Of Book and Cook

Book
     The book is "Afgantsy", written by Rodric Braithwaite.  Who he?  Ex-British Ambassador to the Soviet Union/Russia, is who.  It's a measured and analytical tome about the Russians in Afghanistan, primarily from the Russian point of view.  Since Conrad was around at the time the Russians were busy invading and attempting to sovietise the country, seeing facts and figures about what was only guessed at the time is illuminating.

Cook
     I have just made 10 English muffins with a 3 1/2" cookie cutter, and they look about right, not too small and not too big.  The real test, of course, is when they get cut open and then we'll see if they got proved for long enough.
     I have also been researching a dish I remember from childhood - fish doria.  There aren't any set recipes for it, bar the use of white sauce and rice, so I may have a go at it tomorrow.  And use rice flour instead of wheat for the sauce.
     A need has also arisen for comparing how much dry yeast to use as opposed to fresh yeast; that Poppy Seed Roll recipe uses fresh not dried.  Google be my friend!

Yeast being idle.

I Feel The Darkness Closing In!
     Oh.  Ah.  It's just that the sun is setting.  And it isn't even half-four yet.  When do the clocks go back? <checks diary> Next Sunday.  So I can get up at half ten and yet it will only be nine thirty.  A lie-in, however, does not compensate for months of getting up in the dark and arriving home in the dark.


Beer O'clock!
     Or is it?  When is it appropriate to start drinking at the weekend?

They lie in the fridge, taunting me.  Taunting, I tell you!

I'm not driving anywhere, I don't have to go to work tomorrow, yet is 16:30 late enough?  I shall go consult Plato, maybe Kant as well.  That modern American philosopher Philip K. Dick would doubtless have been on his second bottle of wine by now, so I'm not asking him.

Cherry Ghost
     No, Valentina, not a hip street name for drugs!  I mean the band.  Not exactly prolific, we've had an album once every three years, which means one is due NOW THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
     I shall be waiting, Mr Aldred*, I shall be waiting.

So - Tanks?
     Take a look at this chap:

0 - 35 in two and a half minutes

This bad boy is a Centurion BARV**.  No it's not Hebrew - it's the acronym for "Beach Armoured Recovery Vehicle", based on the chassis of a Centurion tank.  Whenever we Brits mount an amphibious operation, these peculiar beasts will be sitting on the shoreline, ready to tow or salvage any other vehicle that comes to grief before getting onto terra firma.

Right, time to go test-drive those muffins!

* Simon, the driving force behind the band
** As you already knew, this photo comes from the Modern annex at Bovvie.