Rob on July 29th, 2011

Since the inception of the Campaign For Real Ale, most of us in the UK (and further afield, I might add) know what real ale is.  More recently, we have seen the launch of the Campaign for Real Bread, which has also enjoyed great success in pointing out the difference between real bread and the [...]

Continue reading about The real thing?

Rob on July 24th, 2011

Once again, the issue of going green has come up.  We have a number of friends who have a die-hard attitude regarding the challenge of climate change and the need to reduce our carbon footprint.  I must agree that climate change is a serious issue, and it is as clear as day that we must [...]

Continue reading about The lush greenery of a fool’s paradise

Rob on July 17th, 2011

Yesterday, we prepared a meal for friends.  Our aspiration was to sit outside on the patio and enjoy the meal with a glass or two of chilled organic wine, but the weather put the dampener on it, so to speak.  However, having to eat indoors did not detract from the experience. In anticipation of the [...]

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Rob on July 14th, 2011

Someone said to me recently, “Why don’t you post a recipe or two on your blog?”  I am not one to turn down a good idea, so here goes. Courgette season is here.  The main thing one notices about courgettes is that nothing much seems to happen to the plant for ages, then all of [...]

Continue reading about 1001 Ways with a Courgette: Part 1

Rob on July 11th, 2011

From time to time, I find an excuse to call on the doctor for a bit of a check-up.  It’s a bit mischievous, but the devil makes me do it!  So, just recently I popped into the surgery again, to confess quite honestly that I had been though a pretty stressful period and it had [...]

Continue reading about Challenging received wisdom

Rob on July 9th, 2011

When I became a man, and cast off childish ways, I vowed I would never become a victim of mass hysteria.  But now it seems I have sold my soul to the devil and opened a Twitter account.  Is that the end of life as I know it? And do I really want to be [...]

Continue reading about If you can’t beat them . . .

Rob on July 5th, 2011

For a squirrel with known transatlantic ancestry, it might be considered a major social faux pas to come out in the morning sun on 4th July wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap.  To do this whilst jauntily flaunting the kind of high-wire skills that instigate annoyance in others serves only to exacerbate an already [...]

Continue reading about High Wire Showdown