Break out the wellies!

Images from 2010

What is your favourite season?

Have a good summer

29/01/2011
Morning, how are you?

I'm out with the dogs for one of my favourite things - a walk in the woods. As I'm walking around I'm aware that the winter although not gone is on the way out. Like many of the troubles that have been carried in my head this past week the ice is melting, disappearing.

There are little shoots of new growth here and there. Up until now there was the odd small group of geese until this large number of geese flew overhead returning to their summer residence. Lovely sky too, don't you think?

The commentary is rather dull, I now appreciate, sorry. More a reflection of my dream state, ambling along deep in my thoughts. Actually more just allowing the environment to wash over me, cleanse me in some ways? Listening again I think it must have cleansed my imagination and interest controls?

It has not been the best of weeks. Too many small things like grains of sand making a mockery of the smooth running of plans made and hopes raised and held dear. Nothing serious, nothing life threatening but just irksome and not in the plan. Like the geese though it's time to regroup, to flap the wings hard for a bit and then enjoy the "summer" again.

My words on the video also sounds a bit stilted in expression. I've not spoken many words for a couple of hours now other than heel, stay and other such man-dog dialogue. Such is my immersion in the trail. I also probably need a drink - note to self bring flask!.

So home, tea and porridge calls, like the geese time to head north.

(5260 KB)
Watch on posterous

I'm out and about

Is Your Hound a Harvey?

28/01/11

Evening,

Do you think if I play this on a loop my hounds will get the idea?

 

Testing

Bah bah

@Cineworld #TheKingsSpeech

27/01/2010

Hello,

Last weekend we went along with our unlimited Cineworld cards clutched in our hands to see the movie "The Kings Speech". It was very enjoyable a few laughs, a few tears but mostly to my mind a film about friendship, trust and duty. I would recommend you pop along and see it. It is a fine film with a strong cast and story to keep your brain cells merrily zapping away for a couple of hours.

I am sure that your enjoyment will not be spoilt when I say that its based upon one of the characters the King (to be) having a speech impediment and the remedial support he receives from a character who was reccomended by the President of Speech and Language Therapy Council. I am uncertain if you have ever thought about Speech & Language Therapists and therapy before?

Like many professionals in the National Health Service you don't know they are there until you need them and their professional knowledge, skills and expertise. A bit like bees really if they didn't exist we would be in real bother. Please excuse this deviation into politics but I am, as are many, many others gravely concerned about the future of the National Health Service with recent proposals threatening the very fabric and ethos of this great institution. The fear is that the National Health Service in England may become a National Health System with huge ramifications for the public that it serves.

There are real fears that many of the essential health care professionals will be lost along with their expertise to be replaced by "more efficient measures" or not at all. No, you say the NHS is safe in the governments hands? Well we are seeing the impact already in various parts of England such as Southwark in London where Speech and Language Therapists and their service is being cut, lost, not replaced.

If you want to ensure that children get the same Speech and Language Therapy treatment and support that the King did why don't you pop over here to sign the petition giving them your support?

After all is the NHS not based on a system that treatment is provided wether you are a King or a Pauper?

 

Auld lugs

26/01/2011
Evening,

"In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes" so Benjamin Franklin one of the great intellectuals of the infant United States of America, once said.

We all get old despite all our efforts to exercise, eat organovegangreen foodstuffs and indulging in the drinking of a therapeutic work life balance. All of this we are led to believe will keep father time in his bed.

Now we may look in the mirror and deny that gravity is taking it's toll and wether that is a grey hair poking through or not.

Those of us with dogs though have another indicator because people do say that eventually we mirror our dogs or do they mirror us?

So if my hounds start looking old then so must I. Misha is starting to show signs of old age. His chin is much more grey than it used to be (so is mine). He is a bit more creaky than he used to be (me too!). More worrying though is his ear hair. He is sprouting grey tufts of fur! Shocks of grey straight out of some trendy hair salon. I have a dog who's ears resemble a skunk tail.

