the UK and Germany.
56. I can speak English, French, German and some Spanish.
57. I was never good at German at school.
58. I now speak it regularly.
59. My girlfriend is English.
60. The majority of my girlfriend have not been.
61. I travel a lot now.
62. Sometimes it gets me down, but I think I would miss it if I stopped.
63. Business travel is very different to leisure travel.
64. I have a penchant for Belgian chocolate.
65. And ice cream.
66. I live in London.
67. I have recently bought my second property there.
68. I am a countryside person.
69. Putting down roots in London scares me sometimes.
70. My new house has a shed which is very exciting for me!
71. I have completed two London Marathons.
72. I have a cellular dislike of running.
73. But I like to challenge myself so I run for charity.
74. I also like motorsport in all forms.
75. I am trying to learn photography.
76. It's my first new hobby for a while and I'm really, really enjoying applying myself to something new.
77. I love spending time by the sea.
78. I used to enjoy exploring when I was younger. Since moving to London I have done it less.
79. I have learnt cross country skiing this Winter.
80. I like learning about computers and playing games.
81. I also have a growing DVD collection.
82. My other hobby is wine.
83. I am looking forward to having a proper wine store at some point. The house I currently own does not have a cellar.
84. I like New World wines, but my favourite red and white wines are French.
85. I don't like beer.
86. But I have just been to the Oktoberfest and had a really good time.
87. One of my favourite drinks is Gin and Coke, with Lime and Ice. I am slowly converting the rest of the world to this great drink.
88. I have a sweet tooth.
89. I love sunsets.
90. My favourite season is Spring.
91. My favourite city (so far) is Barcelona.
92. One day I would like to buy a property near the city and live there permanently.
93. My favourite food is Italian.
94. I mostly prepare my own food.
95. I am not a Rabbit, but I do like salads.
96. I'm feeling hungry now.
97. I don't like Raddishes.
98. I always get up early in the morning, even on holidays.
99. I'm not good at wasting time.
100. 2pm to 3pm is the hardest time of the day for me.
101. I can't believe I made it to 101.
102. I don't like spiders.
103. I don't like snakes even more.
104. And I think I am beginning to dislike non-personal work.
105. I am an Adidas person, not a Nike person.
106. I am a PC person, not a Mac person.
107. I like Garlic a lot, but it does terrible things to my gut.
108. Doesn't stop me eating it though.
109. I believe that, despite all that is going on in the world, we will be OK as a race.
110. I once did a photoshoot dressed as Father Christmas while sitting in a Formula 1 racing car. And yes it was a tight squeeze, but I did get all the way in!

Bad day

I'm having the day from hell. First day back in London and it took me 45 minutes longer than normal to get in to the office. And got hot and soaked by rain. Nearly broke my back on a broken chair thoughtfully left for me at my desk. Cable connection snapped while putting into the back of my laptop. Then went to dentist who said I need a HUGE filling in a tooth on the good side of my mouth. I have a good side (no fillings) and bad side (some fillings). And there was a queue for the dentist so that took longer than anticipated as well. Got soaked going to and from the dentist. Despite having an umbrella. Thanks to that Nazi taxi driver! And then computer didn't work. Been trying to follow up on some important issues with the printer. Unfortunately it's their 10th birthday anniversary so they're all off partying. I was invited to the party and wish I'd gone. So not answered any of the queries for my boss either!

Am just waiting for someone to walk up and kick me in the balls just to round off a great day.

Wednesday, September 29, 2004


Oktoberfest 2004. Some of us eating, drinking and making merry. Please note that I'm drinking beer (in this photo). For those that know tis is quite significant. I'm normally on much harder stuff when I'm out in Germany (you need to be!).

The Oktoberfest 2004, Munich. Our 'tent'.

Celebration!!!!!

