Yvan Seth's Hole in the Internet

As I write this there's 5 litres of chutney simmering on the stove. I find the name used in one of my books rather apt: Glutney! I'm doing away with 2kg of courgettes, nearly a kg of green tomatoes from my poor blight-stricken plants, and a kg of apples lopped from the tree hanging over our fence (from which we've sadly binned many kg of apples that've fallen onto the concrete over the last few weeks – just think of all the starving piglets that could be enjoying them.) I only wish I had more jars! If the chutney works out well I'll put some words together along with the photos I've taken and whack it up here when I have the time.

Continue reading Chutney, Stew, Beer, iPhone, and Game.

As can probably be imagined, I've been somewhat busy lately. What, with moving from a work-at-home schedule back into commuters' clothing. My commuters' clothing happens to be florescent yellow with helmet and wheels – which, as it turns out, transforms a 1.5 hour commute into a 1.05 hour commute. Significant! Say what you like of "public" (bus) transport, it is as slow as a wet weekend and lacks a certain something. That something being the daily joy of trying not to be run over by a lorry. It's worth 2x20-minutes of my day though.

Continue reading Freckle past a flea.

Work

What a week! First and foremost, it marks the beginning of a new job. I've moved on from the company I've worked with since leaving University (before leaving actually) to a new employer up in Cambridge. It's a significant one for me. My last job always felt like a simple extension of University, in a sense this is my first real move into the "real" world… maybe. Leaving was a very tough decision to make, especially after 5 years. But in the end it was working from home for a year on the opposite side of the planet from all my friends-cum-colleagues that did it. Working from home is truly overrated.

Continue reading New Job, New Windows, and Devon.

Jelly

After a BBQ lunch last week I acted on my curiosity regarding the apples overhanging our little back yard (and frequently crashing to Earth to thump, thud, or clang on an item of backyard paraphenalia.) I pulled out my big-long-lopper and plucked off one of the larger specimens. Based on size and shape we've been suspecting that they're Bramleys, a classic, though only 200 year old, cooking apple. I cut my specimen in half and had a nibble. The taste, sharp yet sweet (similar to the good old Grannies back home), and texture (crisp) indicated that our suspicions could be right in this regard – though this certainly isn't enough to confirm the identification!

Continue reading Apple and Elderberry Jelly with a Bite.