Whisky - Teachers on the train

Freebie Teachers from the good people at Virgin. Lets give it a go.

Nose: Biting grain smells young and lively. Not very woody at all. Water kills it.

Pallet: biting and sweet. With water it becomes drinkable. Gets ever sweeter with peat and vanilla.

Finnish: snappy, just fades. Not a particularly nice after taste, but it’s interesting none the less.

Comments: give me some soda and ice please. Fill up a tall glass and sit outside with the bugger. Reminds me of Brian Potter. Are my eyes dreaming Jerry? Not the total olfactory experience for the senses the so called experts clamed.

Score: 50%

General - Trains and trepidations

This is so cool. I am sitting in first class on one of Richard's fine new trains Brailling this out on the pk while listening to green days latest stunner. The pk is bluetoothed up to the Nokia acting as a modem with gprs and everything is cracking along. They don't have wifi on these Pendaleanos yet, so slight marks down for that, oh, and the piss poor customer relations people in Euston's Virgin offices. why do they insist on using the horrid spacker trucks to do what should be a 30 second walk. what with the crowd and crappy navigational skills of some of the people it turns the whole thing into a 4 minute ordeal. While i'm on this rant, why do they act like you've just pist on them when your request not to use the trucks is offered as a way in which to do the journey in less time? They obviously think that Jaid is some kind of novelty I take around with me and that my legs don't work.

time to sign off, the tea and sandwiches are coming round.

Single malts - H2H Glenfarclas

Glenfarclas 15 year Nose Sherry and malt. Beautiful. Maybe a little bit of sulpha, but who cares. Left for a while in the glass we get a mince pie. Stunning. This malt is at 46, so maybes a drop of water doesn’t go a miss. Palette: just sublime Christmas cake, but not the strongest spice in the world, malt and sherry. I’ll have more if someone’s buying. It’s gutsy bold and good. I wish other spaysiders were as bold as this. It doesn’t pretend to be what it isn’t the ardbeg of Spay side? Aaaaaah, the smoke, not much, but it is around and means I’ll have to try another glass. Finnish: long. Good for a hip flask. Comments: I’ll buy some more of this. It just does nothing rong and leaves me wanting more Score: 86% Glenfarclas 30 year Nose. Just get one Christmas cake, leave it to mature for a few weeks and por over some sherry. One of the best noses ever. It’s like rading mum’s cupboard for raisins as a kid. Just amazing. I could nose this for hours. Pallet: smooth, mellow and decadent. A malt of a life time. So sherry ritch and beautiful. I normally go for the Islays, but this baby’s got me hooked. Smooth, not as gutsy as the 15 year old, but you can chew this stuff. Not so much malt, and maybe the sherry has taken too big a hold, but I bought this to be a big bold in year face malt. It doesn’t disappoint. I’d rather it wasn’t chill filtered, but we can’t have everything. Give me more Comment: I’m not generally a Spey side fan, but these well sherried gutsy monsters have given me something to think about. Bugger your Macallan. Give me a Glenfarclas. Please Clare buy me a bottle of this for Christmas. I prommis I’ll be good. The best. And the smoke, it’s around, but like the charred bit of cake on the edge that got burned. I’m off to snuffle some more. The best dram so far this year. Score: 90%

General - a cool evening

This afternoon Force10 Dan informed me that a quick pint in Epson was in order, so not wanting to disappoint Jaid and I had a walk to the Albion. It was good catching up with Dan, and the splendid Black Sheep made the occasion the more pleasurable.

After that we had a giggle in the Rising sun with Jim and Alic until Dan had to scuttle back to London. Oh, and I had the bar tab of a lifetime!!!

I’ve got a trip up north lined up this week, it will be good to catch up with old friends and I’m also looking forward to shoing the PK GPS. Preston Crew and Chester in two days. I’m clocking up the rail miles. I’ll be crashing in Williams towers on Wednesday evening, so I think a King Karai will be consumed at some point.

I’m so lucky to be with Clare. I will drop in to natter and see her on Thursday night. Can’t wait.

