Whisky - Caol Ila NAS Cask Strength 55%

This islay malt whisky does not have any age statement and is an official bottling around 55% ALC. I understand that it is around 10 years old.

Nose: wet char wood and smoked fish, at full strength sharp. Water brings tar and the soot I expect from this distillery. An leafy thing I don’t like.

Pallet: instant smoke and rubber bands. Not at all sweet and because of this I get hot curry spices. With water the whisky becomes more drinkable and the pallet is reflected by the nose description.

Finnish: long bitter and rubber. Smoke stays around for ever without massive peat

Comment: a little like Ardbeg without the depth and sweetness I would expect in the Ardi 10. I just don’t get on with this probably because of the fudge notes I love in the Ardbeg. This is good whisky but does not hit the spot for me. This probably should have a higher score, and I will give my system a makeover in the new-year scoring on various aspects of the whisky in a more organised way. So similar to what I like but then rushes off in a way I can not describe. Good but doesn’t hold my interest.

Score: 76

General - In Memory of Gemma

The parents of Gemma Adams have setup a charity fund in there daughters memory to benefit Ipswich Children's Hospice. Gemma was one of the five girls to be killed in Ipswich recently by an evil serial killer who targeted some of the most defenceless women in society. To think of others at a time such as Christmas is what we try to do, but for the parents of Gemma to use the name of there daughter to rays funds for the hospice is a selfless action at a time of grief for them. Surely a better thing to spend a few quid on than those last few Christmas cards?

http://www.justgiving.com/gemmasgift

‘Her father, Brian Adams, said: “This has been such a shattering experience for us
that we are determined something good, somehow or other, has got to come out of it.
“We know the devastation and upset we've felt over the past few weeks has been felt
by everybody who knows us, and also lots of people who don't know us. Virtually everybody connected with Ipswich has been affected by it in some way.
“We just feel that something good can come out of this, which will give pleasure and relief to families and children who are in a desperate situation at the hospice.
“We know what Gemma's character and personality was before she got involved in drugs and we know she would support this whole-heartedly - and be proud to put her name to it.”

http://www.eadt.co.uk/content/eadt/news/story.aspx?brand=EADOnline&category=Murders&tBrand=EADOnline&tCategory=murders&itemid=IPED22%20Dec%202006%2017%3A19%3A01%3A977

A second man was arrested for the killings last week and charged with the murders of all 5 women. He will appear in Ipswich Crown Court Today.

General - This Life 10 and TV over Christmas

Why o why are the schedulers at the BBC not putting the good stuff on over the Christmas period. The (Royle Family in November and This Life 10 years on the day we all go back to work! Barking, when I was a kid all the specials were on over the festive period.

This life returns for a one off special in January. The above article is a good read but with a spoiler or two.

“The lovely thing about This Life was that they built a household that was a cross-section of the country,” Lincoln explains. “Egg’s middle-class Manchester, Warren’s from Wales, Anna is Scottish,
# Milly’s from London, and then you have estuary England Miles. It threw these people together who would otherwise never have met. But that’s what life’s about: you stumble into people and suddenly realise that you are lovers or best friends.” For all the
similarities, what Friends
# never had was realistic sex, swearing and drugs. The series, as Dhiri succinctly
puts it, “Spoke and behaved like people speak and behave.”

Irish Whiskey - Redbreast 12YO 40%

I first tried Redbreast in a whisky shop in Dublin. It is a single aged pure pot still whiskey. a style only produced by the Irish as far as I’m aware using both malted and unmalted barley rather than just malt. It is not a blend and the only other available potstill whiskey in the same style to my knowledge is Green spot. This whisky is distilled 3 times and created at the Midleton distillery in Ireland.

Nose: bourbon with less vanillin and oak, piquant linseed? Beautifully sweet and spicy with a hint of sherry, give it time to open up. Mars Bars for some reason after 15 minutes or so.

Pallet: oily, rather thick for its strength. Ginger, orange peal and mouth coating fat and lush, full of flavour and interest. Smooth yet wild in its complexity with wheat coming.

Finnish: on bitter oranges and nutmeg spice. Lingering and a proper sipper.

