Thoughts on a scandal

Here are my thoughts on the whole  Andrew/Mandelson thing going on at the moment..

They are both career liars, parasites and grifters so don't bother with an expensive investigation and trial, just sequester the money direct from their offshore accounts and make them do community service, in Ukraine..

Midweek Mirth

What with cold snaps and all of the rain the UK has had over the last couple of months I suspect there are many towns up and down the country that feel this way..

DEYA day

Cracked open one of these on Saturday evening. Left over from my Christmas stash it's a hazy pale ale from Cheltenham maestros DEYA called "Magazine Cover" it's delicious fruity combo of  classic US hops including Simcoe, Citra and Mosaic, perfect for a rainy weekend!

Stoic Wisdom

 A bit of Stoic wisdom for a drizzly Monday...

RSA - Part III

 

Our third day arrived bright and early, I had booked a driver to take us through the dramatic Chapmans Peak Drive and to show us around the Eastern side of the Cape, we'd also scheduled a couples of stops at some of the vibrant craft beer breweries that have sprung up around Cape Town in recent years. First stop was Noordhoek, a little beach town nestled on the Western side of the Cape Peninsula, a quick 30 minute drive from our hotel over the mountains separating the Western and Eastern sides of table mountain  delivered us there. It was a little early for drinking beer so our first stop was a stroll on the huge beach there (see above) the sky was blue and, even at 10am, the sun was really strong! The turquoise water appeared framed by the mountains and the white surf in a picture postcard way, such a contrast to the previous few weeks in the UK.

After a decent couple of kilometers strolling along the sand we headed back into the little village to a venue called "Aegir Project Brewery" a small wooden framed building nestled in the trees above the beach, it was a delightful location and the views from the outdoor terrace bar, looking back over the sands were superb, a tonic for English eyes, the ale was pretty decent too!

The tap list was impressive (see above), just like being at home! Plenty of choice and some interesting brews on offer. I opted for a 440ml glass of "Fields of Simcoe" as Simcoe is one of  my favourite hops, it was delicious and a perfect remedy for the growing heat as we approached midday. The beer (pictured above) was a classic hop forward brew that had notes of tropical fruits with an underlying (dank) herbal vibe, very good indeed. We agreed that it was difficult to beat the combination of (cheap) quality food and drink that's consumed outside in the Sunshine, in a picture perfect setting with 28 degree heat, I might just move here myself!

Our driver "Mark" was a youngish chap (although most people look young to me these days!) and we had a good old chat with him about life the universe and everything, although he was more interested in getting our opinion on his love life, which sounded similar to that of our own Son back in the UK. After a quick beer at Aegir we headed back to the car and drove along the Chapmans Peak Drive (built in 1915 with convict labour), a 9km toll road that clings to the side of the cliff and is reputed to be one of the world's most spectacular marine drives, it doesn't disappoint (see below) 

At the other end of the scenic drive is Hout Bay ("Wood Bay" in Dutch, after the saw mill that used to be here), another beach side town that's part of the Cape Town Metro-Area, home to many rich South Africans, some of the houses up on the surrounding hills with sea views are to die for.

After a pit stop in Camps Bay (see above) we headed up to a suburb called Kenilworth and a little spot called "Banana Jam Cafe", an unlikely "Jamaican themed" bar and restaurant serving up an impressive range of craft brews (made on-site) along with some fiery Caribbean inspired dishes (see below)

The beers were of excellent quality, the vibe relaxed and the food looked good, we vowed to return one evening later in the week when we had more time. After a full day of being driven around sight seeing and imbibing some really good craft beers we headed back to the hotel as the Sun was setting, and after an early dinner and an excellent wine from local Constantia producers Steenberg (a Nebbiolo, see picture below, more on Steenberg later in the trip!) we were ready for some shut-eye. 

We had an early start the next day and a full schedule of touring around the city sampling some of the sights and local food delights, more on this in part IV.