L8R

General - Dog walks five miles on hind legs

Dog walks five miles on hind legs

What a crazy thing to do. Jaid my guide dog can last around 10 seconds, and that's normally when foods on the go.

L8R

General - make it a double

Today’s been a bit of a none event. I went out for a splendid curry last night an then perambulated to the Rising Sun. I managed to consume a couple of splendid pints then half a dozen people ascended on Roberts mansions. A goodly amount of Scotch, wine and brandy was duly consumed and one chare broken before the evening ended. I think it was a success, The Glenfarclas 30 was splendid though. Steve and I rather than let the newly opened bottle of red breathe too long decided to have a little drappy or 3 more and listen to some music with Riverdogs being the order of the evening. Today therefore has been a quiet one with me just flopping about and listening to music, the splendid Kerry Noble I’ll review the thing this week sometime I think. I’ve a bit of a beano to attend tonight then work in Wellingborough tomorrow, so can’t get carried away.

Peace

Music - Karine Polwart - Faultlines

My album of 2004, and there was plenty of good stuff out last year, but this amazing piece of work will be on high rotation for me over the next few months I'm sure. The cd won the acoustic album of the year at the BBC folk awards and deservedly so. thought provoking amazingly recorded and beautiful. some songs have the ability to move the listener to tears, well this one at least. I'd advise anyone who's in to acoustically based intelligent music to snaffle a copy and enjoy. I especially like the tracks Faultlines, harder to walk these days than run and the light on the shore. I can’t go without mentioning the style hopping first track, try if you will folk, funk a spot of jazz and lyrics with punk sensibilities, amazing.

Check out this interview and live performance from the BBC.

politics- History galore in them papers from the war

This article on 3 pages in the times is a riveting read for those interested in comedy, movies, politics and whisky. Here’s a quick extract, but do read the full version. I love it when papers like this come out from the 1940s. It surely Was a pivotal time for Britain and the world.

‘In his book Highlanders: A History of the Gaels, John Macleod (no relation to the
lifeboatman) raises questions about the destination of the SS Politician and her
cargo, hinting at some kind of conspiracy.
“The episode was a great embarrassment to the government,” he writes, “and to this
day certain papers on the Politician affair remain classified. It has been suggested
that the assorted goodies were for a very important person — an American statesman
whose support was vital in Washington or President Roosevelt himself; even the Duke
of Windsor has been named as a recipient.”

It makes a good conspiracy theory. But the simpler possibility is that the Politician’s
cargo was intended to bring in much-needed money from America. That would, directly
or indirectly, have gone towards fighting Hitler. And, in the unlikely case that
Roosevelt did need to be bribed, a few thousand bottles of whisky might seem a fair
exchange for American entry into the war.

Hardly surprisingly, Mackenzie skates over any consequences of the islanders’ actions.
Whisky Galore is, after all, a comedy and in 1947 many people simply wanted to forget…’

General - Happy Easter, it’s a chocolate fest!

so its easter again, and I’ve got a bit of a chocolate mountain piled up. Started on Friday when I got a tesco order, I meant to order 3 bars of this lush green & black’s organic chocolate with Almonds in, but instead when the order arived and the delivery chap had gone, I found that I’d received 13 by mistake. Now this was entirely my fault for not checking the order, so I kind of let it pass, never spent £18.50 on chocks before though.

On Saturday, a nice box arrived from my parents with guess what! 3 more bars of the same and an Easter card, so I guess I’m set up for a while with this yummy stuff.

I’m pretty happy this Easter, to be honest 2005 has been good to me so far, just very lucky with the way things are going. I’ve got a nice job, flat and my personal life and relationship is going great. It’s in contrast with the last few years. Two years ago I was just very fed up, last year, I new I had to move away from Preston in order to get the job I was after so had itchy feet, but this year I’m quite content. I’ve bean an alien Yorkshire man in the suburbia of Surrey now for 8 months or so, and I’m feeling at home in this land of comparative affluence and generally crappy flat beer, not that I’m as rich as others around here, but you get my drift. I’m out for a curry tonight with Paul and Tina, then maybe back to my place for drinks.

Easter is a time for reflection for many, so I’ll bugger off now and have a good reflect on how fortunate I am.

