tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1890667610568880312024-03-14T11:33:57.238+00:00Ten-inch WheelsBumbling around London on an elderly Vespa, forming half-baked and often downright inaccurate opinions about absolutely everything.TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.comBlogger344125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-53661485164197762092011-05-16T13:08:00.002+01:002011-05-16T14:14:51.044+01:00Please Do Adjust Your Set.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Yorkshire, originally uploaded by Tsingtao. I've had enough of Blogger. The recent outage was the final straw, and I'm off to a new gaff. My half-arsed opinions and brain-emptyings will now be found at:http://TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-11672785729132734012011-05-05T12:04:00.007+01:002011-05-05T14:51:17.893+01:00Bunting High And LowJoe Fusniak would have been well looked after when he appeared at the White Lion, which remains a great, unpretentious pub. Not a few places in the Dales have been gastrated with varying degrees of success. I've heard of stares and even outright hostility toward visitors wanting just a pint and some crisps rather than a glass of Barolo and a bisque-infused crab and pea risotto with sun-boiled TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-70857991813750417232011-05-04T11:56:00.007+01:002011-05-04T13:16:34.786+01:00Sets Neat Prints Into The SnowRoyal Wedding Day, Upper Wharfedale. Union Jacks flutter with Yorkshire flags in the late spring sun. Trestle tables are being set up on village greens, cakes brought out from ovens in ancient stone cottages. You couldn't have asked for better weather, everyone said.Unless you were up Buckden Pike, like Our Lad and me. The Pike wore a thick mist, which blew in like a sinister blanket from TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-3649980005748675262011-05-03T12:47:00.008+01:002011-05-04T15:02:38.305+01:00Molefinder GeneralUpper Wharfedale is the last place in the country to still have a mole-drying industry. Here's a late spring catch, desiccating nicely on a rack just outside Starbotton. Wharfedale Mole is a prized delicacy in Southern Europe, particularly in the Pyrenees where the rocky landscape makes the little critters very rare. There are perhaps a couple of dozen of these drying frames remaining in the DaleTIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-15532358651329355472011-04-26T12:36:00.010+01:002011-04-26T14:09:20.386+01:00Ice Cold In E11Last friday I constructed a wardrobe. It's a massive, hugely heavy thing and looks like a coffin for a couple of obese giants. I even had to affix battens to the wall to keep the beast from falling on us, which given my DIY 'skills' is the equivalent of a caveman making fire. It took me about nine hours and was like wrestling with the Ark Royal. By the evening I could barely walk. I needed a TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-76293055171897689782011-04-19T12:55:00.006+01:002011-04-19T14:40:38.301+01:00Those We Have LovedI'm a photographer who loves beer, so I've often got my camera with me in the pub. I've had nothing much to blog about just recently, so I hope you don't mind me sharing some images of beer that i've enjoyed over the last year or so. Apologies if some of the captions read like an optician's wall chart - It's times like this when I wish i'd chosen Wordpress over Blogger.Bush Inn, MorwenstowThe TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-50906741860233825682011-04-14T12:50:00.006+01:002011-04-14T15:19:03.828+01:00Biked DrinksIt's amazing how much you can carry on a bicycle. In those far off, pre-car, pre-Vespa days of dwelling in Zone One I could bring home a weeks shopping on my bike. Rucksack on my back, newspaper down my jumper and carrier bags swinging from the handlebars. Easy. Beer bottles are hard work, though. Awkward shapes, hard to pack. Easy to smash - and they're heavy.But look at this, from Etsy's TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-41309882141250704692011-04-10T14:20:00.006+01:002011-04-12T12:08:17.401+01:00MonocultureFirst proper trip on the homemade singlespeed this morning. Normally, it takes me about 40 minutes to ride the 5 or so miles to work. Even though it's a nippy bike, I tend to ride like one of John Major's spinsters cycling to evensong on my Trek 7.3FX. The head-down geometry of the Raleigh shaved more than five minutes off my journey, and that's with stopping at every red light on Mile End Road TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-25432845575503945802011-04-08T12:07:00.005+01:002011-04-08T12:22:47.026+01:00Missin' LinxThe final part of the singlespeed jigsaw arrived this morning; a cheap - and hopefully cheerful - KMC chain which will be fitted this weekend to my new ride. The only original components left on the bike are the frame, crankset, handlebars and stem. The build has been fairly straightforward so far - the biggest hiccup being thieving ratbags at our Royal Mail depot a pair of new brake calipers TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-5158144440426351562011-03-29T12:17:00.011+01:002011-03-29T23:38:00.456+01:00Deeper UndergroundA few shots from a visit last year to The National Mining Museum near Wakefield. It's on the site of the old Caphouse Colliery, which began producing in the late 1700s and closed, empty of economic coal, in 1985. It's got the lot - pit ponies, winding gear, steam boilers. And it costs nowt to get in. Much as I am in favour of museums being free - this is one that deserves a cough up for the TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-66876439073173630652011-03-22T11:27:00.010+00:002011-03-22T14:00:54.079+00:00The UndergroundThis sign's next to the intriguingly named Slaymaker Lane, just outside Oakworth. The Lane is a place of childhood dares, myths and folklore. Pleasant in the daytime, at night the high stone walls and the thick curtain of trees make it darker than normal, even on a full moon. It's a place where your footsteps quicken, even if you don't know about the resident ghost of a horse and rider.Not to TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-35140191831530285912011-03-14T12:18:00.005+00:002011-03-14T13:47:01.762+00:00Homebrew 2.0Say hello to my latest effort, brewed from a Woodfordes Wherry Kit. I cooked this up at the end of january, fermented it for 12 or so days and then barreled it without flooding the kitchen. Apart from the odd