It was a really nice day yesterday. The weather was warm, sunny, and although a band of stratus cloud marred the horizon, there was a clear blue sky. It's that time of year when the woods get colourful. The more extrovert trees have sprouted foliage, our more hesitant native oaks and ash trees still sensibly waiting for confirmation before growing leaves. In between, the grass has erupted in a bright green carpet. Yellow, blue, and white woodland flowers make a shortlived appearance before the n
...so, i am now proud director of a UK Private Limited, the company is situated in Stockport near Manchester, although i have no idea what i am going to do with that, i feel important for now
...i convinced a friend of mine that it would be a good idea to have in his CV a UK Limited company hehe, and it is a rather nice Tax Shelter when it comes to personal income that you do on the side...
so here it goes....
The Registrar of Companies for England and Wales hereby certifies that
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For years Swindon has been a byword for Victorian pidgeon nests. Our 19th Century legacy has survived in all sorts of quiet corners around the town. For the most part, these brick edifices were as rundown and abandoned as their inhabitants. Yet as shabby as it was, it leant a certain character to the place. In recent years, I've wandered around the town taking photographs. The interesting patina of urban decay is simply wonderfully photogenic. The industrial archaeology alone is worth two gigaby
http://www.chimay.com/en/chimay_blue_220.php
This is pricey, but it's worth buying every once in a while. It's a Trappist ale, which in my experience are usually near perfect beers.
Its sweet and malty with a little bit of spicy hops. Nice deep cloudy red color. Very mellow aroma, like bread. Its hard to tell that its 9% alcohol because its VERY smooth. I find that it tastes best when its cool/lukewarm. It has a certain typical 'Belgian' flavor that may be due to the yeast, but I'm not s
America has successfully imported a great many things to British Isles. Cola, bubble gum, nylon tights, burgers, and sex. Of course I was too young for most of those as a child so there was only one american import I was allowed. You state-side people know it as G.I. Joe. We knew it as Action Man.
It was great. There was a huge selection of uniforms and accessories that transformed the plastic contortionist into everything from the basic Korean War recruit to a NASA astronaut. One of my frie
British weather is responsible for more conversations than hot dinners. Poems have been inspired by it. Well, I haven't exactly been that inspired over the last two days, now that our early spring sunshine has gone.
Two days ago the rot set in. There was a cold wind and the sky was claggy, humid, almost misty, and the sun was losing it's battle to burn this murk away. It was a quiet, reflective day. I wandered around Lawns (a park that was once the grounds of the local manor house) and peopl
I like the internal combustion engine. It might only be a collection of moving metal parts, but it has a life of its own. I just love the way a well-tuned engine sings when pulling hard. Some people might say the sound is merely a harsh droning noise - for me, it's a concerto for pistons.
We all know that fossil fuels will eventually run out. Before that happens, petroleum will become too expensive. Before that happens, petrol cars will become uneconomic. Before that happens, an alternative
The noise level has gone up considerably. Roadworks have started at the bottom of the hill and crossing the road is now something like traversing No Mans Land in 1917.
Libraries are supposed to be quiet aren't they? Not Swindon. Our library is buzzing with lively action. At first, the library was silent as you'd expect, then a conversation broke out behind me. One of those "Allo mate, where ya been? Seen the footie? Hows the missus?" type of exchanges at the top of their voices. So loud in f
I was going to comment this in Ursus' blog post on decriminalization, but his slate has been wiped clean. It statistically documents the predictable benefits of Portugal's decriminalization of drug use.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13784156/Drug-De...ato-White-Paper
Bank Holiday Weekends are a British institution that foreigners might find hard to understand. The name is misleading. All it amounts to is an extra day off work. However, like some kind of mass-lunacy, there's two pyschopathic obsessions that afflict the British at these times.