Killing time online - Snackspot.org.uk: Premier snack reviews portal for the UK

Snackspot.org.uk: Premier snack reviews portal for the UK

A great page to kill time and get fat off. Can be funny at times

Malt – Tasting two Glenmorangie bottlings

The bottles in question are 70 CL 10 and 15 year olds. I thought it would be a good idea to conduct a head to head tasting of these two when I got back from the pub tonight.

Glenmorangie 10yo

Nose, initially spirity, soon the bourbon maturation shines through. Time in the glass gives floral scents, with water added flowers and sweetness come out.

Palette: The whisky is rather smooth and creamy. Its rather light and probably more so than I’d normally drink but very tasty with those fruits emerging again. The vanilla from the bourbon cask is still around, but in good balance.

Finnish: not too long, but warming and almost refreshing.

Comments: a great afternoon dram I’d say, maybe pre dinner? Hmm, actually maybe this is self suggestion as I had a glenmorangie 10 last year in Bournemouth before dinner while on a little mini break.

Score 81%

Glenmorangie 15yo

This was matured in bourbon casks for 15 years then finished off for a time in chard fresh American oak barrels.

Nose: What’s this? It’s almost like a Bourbon at first, something like Makers Mark, but I got a good amount of nose prickle from this bottling. With water more sweetness emerges and the prickle goes away, it starts to smell spicy.

Palette: noticeably more full-bodied than the 10 year old, very sweet, maybe even chocolaty? With a bit of spice. It’s a little like a more robust highland say something like a very toned down Ben Nevis 10. I love the Ben Nevis 10, but for me I just don’t get in to this Glenmorangie.

Finnish: Long on bourbon and spices. It’s actually a nicer finish than the pallet.

Comments: for Christ’s sake, if I wanted a Bourbon I could have spent less and got something equally enjoyable in the short term, but this offers more the longer you leave it in the glass. It’s not something I’d rush out and buy again, but it made an interesting comparison with the 10 year old which I would say for me is the winner in this head to head. That said, I’d sooner have this one on a winters night by the fire. It will be interesting to find out what Davey W makes of it.

Score 78%

Nighty night!

Music - KT Tunstall Gig Review - SoundsXP

Tunstall Gig Review - SoundsXP: "KT"

They still have space available at her next London gig on May the 18th. I think I'll grab some and go. The album is also very good and is one of my faves of last year.

Technology - GPS

GPS orientation tool and accessible PDA for blind people - Trekker and Maestro now in one integrated package

I can’t wait to get my hands on this. We should have them at work soon. I love GPS on the BrailleNote PK so getting it in a smaller package with other functions should be interesting to say the least.

The GPS tour of Epsom goes on as I add new points of interest around the town, may just do a pub or two this evening in order to make sure the points I added last week still work on my new PK.

Music - Dream theater's Octavarium information

New Dream Theater album in June!!

According to this press release Dream Theater will release there 8th studio album Octavarium on June the 7th. I always look forward to new DT output and I’m sure this will be no exception.

Music - Starbreaker

just got the new Starbreaker cd through the door today. I'm spinning it now. very heavy and intense, it's like a combination of the TNT album Transistor and Euro metal. It has a very dark vibe, and Tony Harnell is singing amazingly. In fact I'd rather this than the last TNT album, and I'd rate it up with Westworld. Incidentally, John Macaluso is pounding the shit out the drums. Check out the bands official web page

I wasn't going to do it!! Honest guv

like anyone’s going to read this anyway? I can’t quite fathom why I should want to have a go at this insane ego trip pastime, but what the hell, everyone's doing it these days. Who cares any road. This is just my attempt at creating an online diary. I don’t know what \I’ll blog about, but I guess my profile should give you a good idea. I’m sure Clare’s quaking in her boots about now and worrying her Strawberry Blonde head about what I’m going to say about her. Well love, everything. Actually, if I did I don’t think my life would be worth living. So please excuse my galloping dyslexia and rambling style, but you’ll just have to put up with it. Oh and thanks to Dave Williams for the kick up the arse needed to get this little show off the ground.