I am now concerned do I have similar ear hair styling? I'm off to look in the mirror, tweezers in hand. Perhaps Ben should have said "taxes, death and grey lug hair"?

I'm out and about

Normal service

Due to an unforeseen headache the blog service is curtailed, normal service will be resumed as soon as possible

And the angels sang?

24/01/2011

   (856 KB)
Listen on posterous

I'm out and about

The dogs who stare at mangoes

See the full gallery on posterous

23/01/2011

Hello,
I am rather partial to many a fruit but this evening I have decided to partake in a mango.

It's ripe and sweet and it's flesh yields easily to the blade used to cut small mouth sized pieces. The juice flows over my tongue occasionally dribbling down my chin.

Now this self indulgence used to pass without a bother from anyone or anything,
that was until I made a fatal error.

The fatal error was not a deliberate action but after one particular mango had been enjoyed, a piece of skin fell from my plate to the floor. Before I could pick it up a dog scurried across the floor and scoffed the skin without so much as a chomp or a gulp.

The dam had been breached, from then onwards it was not just mango juice that was flowing. Dog droll was now in full flow.

Now whenever mangoes are purchased and carried into the house the dogs noses twitch as if tickled by some invisible feather. Fevered anticipation heightened when the fruit is picked for eating.

So tonight I sat, as indeed the dogs did in front of me. I ate my mango under the four watchful eyes of my faithful hounds. Not for a moment did their eyes leave my mango.

Now though they don't need to wait for a scrap falling from a plate. Now they are given a straight share of the fruits skin. I'm sure someone will now inform me that mangoes are poisonous to dogs. At least they will die happy.

An escalator culture?

22/01/2011

Evening,

How are are we all today?

I was on my way to the computer hospital earlier this morning to have my laptop seen by those brainy blue t-shirted folk at the Apple Store's "Genius Bar". It was my third visit of what was becoming a chronic condition - that of multiple email-itis. Each email had decided to duplicate itself several thousand times and at the pre consultation count I was sitting with 57,476 messages in my in box all from the loins of 186 parents!

On my way there after parking the Fegrig mobile I was moving through a large mall with its ubiquitous escalators and proceeded as you do, to step onto the down travelator. Now maybe I've been on too many trips away from the land of the heather but I stood on the left as I was in a bit of a rush and I did not want my poorly computer to miss its consultation. I stood on the left as I was ready to sprint down to the bottom of the escalator as I have been programmed to do on so many other escalator journeys.

When in London, when you enter the subterrannean caverns of the undergound system, if you do not stand on the right, away from the fast left hand lane you are likely to at best have some fellow trogolite hiss in your ear asking "permission" to pass by or at worst you are bundled out of the way as if some discarded free newspaper. 

When I was fortunate enough to live and work in Hong Kong I remember the emotions that standing on the wrong side of escalators stirred. The debate was a source for many column inches and radio phone-ins. Even though it was many moons ago in the days when I had a thatched roof as opposed to the slightly mossy slates that I have now, the memory remains. One particular correspondant  advocated spray painting a large cross on the backs of transgressors who stood stationary in the fast escalator lane.

So today I stood and expected those fellow passengers to reposition themselves to allow the hare - me - to move on by, onto the slow right hand lane. But no, no one moved! no one! Sacrilege, heresy, unbelievable! It was a culture shock moment and momentarily I did look over my shoulder looking for a Chinese man with a spray can.

Thankfully nothing untoward happened, I stood and was escalated to the ground floor by which time I had regained my composure and re-adjusted my cultural escalator balance before running on towards the lap top A&E. Thanks to the Genius expertise I now sit typing this story on a decluttered lap top with a sensible and appropriate email inbox and all without standing on the left side too!

Can you speak mortgage?

21/01/2011

Hello

How are you?

I've been in Wales the last twenty four hours somewhere I've not been to since I was a small boy when a family holiday took us to Rhyll. My trip this time has been interesting on so many levels not least culturally.

