Those Prickly Canadians

We are listening to Disc Drive on CBC this evening, as we do, via the nostalgia-is-just-a-bandwidth-away beauty of live streaming. The hourly news comes on. We do our involuntary start at how strong Canadian accents really are without 12 years of London to smooth the edges, and continue our activities (me: catching up on the day - aka mindlessly surfing; N: communing with our dog Humphrey via ear scritches and happy sighs). We are sort-of listening, until we hear a shockingly enthusiastic Canadian male (I keep forgetting how peppy your average Canuck is) detailing the new security measures around a previously-vandalised statue of Terry Fox.

Razer wire, perhaps? CCTV? Armed Response? Motion sensor lights? Guard dogs?

Nope.

Prickly plants.

ahhh bless.

Dispatches from Holiday 1

The weather gods (I would love to think they were goddesses, but lets face it, its unlikely, hum? I mean honestly, tornadoes?) have smiled upon me in my first few days of holiday, possibly only to remind me how lovely sunshine is before they pelt me with a fortnight of rain, but whatever. I'll take it. It was a balmy 28 Celsius, and we hopped on the bikes and rode up to the sea, stopping in a lovely pub with a huge tree in the garden providing much needed shade, and a cherry orchard where we bought sweet cherries for wine making. The woman at the orchard, when hearing our explanation for buying so many cherries (8 pounds???!) invited us back in a few weeks to pick wine cherries which would be ripe then. I think she means sour cherries, which would make great wine. She also mentioned they made a mean cherry brandy, the very thought of which gets me salivating.

The tide was out, and we squelched through the mud flats out to the water, which was nice in itself. There is something about mud in toes that is strangely comforting. Then back to the pub by the beach where we left our bikes to drink a fortifying pint before setting off back home. Us, not the bikes.

Once home, we fed our very enthusiastic dog (I thought you were NEVER coming back! Ever again! Woe is me for I am STARVING!!!) then lit the bbq for a protracted late afternoon/evening of snacking on bruschetta and halumi, joined by our neighbour, the lovely K.

I wasn't kidding about the rain - it really is forecast, but I'm sanguine. I enjoy puddle hopping almost as much as mud squelching.

As far as thinking, so far I haven't progressed much past "oh my god, shouldn't I be at work?" which is a bit depressing. I seem to have been assimilated. However, tomorrow is a long and languid lunch at our favourite restaurant to celebrate N's b-day, so that should knock some cobwebs out!

hurrah for summer vacation

I'm officially on "annual leave" now for the next two weeks and two days. Hurrah.

I'm not planning on going anywhere in particular, certainly not anywhere away, as funds and dog-care do not allow, but I am not feeling bad about this one bit - quite the opposite. We live in such a beautiful part of the Kentish countryside, and I feel like I only see it from the train window on the way into London. It will be perfect to spend two weeks here, cycling, walking the dog, hanging out, reading the papers in assorted beer gardens, getting some summer fruit wine going, starting the Rumpot (more on that one later!) - my list is long. I want to try making soap, do a bit of painting again, and fix the dining room table and that leaky tap that is driving me nuts in the bathroom. It really is the little stuff, you know?

I feel a bit odd at being away from work for so long. I've been deeply involved in my projects (one major one that has recently ended) - I can't quite believe they can still live without me! The projects, that is - not the people. I know the people will be just fine. I've put messages on my work phone and my mobile, and switched it off. I've put on my out of office and left my laptop at work. I've even left my blackberry at work. I'm not sure how I became the sort of person who would ever even write a sentence like that last one.

The most important thing I want to do is think, and that needs space and time.

I'll keep you posted.

Yup. What he said.

Socketh unto others
As you would have them socketh to you

- Sly and the Family Stone, "Fun"

Perhaps an intrinsic part of growing a thicker skin

is never getting that involved in the first place.

An ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure and all that.

just a thought.

I tell myself, when I am blindsided by yet another storm-in-a-tea-cup at work, and I am tying myself up into knots of anxiety, that I must develop a thicker skin. Perhaps stepping back is just as important. Before the storm, of course.

I am blessedly unencumbered by work crises at the moment, but that's usually a reliable sign that one will hit imminently. I think I will take precautions and care less now.

Any tips?

When you know beyond a shadow of a doubt our drug policy is insane...

Creation of drug-free jails too expensive, say consultants
Alan Travis, home affairs editor
The Guardian,
Saturday June 14 2008

The creation of drug-free prisons in England and Wales is too expensive and not a practical option with more than half the record 83,000 jail population misusing drugs, according to a consultants' report commissioned by justice and health ministers.

you say it's your birthday

well almost, anyways. Tomorrow.