Cue the music because I've managed to work out how to add some links and other bits to my blog. Is a huge breakthrough for me. Equivalent to linking the Channel Tunnel or landing on the moon (everybody has their own standard to measure against!). Still have some stuff to figure out with it (like putting dots in front of my links for example - I am an example of neatness), but I'm pretty chuffed. Can now start work on a couple of other things I've been thinking of for a while. Also looks like I'll have a quieter day in the office so will endeavour to use my time productively.

Tuesday, September 28, 2004

L2B and Oktoberfest 2004 - hectic times!

Am back in Munich and hence able to upload a few pics. Some old, some new, all relevant!!

Participated in the annual Smart car owners club London to Brighton run on Sunday. Thought it would be too hugely geeky for me. And started off a bit that way. But then had a lot of fun on drive down waving at people and overtaking most of them. I'm not sure what the protocol is for such things so I just went for it! Then had a blast walking round and looking at other Smart cars. Some of which were quite clever (see fluff), others that just looked massacred to be honest. Different strokes for different folks though. Then had the most fun of all leaving the venue in Brighton and driving back along the road past a lot of incoming Smarties. Spent the whole bit of the journey beeping and waving at everyone, with them doing the same. Felt about 5 years old, but also felt like really part of a bigger family. Which was excellent. So am definitely up for the 2005 edition and will use the evidence from this year to invite someone to join me (any takers?).

And then came out to Munchen yesterday and pretty much straight to the Oktoberfest. My first one. I managed to miss last years, but had a few more responsibilities this time (like, I actually work for the company!) so tagged along. Not being a beer drinker ( I drink wine and spirits before you start taking the piss) I wondered how out of place I would feel. And I did for a lot of time, but still enjoyed it. Luckily they serve shandy (yum-ish). So drank 3 litres of that and got thoroughly bloated (been farting all day) and not at all pissed. While all around me we 'celebrated' beer and German culture by 'singing' and 'dancing'. Which has to be seen to be believed. Even pictures could not describe the scene inside the tent where we were. The highlight for me was a German Elvis coming on and singing Elvis songs in German. Just think about that for a second and you try and work it out. Was very surreal.
The set up is a lot bigger than I had imagined. The tent is a pretty solid construction with a load of balcony's around the edge. And then a huge area on the floor where the masses drink, get drunk and fall down (a lot). In the centre of the floor is a raised stage where a variety of acts come on and make lots of noise of varying quality. And a large number of women with big arms run around carrying huge numbers of 1 liter steins of beer to everyone. To get them even more drunk.
All in all quite an experience and I think was enjoyed by most. A few of our lot got lost, and some others fell asleep, but on the whole I think the casualty rate was quite low. And most of them turned up for work today which was a bonus as well.

Better go back to looking busy and important.

Fluff the Smartie


No idea about this one, but did think Monsters Inc was a cool film. And I understand that wasn't real fur before you start ... !

Lolitas big day out


Lolita with some of her brothers and sisters in Brighton.

London to Brighton run 2004


The London to Brighton run 2004. The largest gathering of Smarties in the world. This is a samll section of the 2000 odd Smarties that got together in the morning.

Janet on the beach


Janet on the beach in WSM. Trying to show me how ... Once I actually get around to learning those photography books I've aquired then we'll see who's the daddy!

My better half


I received some compaints that this blog was all about me and no-one else. A little harsh I think, but in order to appease she who must be obeyed here is a photo of Janet looking gorgeous one moody evening in Shipham.

Friday, September 24, 2004

Photography update

Have taken lots of photos (about 500 so far) and they're all still on the memory card of the camera. Which is cool. I think it has a bigger hard drive than my PC! I only have a small lens though. I know size isn't everything (not the size of the boat, but the motion of the ocean and all that!), but it is a bit limiting. It is nice and wide though. Better stop there because mum and dad might read this ....

Chocolate frogs and Star Wars

No real connection between the two, but was eating one and thinking of the other. Fell asleep last night halfway through a fascinating documentary on Star Wars that came with my DVD's. (Yes I was one of the 10 thousand million people who bought it this week - no apologies because Star Wars is cool. If you disagree you're wrong. Not as good as Babylon 5 though. And I have a warm cosy feeling about the new Battlestar Galactica series coming out next year. But enough of the rant about sci fi.) So, anyway, fell asleep watching Star Wars and and am so going to have a great night today watching it again. I'm so rock'n'roll you can call me Elvis!