Comment: How beautiful is this? The best Irish whiskey I’ve ever tasted and a style of its own. I’ll keep a bottle on for Christmases in the future. Brings back good memories and one to have on a cold day when the smoke from Islay or big sherry just doesn’t appeal.

Score: 89

General - Christmas Prep

Its been quiet for the last few days. The last minute scramble to procure Christmas gifts has finally come to a satisfactory conclusion considering Clare and I were not at all ready because of the move. To be honest Amazon’s generous shipping speeds and play.com made it relatively easy. Clare and I have finally put the last few touches on our new home together, its always a challenge when first moving in with somebody as we have both given up a lot for this but the process has been 99% painless with us rationalising possessions and buying a few bits and bobs we mutually wanted.

The Christmas tree went up last night and I spent the EVENING before out with my cousin Emma in the Dove and other fine pubs In Ipswich. she is coming over in a bit with her kid Holly so I’m looking forward to that as we really get on. I always enjoy a good fish and chip dinner before Christmas, just something we used to do as kids and when they come over we’ll break out the sherry mince pies and I’ll get some grub in from the chipshop.

Better go now and pick up the shite from the dogrun. More soon.

Technology - Royaltek RBT 2100 GPS First Look

All tests were carried out using Trekker version 3. I used the previous Royaltek receivers as benchmarks for this test. This Bluetooth GPS receiver has only just started shipping around the world and is based on the latest Serf Star III iteration.

In comparison to the 2010 it can announce the next intersection a little slower than before but its accuracy is slightly but usefully improved when you turn on to a new street. It will announce our new street a little quicker than the previous generation Serf Star III receivers.

I would qualify the above comment with testing done on a stretch of road in Ipswich on which both the 2010 and especially my 2001 would get confused between high buildings and short stretches between side roads on St Helen's Street. The 2001 would have Trekker tell me I was on Orchard Street when walking through a part of St Helens, so I expect this improvement in position to carry over to other situations. This receiver appears to pinpoint my location better in tall building or canyon situations and POI reporting appears to activate more or les at the exact spot you created the POI. The other two receivers often would announce the POI slightly sooner but not as accurately in my opinion This is still in no way perfect but improved slightly.

The satellite acquisition time has decreased slightly as the specs would suggest and the receiver often has more satellites but this is not always the case


The battery also lasts a little longer than the previous generation of receiver.

I would put most of the improvements in performance down to better and more mature firmware in the new receiver.
When reporting altitude the receivers offer different readings. The 2100 will normally offer a lower height reading than the 2010 or 2001, maybe they have improved this area of the chipset as the first Serf Star III chips had problems in this area?

In summery, were I a typical user of the 2001 and 2010 in normal situations I would not upgrade. I am though an admitted accuracy freak so for me it would be a purchase worth making and a useful upgrade though the difference in quality is not as much as was the previous generation upgrade between the serf star II and Serf Star III chips. This is once again improving GPS technology but I should reiterate that upgrading your receiver should you already have one based on a Serf Star III chip won't bring massive improvements in performance but useful refinement to the technology can be expected.

General - Have they Captured the Ipswich Killer?

According to the story linked above it looks like they may have finally captured the Suffolk killer. Thank goodness for this. I hope they cut off his balls before slowly killing him. This man for it was a male arrested if found guilty should never be let out of her majesties custody again as long as he should live. I truly hope this is the evil maniac and we can all get back to normal in this quiet town.

General - a Pud for a Winters Night

try baked spuds with butter cheese beans and colslaw before this for a belly bustin tea.

My fave pud with stacks of custard.

Apple sponge. – Sheila Roberts

Spunge Topping

4OZ self raising flower
2 OZ caster Sugar(though any will do)
2OZ butter or marge
1 Large egg beaten with two large tablespoons of milk
fruit of your choice cooked but not overly.

Method

1: Take apples and place in a dish with an egg cup of water and a little butter.

2: microwave on high power for aprox 5 mins then stir.

3: Beat butter and sugar to a cream in warm bason.

4: Stir in flower and beaten egg mixture alternatively a little at a time and mix thoroughly. (Mixture should be soft.)

5 Take a pie dish and butter it.

6: Fill with cooked apples 3 quarters

7: Spread sponge mixture on top of apple in pie dish.

8: Bake in moderate oven 350 to 370 F for 40 mins

Adapted from the B-ro cookery book 1930s.

