Monday
27th November
Struth, it's nearly December! Still
haven't got round to cleaning the car out, it's too cold and wet out there, I
can't even walk on the garden it's so "squelchy"! I did make the
Kulfi yesterday, however, I couldn't get hold of any unsalted pistachios, had
to use chopped, mixed nuts (almonds, hazelnuts and peanuts) although it's
extremely more-ish and delish, the nuts have congregated at the surface. I
wonder if pistachios have a greater density and that's why you're supposed to
use them!? Cookery is all about experimentation :-) much like life in many
ways.
Even though I shouldn't, I bought a new blender yesterday. Well, I miss my
smoothies! Made up a huge jug full and settled down in front of the TV to watch
"Mrs Brown", the film is about Queen Victoria. While still grieving
for Prince Albert she: -
"Falls under the healthy influence
of John Brown, the unapologetically brash Scottish manservant who oversees the
royal retreat at Balmoral. When the two become close friends--and perhaps even
physical intimates--the royal family and the nation reel from the
scandal".
Today's headlines:-
Rail chaos AND global warming. Maybe it's
time to invest in a boat! How many animals was that, 2 of each?
It's
too depressing, I'm going to go and eat :-)
Saturday
25th November 2000
Today would be classed as a good day.
Nothing especially unusual happened, the weather was atrocious, I had to go to
work. It was just a good day. It started well, which always helps! A very good
friend of mine from the net sent me a surprise parcel. A book entitled
"Aromatherapy In Essence" by Chrissie Wildwood. My friend, JBH, is
the editor and he runs an aromatherapy (smell to get well LOL) business (that
reminds me, I must put a link to his page) I met JBH in June 1999. We haven't
met in person but I still consider him to be one of my closest friends. I love
the book btw :-)
As I said, I had to go to work today, my
turn to cover the Saturday rota. It was dead, as per the norm on Saturdays, so
I had the chance to do some reading and browsing. The book I'm reading at the
moment mentioned "Vipassana" meditation, so I looked it up on the
net. Vipassana means insight in Pali, an ancient Indian language, it's about
the ability to see things as they really are, through a process of
self-observation and meditation. Something I will look into more closely. I
also tried my hand at Vedic mathematics, brilliant! If you go to this site, and then select
"tutorial" you can have a go. The site also gives you a handy
calculator, but, as it says "If you practise the Vedic Mathematics, you
should never need one of these again".
..........Spent a fascinating afternoon
reading about holistic approaches to life and how to be a more creative person,
one of the suggestions was to keep a journal!. I was also reading about the
"Williamson Tunnels" in Edge Hill, Liverpool. If the official
web site is to be believed,
the purpose of their construction was to give jobs to unemployed men. What a
bizarre notion, to dig tunnels for no other reason than to create employment!?
If you actually read about Williamson, he was a very altruistic man.
I was also reading about Liverpool's
overhead railway.
"The Liverpool Overhead Railway, or
the 'Dockers Umbrella' as it was commonly known, was officially opened on 4th
February 1893 by the Marquis of Salisbury. It had arrived at a time when the
Liverpool docks were dealing with so much cargo that transport in and around
the dock area became almost impossible. Buses, carts, horse-drawn carriages and
dockland trains were cluttering up the roads to such an extent that it became
clear that an overhead railway was the only answer to alleviate the congestion.
By January 1959 all traces of the LOR had disappeared forever and with it
another Liverpool institution had disappeared.
The only traces of the railway that remain today are the supporting columns set
into the dock wall between Nelson and Princes Docks. The most obvious and
impressive sight is the tunnel at the southern extension near Herculaneum
dock"
I pass the bricked up tunnel, or what's
left of it, every time I go into Liverpool and always try to imagine what it
must have been like.
If Williamson (tunnel man) Sir Douglas Fox and James Henry Greathead (the designers of the o/head railway) had put their heads together (and had they been around at the same time!), Liverpool could very well have a metro system to rival Paris :-)
There's a good selection of books on Amazon about the old overhead railway, just click on the links below to read more.
Friday
24th November 2000
"It's not the coming and going of
people that counts; it's what happens in between that truly shapes your
life." - taken from the diary of "sonicsundae" who I'm addicted to at the moment.