RSA - Part II

 

Our first full day in the Cape arrived with exotic birdsong from the garden and a very bright Sun streaming through the curtains! After a nourishing breakfast we called for an Uber (incredibly cheap here!) and headed out to the neighboring town/district of Constantia some five miles up the road. Famous for it's vineyards and wines Constantia is an affluent, leafy suburb containing many posh houses and old cape wineries; we were visiting friends who had lived there since the late nineties and whom we hadn't seen for at least a decade. It was an interesting journey as I'd stayed in Constantia myself back in 1991 (i.e. in the pre-apartheid era) for a month over Christmas and I recognized some of the landmarks and road names, although the place has grown a fair bit since I was last here! 

We arrived at our friend's house and immediately all agreed that no one had changed a jot in the last ten years! It was really nice to catch up and hear about their lives since we last met and after a few drinks we headed out to a local cafe for a quick bite of lunch and then back to their house to laze around by their pool in the sun for a couple of hours, drinking cold white wine, chewing the fat about holidays, and of course, gossiping about old friends and fallen comrades.

After leaving our friends and having agreed to meet up with them again at the end of our tour we retired for an early dinner at our hotel restaurant where we had some great food and an interesting, and tasty,  Barbera from Idiom, a local, Somerset West based winery (see photo above) total bill for food and wine came to a very satisfying £35, I can see why our friends decided to settle down here!

Our hotel was set in beautiful gardens and grounds with a fabulous pool and gym complex (see pictures above) it was a very relaxing setting and so quiet! On a previous visit to the Cape on business in the late 90s, I'd stayed here, it was vaguely familiar but had been extended quite a lot since that trip. It's claim to fame is that the Dutch founder of the Cape Colony back in 1652, Jan Van Riebeeck had planted the first Vines along the Liesbeek River on the site of the hotel, there were still vines here and ever since that time the area had been called "The Vineyard", the name of the hotel to this day.

We were up early the next day as I'd organized a little beer themed tour and our driver was scheduled to arrive at 9am, more about this in part III

RSA - Part I

I haven't been posting much for the last 4 weeks, the reason is that we've been off on our travels once more, to the Southern Hemisphere again but a different continent this time, Africa!

We departed from Heathrow airport on a dark, drizzly and cold January evening and the next day landed in a sunny, bright and warm Cape Town, South Africa, having slept through most of the night slipping silently over the "dark continent". On the approach into the international airport (CPT) I was lucky enough to be sitting on the right side of the aircraft to get a good view of table mountain (see photo above) and a panorama of the entire city, a wonderful view!

It was the start of a 24 day tour of the Eastern Cape in which we would visit many different places, see old friends, try new foods, laze around on white sandy beaches, see multitudes of birds and animals and drop into some stunning vineyards where we would sample some outstanding Cape wines! We were eager to get going and after a couple of stamps in our passports and a walk to the car park, we emerged into the African heat where our driver was waiting to take us to our first stop, Newlands, a leafy suburb of Cape Town and our first hotel.

Upon arriving at our hotel we eagerly checked in and were shown to our room for the next five days; it was a decent space overlooking the hotel gardens (complete with giant tortoises) and with a wonderful view of table mountain itself (see above) The temperature was 28 degrees with a light breeze and having spent the last few weeks in seemingly continuous drizzle and grey UK skies it felt like a rebirth, we were keen to get out and explore and over the coming days that's exactly what we'd do, see more in part II

Friday Smirk

The lads showing us that our religious brothers and sisters seldom appreciate their own arguments being reflected back on themselves and their beliefs, of course secular logic would suggest that what's good for the goose etc..

(WWW)Wise Word Wednesday

Quite a lot of people fall foul of this conundrum these days, especially when social media pumps out mostly garbage and has become de-facto the sole source of news and data for many.

Friday Smirk

The lads discussing how important communication is for a religion to spread, interesting to note however that it's 2000 years since the supposed "good news" occurred and there are still parts of this planet that haven't received it yet..

Favourite Dublin Pub

Doesn't look much from the outside but on our recent trip to Dublin last month this was by far our favourite pub. Bowes Lounge, a classic old fashioned Irish boozer, replete with private booths and an authentic Victorian vibe. The Guinness was good here too, according to those who know (certainly not us!) it's the second best in the city!

Friday Smirk

The lads talking about how reliable Biblical predictions are, i.e. if  you wait long enough then something is bound to turn up..