General - Plans and End of the Line for GNER

Clare and I are travelling up to Doncaster to spend a few days with my family before Christmas. We have Steve B coming over next week and then Christmas with her parents. I’m on the train at the moment taking advantage of the GNER free WIFI.

Poor GNER appear to have lost the contract to run these trains according to reports.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6182027.stm?ls

Whisky - macallan 10 year old 40% Sherry Casked version

This 10 year old macallan is the sherried original version found in the UK for many years and not the new fine oak range. It was purchased last year as a Christmas pressey, thanks Dave.

Nose: raisin markers so typical of full sherry maturation, spicy fruit cake but with an edge of young spirit behind. Treacle and orange peal.

Pallet: struck matches and citrus skins. Almost meaty and organic? Sweet. Not as rich as the nose would suggest.

Finnish: drying and a little harsh, shows its youth.. A little short but pleasant.

Comments: Not bad at all. a good young sherry matured dram, lacks the balance of something like an Aberlour or Glenfarclas that has a proportion of bourbon casked whisky in the vatting.

Technology - New Build of Trekker & Maestro for download

This from the Trekker email list posted by Lucia Gomez the product manager.Hi all,
We have prepared a new version for Maestro 2.02 and Trekker 3.0 in order to fix
issues related to the Dell X51 platform, the Map Manager and Trekker. The
version will be available for download in our Web Site on Monday December 11th.
The Trekker version 3.0 and Maestro 2.02, build 5085, replaces the build 5074.
Fixes and improvements in the Build 5085
Dell X51 platform
• Improvement of the Wakeup process on the Dell Axim X51 platform
• The delay to power ON the Dell X51 PDA has been reduced to 1 second.
This is comparable with the Dell X50 performance.
Maestro 2.02
• Media Player: Support for MP3 files extension capitalization.
Trekker 3.0
• The Royaltek RBT-2100 receiver is now supported
• The system will allow installing future GPS receivers through an
independent executable.
• Localization to other languages: corrections to allow the localization
of the new Trekker core.
Trekker Map Manager
• Storage cards larger than 2 GB are now supported
• Trekker Map Manager does not inadvertently create anymore a "Trekker"
directory on the storage card when two cards (a CF and a SD) are present.
• External P.O.Is file can now have a .csv extension in both upper and
lower cases.
Installation
There are two different installations: one for the iPAQ 4150 and Dell X50 and
another for the Dell X51. The content of the versions are the same in both
installations, please ensure to select the proper installation compatible with
your platform and to follow up the On screen procedure also described in the
Companion CD Read Me file.

To download the appropriate Trekker or Maestro version please refer to the
Download section of our Web Site through the following link:
http://www.humanware.ca/web/en/Download-Trekker-Maestro.asp

General - Sad time in a Quiet Town

This has even made the national newspapers. A serial killer in Ipswich?!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/6169335.stm

‘"Until someone is caught, there will be fear," says Kelly Read
Since it emerged over the weekend that a third prostitute had been murdered in Ipswich,
talk has been of little else in the offices and shops across the town.
Kelly Read, 27, told BBC News that she and her female colleagues have been devising
ways to make themselves feel safer.
One idea was to ask the men to work the later shifts which finish at 8pm, and another
was to press bosses for discounted rape alarms. They had also vowed among themselves
not to go home alone, she added.
"We are arranging to go out in town at the weekend but some have already said they
would not come because they are too frightened.
"Until someone is caught, there will be fear," she said.
For Tracey Jolly, 23, who lives in Bury but comes into Ipswich at the weekend, walking
in the town centre late at night is out of the question.
On New Year's Eve, she will join friends in an Ipswich pub but the usual kebab and
walk through town at the end of the night has been swapped for a taxi to pick them
up at the door and take them home.
"Before this happened, I would never have thought about my safety. You always thought
it won't happen in Ipswich."’

General - Co-Op Real Braille

WebPages around the net such as
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_2108640.html
have been making a fuss about a German beer which has at last placed a Braille label on the
bottle. Just for the record, the Co-Op in the UK have long ladled spirits and beers with Braille including the ales strength, name, and bottle size. Co-Op Strong Ale, actually Lancashire Brown brewed by Thwaits, Bumblebee Ale a honey infused beer from Free miner Brewery in the forest of Dean and Co-Ops Organic Premium Ale which is really Golden Promise from Caledonian Brewery in Edinborough all have Braille labels and taste smashing.