Am planning to have a cool week-end driving my Smartie again. Hopefully going with about 2000 others on drive from London to Brighton. Will probably be geeky (and lonely - no-one wants to come with me. What does that say about me or my hobbies???), but I don't care. And I'm going to take my camera and post LOADS of photos online next week. I think I may just be setting out my stall early to deflect any shit from anyone. And I'm even passing on watching broom brooms for this. That must show how cool this will be!

I'm ranting again. And it's nearly going home time which is grade A fantastic.

Still trying to sort out the *&%$£& settings on the blog so I can add a couple of other sidebars. I love and embrace technology, but hate it when I can't work it out. I will find a way, but I will also get pissed off along the journey to the solution! So if anybody can help then I will love you forever!

Tuesday, September 21, 2004

Tuesday afternoon

It's that time of the day and the week when I feel the need to muse on life, the world an everything. I've just toured a few blogs and found it incredibly therapeutic as ever. Some people make me laugh, others cry (metaphorically - boys don't cry obviously!!!), and others make me think. And I'm slipping into one of those moods at the moment. The only problem with settling into one of those moods is I feel a certain amount of pressure to come up with something creative, witty and profound. Not sure if that'll happen today, but you never know what is round the corner. The other problem with coming to my blog is I'm still really frustrated about not being able to customise it. If anybody is reading this who knows how then please help. : ) Grrrrrrr!!

Just been distracted by Lisa the PA and completely lost track of where i was going with this entry. So I'm going to stop. I'm having tomorrow off (hooray) and hopefully will be mucho refreshed by Thursday. Hopefully. So farewell dear diary for a couple of days.

Saturday, September 18, 2004

Wine list - Vinicultural secrets

Vinicultural secrets

Trade up

Because of the way wine is taxes there is a huge difference in quality between a £5 bottle of wine and a £10 one. The fixed costs (tax, transport, bottle, cork) of a £5 bottle of wine are around £2.45. Take off the supplier’s margin and the producer has about £1 to make the wine. Apply the same process to an £8 bottle and the producer has £2.25 to play with. Thus, by spending 60 per cent more, you have probably more than doubled the quality of your wine.


Corkscrews

Disappointingly, gadget fiends, the best way to get a cork out of a bottle is with a very simple corkscrew called the Waiter’s Friend. Look out for a long thin screw (called a worm in the trade) and a good lever mechanism.


Glasses

Wine somehow tastes better out of quality glasses. You want something that you can give the wine a good swirl in (without worrying about flinging it over your guests) and get your nose into. So big is better and don’t fill them to the brim. The Rolls-Royce of wine glasses is made by Riedel – an Austrian fellow who has designed a different type of glass for every type of wine imaginable.


Food and wine

Food undoubtedly affects the taste of your bottle. Many European wines are only really designed to be drunk with food. You might wonder what all the fuss is about when you splash out on a big tannic red, as it will taste harsh without food. Get a bit of steak in on the actiona nd you’ll find you prefer it to the New World red you were quaffing before dinner.


Wine in restaurants

Wine is heavily marked up in UK restaurants. Avoid the most obvious choices – chablis, sancerre, and so on attract the highest margins as restaurants know they are a safe choice. White house wine might be the cheapest; it will certainly be the poorest value. Get a much better deal by asking the sommelier for advice. Many staff in restaurants are just as passionate about wine as food; tell them your budget and what you like and let them get on with it.

Some restaurants to try:

Albertine, 1 Wood Lane, London W12 – 0208 743 9593. Cheap, but excellent wine list. The place looks like shit, but is always rammed which says something.

Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1 – 0207 887 8825. Only open at lunch. They have a policy of laying down wines and marking them up reasonably. They also serve the wines in half bottles which allow you to experiment.