Wine Gadgets

Tried out one of my Christmas gifts last weekend, it's a Coravin system which enables you  to drink a glass of wine without opening the bottle. This is very useful when you want to spread a bottle over a weekend or just want to see how a particular vintage is coming along. We tried it with an old St Julien by Leoville Lascases, a 2nd growth, the wine was 30+ years old (1995) and full of sediment, fortunately the device also acts as a filter too! It was a stunning wine, at the peak of it's powers right now I'd say.

Friday Smirk

The boys showing how tolerant and flexible their theologies are... (not!)

New Siren Pale

Tried one of these at the weekend, a new pale ale from Siren. It's got a ton of Citra and Krush in it which gives it a really nice tropical fruit note with a reasonable amount of dank in the background, at 5% it's also quite quaffable!

Midweek Mirth

 

How Northerners view the rest of the country...

Obvious

Apparently Donald Trump owns business interests here in the UK..

Well, now that we all know what little he thinks of us and the value of our troops' lives in the defense of  US interests in the world we should all draw the conclusion that these businesses are to be avoided with extreme prejudice, it's obvious really.

Oh and while we're at it if you buy a Tesla you're a fool.

All the best.

PS. at least the UK troops that fought in Afghanistan alongside US troops didn't get their dads to buy their way out of serving their countries, like Trump did..

Mickey Mouse States

It's fast reaching the point where the "ROW" will have to look elsewhere for strategic alliances, the USA is fast becoming a "Disney state" i.e. Micky Mouse... 

Saturday Smile

Yeah, it kinda feels like this at the moment..

Friday Smirk

Doing my bit to keep the boys in the media and just waiting for the day that Trump says he's more popular than Jesus, after all when he opens his mouth all that ever comes out is doggy do..

Winter Warmer

We visited one of my favourite pubs last week when in London, "The Woolpack" on Bermondsey Street. They don't have a huge range of beers on offer but what they do have is class, the (almost finished) pint in the picture above is a lovely hazy boy called "Steady Rolling Man" or "SRM" to the locals. It's from a brewery down in Cheltenham called DEYA and has been mentioned on this blog many times over the years, it's as good as ever and fresh on tap in the Woolpack (get there early as it gets rammed after 5pm)! (tea light for perspective)

Putty time

Excitement is growing, only one more sleep until "Putty time"...

Spooky

The only advantage of walking early in the morning on these cold, misty January days is the spooky nature of the landscape, no wonder our ancestors built monuments to the Sun, it looks so impressive (and rare!) at this time of year.

Some People?

Out for a walk the other morning and came across this monstrosity in a children's playground! Seriously, some people!

London Stories

Waterloo station, past and present, the second busiest station in the country with over 70 million entries/exits per year (24-25) We use it a lot since it's the main London terminus from where we live in Berkshire, handy as a jump off point for destinations South of the river.

London Treats

We spent a nice couple of hours with the kids in London on Friday evening, firstly having a drink in the Mikkeller bar in Exmouth Market (see pint of hazy pale ale above) and then a meal in The Eagle pub on the Farringdon Road. Everything was delicious and the youngsters were on great form and even the weather cooperated (for a change!)

Friday Smirk

The lads pointing out the great danger surrounding "the religion of peace" today, this is because it's claims are so totalitarian, it's population of literal zealots so great and it's truth values so weak.

Sun Memories

A memory from last year, the Salinas salt flats in Argentina, boy was it hot! The people there take silly photo's of tourists for loose change, here's one of our little group looking like we're emerging from a Mate cup into an azure sky. It's freezing cold in the UK today and pouring down with rain, we really must go back to the Southern Hemisphere soon!

Chilly Patterns

Got an early appointment today so had to go for my usual lunchtime walk at 8am, spotted this rather beautiful pattern on a car bonnet, flippin chilly!

Scott Adams

One of my favourite cartoonists, Scott Adams, author of the inimitable "Dilbert" died yesterday. This strip had a special meaning for me and many in my industry as it seemed to be about us, it illuminated many of the issues surrounding technology and man-management and we felt a real affinity with it. I believe that Adams fell foul of the woke police in later years and was "cancelled" by many. I must confess that I don't know anything about that period or what he said (or didn't say) so I won't comment on it here, all I can say is that the number of smirks his work delivered to me over many years far outnumbered those of any other artist.

