I want one of those!

A series of new design ideas from British designers ChambersJudd that I saw over on the core77 blog. Not so keen on the radio but that disk drive caddy should be mandatory in offices ....

wakehurst place #4

wakehurst place #3

wakehurst place #2

wakehurst place #1

getting the hump

This camel shaped stain appeared on the floor entirely by chance while we were collecting up the rubbish

the nhs

Earlier this week I took my daughter for a follow up appointment for an eye injury. We arrived 10 minutes early for her appointment which was scheduled for 2:10pm. At a few minutes after 4pm we were ushered into the consultant's room where he spent exactly 5 minutes examining her eye and giving her the all-clear. At her previous appointment we had a similar length of time hanging around waiting.

If we'd turned up two hours late for the appointment we would have been scolded and sent away so why is it acceptable to keep us hanging around in a waiting room for so bloody long?

pretty death?

Shamelessly stolen from ZanyPickle

EDM 406

EDM 406

REVIEW OF SMOKING BAN IN PUBS AND CLUBS

Binley, Brian

That this House calls on the Government to conduct a thorough review, supported by consultation with all parties and affected business sectors, on the impact the smoking ban has had on public houses and private members' clubs; notes that any review should consider a balanced and proportionate amendment to the legislation, which allows for segregated smoking rooms or areas within pubs, bars and clubs provided that effective smoke extraction systems of an authorised standard are installed, enabling smokers to be accommodated in comfort indoors without impacting on non-smokers and staff, whilst reducing intrusive noise to any who live close to such establishments, thus helping to safeguard the future of many in the licensed trade; and further notes that any changes to the smoking ban legislation thereafter should be made on the basis of evidence, fairness and proportionality, recognising the importance of such institutions to the nation's social life and community wellbeing.

It seems that at least some of the members of the coalition parties are taking the idea of reviewing laws passed by the previous government seriously unlike their party leaders.

yesterday I was mainly .. .. ..

.. .. taking in the full brewing experience with the chaps at Adur Brewery. I've had to sign a series of non-disclosure forms to prevent me from divulging their trade secrets but I can tell you that the day was a lot different to the one I was expecting.

I was impressed by the sheer magnitude of their state of the art facility hidden away in a rural location and they were already well underway with the activities of the day as I arrived. Fingerprints and retinal scans were taken and paperwork signed before they allowed me to enter the main brewing arena.

I was overwhelmed by the quantity of high-tech devices that they used in the wizardry of turning the local water into a glorious alcoholic beverage. I felt like a child in Willy Wonka's factory .. .. .. ..

*Ahem*

Ok, well, maybe some of that is a little bit exaggerated .. .. ..

I turned up at half eight in the morning and they had already begun the process of hydrating the barley. Once that was finished it was left in the mash tun while we all sloped off for breakfast. On our return the liquid, a very sweet liquor, was removed and transferred to the copper where it was brought to the boil and left for another lengthy period of time. During that wait the fermentation tank was thoroughly sterilised and the mash tun emptied and cleaned. Hops were added to the copper to give a bitterness to the sweet liquid and also for flavour.

Then another lengthy wait as the copper was drained into the fermentation tank and some of the energy from that captured and used to heat fresh water ready for the next brew. Yeast was added to the top of the fermentation tank (by me!!!) to begin the transformation into the product we know and love before the whole area and all the equipment was cleaned down ready for the next run. We finished by 4:30 pm; leaving just enough time for me to drop into the local butchers to pick up some steaks for my supper.

what not to say during a psych assessment*

Contemplating suicide doctor? Well I've thought about fitting the regulator from the patio heater on the full CO2 canister at work, driving up to Devils Dyke with it in the boot of my car and watching the sun come up while listening to Barber's Adagio for Strings but that hardly counts as contemplating, does it?

* No, I haven't had one. Yet.

is this the way to amarillo?

As good from the bottle as it is from the hand pump and if you live near to the brewery you can have these delivered by the man himself.


I've been invited to go along on Thursday and see how the process works from start to finish. Like an excited child I agreed instantly! There may be photos .. .. ..

an ipad makes anyone look cool .. ..

the great repeal bill

Dick Cleggeron has announced an internet based public consultation for what we want to be included in the great repeal bill. I've been having a look through some of the suggestions for laws that should be repealed and, well, some people are just too fucking stupid to understand what the word repeal means.

I want to cry.