"I loved you for a life-time, I
hated you for only a second" - Max from "Brookside" talking to
his wife's dead body (he murdered her!)
Just 2 things I read/heard today that
that made me take notice.............
Trying (without much success) to find
info on Edward Chambre Hardman (1898-1988). A celebrated Liverpool
photographer, The National Trust has just bought his house (I heard on the
news).
Downloaded a map of the Paris Metro, paid
a few bills, other than that, a pretty average day.
Wednesday
22nd November 2000
Just been reading about "Oscar
Fingall O'Flahertie Wills Wilde" and his 3 trials. It's coming up to the
100th anniversary of his death and "The
National" in London are
putting on "In Extremis & De Profundis". "In Extremis"
is about Wilde's decision whether to leave the country or to sue The Marquess
of Queensberry for libel. "De Profundis" is based on a letter that
Wilde wrote towards the end of his prison sentence. It might be an idea to
combine a visit to the national with some award I won at work some time ago.
I'm sure there's a hotel stay in London included with that and it's cheap to
fly to London with "Easy Jet". Think I'll look into that................right
now, matters of a different desire fill my brain, I'm starving !!! LOL where's
the corn-flakes?..............
"The
only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it." :-)
Monday
20th November 2000
Not much accomplished this weekend due to
aches and pains in the joints. Maybe it's old age creeping up on me, must go
and get a check up ASAP. Can't expect to do much travelling if I can't walk! My
problem is I don't listen to the signals my body is giving me like "slow
down", "have a rest" and then it all catches up with me. I need
to learn not to cram everything in at once, this will be hard. Only another 4
days to pay day, not soon enough. Found a brilliant bit of software that's
helping me no end with keeping track of my finances, I like the fact that it
shows me, in all it's crimson glory, just how much I owe the bank *hmph*. Not
much longer you parasites (I hope not anyway!). Saw a good deal in the echo
today for 3 night B&B in Paris in March for £109, if I keep up with my
strict "no spending" regimes, I may even make it there yet. I have to
see the Boulevard St. Michel, if
nothing else, eh dad!
Just entered 2 competitions from The
Echo. "Win a Gourmet break in Provence" you just send your name and
address in for that one so probably everyone and his dog has entered that! The
other one is "Win a night out at the Lower Place restaurant + £150".
For this one I had to create my own
recipe using this company's product (veg/chicken stock) LOL So I came up with a
brain wave where I could use either. A vegetable cous cous dish. Simple,
delicious and cheap. Oh my god, I sound like my mother!! Save me from this
"Monstrous domesticity".
Oh, just between you and me, I made a
complete pratt of myself today. TV quiz show, question "Who is the patron saint
of Spain?", answer from me, San Miguel ! (Sign of a misspent youth in
Majorcan bars!). Talk about your mouth moving faster than your brain!! I knew
it was St James, honestly!. Anyone, who knows me, will have experienced me in
"put your brain into gear before opening your mouth" mode!
Thursday
16th November 2000
You know the saying, "ignorance is
bliss..." I'm beginning to think it's true. The more I think about life,
read philosophy, the more miserable I feel. Is it worth the trade off?
Actually, I think it is.........Maybe it's a case of finding more stimulating
ways to spend time. (Bit difficult in Widnes)
I suppose I'm in one of those miserable
phases. It'll pass, no doubt.....
I'm going for a bath and a drink!
Much later......(had the Bath but will
save the drink for later, perhaps a whisky and coke)........ Now I can really
let rip. I signed up for an on-line diary at diaryland.com, completely
anonymous. This really will be therapy :-)
Wednesday
15th November 2000
.......I'm
so tired, I'm feeling so upset.
Although I'm so tired I'll have another cigarette.
And curse Sir Walter Raleigh He was such a stupid get".
What a thoroughly lousy week it's been so
far! On Monday I got "feedback" from a recent interview I'd been to.
I didn't get the job. On Tuesday I was told the company are
"restructuring" and I won't be needed in my current role any longer.