The Welsh quite rightly are proud of their heritage and language. A scan on the car radio finds Welsh language stations, the road signage as you drive along leaves you in no doubt that the language is supported with all signs being bi-lingual. These are the two most obvious manifestations of the importance given to the Welsh language.

Gaelic speakers back home have campaigned long and hard for the same recognition in Scotland that Welsh enjoys in it's backyard but seldom do I hear Gaelic spoken in my daily life so when I was sitting reading the newspaper I was presently surprised to hear three Welsh speakers conversing in their mother tongue. I have no idea what the Welsh conversation was as it went something like this but I could guess.

welsh, welsh, welsh, welsh welsh, welsh, welsh, welsh ( you get the picture)

More welsh

"Tracker"

Even more Welsh

"Fixed rate"

I think they were speaking Mortgage Welsh but I'm not certain, what do you think?

The Natural History Museum

20/01/2011
Evening,

I've just had my dinner and being on the road as I am it was another paid for dinner. A fish and seafood pie with a potato topping. Tasty it was too.

However it arrived onto my place mat bubbling, coming straight from the oven to my table. Now I was aware it was hot, so rightly I decided to wait and let the dish cool.

After a suitable time, thinking it was at an edible temperature I took a small forkful. Of course you always realise too late that something is just too hot, too burny this was a case in point.

You then go through that oral jiggery pokery, tongue dancing thing as you try and juggle the hot food. At first I thought I had succeeded but now as I sit I think of a visit to the Natural History Museum in London, aged seven.

Uh? What does a visit aged seven to an emporium of stuffed and preserve natural history have to do with a blistered upper palate (it was that hot!) forty years later?

Well when I was visiting, there was an exhibition on senses, nerves and sensation. I remember a figurine of a man who had parts of his body presented in proportion to their nervous sensibility. His lips were big along with his hands and other "sensitive" parts of his body were also out of normal proportions.

His tongue was another part if him out of proportion to the norm and this brings me back to my blistered palate. In reality probably just a centimetre or so but due to the enhanced sensory perception of my tongue it feels huge, ginormous even!

It feels like a large watery pillow flopping about in my mouth. A water bed for small creatures. The worry this initiates in my imagination, is if it bursts when I'm asleep I'll drown.

If I don't return tomorrow you'll know why!

Follow Me!

(6391 KB)
Watch on posterous

19/01/2011
Hello,

You don't know how it happens, do you? One minute you're following the road marked home. Then you discover home is no longer on the road signs and instead of being on the yellow brick road, you are on the road to nowhere.

"Sat Nav" you say. Yes it's in the car but it's seldom used. When it has been brought into play a debate usually ensues with the digital voice.

This usually involves incredulous questions from me to the dashboard of the car where the voice lives. The voice of course ignores you. Informing you as it does that the wrong direction will continue at the next turning on the right in 200 metres.

A much gentler and less argumentative process is the GPS system built into the phone. Nice wee colour maps, little pins to show where you and your destination are on the wee map. No digital voice, peace.

One snag though driving through a Glen, impenetrable to phone signals.

A map book? I think there is one in the car from the days of horse and carts. Only brought into use now, at times of real emergency, such as an electronic meltdown.

No the thing to do especially in the friendly part of the country I find myself lost in, is to ask a local.

They live here, know the trails, short cuts, best troughs to chow down at. They also know when all else fails the best farmers for that authentic rural B&B experience.

So that's what happened I followed a local. Sheepishly at first but they kindly led the way to the start of the road home.

Thank you

Still sorting things out

18/01/2011
Hello
Still sorting things out regarding the blog but thanks for popping by
Fegrig

As Tammy Wynette says

Hello could it be divorce is on the cards with me and posterous with another post lost. One more try and then I'm packing my bags.
How did it go
D.I.V.O.R.C.E ....

#LarkRise

Sunday 16/01/2011 20:30 Hello

Sunday on BBC and we have the ideal entertainment for this particular scheduling slot. No violence, no naughty bits just good old entertainment as warming as home made bread. You do get the home made bread and other recipes. This week the story line is based around a poetry competition, and that has hustled the bustle of the ladies of this country metropolis. The competition has set the tension meter rising into the red, quivering lips have run amok!