Chez Bruce, 2 Bellevue Rd, London SW17 – 0208 672 0114. An excellent wine list and an unpretentious sommelier.


Buying wine

Like food, dedicated artisan producers produce the most interesting wines in small quantities. Independent wine merchants generally sell these. Find one, tell them what kind of thing you’re after, and you’ll end up with a treat in a bottle - plus some extra knowledge to show off with. If you want a bargain don’t ‘buy one, get one free’ (the aptly named BOGOF); instead look to the unfashionable regions (Germany, Alsace) or the next big thing (Austrian whites, Portuguese reds). Oddbins and Majestic are still the best high-street retailers, while Waitrose is miles ahead of the other supermarkets.

Wine list - White

White

2003 Torres Vina Esmeralda
From: Penedes, Spain
What it’s like: This is a gloriously thirst-quenching blend of moscatel and Gewurztraminer grapes that are full of zingy acidity and floral flavours. The perfect palate-awakening aperitif.
Interestingly: Miguel Torres is a pioneer of modern Spanish wine, being one of the first to plant international grapes such as chardonnay and cabrnet sauvignon.
From: £5.99, Sainsbury’s

2002 Knappstein Riesling
From: Clare Valley, Australia
What it’s like: The Riesling resurgence is taking some time to gather pace but it’s the New World that is leading the way. Oz examples are generally bone dry and Clare Valley is one of their finest cool climate areas. It reeks of lime cordial, and the grape’s fine acidity makes it a good early evening option. Food-wise it’s hugely versatile – shellfish, grilled vegetables – but it comes into it’s own with any type of Asian-style cooking.
Interestingly: Riesling was the UK’s most popular white grape until a shocking collection of German wine in the Seventies.
From: £6.99, Oddbins

2002 Tim Adams Semillon
From: Clare Valley, Australia
Whatit’s like: For those tired of chardonnay, but into rich whites try this Australian Semillon. It’s full of honey, tropical fruits and hazelnuts and hugely good value for money.
Interestingly: Semillon is one of Australia’s hidden treasures and it ages magnificently.
From: £8.50, Tesco

2003 Albarino
From: Pazo Senorans Rias Baixas, Galicia, Spain
What it’s like: The quality of Spanish white wines has soared over the last few years. Out with oxidised piss-coloured ones and in with fresh, zingy bottles from interesting indigenous grapes. Floral and intense, wash it down with some shellfish.
Interestingly: Albarino used to be rarely seen outside of Spain, it is now its most fashionable white grape, gracing all of the best wine lists.
From: £11.50, Liberty Wines – 0207 720 5350

2003 Steeberg Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
From: Constantia, South Africa
What it’s like: Sainsbury’s has done well to get an allocation of this wine as it’s practically impossible to buy in South Africa. Stylistically, it’s like a cross between a full throttle New Zealand sauvignon and a refined sauvignon from the Loire valley in France.
Interestingly: Steenberg is South Africa’s oldest wine estate, established in 1695.
From: £11.99, Sainsbury’s

2001 Gewurztraminer Herrenweg
From: Domaine Zind-Humbrecht, Alsace, France
What it’s like: If you enjoy a light fresh glass that sits quietly in the background then skip this as Olivier Zind-Humbrecht’s wines are an assault on the senses. Super-ripe concentrated flavours of honey and lychees are somehow balanced by fine minerality and good acidity. Drink this with Thai food; the richness and floral nature of the wine with flavours such as chilli and lemongrass are the ticket to food nirvana.
Interestingly: Zind-Humbrecht divides wine critics; many think his wines are too over the top and unrepresentative of the region. Forget what the killjoys say, he is a wine deity.
From: £17.99, Waitrose

2002 Pouilly-Fuisse Les Vignes Blanches
From: Domaine Cordier, Maconnias, Burgundy, France
What it’s like: Christophe Cordier represents the new face of Burgundy, intent on changing the reputation of a region that often underdelivers. This is a serious full-bodied white full of ripe fruits and spices. Delicious now, but will be even better if you have patience.
Interestingly: Nearly all white Burgundy (including chablis) is made from chardonnay.
From: £18.99, Majestic