I know it's not cool - hell, I know I'm not cool, but I still get frissions of inner delight about birthdays. My spell checker is telling me that should be fissions of inner delight, but I disagree. Sounds too insubstantial without the 'r'.

OK I had to check. I actually mean frisson. I think it would be better with that extra 'i' but the dictionaries of the world have passed their judgment. Frisson. Sounds like salad. Or an Ikea kitchen cabinet. or an art movement.

I think I have pretty much proved the uncool point, anyways. Coincidently, if you type 'frisson' into wikipedia, you get an article about 'cold chill'.

Did I have a point?

Seven Songs

"List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to."

1. Avila by The Wailin' Jennys
I love the Wailin' Jennys - they're a three woman folk band from Winnipeg and they sing beautiful songs in harmonies that make me ache, in a good way. Also, when everything gets on my nerves, their music always feels right. Avila is fun to sing along to. I was singing it to my dog this afternoon. He was not that impressed.

2. Call it Democracy by Bruce Cockburn
containing the immortal lines
"See the paid-off local bottom feeders
passing themselves off as leaders
kiss the ladies shake hands with the fellows
open for business like a cheap bordello"

3. American Wedding by Gogol Bordello
"Have you ever been to American wedding?
Where is all the vodka
Where is marinated herring???"

4. Loose Lips by Kimya Dawson
"We're not gonna stop until somebody calls the cops
and even then
we'll start again
and just pretend that nothing ever happened"

5. Bach's Goldberg variations
and no I can't pick just one, thank you.

6. Time to say goodbye (by ?)
I just picked up the sheet music for this - it's sappy neo-operatic schmultz for people who can't handle real music and I love it because it reminds me of a long weekend in Maastricht where it played in every bar and restaurant we went into.

7. We built this city on rock and roll by Starship
I have no idea either. If someone has suggestions for getting rid of this I am all ears. I find myself singing this in the shower in the mornings often. Perhaps I need a new alarm clock.

Being new to blogging, I don't think I can tag 7 people - but I can tag Geo :)

Elderflowers - aka summer begins

Lately, my few days off have coincided with rainy/cloudy weather. Not a big deal, generally, but this is elderflower season. Sun is essential when picking elderflowers - there is some scientific reason i believe having something to do with nector of something, but from experience - the smell's just all wrong without sunshine.And it's all about the smell.

But today we had the hoped-for congruence of sun and (free) Saturday, and we set off to forage as soon as stomachs and hangovers would allow. Our haul was impressive, and there were still many unopened flower heads on the trees so I foresee at least one more run before the season ends. Of course, greed does not pay - every flower head picked is one less berry-head - and while elderflower champagne is sublime, elderberry cordial is a basic necessity of life.

The stems and bark of the elder tree are poisonous, and once you get home with your stash of flowerheads, you need to pull off all of the tiny flowers - easier than the berries, but still the worst part of the job. After that it's so simple it's laughable.

We have a batch each of elderflower wine, elderflower champagne, and elderflower cordial going now - and the kitchen smells amazing. The wine and the cordial are new ones for me, but the champagne we made last year - and talk about bang for buck! We even had offers to buy our remaining stocks after one party. Here's a basic recipe:

Elderflower Champagne

(obviously not really champagne - not even alcoholic - though the elderflowers have some natural yeast so perhaps just slightly)

9 liters water
1 kg sugar
10-15 elderflower heads (stems removed - good luck with that!)
3 lemons, sliced, seeds removed
4 tbsp white wine vinegar

boil water, add sugar and stir until dissolved.
cool - add flowers, lemons, vinegar

leave 2-3 days, stirring daily.

strain through muslin/sieve/whatever and bottle. Reuse plastic bottles that originally contained fizzy stuff - lemonade, soda, etc. It's always good practice to sterilize the bottles first.

leave bottles in warmish place for 10 days - then they can be moved somewhere cooler. recipes vary in length of time before drinking - earliest I've seen is 2 weeks - most tend towards 2-3 months.

keep an eye on the pressure in the bottles - if it looks like it's gonna blow - loosen the lid slightly to let some air out. This is why you don't want to be using glass bottles for this stuff! When you open the bottles to drink - it's fizzy. And really really tasty :)

stupid human tricks

From the BBC Website:

Cannabis blunder at Tokyo airport

An unwitting passenger arriving at Japan's Narita airport has received 142g of cannabis after a customs test went awry, officials say.

A customs officer hid a package of the banned substance in a side pocket of a randomly chosen suitcase in order to test airport security.

Sniffer dogs failed to detect the cannabis and the officer could not remember which bag he had put it in.

Anyone finding the package has been asked to contact customs officials.

"This case was extremely regrettable. I would like to deeply apologise," said Narita International Airport's customs head Manpei Tanaka.