Gorgeous weather

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The weather has been fantastic for the time of year, expected 22C on Thursday.  On the weekend we were invited over by our friends for a BBQ, roast lamb cooked in the new Weber.  Yes John had a spare Weber in the loft of his house, waiting the fateful day his trusty old Weber gave up the ghost.

While the lamb was slowly cooking, infusing the the flavour of the charcoal smoke, (something the gas machines miss on), we went out to try his lens on my camera.  I am in the market for a new lens, and wanted to compare his lens with my existing lens.  The lens in question is the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM relatively cheap by the standards of the Canon professional lenses.  In practice I found is quite easy to use, the quality of the image was better than my Tamron 18-250mm.  There was virtually no  Chromatic aberration at the edges of the picture, which my Tamron has.  The downsides of the Canon lens is its lack of close focusing (1.8m), and range of magnification.  Damn I now see warehouse express have some in stock, and the price has risen, looks like I will be buying it with Tesco vouchers.

I will buy it, it will be great for wildlife photography, the extra magnification and image stabilization will make for some better shots.   I will though keep the Tamron for general shooting and close up photography.   Maybe keep it on the other camera.

Well, after the trial walk around the nature reserve, back for the gorgeous charcoal cooked lamb.  Thanks John and Carol.

On the Sunday fired up our own Weber for roast chicken and Mediterranean cooked vegetable stir fry.  That was the second BBQ at home this year, earlier we had eaten some pork chops BBQed and eaten at a table outside.   I know the saying, don’t cast a clout until May be out, and it was only early April.

This comparison picture was taken using the Tamron and Canon lens at 250mm, so I could expect better detail using the Canon at its full magnification.

Tamron 18-250 lens

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Tamron 18-250 lens

Tamron 18-250 lens

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM

Crazy Bear Hotel

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I was away in Aberdeen when it was Rosemary’s birthday.  Quick call on the Monday to tell her where her birthday present was hidden.

Back from Aberdeen, we went out for lunch at a restaurant in Stadhampton.  It is a hotel, pub, and restaurant.  Two restaurants, one English and the other Thai.  They also do Thai massage there.  Yes it was a pub, there were people drinking there, and it is called the Crazy Bear Hotel.

Rosemary and I opted for the English meal, and the express lunch from the menu.  The price of the fixed menu was very reasonable.

The decor of the place was eccentric. The bar had a huge stuffed bear, odd tables and stools, chandeliers.  The restaurant was all padded leather and looked a bit like a cross between a padded cell and a tart’s boudoir.  I should have asked if the Thai massage came with happy endings. There were pictures of the bedrooms in the advertising pack, again eccentrically furnished and decorated, but lovely touches such as being able to slide from the bed into a large tub like bath.  Definitely a place to go for an illicit or romantic liaison.

The food was good, I started with salmon pickled with beetroot and Rosemary had a goat’s cheese tart.  Main course was pork belly, yes a proper Gloucestershire Old Spots rare breed animal grown slowly unlike the Large White factory breeds.  The farm is part of the Crazy Bear group.

I  get the feeling this is how the previous landlord of our local pub, the Plough and Anchor, had wanted it to become.  The place decorated how he wanted it, in his case with pictures, and lots of nice nick nacks. Good food, good beer, good wine, a destination pub, and small hotel for guests to stay in.  Sad it never quite happened.

Since visiting the restaurant, I have heard of rumours of two show girls,, hired by the owner, writhing around in baked beans.   I can’t though see any reference to this on the internet.

Aberdeen the oil city

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A working week in Scotland.   In Aberdeen, the first time I have ever been there.  One different aspect of the Aberdeen airport was the number of helicopters landing and taking off.  I assume they were off to the rigs.

Arriving in Aberdeen with my fleece and water proofs only to be faced with sun.  Yes Aberdeen was sunny all week, though not yet warm. I was off to work at the Robert Gordon University, taxi into town with a chatty driver, who explained where the entertainment spots in the city were.  He also explained the city was called the Silver City, the mica in the Granite reflecting the sun, making the place Silver in the sun, though reverting to the drab granite in the more usual cloudy wet weather.

Made it to work in a large building on Andrew Street.  After work walked to Mint Apartments, about a mile away.  The company I work for had booked me into a hotel that was 15 minutes away.  Yes 15 minutes by taxi on a good day, 30 plus minutes during the day rush hour.  Google Street view also showed the hotel was stuck in the middle of an industrial estate with nothing around.   I cancelled this hotel and booked Mint Apartments, a serviced flat nearby.  Nice place, recently upgraded to a good standard, the place is cleaned daily and they even changed the towels and made the bed every day. Free Internet connection, a must.