2002 Condrieu
From: East Guigal, Rhone valley, France
What it’s like: Condrieu is one of the world’s truly unique wines. The area as a whole is tiny and therefore production hardly registers on the world scale. It’s worth tracking one down, though, as this hedonistic wine is full of peach and tropical aromas.
Interestingly: Condrieu is made from the viognier grape.
From: £19.99, Majestic

Wine list - Sparkling

Sparkling Wines

Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru NV
From: Champagne, France
What it’s like: Simply put, Billecart-Salmon is the champagne drunk by those in the trade. Family-owned (a rare thing now among the top houses) it produces an exemplary range but the non-vintage Blanc de Blancs is a relative newcomer. Creamy and complex this is special occasion fizz which is great as an aperitif but also worth trying served with fish dishes.
Interestngly: Blanc de Blancs champagne must be made from 100% chardonnay grapes.
Available: £34, Oddbins

1996 Nyetimber Classic Cuvee Brut
From: West Sussex, England
What it’s like: Granted, the idea of English sparkling wine isn’t one you’ve entertained much before. But if there is a thing the UK can do, wine-wise, it’s fizz. We have many sites that are similar climate and soil to Reims – indeed one of the larger champagne houses has been sniffing around this area for potential plots to buy. It’s understandable when you taste this, as it’s actually better than most champagne at this price. Real toasty depth is added by extended bottle ageing before release.
Interestingly: The owner wrote the Bucks Fizz Eurovision Song Contest winning entry.
Available: £19, Raymond Reynolds – 01663 742 230


Wine list - Rose

Rose

2003 Chateau de Sours
From: Bordeaux, France
What it’s like: Rose sales continue to go through the roof – it’s n o longer thought of as the preserve of the chubby legged chavs who fancy a change from chardonnay – and its quality has leapt. Tim Johnstone, who started Majestic Wine before buying this property in 1990 has done much to change rose’s reputation, and a painfully hot summer last year produced a deeply coloured wine which is, in effect, a baby red. It’s full of warm red fruits and is so easy to drink you’ll go through bottles of it.
Interestingly: This full-bodied rose is sublime with salmon.
From: £7.99, Majestic

Wine list - Red

Red

2002 Casa de la Ermita
From: Jumilla, Spain
What it’s like: Over the next few years we are going to see a lot of cracking value Spanish reds. Jumilla is a hot arid region in the south that until recently turned out little to excite the tatse buds. But now big, juicy, brooding wines full of black fruits are the norm.
Interestingly: This is made from a grape called monastrall known as mourvedre in France and is one of the components of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
From: £6.49, Oddbins

2003 Julienas
From: Georges Duboeuf, Beaujolais, France
What it’s like: Since the collapse of the Beaujolais Nouveau market this has been a region in crisis. Which is fine for us as if you pick the right wines they’re a bargain. Granted the flowery label is enough to put you off, but once you’ve got over that you’re faced with an explosive, fruity (as in full of fruit, not as in mincing) glass. You can easily serve this slightly chilled.
Interestingly: Beaujolais is one of the few reds able to cope with the heat of a curry.
From: £7.99, Waitrose

2001 D’Arreys Original Grenache/Shiraz
From: D’Arenberg, McLaren Vale, Australia
What it’s like: This is one of Australia’s icon wines, having been made for 61 years. It has got all of the up-front, in-your-face fruit you could want, but none of the sickly sweet confected flavours that some Aussie wines deliver at this price point. It is not the shy, retiring type so serve with equally balls-out fare: big chunks of rare red meat will do the trick.
Interestingly: Shiraz originates from the Rhone Valley in France where it’s known as syrah.
From: £8.69, Oddbins