Current job title "Central Assignor". "My experience would be
better used elsewhere" (sorry, but what utter rubbish!) so, basically back
to square one! (I'm going back to my previous role). I'm even more determined
to go and do further education now. The sensible influence in my life (namely
Ian) stopped me from walking out I sent off an application for an ILA
(individual learning account) which should help towards the cost of a course.
I'd really love to go part time at work and study but I can't afford to right
now, so night school and home-work it is, for the time being at least...... My
mother's words are ringing in my ears "I told you, you should have gone to
University when you had the chance....." yes mother! I am toying with the
idea of computer programming, history or English Lit. Once I know I have the
funds in place, I'll decide. No point rushing into something that could change
the course of my future. I think I'll set myself some (simple) goals for the
weekend (i.e. things I've been procrastinating about lately LOL
(Good to munch on while studying)
Let's see how many I achieve :-)
P.S. I was just reading about some stamps
issued by the Italian post office in January this year to "commemorate the
beauty of the breast"! What a pity I don't have an Italian pen pal *grin
Ian is WEAK, he bought cigarettes and I
HAVE to smoke one!!!!!!!!!
Saturday
11th November
Today we had planned to go to Haworth
(Bronte country) but the weather has been so bad lately, and the rain so
persistent in Yorkshire, that we decided to stay closer to home. Travelling
over Saddleworth in the rain and wind was not a pleasant prospect!
Instead, Ian and I went to The Museum of Liverpool Life, which is at The Albert Dock, opposite The Maritime
Museum. It has some interesting exhibits about Liverpool, past and present.
Sadly, It didn't have a cafe (half way round, all I could think about was how
thirsty I was. We had had bacon sandwiches for breakfast :-) On the way out I
picked up some brochures and leaflets. Ian handed me quite a comprehensive
guide to the museum and I, thinking it was free of charge, put it with the rest
of the leaflets and walked out with it. It was only after we got to the pub and
I looked on the back of the guide, that I noticed it had a sticker with £1.95
on it!
Next stop was "The Pumphouse"
(a nice pub near the museum). The Pumphouse is one of a number of bars situated
in the Albert Dock complex. The name comes from the fact that the building was
once the pumping station for the Dock. I had a much needed, extremely cold,
glass of Stella Artois. Afterwards, we went to The Blue Bar and Grill,
a very salubrious cafe bar. I had deep fried vegetables in tempura batter with
hoisin sauce, Carbonarra Jardinera (Parmesan & pancetta with linguini
pasta, peas, shitake mushrooms & sun dried tomatoes with a
"liason"? of cream) and Banana Dim Sum (fried banana parcels with
toffee sauce & vanilla ice cream). I also had half a bottle of Chilean
Montes Cabernet Sauvignon and a caramel latte machiato laced with whisky. It's
nice to treat oneself now and again isn't it ;-)
We had a very pleasant evening, chatting
about Museum design, Ian studied it at Uni. We discussed how badly laid out the
museums are in Liverpool, there is no indication of which direction to walk
around the exhibits, no "time line" so to speak. He came up with some
very valid and creative suggestions. I told him he should write to the museum
but he won't He said he would buy me a T-Shift with a Fractal on it for
Christmas :-) There was some dubious artwork on the wall. On one wall was a
photograph of a pumpkin with a slice taken out and the insides and seeds on
show, next to that was a woman's hand, holding a cherry. On the far wall was a
photo of an erect sprig of asparagus and next to that was a man's hand, holding
an ice cream. Ian thought they were very phallic :-) There is a nice view over
the dock from large picture windows but the seating is a bit uncomfortable.
Reminiscent of church pews!
It was a cold night but no rain and a
very clear sky with a full, bright moon. I love the night sky. After a
delicious meal we headed home to the strains of "a kick up the 80's"
on the car radio. The 80's would have to be my era. There were plenty of tunes
to bring back memories. One in particular called Waiting for a star to fall. Back when I was 18 (1988), I worked for the TSB
bank and there was an extremely cute guy who worked there called John. He was
from Liverpool and he was gorgeous, he had short, soft, curly hair and I
fancied him rotten :-) I think he knew it and played on the fact (I wonder
where he is now) he had a really cheeky wink. I can't recall his surname, but I
had a crush on him. That particular record was out at the time and I felt it
summed up the way I felt about him :-) or so I thought. Give me a break, I was
18!! LOL Finished the rest of the Mavrodaphne, and so to bed.........
