Author Archives: james

Swimming, 20th January 2022

Posted on January 20, 2022 by james

Well, today was a complete disaster. I was pushing as hard as I could, but over 50m I was about three seconds off the pace. I wonder if yesterday’s poor performance wasn’t all about the beer and perhaps I’m actually … Continue reading →

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First attempt at smoked salmon

Posted on January 19, 2022 by james

My wife found some salmon on offer a couple of days back because it was approaching its “expiry” date, so she bought an extra packet for me to try smoking. It’s actually a 500g fillet sliced into four. Not ideal, … Continue reading →

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Swimming, 19th January 2022

Posted on January 19, 2022 by james

I didn’t get to swim on Sunday because bookings were closed down due to the pool boilers failing, and then on Monday I was helping out at a school swimming gala so didn’t have time to swim either, which meant … Continue reading →

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Smoke #3

Posted on January 16, 2022 by james

Today I thought I’d try apple-smoking some halloumi, together with a few more smallish pieces of cheddar. I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out, to be honest. I patted the cheese dry before cutting it into smaller blocks … Continue reading →

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Swimming, 16th January 2022

Posted on January 16, 2022 by james

Or not, in fact. When I went to the website to book today’s session I was told that there was a waiting list for the fast lane, which is quite unusual given that if I’ve ever seen the lane more … Continue reading →

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Swimming, 13th January 2022

Posted on January 13, 2022 by james

I’ve commented before on how some days you feel that it’s going to be a good session and get out of the pool feeling as though you’ve failed to perform whereas others you’re really not into it but things turn … Continue reading →

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BBKA Module exam bemusement

Posted on January 12, 2022 by james

A few years after I’d started keeping bees I took the first of the BBKA’s exam modules (Module 1 – Honey Bee Management). It felt quite a struggle at the time as circumstances meant that two of us had to … Continue reading →

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Swimming, 12th January 2022

Posted on January 12, 2022 by james

Very quiet in the pool today. I was the only person booked into the fast lane. It’s always pleasant when there are no more than two swimmers in the lane, as we can take a lane line each rather than … Continue reading →

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A month of playing piano

Posted on January 10, 2022 by james

Where has the time gone? I’ve mostly kept up with the practice, managing at least an hour almost every evening (I think I’ve missed two). I’m still feeling positive about my progress though I’m certainly not as far forward as … Continue reading →

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Swimming, 10th January 2022

Posted on January 10, 2022 by james

Good news! The pool was open again today. Although they weren’t sure it would be at first. Not so good news: apparently one of the heating boilers has died and the other failed yesterday, though fortunately only because of consumable … Continue reading →

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