2003 Vina Leyda Las Brisas Pinot Noir
From: Leyda Valley, Chile
What it’s like: Pinot Noir is notoriously tricky to grow and make, and as a result good cheap pinot barely exists. This is the best value New World pinot about. Fragrant, perfumed and balanced by cool climate acidity.
Interestingly: Pinot is one of the lighter red grapes. If you want to serve some red with fish, it’s your best bet.
From: £8.99, Co-op

1999 Reserve de la Comtesse
From: Pauillac, Bordeaux, France
What it’s like: This is actually the second string range from the famous Chateau Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse de Lalande house (whose main line costs £80 per bottle). A bit of a mouthful but one of the regions top performers. This cedary, classic Bordeaux gives you a glimpse of the top stuff at a fraction of the price, Give it an hour in the decanter before serving with some good British roast beef.
Interestingly: Bordeaux is split by the river Gironde. Those on the left bank (looking out to the Atlantic) like this are mostly made from cabernet sauvignon. Those on the right side (Pomerol, St Emilion, etc) come mainly from the merlot grape.
From: £17.99, Waitrose

2001 Condado de Haza
From: Alejandro Fernandez, Ribera del Duero, Spain
What it’s like: Ribera del Duero in northern Spain produces some of the country’s premier league wines. Alejandro Fernandez’s flagship bottle, Pesquera, is consistently one of the country’smost expensive. This has similarities to the premium offering, but saves you £75 per bottle. Spicy, rich and complex it will again benefit from a few years in the cellar.
Interestingly: This is made mostly from the same grape as rioja (tempranillo), yet tastes completely different. A great example of how location affects the taste of wine as much as anything else.
From: £11.99, Oddbins

2001 Crozes-Hermitage
From: Alain Graillot, Rhone Valley, France
What it’s like: This is proper wine, none of that polished, softly-soflty New World business. White pepper, herbs and a meaty character dominate. Alain Graillot is the top man in this region and if you have patience a few years in the cellar will reap rewards. Serve with robust red meat dishes.
Interestingly: All reds from the Northern Rhone region are made from the syrah grape (the same as Australia’s shiraz)
From: £11.99, sainsburystoyou.com

2000 Campeleone
From: Lamborghini, Umbria, Italy
What it’s like: When Ferrucio Lamborghini sold his car company he bought a vineyard. His daughter is now in charge and she has assembled a team that makes a heroic wine. A blend of merlot and sangiovese (the grape used for chianti), it is full of black fruits and herbs.
Interestingly: Lamborghini made his money from tractors before cars
From: £30, Sommeliers Choice – 0208 689 9643

Wine list - Formed Sweet

Formed Sweet

Taylors 10 year old Tawny Port
From: Douro Valley, Portugal
What it’s like: Tawny refers to the colour and comes about from the wine having spent an extended time in a wooden barrel (10 years in this case). This results in an altogether different beast to the heavier vintage port – it’s lighter and worth sticking in the fridge for a while before serving as an aperitif with some nuts or at the end of a meal with some hard cheeses. It also does a fine job at matching up to the most difficult of foods for wine: chocolate.
Interestingly: Unlike vintage port tawny is released ready to drink so no need for a cellar.
From: £16.49, Majestic

Lusteau Pedro Ximenez San Emilio
From: Jerez, Spain
What it’s like: The colour and consistency of Castrol GTX, you practically need a spoon to drink this. Liquified raisins and soft brown sugar explode on the palate. Lusteau is at the forefront of sherry’s revival. Drink with chocolate puddings or pour over some vanilla ice cream; it’s not longer the preserve of little old ladies.
Interestingly: The concentration of this wine is as a result of the grapes being dried on mats after being harvested.
From: £14, Fields, Morris and Verdin – 0207 921 5300

2002 Coteaux de Layon
From: Domaine de Forges, Loire Valley, France
What it’s like: This is a beauty of a wine. It is sweet without being over-the-top and is thus a perfect way to finish a meal. Fresh tropical flavours such as pineapple abound, but its real asset is its wonderful acidity; this is key as it leaves your mouth feeling fresh and ready for another slurp; poor sweet wine feels heavy and cloying.
Interestingly: As well as trying this with fruity desserts, serve it with foie gras or any rich pate.
From: £8.99 (500ml), Waitrose

Wine myths

Wine myths

“Serve red wine at room temperature”

The idea that red wine should be served at room temperature was formed when wine drinkers lived in draughty old country houses without central heating. No red should be served over 19 degrees. Big, alcoholic New World reds in particular taste clumsy when too warm; don’t be afraid to whack them in the fridge for half an hour before serving. The colder a liquid the less you taste, so chill rather than freeze your whites.