Poems of love, life and possibly lace bobbins are all there. No poems about loss though, as one of the main male characters has moved on. I don't know why this could be? Personally I think his larynx has seized and he is no longer able to speak olde country style. Its pretty thick in this part of telly world with lots of "oh rrr's" and "me dears" peppering the dialogue. Think the Worzels.

The characters are a real mixture too. There's the perpetual wall flower desperate for some love. There's the country girl who is starting to look her age although the nodding head that seemed to accompany her dialogue delivery has thankfully gone. In the first few series she looks more like a car shelf dog than a post office "gurl". We have the pious post man who likes nothing more than some ovaltine and THE good book before dreaming of his next sermon. His next admonishment is never far away.

It's a pity that the producers also seem to equate country folk with being thick. The intelligence quotient of quite a few characters is dimmer than the candle light that illuminates their homes.

So who will win this competition?

Candleford to Lark Rise,
Separates the dim from the wise, Each tale on a Sunday night, separates the wrong from the right,
It's as warming as hot soup on a winters night Even though some say it's a lot of ......manure?.

Sent from my iPad

A Waiting Game

15/01/11 23:55

Hello
It's a waiting game here today.

Waiting for the newly repaired lap top to upload back ups, software updates and other stuff.

Waiting on news that my sister has arrived home safely.

Waiting on news that a new baby has arrived.

Sleep is waiting to claim me for the night so perhaps I should reward it's patience.

Frustration is.....

14/01/2011 Friday 20:53

Hello
Frustration tonight is waiting on an airyboat home to the land of shortbread and the Proclaimers. As you wait you write a wee story, you post it and it gets lost in the ether!

Then the flights called no time to re-write
Pah!!!

Do your children snore?

13/01/2011 23:58
Evening,

I'm tired, simple reason not enough sleep last night.

Why? Strange hotel room - no. Working through the night - no. Too hot - no.

No 2 son has accompanied me to the big smoke. We are sharing a room.

Guess what he snores.

So tonight I'll sleep with fingers in my ears

G'nigt,, sleep tight, let's hope the snorers naso-pharynx is tight.

Three Days @Cineworld

> > Evening
> > The movies beckoned, the encouragement coming in the form of a reanimated Cineworld all you can see card. The card is like an invitation to a cinematic buffet, all you can see for a reasonable monthly fee.
> > So off I trooped accompanied by fellow cinema frequenter, twitterer and Fegrig clan member @issynoho. > > After a fortification of pizza, salad and squash we sat in front of the big gogglebox to watch "Three Days". The American remake of the French movie about wife arrested & jailed, husband bereft, plotting and tension ensues, chases and close shaves phew! I'll not spoil the story end for you.
> > Close shaves however are not in the script for the star Russell Crowe who appears in that cinematic stasis place. The place where the chin stubble never grows or is never cut. It just looked and probably is stabby all the time.
> > There is a cameo performance from Liam Neeson, who seems now that Sean Connery has retired, to be filling the I'm a Celtic character actor role. I do accents all types of American I can do. They just all happen to be via Belfast.
> > The film was a bit heart pumping as the finale draws near and if one swallows some credibility issues you'll enjoy it. > > Not sure if the dramatic pauses had the same effect as they had would undoubtedly had in the French original though. > > The film I would give it a 7 out of 10.
> > The card has now paid for itself this month after watching 1 and 2 thirds. So I'm now in a positive balance. Next visit Saturday I think to see "the Kings Speech". > > Anyone seen it?
> > I'm out and about

Time for bed

Evening

It's late and the end of another busy day and for the last two you can include the evenings too.

Last evening it was meeting up with the rest of the Fegrig clan for joy, laughter & good cheer.

Tonight out with wee sis for more mirth & giggles. To be honest I'm not used to it so it's off to bed for sleeps.

