Alhambra!

No, I Don't Know What It Means.
What does it mean?  Again, one of those things that pop up in my head upon trudging blearily to the loo in the small hours.  I do know that it's the given title to buildings involved in the entertainment business - "The Alhambra Ballroom" being one.
     No!  It's not slang for a football ground.  A dance-hall.
     Aha.  Apparently it is Arabic for "The Red One", referring to the palace at Granada in Spain.  

Voilalhambra!

     Quite what the connection is between this and a venue where a sweaty mob step on each other's feet escapes me.  If you know, send me a letter.

Archi -
See?  See how everything is related to everything else?
     Architecture:  Derived from the Latin which derives from the Greek "Archi Tektu" and it means "Chief Builder".
     Archimandrite:  This is a religious title used in Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic churches, meaning "Chief of the Enclosure", referring to a monastery as the enclosure in question.  It was also used in one of the Tom Baker episodes of Doctor Who, by a scriptwriter feeling a bit lazy and not suspecting anyone would know where he pinched the title from.
     Wrong!
     Architrave: A compound of Greek and Roman ("Archi" and "Trabs") , this is the lintel part of a doorway structure - the main horizontal beam, to be precise.
     Archies:  You live in the era of manufactured pop-groups like New Kids On The Block and B*witched*, yet the phenomenon goes back to the late Sixties, when a group called The Archies was invented.  "Archie" is an American comic book and character, viz:

Danger!  Rock and roll rhythm orgy in progress!

     Despite not existing they had a successful recording career and you will undoubtedly have heard their biggest hit "Sugar Sugar".

Rejected Doctor Who Serial Titles
Ha ha! I slay me with my sophisticated humour that I have.
     What's that?  You're not impressed?  The exit door IS THAT WAY!
     Now, let the humour commence:

The Spaced Pirates

The Mu Tents

Smearhead From Space

Creature From The Spit

Blank

The Girl In The Fir Place

The Kroutons

The Talons of Wang Chung

     So long until tomorrow and yet more spoof titles**.

Persimmon Jam
There were five rather over-ripe persimmons sitting in the fruit drawer, causing Conrad to look for jam recipes.  Here are the stages along the way:

Sloppy gloppy work.  The flesh is removed.
(From the Persimmon, not passers-by)

     Then -

Boiling with a ton of sugar added

     Finally we have it bottled:

A jar of jam

  When it cooled down it was quite viscous***, which is what you want in a jam.  I tasted it, which was a bit like eating a spoonful of sugar, and unfortunately it has that teeth-fuzzing aftertaste.
     But!  I made it so I am going to eat it.

Ice Ice Maybe
Conrad likes to take a litre bottle of ice into work and swig away at it in the sub-tropical heat that lies like a layer of <thinks> lava on the floor.  Removed from the Mansion's chief walk-in freezer, it is all melted by mid afternoon.  On the other hand, back in the Upstairs Lair, here it is early Friday evening.

Taken out of the freezer at eight p.m.

     Here it is again on Saturday at quarter past one p.m.

Staying frosty

     There's still a bit of ice there seventeen hours after being removed from the fridge.
     I think that says a lot^.

Conrad In The Kitchen
Today, for the first time, I donned my Man Apron, a Christmas present.  Unfortunately the "Ketchup" and "Mustard" pockets are too small to hold our economy-sized bottles of the same, but the Phone and Beer pockets function as advertised.

Me.  Being happy.

     The apron served to keep me dry and clean whilst I got this baby together^^:

Halloween Pumpkin Cake.

     Obviously it's not Halloween, and you can't get pumpkins any longer, so perhaps we should be calling it New Year-y Butternut Squash Cake.
     Also, the recipe calls for it to be baked for 30 minutes.
     Liar!  It's nearly 90 minutes now -

 - actually I'd better pop down and see how it's doing -

It's done.  And so are we!


* Only joking.  Both of these objectionable life-forms have long since ceased to be.
** This could go on for months.  Seriously.
*** No, this does not mean violent.  It means "thick".
^ Wildly ambiguous there, Conrad!
^^ After a gentle hint or two.