“Open a bottle to let breathe before drinking”

The purpose of letting a bottle breathe is to open up the wine’s flavours; a big powerful red might taste flat when first opened. Give it an hour to breathe and you will be able to appreciate all of its subtleties. But simply opening the bottle and leaving it on the side is a waste of time as you are exposing so little of it to the air. The best way to open the flavours is by putting wine in a decanter. If you don’t have one, pour it into some glasses well before you drink it.


“The older the wine, the better”

Over the years we have developed a peculiarly British attitude to ageing wine. The world’s top regions – Bordeaux, Burgundy – do indeed make bottles that require cellaring (less so though today as producers are intentionally making their wine more accessible when young). But don’t leave it too long. As a wine ages the fruit in it diminishes, being slowly replaced by added complexities. Too often we stash away our booze in the belief it’s getting better, leading to dirty brown reds and stinky vegetal whites. The French are mystified by our attitude and drink their fine grapes young. If you have case of something special don’t be afraid to break into it early. In fact, try it at different stages of its life, to ensure you catch it at its best.


“Corks are better then screwcaps”

For many years the perceived wisdom was that screwcaps were naff. Actually, they’re the best thing that’s happened to wine since the goat skins were replaced with the glass bottle, eliminating the problem of wine being ruined by bacteria that is inherent in corks. The worst will taste musty and have an aroma of cardboard. About 1 in 15 bottles are ‘corked’, a failure rate you wouldn’t accept in any other product.
The jury is still out on screwcaps used on wines that require ageing, but for the other 98 per cent of wine we drink they are the best closure. And don’t even go there with plastic corks. Not only are they impossible to remove from your corkscrew but their efficiency as a seal is dubious.


Thursday, September 16, 2004


The woolly bear that is Simmi the dog. Mad, but endearing.

Wednesday, September 15, 2004


All lined up and ready for action. Smart Drive Day 2004. A chance to check out the handling of our cars on race track. And before you laugh they handle like a well honed sports car, and I couldn't get the smile off my face all day.

Wish I'd worn cooler clothes 2


My Ferrari and I. The calm before the storm! Race boots warmed up and being strangled by the pass around my neck in the force 10 gale. Must keep my dignity at all times though....

Roman Baths, Bath, UK - stunning place and a most stimulating historical adventure.

Glastonbury Abbey, UK - scene of the grave of the legendary King Arthur

Glastonbury, UK - one of the most spiritual places I have ever visited and where I go to clear my head.

Wish I'd worn some cooler clothes


Looking chuffed having just arsed around in a Smart car. Apparently this is a good representation of the slightly dim-witted look I have on my face regularly. I disagree. I think this is far better than I usually look.

Sunset in Waycroft

Monday, September 13, 2004

Friday, September 10, 2004

That Friday feeling

Today has gone well, so far. It's the end of a good week and we're going back to London tonight. It's that slightly weird and uncomfortable time in between finishing something and starting something else. That time when I feel I should be doing something else, but don't want to start something because there isn't really time (or the inclination) to relax into the action and enjoy it. There is a little clock ticking in the head which is counting down the time until the next thing has to start.

It has been a good few days though and I'm looking forward to a great week-end. Am racing Smart cars at the week-end with Aaron. Just hjope we don't crash and that the rain goes away. The car has ABS, but I would prefer that we don't test it! Or the ESP for that matter!!

