2012, Summer, Drove to Italy with Ryan. Visited Pisa, Grosseto di Marine, Osteo, Rome, Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi. :)

I've become a volleyball coach and am in the process of helping a number of people do certain aspects of volleyball that they feel they are unable to do,

Did a day-long Sports First-Aid course at St Johns Ambulance. I'm now First-Aid, CPR/AED certified for three years. :)

...as opposed to a dead one.

I am about to be part of the new Tonbridge volleyball team for Kent "Foundation" League. This is basically a beginners' team to get match experience.

22 November 2010 Volleyball Tonbridge (us) versus Bexleyheath (them) away at their place. They won three games to two but each game was won by the narrowest of margins!

So far Helen, Sue, Suzy and Simon are keen to make it a party! :) Following Helen and Sue's suggestions I'm buying tickets to see Don Giovanni on Sat 13 November at The Coliseum.

Saw the opera this evening. Brilliant.

1. Made a new friend, Shelley, yesterday, 24 August 2010. We'd met very briefly at a pub with a group of friends last Friday. We had a lovely evening talking about all kinds of things. :)

2. Made a new friend, elodie, today. I've met her fleetingly three times before but today we had a good talk in Tunbridge Wells.

3. Made a new friend, Giada, on Tuesday 7th September. She is a comedienne and a photographer from Sicily. She took the photos for my DZP goal 8. She is easy to get along with and competent at her work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6j1UOjslgc


4. Made a new friend Simone from Germany. She visited me (with Annegret) one weekend in September and we roamed London looing at the sights (and spotting the pope):)

5. Met Philippa at the Spanish Restaurant La Farola in East Grinstead on 15 October 2010.

19 October 2010, Kashtoori, Tooting. (Recommended by Stephen Dillane)

25 October 2010, Masala Zone, Covent Garden. Tried on the spur of the moment with Philippa.

19 November 2010, Sofra, Covent Garden. Went there with Sue, Helen and Simon. Very diverse selection of small dishes. To be recommended!

26 September 2010 National Maritime Museum, Greenwich visited.
26 September 2010 Royal Observatory Museum, Greenwich visited.
19 October 2010 Sir John Soane's Museum, London visited.
24 October 2010 Natural History Museum
24 October 2010 Natural Portrait Gallery
25 October 2010 British Museum
19 November 2010 The National Gallery

Went to Torrianos on Tuesday 21st September 2010 - saw Paco Erhard,Robert White, Wayne Deakin, Alex Maple, Samuel D Joker, Henry Ginsberg, Sophie Buchan, Gwilum Argos, Rhalou Allerhand, Joe Kingston and Rob Callaghan but failed to take my camera for my goal 38 so I'll be going to more!!

Mustang Sally
Guess you better slow that Mustang down

Mustang Sally, now baby
Guess you better slow that Mustang down

You’ve been running all over town
Ooh, I guess you gotta put your flat feet on the ground

Sing it, too long time, girls
All you wanna do is ride around Sally (ride, Sally, ride)
All you wanna do is ride around Sally (ride, Sally, ride)
All you wanna do is ride around Sally (ride, Sally, ride)
All you wanna do is ride around Sally (ride, Sally, ride), tell you
One of these early mornings
I’m gonna be wiping those weeping eyes, yeah, alright

I bought you a brand new Mustang (ride)
It was a nineteen sixty five
Now you come around, big fine woman
Girl, you won’t, you won’t let me ride

Mustang Sally, now baby (Sally, now baby)
Guess you better slow that Mustang down (down), alright

You’ve been running all over town
Oh, I guess you gotta put your flat feet on the ground

Oh yeah, baby, you gotta put your flat feet

All you wanna do is ride around Sally (ride, Sally, ride)
All you wanna do is ride around Sally (ride, Sally, ride)
All you wanna do is ride around Sally (ride, Sally, ride), ah yeah
All you wanna do is ride around Sally (ride, Sally, ride)

One of these early mornings
I’m gonna be wiping those weeping eyes, yeah
Oh yeah, baby, come on, boys

Those weeping eyes, oh yeah, babe (Sally)
Those weeping eyes (Sally), yeah hey, yeah
Those weeping eyes (Sally), yeah yeah (Sally)
Oh, those weeping eyes (Sally)
Those weeping eyes (Sally), those weeping eyes (Sally)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, hey yeah

12 September 2010 Hyde Park visited.
26 September 2010 Greenwich Park visited.

Further candidates...
Kensington Gardens,
Richmond Park,
Regents Park,

Here it is...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=196501&id=691235661&saved#!/album.php?aid=196501&id=691235661

?6.31

What a fiddly process though. Had to count it all out into little plastic bags. Why don't HSBC banks have machines that identify and count coins. I've used them at other banks. Completely useless! Anyway this task is now well and truly done. Even the ?6 cost me half an hour of pfaffing around at the bank.

Tescos is NOT the place to look for never-tried-before food. Nor is a farm shop. As a long standing vegetarian I must surely have tried every bit of fruit and veg normally available. I think my biggest chance is with seafood.