G'night

The definitive sign a man is getting old

Evening

After many years of study I have reached a conclusion.

What was the the study, you may ask?

The definitive sign that a man is getting old.

That is the question.

Now I know that you'll be sitting there with many answers popping into your mind. I could guess that they will be one of the following.

1 More grumpy,

2 More hairy - watch those eyebrows, ear and nose plantations grow!

3 More stooped,

4 More grey,

5 Less hair on the top of the head, those who encourage hair growth from number 2 in order to compensate for the deforestation on top are not old just slightly deranged!

6 More rotund

7 More blind

8 More deaf

9 More creaky

10 More tired

How many of these criteria do you give a tick to?

No, none of these provide the definitive as some of the above could apply to the "younger man".

No it's to do with dress, attire, clothing.

You know a man is getting old when 2 things are seen.

1 When a jacket & tie or indeed a suit & tie are worn and covering the shirt is a jumper, sweater or god forbid a cardigan.

Now none of these items are wrong but put together when covering a shirt and tie that's old!

The only knitwear / tie combo exempted from this conclusion being a tank top or sleeveless pullover without the jacket.

Now I appreciate that the first finding may be a bit controversial but the second is the clincher.

You know a man is old when he wears a t-shirt over his shirt & tie. If there is no tie, perhaps removed to "be hip & cool" then the crime is worse. Here the collar is brought out over the t-shirt.

You know the grim reaper is just around the corner if the shirt long sleeves are fully extended beyond the t-shirt.

Why don't they just nip in somewhere take off the shirt and tie before dawning the t-shirt? Do these men not have someone that says no. A mirror?

So there you have it. If any of you see this type of behaviour please advise the individual. They will thank you for it in the long run.

Like the flu jab it may save a premature death.

The snack of the day

Hello

The snack of choice today was the brain of some small creature. Or that is what it looks like, don't you think?

Although it may seem off putting I'm sure someone, somewhere eats the brain of some small, unfortunate creature.

In my time I've been offered sugar coated locust, deep fried bird chick and the opportunity to chew on some chicken feet. All masquerading as snacks!

Personally none of these would be dislodging traditional nibbles such as crisps, nuts or cake from my list.

Of course this is not some small creatures brain so please there is no need to call the small furry brainy creatures protection league.

Do you know what it actually is?

I'm out and about

Aargh fluffing aargh!

Evening
Sorry about the post earlier bit of a damp squib i did produce more than just some photies and a sentence, very frustrating when I looked again at that's all that was there. So I've taken the post off line and I'll edit it and hope the best.
Pah!
Sent from my iPad

A number 4 please.....

See the full gallery on posterous

 

Evening,

So there I was thinking philanthropic thoughts and how I could send the accumulated mail and stuff to son the elder, as I was not sure how long it would be before we were in the same space again. Phone calls, text and social networking not matching up to the task in hand. The task being to give the mail that has arrived at ours for him, who is not here anymore because he is studying there.

I decided that I would forward them onto himself in a larger enveloped addressed to him. In addition to the three letters I would include a cookery book for students. Not really a cookery book - that would be a big envelope! More of a cookery booklet from one of the newspapers. Now he looks like he feeds himself. There are no obvious signs of any of the diseases of malnourishment. No scurvy, no rickets, no beri beri and definately not anorexia. Before anyone takes umbrage he's not fat either. No it's more of an expansion of his culinary repertoire, an empowering gesture even. Chilli can only have so many permutations?

After addressing the envelope chosen for this humanitarian mailing the letters fitted in fine with some strategic folding. The cookery book however was a different matter, width snug but doable, but a tad too long. What to do? Of course it came to me rip off the offending centimetre! I quickly discounted this as the finished presentation would be untidy, even ragged.

Scissors you might be mouthing, obviously not physically that would be dangerous but in a verbal way is what I mean. Scissors indeed but they were a long way away and too much bother to retrieve out of the desk drawer all of one and a half metres away. If those sharp instruments had not been up to the task a more robust pair sat in the next room.

