It is quite likely that I’ll have different routes for getting to and coming from work, and as the seasons change move from some off road routes to more road based ones and back again.

Factors to weigh up:

• Total distance / Time taken
• Amount of Traffic
• Awkward or Dangerous junctions & other hazards
• Quality of surfaces Tarmac, gravel, dirt, mud, pot holes, water logging
• Legality of route, footpaths, farmers fields vs bridleways, cyclepaths, tracks and roads.
• Obstacles including fords, footbridges, stiles, gates, undergrowth.

View Map

A great traditional recipe, from Jamie's Italy, published in the Guardian, which is where I first found the recipe.

1 Chicken, jointed,
8 bay leaves, 2 sprigs rosemary,
3 cloves of garlic – 1 crushed, 2 sliced,
1/2 a bottle of Chianti,
6 Anchovy fillets
Handful of stoned green and black olives
2 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes.

Season chicken with salt & black pepper.
Add bay leaves, rosemary, crushed garlic & the wine.
Leave overnight to marinate.

Remove chicken, pat dry, dust with flour, then in oven proof dish brown the chicken all over and put aside.
Fry garlic till golden brown, add anchovies, olives & tomatoes (broken up), chicken & marinade. Bring to boil, cover and put in oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Skim off oil, stir, season, remove bay and rosemary, serve with salad or cannellini beans.

The Picasa Map is a really good way to show photos of a local area or holiday, done some of the ones we’ve taken around Christchurch. Turning on the Satellite view makes it easier to pick out features from the photos.

The My Maps feature of Google Maps makes it really easy to pick out feature and show routes, done a few of the local walks we take Henry on, Avon Valley Walk and Steamer Point Walk.


Even embed them in posts:

Liv is going to look after the tax free cash savings, and has set up a HSBC Cash ISA, of which £40 is allocated to Henry, with the intention of putting £10 a month in after April.

I’m going to look after the tax free share account, by allocating a portion of my share ISA to Henry, currently I’ve put in £62.39 which is from my Google Affiliates earnings, plus December’s £10. This has earned Henry a 0.6% share which currently consists of:

• 2 Cattles shares
• 6 Galliford Try shares
• 9 Highway Insurance shares
• 2 S & U shares
• 3 VP Group shares
• £13 cash

This does mean I’ll have to do a regular monthly valuation, to keep track of how Henry’s investments are doing.

Not decided on which CTF provider to use, or whether to go for Stakeholder or Cash versions.

Trapped Marble Puzzle

Unsettled baby

Trying to settle Henry this evening was like trying to solve the Trapped marble puzzle, you know there’s a solution to get the burp or fart out but just can’t quiet find it. It’s very gratifying when he eventually gets release and falls asleep peacefully. Unfortunately I have a feeling that unlike the marble puzzle the solution is never going to be the same twice.

Ingredients

• 10oz sliced parsnips
• 10oz cauliflower florets
• 12oz sliced carrots
• 1 sliced medium onion
• Finely chopped ginger root, 2 cloves of garlic & green chilli
• 1 1/2oz ground almonds
• 1 tbsp cumin, 2 tsp coriander, 1 tsp cinnamon & 1 tsp turmeric
• 300ml greek yogurt
• Coriander/Parsley to garnish

Fry onion until golden brown, stir in spices, then add garlic, ginger & chilli. Stir for 1 minute. Slowly stir in yoghurt, then almonds, cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in 300ml water & some salt, add vegetables, cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until veg almost done. Uncover and simmer for another 5 minutes, season and add coriander to serve.

Liv has repainted the spare room, with B&Q’s down to earth “Pale Yellow”, just what we wanted all along, I finished off by putting all the electric sockets back in, changing the window casement fittings and replaced the pesky ceiling rose.

Then it was just a case of taking _everything_ that was upstairs and finding a home for it downstairs, Liv did all the small stuff, I moved all the bigger items and ripped out all the old carpet and underlay. Also nearly forgot to wire in the extra light circuit for the kitchen downstairs, just wonder how long we will have those bare wires hanging out of the ceiling…