The first is a strange urge that overcomes the weak-willed who gather their unsuspecting families and drive off to a holiday destination. Most don't get there. Braving the rain that inevitably pours cold water on the
I don't know if anyone's noticed, but it's Easter Weekend. Yes, the Annual Chocolate Fest is upon us again. I should know, there's been a party in the small yard behind the garage. Lights, loud music, and a steady stream of curious people wondering who's making all the noise now the pubs have closed. It started in the afternoon, and by the early hours of the morning, was still going strong. Amazing what an excess of chocolate will do to some people.
Public health advice - Please be aware tha
The trip back to Belgium turned out not to be so pleasant after all. I had to pay about $120 for excess weight (for my luggage, not for myself ) and then an additional 50
"Hello!" She shouted from across the road. Huh? Is she talking to me? The woman doesn't look familiar but she seems to know who I am.
"It's me!" She shouted. Yes I can see that, but I haven't a clue who she is. I look around in case there's someone else nearby.
Oh no, she's walking across the pedestrian crossing toward me and she's got a big expectant grin on her fiace. You know, this is going to be embarrasing. I simply make a gesture of ignorance and tell her I haven't a clue who she i
Back by popular demand, a selection of my musical past. Enjoy!
Company Director
CompanyDirector.mp3
A live recording of Red Jasper from the Bristol Bierkeller in 1988. This was a monitor mix (the same sound we heard on stage), so the audience was a lot bigger than it sounds, really! The song originally appeared on our first release, England Green & Pleasant Land.
Vocals - Dave Dodds
Guitar - Tony Heath
Bass - Robin Harrison
Drums - Caldrail
Just Another Night
JustAnotherNig
I have seen the shape of things to come. At the Geneva Motor Show, the Royal College of Arts have unveiled ambulances that will be rushing to our aid in as little as four years from now - don't take that literally. Now get this. One of them has ejector seats to speed paramedics to your side. What happens if the patient is in a tunnel? Does the paramedic get issued with a helmet?
Another design has a fold out detachable medical center. Isn't that dead cool? Once the paramedics have landed an
Currently packing my bags and hating every moment of it. I'm flying back to Europe tomorrow evening and while I don't mind the long-haul flight too much (I always find ways to entertain myself on the plane ), I absolutely loathe the packing routine that precedes it. It normally takes me about two days to get the job done. The worst part is not actually deciding which clothes and shoes to take along but to find a place for the "little things" i.e. toiletries, books, camera, travel documents an
Entertainment is so important to the modern world isn't it? One word from a publicist, and thousands gather teary eyed to say goodbye to someone they probably never had a good word for. I shall never forget the scenes I saw on television regarding Princes Di. Remember her? Yes, I thought you'd forgotten.
The thing with entertainers, or any celebrity for that matter, is that they loom ever larger in our conciousness thanks to the media. Love or loathe them, a part of our life dies with them,
The G20 moves the world a step closer to a global currency
This article reminded me of a CFR essay by Benn Steil titled The End of National Currency that I read a couple of years ago. Steil's essay is remarkably astute, not only for his understanding of national fiat currencies, but of the nature of gold as real money as determined by thousands of years of human interaction. While I would welcome the end of nationalistic currencies, I utterly detest the idea of a global 'paper' currency mani
On the island of Oahu there is so much to do, so much to see, but the one thing that is a must is to hike the Diamond Head Trail. Diamond Head is a crater from a volcano that blew many thousands of years ago, and is now by far one of the most spectacular views on the island. Sure, it's a bit rocky, and there are quite a few stairs (the US used it as a lookout in WWII), but once you get tot the top it's so worth it.
Today is my first full day here, and I wanted to really start my vacation her
In the good old days when men were railwaymen and cars came without pillows in the steering wheel, I used to hear english spoken. It's true. These days official forms come in fifteen different languages and young people don't understand each others slang any more. People wonder why I don't go on foreign holidays. Are they serious? Not only do the Department of Work and Pensions not pay me to enjoy myself abroad, they invite every other country's inhabitants to live next door. Sign on the dole an