I ate in the local Italian restaurant  under the apartments, friendly staff.  Should maybe have eaten there another day, but places to explore.  What else did I eat,  Chinese  down the road, large place in an office block.  Reasonable. price

Wednesday and Thursday I ate at the Monsoona on Bridge Street, a Healthy Indian Cuisine Restaurant. What is one of those  It turned out to be good.

Next day, a long day, lots of waiting around in Aberdeen airport for the  late flight home, and eventually back home just before midnight.  Drive back from Luton was fraught, no fuel, driving on empty.  The  road I was heading for was closed for night work.  This is were I found the vagaries of Sat Nav.  Took it ages to forget the route I had wanted to drive, despite the fact it did not originally want me to go that route.  Once she had decided not to take me down the closed road, she was to take me down the M1, M25 and up the A41.  Yes she, Hunni Desire was fixated on this route and would not forget it.  Luckily I knew where I was going and ignore her imploring.!!!

Plymouth

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I am in Plymouth, and have been in Plymouth for a couple of weeks now. Driving down at the start of the week, and driving back at the end. Not too bad a journey when there are no accidents. Took me 3 hours 30 minutes last time.

Tried a few different restaurants. The Eastern Eye I can recommend for Indian / Bangladeshi food.  Large menu, and what I ate was very nice, a curry for connoisseurs.

Last night I went for a Thai, I was recommended The Thai Palace by the people I work for.  Nice smiling waitress to melt my heart, and again an extensive menu.  I went fish, and had some local scallops for starters followed by a Traditional Thai Fish Curry.

Otherwise have eaten large rib eye steaks in a steak house, at the Cafe Rouge.

Oh I wish it could be Christmas every day

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Christmas is over, with the real Boxing Day nearing the end. Family has left and Rosemary and I are left alone to eat our turkey and bread sauce sandwiches. This Christmas has been a white one with snow on the fields, and -10C frosts and hot wood burners toasting our toes. Friends in the pub to share a pint or two, Selina and Phil to share a turkey with. Alas did not manage to persuade Selina to run to the village shop. Yes, an evil plan hatched by her parents, the shop does not open on Boxing Day.

Here are a few pictures for you, I have even take a departure from the norm and condescended to include some people in one or two shots.

This balmy night’s too long

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It must be around the longest night, cloudy and quite mild outside. The temperature dropped to -2C last night, somewhat warmer than the two previous nights where it made -12C on both nights.

A pity about the clouds this morning, was hoping to see the eclipse of the moon, the first time the eclipse of the moon has occurred on the same day as the winter solstice and a full moon for 372 years.

Yesterday we went Tesco shopping, first I had to find the shovel and dig a route through the snow to the main road. Then ventured out onto the road with Rosemary’s car. My car has taken exception to the cold weather, joined UNISON and has gone on strike. Don’t people drive so slowly and cautiously in these winter conditions. Parking at Tesco, easy, but leaving was a pain, everyone and their proverbial dog had decided to turn up while we were shopping, now I was stuck in the middle of two converging queues in the car park. Think quiet and placid thoughts.

So now all stocked up for Christmas, wood in the store shed, oil in the tank, turkey in the freezer and brussel sprouts on the stalk. Internet access working, what more could I want for a peaceful and good wishes to all man kind holiday.

Looked outside, and it has just started snowing again, looks like we will get our white Christmas this year. Time for some coffee, checked the store cupboard and we have over a Kilo of beans in stock. Yippeee!!!

There’s a chill in the air, nobody could care.

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It was a tad nippy last night. The mercury fell to -11C or in old money 12.2F. That temperature is also 471.87 Rankine, -8.8 Reaumur and 262.15 Kelvin.

The Plough and Anchor pub almost caught fire last night.  They had installed a wood burner, but placed the flue against the wood lintel. This was smouldering quite fiercely when I entered the pub. The chef was spraying water inbetween the stonework and the wood. Pub talk was all about the Crooked Billet and the planned New Year rave. Let’s hope it goes ahead without any trouble.

Today it has started to snow and has been doing so for the past 3 hours. The traffic on the main road is now quite limited.

The West is the Best

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I am in Torbay. I arrived by train from Bicester. There were 2 changes of train, with only 6 minutes between predicted arrival and departure. Both changes were made in ample time. We have something to be proud of. Our railways.

The journey was in cold mist all the way to Exeter, where at last the sun came out. The journey along the coast, just feet from the breaking waves is spectacular. It must be incredible when the wind is blowing hard.

Tired, so eating in the hotel today, a pint and a snack. Staying in the Imperial. Look at the wedding photographs of Lucy’s wedding and you will see the hotel lights at night from across the bay.

Baby it’s cold outside

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I won’t pretend the weather is a tad nippy at the moment. Last night was the coldest this winter. Managed a ball shrivelling -4 and we are not yet in December. Today we are told that this year is either the hottest or second hottest year on record.