Co-Op whisky, Gin and some wines ETC also have Braille labelling plus many of the other own brand goods. so if you want to support Braille on your food drink and binbags in the UK find your local Co-Op store and give them a try.

Guidedogs - Cab Drivers

Two stories about cab drivers and guide dogs below. Poor bugger picked the wrong person by giving Jane hassle. As for the second story, this should send out a message to all drivers that they must allow guide dogs unless they have a legitimate medical problem or documented fear of the animals.

‘A senior Muslim scholar has said minicab driver Abdul Rushed Majekodunmi who refused
to allow a guide dog in his car because it would breach Islamic law was “ill-informed”
about Islam.
Last month Majekodunmi was fined £200 and told to pay £1,200 costs under the Disability
Discrimination Act for refusing to carry out the booking. He picked up Jane Vernon,
a legal officer at the RNIB, in west London. She later said the incident in October
2005 made her feel like “a second-class citizen”.’

http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=2710


The gentleman in cardif lost his licance which is fantastic. I hope this sends out a messege to cab drivers and other servie providers including restaurants everyware.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_east/6137496.stm

Technology - Final Window-Eyes 6 now Downloadable

'We continue to innovate the latest screen reading technology,? said Doug Geoffray,
VP of Product Development and Support. Window-Eyes has raised the bar yet again,
and now provides better support for the Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, over any other screen reader in the world.?

Window-Eyes was the first screen reader to offer support for Microsoft Office 2007
when the first public beta of Window-Eyes 6.0 was released. When we released the
public beta, it unleashed a whole new array of technology that has never before been
seen in the screen reading industry,? said Geoffray. We released full support for
Internet Explorer 7, Mozilla Firefox 2, Office 2007, and the Outlook Calendar, among
other things. These are crucial applications for any blind person in an employment
situation, and Window-Eyes was the first to deliver them.?

GW Micro has proclaimed for years that its Window-Eyes software is the most stable
screen reading software on the market, which is why it always enters a public beta
cycle before the full release of a new version. ?Our philosophy has always been
that if your screen reader causes your computer to crash, it's not just an inconvenience, it's unacceptable. For this reason, we always have a public beta, unlike some of our competitors,? said Geoffray. While the public beta cycle delays the final release of Window-Eyes, it is more important to us to have a quality product than to put out software that doesn't work correctly, which causes large problems for blind consumers.?'

Whisky - from Pakistan to Thetford

The Guardian has a story about the only Muslim distillery in Pakistan and its new 21 year old malt.

‘Legally, only Pakistan's non-Muslim minority, 5 percent of its 150 million people,
can get a permit that allows them to buy liquor for home consumption.
But alcohol is available to Muslims in secret black-market sales with a significant
markup. This can be risky business, because drinking alcohol is punishable by caning
and three years in jail.
The Murree Brewer is a legacy of British colonial rule, set up in 1860 in the hill
station of Murree to provide beer for the British troops…

Experts say the result is a light spirit the color of old gold, with a balanced,
pleasant taste and fragrant, oaky aroma.’

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6261698,00.html


Much closer to my home in fact rather clowse is the new Norfolk distillery near Thetford.

‘Work on St George's Distillery at Roudham, near Thetford, only started in April,
but the building is already producing three barrels of spirits a day, which will
be ready for tasting in 2009.
Andrew Nelstrop, the managing director, said he was confident that the facility's
shop, café, tasting area and conference room will be ready for its first visitors
by the end of June.
He added that there had been "huge" interest from whisky enthusiasts and buyers in
the family-run business, which is said to be England's first registered whisky distillery.
The company, which is owned by Mr Nelstrop and his father James, and managed by master
distiller Iain Henderson, from Scotland, barrelled its first spirit last month, which
will mature and officially become whisky on November 27, 2009.
Mr Nelstrop added that early reviews of Norfolk Whisky Co's raw product, which uses
locally grown barley and water from the Breckland aquifer was "beyond all expectations".
"We have had a lot of interest from people wanting to buy our whisky and we could
have sold our first year's produce already," he said.’

http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx? brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=EDPOnline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED05%20Dec%202006%2019%3A23%3A08%3A873

General - Moving III my New Home

The highlights of my last weekend in Epsom included a meal with 15 or so friends in the riser at which I only had 3 pints for some reason, a ride in my friend Simons Lotus across the famous grassland of Epsom and another drink on the Sunday evening with more friends.