test snifter, It'd been sleeping peacefully in a cool corner of our dining room. Last friday - after a working week from hell - I could wait no longer. Out came the nonic.So what's it like? TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-36744277602086460522011-03-10T12:23:00.005+00:002011-03-10T13:19:45.830+00:00Porc En Croute Avec Pois ÉcrasésIn the same way you don't visit Yorkshire to get a sun tan, you don't go there and expect to lose weight. On my week-long visit I consumed* fish and chips three times, a curry and three pies - two of which came with mushy peas.Pie and peas is the great Yorkshire meal. Classless, simple - you can eat it with a spoon - nutritious, filling and with the exception of Bradford beer festival, (great pieTIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-47724149822493563732011-03-08T15:04:00.007+00:002011-03-08T16:23:32.177+00:00Merry? Mungo In Fridge.I'm partial to the odd Pure Brewed Lager from Samuel Smith - but as I'm still doing a one-man boycott, the Tadcaster bullies' beers are off limits. Apart from that, I've never really got on with British lager, even the 'craft' stuff. I don't even get on with Meantime Helles. If I want something golden and fizzy to go with a Thai meal i'll grab a few Zywiec from the shop next door. Hang on thoughTIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-88273072897207476732011-03-06T10:45:00.007+00:002011-03-06T10:53:23.556+00:00Silent And GreyA february sunday in Whitby.TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-69031465042690033992011-03-03T11:28:00.005+00:002011-03-03T16:29:22.270+00:00Wheels Of SteelI now possess two scooters, half a car, a skateboard (somewhere) and four bicycles. The latest addition to the fleet is this late 1980s Raleigh Winner, which came thanks to the generosity of a nice chap I 'met' on a cycling website. He'd owned it for 20 years, but as a new dad it was surplus to his requirements. He didn't even want paying, but accepted a donation to his nappy fund.The Winner is TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-16384823864133496482011-03-01T15:16:00.006+00:002011-03-01T21:54:42.910+00:00300Sir Titus Salt was just one of dozens of stupendously wealthy Victorian wool barons, but unlike many of the others he built a 'model' village for his employees - Saltaire. Now a world heritage site, It's all still there, sandwiched between the River Aire and the A650 Bingley-Bradford road. Salt's clogged and shawled workers got streets of well-built cottages, a library, wash houses, a hospital, TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-68307425147620912772011-02-16T11:15:00.008+00:002011-02-16T12:32:20.377+00:00London PrideTIW favourite The Harp has been voted CAMRA's pub of the year - the first time ever for a London pub.Is it the best pub in Britain? It's all highly subjective of course, but The Harp is certainly in my personal top five, and is easily my favourite London boozer. It's been my default Zone 1 destination for years. The Harp just gets it all right. Always busy, but never too busy to get you served TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-62719053095586673912011-02-14T18:54:00.005+00:002011-02-14T19:04:18.729+00:00Art Is For LoversLeytonstone. A flower shop. It's St Valentine's day.Geezer: "Aar much are these 'ere roses?"Florist: "Four pounds per stem, sir. It will be very nicely wrapped."Geezer: "Four quid!? It better be wrapped in a bleedin' Picasso for four bleedin' quid."TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-4069143161260447772011-02-07T13:05:00.006+00:002011-02-07T13:53:29.124+00:00The Flat EarthThe 300-odd acres of sandy grasslands and mature trees that make up Wanstead Flats are seen as a bit of a sacred site in our part of town. It's where you walk your dogs, play footy, ride horses, fly your remote control 'plane, go to the circus, lounge in the sun, watch fireworks, bareknuckle box and (sometimes) poison the wildlife. Leytonstone locals hate the idea of any development, no matter TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-70292794790588308792011-02-04T14:55:00.008+00:002011-02-04T18:09:09.563+00:00Devon KnowsJust realised - I forgot to mention that after years of searching, I've finally found a decent pub in Barnstaple. It's the Rolle Quay Inn, a two-minute walk from the northern end of the High Street. It's much bigger than it looks from the outside, and a bit chintzy on the inside - but none the worse for that. We had a couple of first class pints of Proper Job (it's a St Austell house), served up TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-39514636689959092592011-02-03T13:58:00.005+00:002011-02-03T14:16:48.347+00:00From The Lions MouthBad Leytonstone news and good Leytonstone news. The good news. Lots of action at the Red Lion (which is now on Twitter) - and should be open by the end of march. Here's the latest release from owners Antic:"I’m sure you have noticed our lovely builders getting stuck in at the Red Lion, work really is moving along and we are revealing more and more of the lovely old building all the time. TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-37999513901013669622011-01-31T10:20:00.005+00:002011-01-31T20:01:07.641+00:001933-2011Hard to know where to start with John Barry, isn't it?TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-30136078674359296632011-01-28T11:28:00.004+00:002011-01-28T12:35:28.200+00:00YeastenderSo, here's the result of my first-ever go at homebrew - the Brubox 'London Bitter' Our Lad got me for Christmas. I followed the (somewhat vague) instructions to the letter, especially the bit about the dangers of the bag bursting through over-pressurisation, which was no empty threat. Had a look the morning after I charged the brew with sugar and found the bag blown up to the size and shape of aTIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-189066761056888031.post-11538313270720766482011-01-24T13:17:00.005+00:002011-01-24T13:44:24.663+00:00The Lion In WinterA big sign (hoho) that things are at last progressing for Leytonstone landmark The Red Lion (ex Zulus). Rumour has it that a lot more work is needed refurbishing the old place than was first thought, which may have put the reopening back a few weeks - so it'll be spring at the earliest. New owners Antic have set up a holding page for the pubs website, showing how it was in (I presume) about 1900 TIWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01723235843548373098noreply@blogger.com2