11 April 2007

Stellen-bish-bash-bosch

Using my trusty Pinotage wheel (ok, so this is the first time I've used it)www.wynboer.co.za/imagesart/aroma_e.html I have decided that this South African, Beters Truter 2005 Stellenbosch is plum or perhaps red cherry - I'm doing this in real time folks...and now I'm going to turn over the bottle and see how it is described....BLACKBERRY!

Well, I tell ye, given that it's GRAPES first and foremost, I don't think that's a bad stab at getting it right.

Anyway, I think it is the most unusual tasting grape I've had so far. This is a straight Pinotage without any other grapes and compared with other wines it is very ... savoury and full bodied. Rich and substantial. Very good.

10 April 2007

Rats & Rakings

As I was clearing a load of bricks and rubbish from my garden this afternoon a large rat ran down length of the garden and climbed the trellis on the wall before kicking off and presumably spread-eagle parachuting into the neighbouring garden. I didn't scream and managed to keep rooting through the bricks without having to run in, stand on a chair and breathe into a paper bag.

I was preparing a space for my new 'composter'. It's terrifically exciting. I have spurned current trends and have bought a plastic bin instead of a soho composter. (no such thing exists, I just mean something for 20 x the price of my plastic bin that does the same thing) I took an old BBQ fork, heated it on the gas and made breathing holes in the base and lower half. Hey presto, a composter with a lid. Ten quid - although in fact I didn't even pay because my Dad bought it for me! It's already got a heap of stuff in it and I feel strangely at one with the planet. Excluding rodents.

9 April 2007

hi-de-hi

Sunday afternoon I decided that as I had another couple of days off there was nothing stopping me from booking myself in at a campsite for a couple of nights. I planned to stop half way to my parents and back either side of a visit there on Easter Monday. It is now Easter Monday and I'm back home. EGADS!

So yesterday afternoon I went and set up camp at a site about 1/3 of the way over to my parents house. My tent is ace, the sun was shining and the promise of sleeping out with my hound made me a very happy girl.

Until

I tried to get to sleep. It was very cold and Monty wanted to lie on my bed with me...which wouldn't have been a problem if I hadn't have been on a campbed that's about as wide and as forgiving as a bean pole.

Add to that the fact that over and above the bird song and general happy outdoor noises, the A14 thundered past at very close proximity. I felt like I was on the hard shoulder. But it's going to get less busy as the night draws on isn't it?

After lying awake for a long time, Monty decided he wanted to go outside for a bit. No problem. He is on an extended lead that I hook round my foot so that he has a decent circle to trot around before he comes back in.

However

this field had rabbits and Monty loves rabbits. He loves them so much he wants to run after every single one just to be friends. He does this at considerable speed. So just as I'm dropping off to sleep he shoots off after the aforementioned bunny, hooking the lead over the top of the tent as he goes. As the lead tightens it pulls down on both my collapsable tent and ankle causing me to go from sound asleep to having my leg torn out of bed, wrenched through the open door and the tent simultaneously collapsing on my head. This happened more than once.

I continued to persevere. I put on jeans and another 2 pairs of t-shirts and waited for the traffic to ease on the A14.

It didn't.

By 4:15 I was seriously toying with the idea of packing up and doing a runner. But this kumquat is made of tougher stuff! 15 minutes more of tougher stuff to be precise. By half four I was legging it to and from the car to chuck in all my stuff and get the blazes out of there. Even if my parents were still in bed when I arrived and Norfolk was covered in snow then at least the madness inducing roar of traffic would have stopped and I could be cold in quiet.

They were up and about and I went straight to bed when I arrived!

8 April 2007

HEY BORROWER!!

...& all other Bedford friends who don't have such
eye-catching monikers.
Anyone interested? I'm going.
My church have organised it.
Just bands and a bar - no Bible bashing this evening!