As evidenced by the link above I am now moved In to Ipswich and the removal company were fantastic. My parents have been over for the last few days helping Clare and I unbox and set up our new home together. We have done a surprisingly large amount the main thing to do now is hang together the spaghetti junction that is my stereo and generally arrange the kitchen as most of the boxes have been unpacked.

I had two and a half smashing years in Epsom and met some lovely people along the way but its time to start a new now and the process of making friends in a new town starts all over again. I am happy!
More soon.

General - english Smoking Ban from July 1st

Smoking in public enclosed places will be banned in England from July 1st 2007 and not a minute to soon for me. I understand this could have an negative affect on backstreet pubs and this is rather sad but my biggest concern is for private members clubs like the working mens clubs in the north. Will this spell the end for club land? People choose to drink and work in these places and I am a little disappointed that we are being regulated to the extent that a groupe of like minded individuals can’t go for a night out in the club and do as we have done for hundreds of years in this country Clubs are just that, members places in which one elects to become a member and participate, if you don’t like it then don’t join. Anyway info on the ban at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6196910.stm
Smokers reaction at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4714410.stm

Wisky - Glenlivet 15YO French Oak Finnish 40%

This 15 year old was finished off in French Limousin oak casks after its first period of maturation in bourbon barrels. The French casks are normally used to age cognacs and wines.

Nose: Pineapple chunks Christmas spices with an interesting wood note. Lovely Eucalyptus maybe?

Pallet: oakey but not drying, all kinds of ripe fruits and honey, toasted coconut.

Finnish: A little bitter at the end but lingering and very nice indeed.

Comment: Much better than I had expected as finishes normally aren’t my thing. This can be had at half price in Tesco so grab, grab, grab, a wonderful Christmas whisky for any time. I actually rate this around the mid 80s.

Score: 84

Whisky - Malt Maniacs Awards 2006

The Maltmaniacs awards are now just online at the new webcite ww.maltmaniacs.org

I won’t be buying much from the list this year apart from more of the sherried rich Glenfarclas 15 that was a silver winner and maybe an Ardbeg. The Laphroaig versions appear to have dropped a little in quality so I’m glad I stocked up on cask Strength last year when it was on top form and at a cut down price. =

Beer - ANOTHER Royle in Ipswich - my arse

Now, I’ve mentioned how good the Dove Street In www.dovestreetinn.co.uk is before and that I’ll live near it in Ipswich. I’m kicking myself for not being around on Wednesday evening. This from Clares dads paper.

TV and film star Ricky Tomlinson - well known as couch potato Jim Royle and football
manager Mike Bassett - last night pulled up a bar stool at The Dove Street Inn, in
Ipswich.

Hot on the heels of producing his new Christmas song "My Arse" which is tipped to
be battling the X-factor song for the coveted seasonal number one slot he appeared
at the pub as a prize for the popular real ale pub winning the Cask Ale Pub of the
year 2006.

Dressed in trademark holey vest and jeans he regailed regulars with jokes and anecdotes
from his career, including the fact the he knows former Ipswich Town manager Joe
Royle, claiming he is a distant relation to the Royle family.

After around half an hour of stand up comedy and a question and answer session with
the audience he then happily mingled with drinkers, posing for pictures and signing
autographs.

One drinker said: “Jim Royle in Ipswich, how cool is that? Fingers crossed The Dove
keeps it up so he brings the family next time.”
The Dove, previously an Evening Star pub of the year winner, unanimously won the
judges votes for the Cask Ale Pub of the year 2006, organised by Greene King breweries
and The Publican magazine…

He said: “I love coming to places like this. It's a normal local where people come
every night. It's got a lovely friendly atmosphere.'A mild beer drinker by tradition, the Liverpudlian \revealed he even brings a store
of the drink down south with him to avoid drinking champagne at corporate events.’