Ok while doing goal 8 I bought a Chow-chow and a Yam. Neither of which I have ever tried before!

Today I tries Chakalaka at a party. Chakalaka is a spicy African vegetable relish traditionally served with bread, pap, samp, stews or curries. To balance its fiery flavour, it is sometimes served with amasi (thick sour milk). Chakalaka is said to have originated in the townships of Johannesburg.

Simon knows Giada Garofalo, just such a photographer, so why not? :) I now have an appointment with Giada on 7 September :)))

All went well. I don't think I'm a natural model, but with Giada's help we managed to get a few photos of me not looking too stupid. :)

I've stared to write my recipe book in Word. I've designed it as an A5 sized book with the instructions etc. on the left and pictures on the right. The featured recipes will be those we use regularly so that the kids can reproduce them when they are older.

I need an omlette pan for this I feel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/restaurant/cooking/recipes_raymond10.shtml

Ok pan purchased and first attempt made. I think I didn't stir/agitate it quickly enough after the initial pause because I was forced to leave it on too long to ensure the top started thickening and by then the outside was done a tad too much.

Tried it again this evening. This time much less heat and I made sure I didn't delay too much before forking the just-cooked edges into the middle. It tasted much, much better than my first attempt. It also looked much nearer Raymond's omelette. I still think there is room for improvement, maybe leaving it in just a tiny bit longer to make it slighty less goey - but the goeyness must be kept to soem extent. I think this can be refined with time. I've ticked this goal as achieved because I would have been happy to serve the omelette to a guest.

August 2010 - Omelette du fromage.
September 2010 -
October 2010 Portugese Tarts

August 2010 - Omelette du fromage. - http://www.bbc.co.uk/restaurant/cooking/recipes_raymond10.shtml

I started with one small step. I chucked out my favourite rugby shirt that was so tatterred and full of holes that it made me look a like a tramp. I feel that a part of me has been trashed too.

This should at least make it easier to ditch the rest of my old wardrobe.

9/9/2010 Ditched some dodgy looking shorts that my ex bought me (made me look like a grandpa on a Devon beach).

I smoked a trout and made some pate. This I gave to Shelley yesterday evening. Some where there is a photo of the handover for the record.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
For the trout pate
• 1 Trout, approx. 2lb in weight
• 450g soft cheese spread
• Finely chopped parsley
• The juice of half a fresh lemon
• Crusty bread
Method: How to make smoked trout patewith crusty bread
1. Smoke trout in a smoker with Oak Dust for approx 35 minutes. When done, fillet the trout and flake it using a fork. Fold the flakes into the Philadelphia, adding a handful of fine chopped parsley, the lemon juice, and some fresh ground pepper. Fold together until nice even texture. Place into mould and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Serve with crusty bread.

Ok, from the BBC website: Creme Brulee

Ingredients: 500ml/18fl oz double cream, 1 vanilla pod, 100g/4oz caster sugar (plus extra for the topping), 6 free-range egg yolks.

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2. Pour the cream into a saucepan. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds into the cream. Chop the empty pod into small pieces, and add them to the cream. Bring the cream to boiling point, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for five minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat the sugar and egg yolks together in a large heatproof bowl until pale and fluffy. Bring the cream back to boiling point. Pour it over the egg mixture, whisking continuously until thickened - this indicates that the eggs have begun to cook slightly. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large jug, and then use this to fill six ramekins to about two-thirds full. Place the ramekins into a large roasting tray and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up their outsides. (This is called a bain-marie.) Place the bain-marie onto the centre shelf of the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the custards are just set but still a bit wobbly in the middle. Remove the ramekins from the water and set aside to cool to room temperature. Chill until needed. When ready to serve, sprinkle one level teaspoon of caster sugar evenly over the surface of each creme brulee, then caramelise with a chefs' blow-torch. Set aside to cool for a couple of minutes, then serve.



Tasted really good, although I say so myself! :)

Jacqui was immediately inspired to make her own Day Zero List ( http://tinyurl.com/jc1966 ) and in doing so helped me achieve my very first Day Zero Project goal. Thanks Jacqui! xx

Ok, primary and secodary schools visited. One has changed name and both have changed appearence a bit but they did bring back plenty of memories.

A fellow Fool called Tom, quite apart from talking to me about wine for a couple of hours the other day, runs a wine tasting class in Sevenoaks. The next semester starts in September so I think I'll attend. We are also going to a trade wine tasting in London in September.

Apart from that I've a visit planned to Booker's vineyard with Sue in September and Steph is also up for a wine tasting somewhere! :)

14 September 2010; just returned from a trade wine tasting at The Oval in London hosted by Liberty Wines. Tried 157 different wines. A great overview. Thanks to Tom for helping me! :)

1. Hear the compliment
2. Register the compliment
3. Say "thank you" That's all there is too it!

Thanks Jacqui

I've started a kids' game book. The game of "Sneak-Up" has evolved over the years in my family and it will feature in my book.