Thursday
9th November
Dreaming of far away places, with perhaps
not such strange sounding names.......I can't decide if I want to go to
Amsterdam, Paris or Rome. My parents did a lot of travelling in their youth and
were telling me tonight, all about Rome. I want to lounge on the Spanish Steps
:-)
I think, as soon as cash flow allows,
I'll go to Paris. I've been through it about 8 times so far, always on the way
to somewhere else. This time I want to stop and look around.
We used to go by coach to Spain a lot
when I was younger, always via Paris. My mum told me tonight that I'd stopped
in Provence and Orange on the way. I think it was only at the m/way services. I
don't think that counts somehow :-)
April seems a good time to go I think, knowing me though, I'll change my mind
at least a dozen times in between now and then. I'm always scared I won't have
enough time to go to all the places I want to but then nobody knows how long
they've got, right? Everyone should live as though time is in short supply,
which it is. The only problem with this is that I'm far too impatient, I want
things yesterday.
I have learned lately though, that you can't always have everything you want.
As corny as this is going to sound, when life hands you a lemon, make lemonade!
I'd hate to end up old and bitter. What is it the Python boys
say?......."Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition" If you've seen
"Sliding Doors" (which is a great film) you'll get that one :-) I
read in the Liverpool Echo tonight that vandals have smashed all the
floodlights around St. Georges Hall.
Mindless idiots with too much time on their hands. Bring back conscription I
say! The Internet is a strange and wonderful thing. Someone quoted Swift to me
the other day:-
"So,
naturalists observe, a flea
Hath smaller fleas that on him prey;
And these have smaller still to bite 'em;
And so proceed ad infinitum.
Thus every poet in his kind,
Is bit by him that comes behind.
I entered the above into a search engine
and found myself reading about Fractal Geometry, Chaos Theory and recursive self similarity.!! It just went on and on
and on and on...........ad infinitum
Wednesday
8th November
2000 Take a large pot of natural (thick
and creamy) yoghurt, 2 bananas, a large punnet of strawberries, a small pot of
single cream and whizz it all up in a blender. Voila, home-made
"smoothie", trust me, absolutely delicious (if you're on a diet you
could always leave out the cream :-) oh, and the bowl of maltesers I decided to
eat with it! Only problem is, my blender decided to blow up, good job it's
under warranty. That's what you get for trying to eat healthily :-) A tip,
strawberries are full of iron. Try the above or make you're own version. The
fruit juice thins down the yoghurt naturally into the right consistency for
drinking. Hell, you could always go the whole "hog" and add booze :-)
Sunday
5th November 2000
"Parts of Britain are braced for
fresh flood misery as strong winds and torrential rain sweep across the
country". That's what the BBC news site says about the severe weather
we've been suffering lately. "There are 24 severe flood warnings on rivers
in Yorkshire, the Midlands and Wales, and a further 66 flood warnings remain in
force in England and Wales". John Prescott, deputy Prime Minister said,
"People tend to think this is going to come every 20 or 30 years. Climate
change is making a fundamental difference. Since 1987, there have been three
major floodings and they are becoming more frequent." As I sit here in
front of the computer, the rain is lashing down outside and there are high
winds. We are not that far from the River Mersey and I'm just hoping that we
don't suffer the same fate as the poor people that have had their homes
devastated by floodwater. Particularly badly hit at the moment is York and with
more bad weather to come it looks likely to suffer all over again. The route I
take to work means I have to cross the Runcorn-Widnes Bridge twice daily and I'm not looking forward to that in
this weather. With the recent fuel crisis and the problems on the trains it
seems harder and harder to make the journey to work.
I always remember what my mother used to
say to me when I was a child and I'd be complaining about something or other.
"There's always someone worse off than you" she'd say. That doesn't
mean I take delight in other people's misfortune, it just makes me appreciate
what I have, instead of dwelling on what I don't have. I hope it stops raining
soon, for all our sakes.....