Have also got a shedload of pics to upload and will put some of them on here. Unfortunately can only do this to here from Munich so will have to wait until the middle of next week. Am also still struggling to figure out some ways to improve the blog. Will go back to searching now. Sadistically I am actually enjoying not figuring it out at the moment because it is making my brain work latterally. And I'm not using my head to figure paper and print problems which normally saps mot of the energy from my body.

Thursday, September 09, 2004

Nearly the end of the holiday

It's Thursday evening and I'm looking out of the window of my parents house at another stunning sunset. Even though I have been lucky enough to see many incredible sunsets around the world (and many great ones from Waycroft) the magic of them still hits me every time. I hope this is a fascination and excitement that will live with me until the end of my days in this life.

It's been a good week and I do feel most chilled I have to confess. I haven't thought about work. At all. Janet and I have seen some cool things and been to some cool places. We've been blessed with incredible weather which makes sightseeing so much more agreeable. I'm not bothered at all about rain or clouds or anything like that, but it is nice to feel the sun on my bones in early September. I think it also shows that something is definitely not connecting properly with the weather if we have rain and cold in July and August, and then 25 degrees in September! Go figure!!

And tomorrow is our last day in Waycroft before the hike back to London. Unusually I don't have a problem with going back. Maybe I'm getting more seasoned in London. Or maybe it's the sneaking hope that I only have a few weeks left in East Ham. Charlton Court has been good to me over the past couple of years, but I do yearn to have a house now. And Winchcombe Road appeared lovely when we went round the other week. Hopefully everything will work out OK, and I'll be moving in a month or so. Fingers crossed and all that.

It's been a fairly momentous week as well. Janet and I have decided that she will move to London around end of June next year. It's a significant decision for both of us, but in different ways. For her because it's a complete move from everything she has know and lived with. She's not traveled as much as me and it would involve living in a new culture, with a new language, finding new friends and a new job. For me because I like my space very much and love being alone. Also the last time someone moved to be with me it all went horribly wrong. I'm a lot older and wiser since then, but it is a demon that is sitting in the background. I'm confident everything would work out OK and we would have a great life. It's just this is as big for me as committing to staying in London by buying somewhere there.

And now the sun has set on another day. Another good day. Being a relatively simple guy with relatively simple needs I'm now going to make myself some dinner!

Monday, September 06, 2004

Update - Monday night, Shipham

Have been totally crap about adding anything to my blog. Did try on Friday last week, but computer decided to be gay and not save it on to web. Or maybe I cocked it up. Not sure, but either way the result was nada/zip/zilch/nothing posted. Well worth the 50 seconds it took me to type it. So I hope the damned thing works this time!

Am on holiday this week and already feeling most relaxed. Took a little jaunt into town this morning and played with the new camera some more. Took a few artistic shots and many average ones. Think am getting a grip on it and am discovering that the preset programs on the camera are actually quite good. When I play with the settings manually I often get a dark or white screen. Too much or too little exposure. Have so far taken about 250 pictures and kept about 70. Have logged many already onto my online photo album (www.ofoto.com - most excellent site), and have a lot lined up for the blog. Need to wait for the next visit to Munich before I can upload them though. Bit of an arse, but there you go.

Am off tomorrow to take some sea air at Weston-Super-Mud. Should be invigorating. Until the next time, dear diary.....

Friday, September 03, 2004

Mad week

Why is it that the week gets quicker and quicker when you have too much to do, and drags when you don't? I know it's a common statement, and I am a sheep that follows the crowds (baa, baa), but I thought I'd just mention it anyway. Have finally put an online library in two places. Second one is better I think. Will e-mail the albums as and when I add stuff to them.

Am going on holiday next week (hooray!) and plan to go mad with the camera. There should be lots of good phot opportunities in the West Country. The sunsets from Waycroft should be awesome. Hopefully I'll also get time to do some more entries and upload some more pics. This whole adventure started with good intentions, but has kind of tailed off this week due to a demanding schedule.

Until the next time ...

Wednesday, September 01, 2004


A picture of me for my profile