Hot Spot

It is good to know that people can come up with the appropriate form of words for any eventuality. Take the alleged incident reported recently when a young Greek woman threw sambuca at a young man's sensitve region and then ignited it. His father reported that after a short stay in hospital his son was "in good spirits".

Back with the Sticklebacks

It has been a long time since my last post, due to a multitude of factors that are not particularly interesting. Of interest is the finding reported this week that sticklebacks are more intelligent than previously supposed. It is good to know that at least the piscine educational system seems to be working well - it must be all those schools.

Cocaine Help Line

I expect you can already see where this is going. I saw the advert in a newspaper and thought I would drop them a line. A second career in stand-up comedy fails to beckon.

Carbon Dating

I signed up to a carbon dating website. Met a real diamond.

End of Crinology?

Endocrinology is that part of medical science which is concerned with the ductless glands and their secretions. This blog is nothing if not educational, although I am not sure that one needs to be too concerned with secretions this early in the morning. Given this little nugget of information, does it not seem incongruous for the hospital's endocrinology department to be joined to the main hospital building by a long corridor? Are there more incongruities in the way our hospital departments are configured? I would love to know. Please feel free to leave comments - I would hate to think my profound insights are being secreted into the ether without touching humanity. Oh, a hard day ahead!

Wind farm in autumn

A lovely moment as I drove home towards the weekend early this evening. The theme music from "Hawaii Five O" was playing on the radio and the sails of the wind turbines moved slowly against a clear autumn sky. Difficult to explain how the moment contained a strange and gentle symmetry, a glimpse of harmony and order amidst the usual daily hustle and bustle.

One day I will wander with my basket through a wind orchard, picking up the windfalls and discarded breezes, the not quite good enough little gusts...I will bring them home and make jam that will drift above my toast for breakfast.

The Sauce of the Tartar Landlord

You never know what delights await you when you venture out of the city into the myriad villages that lie like buckshot spread across the Northamtonshire landscape. It was on one such Saturday lunchtime venture that we found ourselves in a village pub with a reputation for good food. But why so empty? Whither the slug who left its silvery trail on the carpet beneath our table? Whither the person(s) unknown who had first used the paper napkin placed carefully at one of our place settings?

The serving of tartar sauce that arrived with the fish (soggy batter, unskinned fish) seemed to bubble strangely. A lively dish indeed. When we complained at the end of the meal, the landlord was affronted. "It cannot be! They just opened a new large jar in the kitchen". He then proceeded to take one of our knives, dipped it into the sauce and tasted it - not once but twice. And declared the sauce to be fine.

Now, I may be just a simple soul, but this behaviour seemed odd on two accounts. Firstly, you would normally graciously apologise that not everything was to sir and madam's liking (as I said, I am a simple soul without pretentions!) - not dispute the fact. Secondly, using a used knife seems a little lax on the hygiene front - and who is to say that he did not use that same dish of sauce for the next unwitting diners?! The sauce of the man, and he with gastronomic pretentions!