I only ventured out today to buy
provisions. Found a "Galaxy" chocolate spread, in my opinion the best
chocolate you can get. Hot toast, lots of butter and chocolate spread, mmm,
pure heaven :-) Also bought cous-cous, chick peas, mixed pulses and loads of
veg (this weather calls for soup) Thought I might have a go at making
"smoothies" so bought some fruit and yoghurt, I think that's what
goes into them? Splashed out on some whisky and 2 bottles of a nice Greek wine
that I tasted not so long ago, "Mavrodaphne of Patras". I loathe dry
wine and red wine is normally dry, so I was surprised to find a sweet one. I might
make some humous if I can find a shop round here that sells Tahini
Saturday
4th November
You may have heard of the strange English
tradition that takes place on or around the 5th November. "Remember,
remember, the 5th of November, gunpowder, treason and plot." On the 4th of
November 1605, Guy Fawkes and fellow conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament and
needless to say failed, were caught and executed. Since then, every year
(traditionally on the 5th of November) bonfires are built and an effigy of Guy
Fawkes is placed on the top of the bonfire. Fireworks are lit and baked
potatoes and treacle toffee are eaten.
My friend and I went to a bonfire party
this evening in Altrincham, at the "Bay Malton" pub, which is next to
the Bridgewater Canal. It actually didn't rain for once :-) and we enjoyed
the firework display, small though it was, but size isn't everything, right?
:-) Had a few drinks (double JD and coke to warm the cockles, so to speak) and
ate chicken curry and rice, they'd sold out of treacle toffee:-( While we ate,
we warmed ourselves in front of the bonfire. It took me back to all the
bonfires my dad used to take me to when I was younger, a LOT younger :-) My
sister used to stay at home with my mum because she hates fireworks. There's
something strangely hypnotic about fire. The only problem is, where there's
fire, there's smoke, and it tends to get in your eyes :-) (Reminds me of a
song!)
The sky was alight with fireworks from other displays in the area and it
reminded me of the last time I saw so many fireworks. It was on the 31st
December 1999 as we all celebrated the coming of the year 2000. It all seems so
long ago now. I think I went to bed early that night :-) Speaking of bed, I
think I hear mine calling..............
Thursday
2nd November 2000
I was reading The
Liverpool Echo this evening
and there was an article about British scientists launching an expedition to
the Falkland Islands to investigate why the native penguins fall over backwards when aircraft fly overhead. Apparently the birds are
so nosy that when they look up to watch the planes, they topple over backwards!
I wonder how true it really is. Reminds me of the plane spotters camped on the
grass verge near Manchester airport :-) I was also reading about Liverpool
becoming quite the place to shoot your latest movie. . Richard Harris' latest
film "My Kingdom" directed by Don Boyd and Samuel L Jacksons' latest
blockbuster, "51st State", directed by Ronny Yu, have both been filmed
in the city recently.
Both films are about drug dealers.
I also heard somewhere that William
Friedkin, director of "The Excorcist" was developing a new film about
The Jack The Ripper diaries and the connection with the Liverpool merchant, James
Maybrick and his home
"Battlecrease Mansion" from which the film is going to take it's
name. "Battlecrease" is in Aigburth, right next to the cricket
ground. I have no idea when this film is due for release or if any of it has been
shot yet.
I have actually seen Battlecrease Mansion
although it isn't that famous, or should I say "infamous" in
Liverpool. Not yet anyway :-)
Wednesday
1st November 2000
Went to see Capercaillie at The
Philharmonic in
I did enjoy one of his instrumentals, "Heart of the Celtic Guitar". I
think I'd like to hear more of his stuff but I'm not sure I'll go out of my way
to find it.
Capercaillie were worth the wait. We had excellent seats, front row of the
circle. They were on for about 90 minutes but it seemed like much less. They
did 2 encores but Karen didn't come back on for the 2nd encore even so, their
instrumentals are wonderful.
I'm going to have to get the translation of some of their lyrics, I wonder if
they'd lose some of the magic in the translation? When you don't know what the
words mean, you can make up your own interpretation :-). I hope they come back
again soon. Saw a pub with a very strange name on the way home on Edge Lane, it
was called "Paraffin Oil Shop" wonder if that's a comment on the
local brew!? Or maybe the pervading aroma from within :-)