Then in one of those Eureka! moments that distinguish humans from other animals the solution came to me. It seemed so clear when my mind had a discussion with itself, reason and rational thought must have popped out to the toilet.

"I'll put the cookery book in the shredder, let the machine nibble the extra lenghth, I can then neatly trim the shredded book edge and into the envelope the trimmed information source would slip"

"Genius!"

So into the shredder went the cookery book edge like some masochistic pop tart. On went the machine.

"MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH" said the shredder

"Crikey" said I as I hastily switched off the shredder. The intended "number 4" style of cut had become a "number 1".

However what ensued next was not pretty and an observer would have seen there were to be tears. The shredder had become rather attached to its new friend, the cookery book and did not want to let go. I was on a culinary humanitarian mission and I did not want to yield either. Tug, pull, heave! As predicted tears did appear not mine nor the shredder but the cookery book, being torn in two must hurt?

So we have a cookery book in two pieces but every cloud has a silver lining. Our distant living son has a new set of stimulating and educational tools. 

He can pore over each page and match up the edges and text to reform the page, he used to watch CSI on tv, so he knows what to do.

He and his chums can laugh as they match up (like those long lost books of their childhood) the top of one page and the bottom of another and see the funny pictures that they have created.

The trimmed edges will come in useful at the next wedding attended. Students are often short of cash so I have gifted him some confetti too!

He can explore the brave new culinary world starting off at the top with one recipe and finishing off with another

spaghetti sponge pudding and custard, cream of bolognaise soup or chilli baked beans cheesecake anyone?

I am a kind and benevolent parent, perhaps humanitarian letter envelopes will become a standard?

What do you think?

 

 

#Harry Potter and the deathly hallows part 1

Evening

So off we trooped more out of duty rather an overwhelming desire to see the spectacled wizard lad in his latest cinematic adventure. The book from where the story line originated has long been read and sits on the bookshelf beside it's older siblings.

The books started well with imaginative story and characters exciting the imagination however I did find the first half of the last book a bit of a struggle. The wanderings of three juvenile magic folk and their tent wasn't really a page turner. However the film despite having an attention to plot detail missing from earlier HP films handled the tent adventures rather well.

The film crackled along and my fears of falling asleep came to nought. Perhaps it was the game of spot the actor that kept me awake? Over the HP series it's been a veritable who's who of British thespians. If you are an Equity card carrier of any note and your not in a HP movie then there are only so many reasons why.

Firstly you've been playing the baddy (Brits are always the baddy) in a foreign tv soap and your film schedule was not conducive to an appearance.

Secondly you've been on a prolonged stay at some "clinic" to resolve your "issues".

Or thirdly you need a new agent because they're rubbish, everyone else is in it so why not you?

Maybe you smell?

The film though was not bad probably a 6 or 7 out of 10. We await the final part of the final movie of the final book when finally Hermione, Ron & Harry can grow up.

Sent from my iPad

#GerryRafferty, It was the way that he wrote it....

Evening,

Unfortunately the news came through late yesterday of the death, after a prolonged bout of ill health of the Scottish singer - songwriter Gerry Rafferty. I've appreciated his music for a long, long time. When others at my school were listening and talking about the more in vogue "heavy metal" and "punk" I was singing along to the content of my "City to City" music cassette, Gerry's solo album from 1978.

He wasn't the most prolific of live performers but I was fortunate enough to see him live twice. My first "concert" as they were called then as opposed to today's "gig" was watching and listening to Gerry at the Edinburgh Odeon a venue long gone, now sitting empty and unloved. I remember that he was not the most animated of performers, but who cares his compositions and singing made up for any perceived lack of showmanship.

Before he became an established solo artist, he and a school friend of his, Joe Egan (look for his solo stuff it's not bad either) had formed Stealers Wheel and their most popular composition "Stuck in the Middle With You". This track has special significance in our house as it was the first song that n and & I dance to all these years ago.

