We're all riders on the storm.
If you were expecting to find a WordPress blog about beer, potatoes or the Hadoop classpath, then they are unfortunately no more. Some of the information they contained has started to reappear. The rest of it may, at some point, reappear, but don't hold your breath.
02:00, 30,000 feet. What beer do you have? BrewDog Punk IPA or Heineken . How much is it? In Euros? Wince. Backtrack. 07:00, up, coffee. Out to the recycling centre. Two weeks worth of food waste. Tasty. Head back, past the supermarket, closed. Kerb the front right alloy. Hire…
Tired, the hike catching up. Too much beer in the fridge, still. The slow realisation that I can’t drink it all tonight. Maybe I can stuff a few bottles into the suitcase, maybe. Into the fridge, out comes a porter. A-ha, it’s got flor de taronger , orange blossom. A beer from…
The last night of the holiday, too much beer in the fridge. Still thoughts of terroir, of orange blossom and olives . Wanting more. Into the fridge, out comes a special edition sweet stout . Nowt much terroir about that. It’s fine, as far as sweet stouts go. Roasted, creamy…
Heading up the the Barranc de Biniaraix to climb Es Cornadors . A hike through the olive terraces, through the art of nature . A hike to make the heart sing. Head down, legs pounding. Stop, take in the view. Head down, legs pounding. Stop, take in the view. Head down, legs…
Up early, coffee, out the door. Floor the hire car to Sóller, time for a hike. Up the the Barranc de Biniaraix to climb Es Cornadors . A hike to make the heart sing. Near the top, lots of alpines. Lots of little wind swept and interesting dwarf rosemary. Scratch and sniff, rub…
I used to claim that beer was my day-long obsession, joy and torment. These days there's less of the obsession and joy, and more of the torment. I haven't brewed in over two and a half years, after blowing the brew shed electrics when I wired up a switch incorrectly, while rushing to get a brew under way.
Fed up with eating tasteless industrial bread, one day I decided to have a go at making my own. This naturally lead onto making sourdough and I haven't looked back. I don't bake much bread these days, but nothing beats a slab of homemade sourdough and homemade chunky marmalade for breakfast.
I've baked for my work colleagues, pretty much every week baring illness or holidays, for over three years. Large cakes, small cakes, biscuits, cookies, fruit loafs, muffins, buns; you name it, I've had a stab at baking it. While I like the process of baking, and gain a lot of satisfaction from it, I'm not that bothered about eating the end result.
After a holiday in France spent eating local goats cheese, I decided to have a go at making some myself. So far I've only make a few batches of soft cheese, but the plan is to eventually make some cider washed rind goats chese, using locally sourced goats milk.
I have a love hate relationship with chocolate. I don't like chocolate cake, or choclate pudings for example, but I like a brownie and the ocassional strong, dark, single origin bar. My first few attempts at tempering my own chocolate have been nothing short of a disaster, there's lots to learn.
One Autumn while out cycling, I stumbled upon an orchard, where all the fuit was rotting in the trees and going to waste, so I decided to go scrumping and make some cider. Cue three years of obsession, a garden full of apples and a shed full of fermenters. Some it was actualy drinkable.
After a bad experience with coffee flavourd ice cream as a child, I eschewed coffee until my early forties. Attempting to give up a nasty Red Bull habit, I started drinking it and got hooked. I still don't really like hot drinks though, so prefer to drink homemade cold brew and tonic water.
The question isn't “Why do I ride a bike?”, it's “Why don't you ride a bike?”. An open road, a muddy bridleway, a technical trail; as long as it's on two wheels and under your own power, nothing beats the feeling of the weather in your face, or the nettles on your legs.
While I own a digital camera, I much prefer shooting film, especially black and white. I used to have a darkroom, and enjoyed locking myself in it for an evening to process and print the film I'd shot. I also got heavily into pinhole photography, mainly as it's photography's equivalent of slow food.