Picture Medley

 

A little medley of pictures from my recent weekend in Dublin, clockwise from the top right we have, The Millennium Spire on O'Connell street, Trinity College main Quad, The Bank bar, the Cricket pitch in Trinity and some delicious Carlingford Lough Oysters (also with a pint of Guinness) An enjoyable couple of days, my Son and I vowed to do more (local) trips around the British Isles (see here) this year, let's hope we get some decent weather for it!

Changing Times

A couple of pints in the Palace Bar on Fleet Street in Dublin at the weekend (supped while chatting to a group of French blokes who were over for the rugby). The left hand pint needs no introduction, nice and creamy and sold by the millions all over the world. On the right hand side we have a new contender, "Clockwork" by the "Changing Times Brewery" (Dublin) a craft nitro stout being sold in the same Irish pub as the ubiquitous Guinness! (I never thought I'd ever see the day) It's a similar beer but sufficiently different to provoke interest among the drinkers gathered, more flavour with slight roasted coffee vibes and just as creamy, times they certainly are a changing!

Irish Weekend

Just spent a great weekend with my Son in Dublin (Ireland) we were so lucky with the weather too! As you can see in the picture above (the view from my hotel room) we had blue skies and around 8C perfect for wandering around the city and dropping into the many famous bars for father-son bonding sessions and of course, a pint of Guinness or two!

Hope

Here's hoping that the majority of people in Iran achieve what they are clearly yearning for, i.e. freedom from a bunch of clerical gangsters, good luck and 'god's speed' to them!

Friday Smirk

The boys pointing out how the defense of "it's God therefore anything is possible" is an utterly empty one, that which can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence..

Old, but true

An old one but still true. I am reminded of this every time I hear someone say "you should respect person X because they belong to religion Y" nope, respect is something that needs to be earned in my view, not given automatically just because of a belief in some unsubstantiated ancient myth.

NZH-109

After sampling one of these at the Two Flints tap room back in December I managed to get my hands on a can just before Christmas (see above) This one is the double IPA version, i.e. 8% instead of 6% but just as flavoursome, really getting a taste for NZ hops! I think last year (2025) these hops finally became mainstream (specifically Nelson and Motueka) in most modern breweries.

Snow

Weather forecast ATM be like: "It might snow this week, it might not, all depends on if it snows or not.."

Geo-confusion

This is what you get after 2500 years of human activity (war, peace, migration etc.) on a group of tiny islands off the coast of Europe, no wonder the yanks get confused!

New Year Smirk

The lads discussing the rather innocuous fact that most people who give up religion do so because they simply don't believe it anymore, why should they, there's no tangible or scientific evidence to support that worldview and much (including a ton of human suffering) to suggest it's false. 

Classic St. Julien

Another new year wine, Duluc which is the second wine of Chateau Branaire-Ducru one of the heavyweight producers of the St. Julien region of Bordeaux. The term "Second Wine" just means that the wine is produced from (usually) younger vines by the same people and processes as the main wine or "grand vin" and is made to be enjoyed slightly sooner, a less "serious" version of a Chateau's wine if you like. 

This one was classic St. Julien (my favourite Bordeaux region) red berry fruits, cassis, pencil lead, balanced and very drinkable, a fabulous wine to have with food. This one was about £40 which sounded expensive until I enquired about their "grand vin" which in 2016 weighs in at £110 a bottle, I think this one will do fine until we win the lottery!

New Year Treats

We decided to treat ourselves this NY and open a bottle of 2001 Vieux Chateau Certan, a pretty good year in Pomerol and I bought a case of these back in the early 2000's to celebrate the birth of our first child back in 2001. I've been hanging onto a couple of bottles to see how they age and this one was absolutely singing, cassis and dark fruits with excellent balance, I reckon it'll easily manage at least 10 more years of maturation, my Son enjoyed it and got a kick out of drinking wine that was the same age as him! We'll have to open another one in a few years time and check its progress!