I've described my appreciation of "The Proclaimers" here and again Mr. Rafferty's presence has an influence as he produced the Reid brothers first album.

So Gerry has gone but he leaves a rich legacy, something that I've been appreciating as background music today as I ploughed through the hangover of work from the winter break.

I could have inserted and linked to many of his songs but I'm sure you have your favourites already but if not nip over to iTunes or YouTube there's enough there for you to enjoy. Me I'll still be listening "Right Down The Line" when the media moves on.

Sent from my iPad

The cycle begins

Evening

Back to work tomorrow and after almost two weeks of a break you would think I would be returning to work with a spring in my step?

However that's not the case my sleep pattern has been out of kilter the last few nights so I'm off to have an early night.

The falling asleep after my evening meal behaviour is something I feel, despite my maturing years, that I'm a bit young for yet.

Perhaps by getting off to bed soon and not writing a story tonight I can lull myself into dormancy. We'll know if it's a success or not if another post is here in the morning!

Night, night

Mmm tasty @thistlycross

Evening

Beer too bitter, lager too gassy, stout too yeugh! No for me the "pint" of choice has to be cider.

It was not so long ago that the only cider available when one entered a bar was Woodpecker. This was usually warming slowly in its opened bottle. Sitting behind the bar for those weird folk who did not glug back the holy trinity of beer, lager or stout.

Since those early days when I became legally able to consume alcohol the world of cider and it's production has grown hugely. It's now much more acceptable and less weirdy to drink it. The drinks industry having identified the trend has devoted sizeable sums to this sectors development.

This has all been very welcome to those like myself who like the thirst quenching freshness of cider. Thankfully there is enough choice to be had now that one does not have to consume a Woodpecker or other modern equivalent.

Now riding through the gap made by the major producers, many small cider makers are bringing their excellent product to the market.

One of those makers being Thistly Cross Cider
www.thistlycrosscider.co.uk
Surprisingly a Scottish cider maker a plus point or should that be pint?

I came across the company and it's products in 2009 when we purchased a box of their original still cider, at the Edinburgh Farmers Market. This was indeed a great find - refreshing and well worth the speculative purchase.

Now FF to this Christmas and a gift that contained some Thistly Cross. I've just had one of their "Red" ciders. It was lip smackingly good. It's a cider made with the addition of strawberries. As they say themselves it's a change from your usual fruit ciders and I have to agree. It is very refreshing, the stillness of the drink only adds to it's appeal. The aroma is of crushed strawberries and is instantly moreish.

So a big thumbs up from me and I still have another to enjoy, one to savour. You can also buy directly from them. I would give them a try.

I'm out and about

60 years old! #sattc #thearchers @AmbridgeMice

Evening
Well you could hear a piece of straw break here at Castle Fegrig the reason is that it's the 60th year birthday celebratory special edition episode of the BBC radio 4 drama "The Archers" the everyday tale of farming folk or something of that nature. Other long standing dramas are mere lambs in comparison to this radio serial.

It's difficult to imagine a set of characters and story lines going for so long six episodes a week, I struggle to put together a couple of hundred words together for this. I've been listening to the Sunday omnibus edition for most of the past decade. Initially it was a background thing as n listened intently putting up very well with my questions on Who? Why? Where? What? as I became drawn in to the weekly coming and goings.

Like most of these long running things there are many fervent fans who listen and pore over every detail, twitter having a major role in this communication between fans. These interested millions, yes millions! have been speculating what THE story line will be for this special big big episode. In a moment it starts and we shall know until then.........

One o'clock run V

The final sprint!
Hoorah!

(3431 KB)
Watch on posterous

I'm out and about

One o'clock run IV

Who will greet us at the finish?

(2905 KB)
Watch on posterous

I'm out and about

One o'clock run III

They're off!!

(627 KB)
Watch on posterous

I'm out and about

One o'clock run II

Tension rising .....

(3380 KB)
Watch on posterous

I'm out and about

One o'clock run I

(18650 KB)
Watch on posterous

Happy New Year!!