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Sloe gin, slowly turning pink
I’m quite impressed by the rapid pinking of the sloe gin. It obviously needs more shaking than I’m giving it, as Rich’s sloe gin and Andrew’s sloe vodka are both much redder than mine, but […]

Orford Ness Lighthouse
There’s something quite charming about Orford Ness. There must be: this is the second time I’ve been in two years.
It was once the hub of Britain’s nuclear weapons research programme, where the casings and triggers of bombs were developed and tested before being shipped off to Australia, charged with a nuclear payload and […]

People do like a good whinge in this country. I think that’s why we put up with a second-rate train service: it gives us something to complain about.
So it’s not entirely surprising to see that the announcement of Crossrail’s final go-ahead hasn’t been universally acclaimed. The service, which will link Shenfield in the east with […]

Sloes in the bottle
There are half a dozen blackthorn trees in the horses’ field, absolutely covered with sloe. There is very little you can do with sloes, as they’re so bitter, apart from bottle them with gin and wait for them to ferment.
So over the weekend we headed out with mud-proof shoes and carrier bags, […]

Something is up with the carrots. We pulled some to eat tonight, and when we peeled them they had black patches beneath the skin, almost like something had been in there eating them.
I don’t know whether it’s the whole run of just the ones we pulled today, but I suspect this is an attack of […]

It’s too easy to whinge about the state of the British railways, particularly when you have to ride them each day, so it’s cheering to read The Observer’s list of amazing facts about High Speed 1, Britain’s first high speed line, which will carry the Eurostar from the capital to the coast.
Among the most mind-blowing […]

Illness at home stopped me going back there after an Ipswich weekend, so I spent last night at the house. It was the first time I’d slept there in three or four months, and a lot has changed.
For one thing the bathroom is now quite nice. Admittedly it’s still missing a floor, but it’s much […]

Two greats of radio and TV died yesterday, but while one received tributes on Radio 4, and will be highlighted in a special show tonight at 18h30, the other’s passing seems to have gone by relatively unnoticed.
Ned Sherrin, who died following complications with throat cancer, was probably better known for presenting Loose Ends for the […]

Two greats of radio and TV died yesterday, but while one received tributes on Radio 4, and will be highlighted in a special show tonight at 18h30, the other’s passing seems to have gone by relatively unnoticed.
Ned Sherrin, who died following complications with throat cancer, was probably better known for presenting Loose Ends for the […]

The BBC has bought Lonely Planet. Not just a single guidebook to help research a coming series, but the whole lot. Books, websites, TV shows and all, though its commercial arm, BBC Worldwide. Reuters reckons it cost about £100m, which roughly roughly equates its profits last year.
It’s a logical fit, and great news for all […]