Earthquakes And The Like

Well I didn't feel anything. It was probably some daytripping mutated mole from Dungeness throwing a wobbler.

Hollibobs

Next week Parkes and I go away to Spain and we are flying from the Kent International Airport at Manston. This prospect greatly excites me for a number of reasons. Firstly it is so close to home (maybe something like 3 miles away). King Keith will be giving us a lift to the airport and that will probably take all of 10 minutes. Brillo! Secondly I have always wanted to nose around in the terminal itself. I'll bet there is an unbelievable array of shops to take care of my tax-free needs. Will there be a single check-in desk and a hundred people queueing for hours? We'll see! Thirdly I can't wait to take off and soar over Thanet to see if we can spot any landmarks. The return flight will be even better as we might even see our house.

I know I sound easily pleased but it make me happy!

The Country of Thanet

Tired of being ruled by Westminster? I certainly am. Thanet was (once upon a time) an island and may well become one again in years to come due to global warming. Why don't we break away from English rule and establish ourselves as a brand new country?! We have everything we need for this to happen and it could become THE nation-state to live in;

1) We have a diverse and skilled population capable of sustaining every facet of Thanet life.

2) We have beautiful countryside and coastal areas which are the envy of many other parts of the UK.

3) Our economy could sustain itself with farming and tourism being at the forefront.

4) We have good transport links including an airport and ferry port.

5) We would need a currency. I propose the Thanet Poon. Alternatively we could sign up for the Euro.

5) Should we have a royal family? My mate Keith has offered to be King Keith I of Thanet. Alternatively we could be a republic.

6) Conscription could be introduced - it would help kids with nothing better to do get off the streets and give them a purpose and goal. Then we could invade Canterbury and Medway and possibly Dover.

7) We have plenty of possible sites available across Thanet where we could install Scud missile launchers. This is important factor for defending our realm.

While we work on these ideas I propose the formation of the Thanet Peoples' Front - an organisation which will work together to achieve the Thanet Utopian dream. Any takers?

Spent a lovely weekend with Parkes and my mother at her home in Buxton, Derbyshire. We ate lots of nice food and drank some lovely Chatsworth bottled beers. The three of us went walking on the Dark Peak on Saturday morning to get some fresh air and enjoy the views - the picture to the left captured some of the bleak feel from the Peak.

If you think you've got problems take a look at this shit!! Horse dung in a field in Derbyshire.

Weekend

This weekend Parkes and I will be visiting my mother in Buxton and on Sunday enjoying the sooonshine in Ramsgate. How marvellous!

Two Year Anniversary

Parkes reminded me this morning that tomorrow is the anniversary of our move to Nerja in Spain. It seems like an eternity ago but I can still remember the day very clearly. This Blog was set up shortly after our move to give our parents updates about how we were getting along and to show that we were in a state of good health (hadn't lost any appendages etc). Although we cut our Spanish adventure short and moved back to the UK in October 2005 we still have burning ambitions to have a residence abroad as continental cuisine, booze and culture is still of fascination.

We have managed to achieve a lot since we have been back in the UK; moved and bought a lovely house in Ramsgate, both found local jobs and become pregnant (well, Parkes has and I am technically). I have also developed an alarming amount of hair on my earlobes - this causing me discomfort as I can feel it tickling my ears when the breeze picks up. This might be related to the salty air on the seaside.

The lovely Gabriela from Rodrigo y Gabriela. They are Dublin-based Mexicans and are currently rocking the globe with their acoustic Hispanic sounds fused with rock, folk and jazz. It's completely mental - their livewire performances are getting them noticed by the mainstream. The self-titled CD is brilliant.

Broon Rice

Many people say to me "Stringles, we know you are hot in the kitchen but how do you manage to get your brown rice so delicious?" Well here goes and in future please stop asking me.

You require about two cups of water per cup of rice. Firstly rinse your rice well with cold water as many times as possible before it becomes too boring.

Next let the rice soak in a saucepan for about 30 minutes. Drain the rice and then place on the stove and put the heat on to medium. Stir the rice around the pot and toast it in this manner for a couple of minutes until it is fragrant - the grains are nearly dry and the hissing noises have stopped.

Next add the required water and a teaspoon of salt and fat. Bring to a boil and then cover tightly with a well-fitting lid and simmer on a very low heat for forty minutes (you must NOT lift the lid in this time). Turn the heat off and let it sit covered for another fifteen minutes for truly sensational rice.

I like to chuck lots of crap into my rice such as vegetable stock, garlic cloves, chilli peppers etc. Experiment like I do and dinnertime will never be the same again! Nor will your breath.

Eddie Gadd's Ship Of Fools weighing in at a whopping 6.6%. A very tasty ale but definitely a 'one pint only' beer. Nice picture of some fools in a ship to boot!

Dark Star serve it up again with the lovely Golden Ale. Very drinkable summer beer.

Isle of Thanet Yomp 2007: Update

Tally-ho yompers! The Yomp takes place 5 weeks tomorrow. I walked from Cliffsend to Minster (and back) last Saturday using a footpath that took me along hedgerows, across railway tracks and through farmers' fields. It was a lovely walk which was somewhat spoilt when the driver of a passing train made a rude gesture at me. Is this what ramblers have to put up with? The walk totaled ten miles and although I felt a little stiff at the climax I think I could have done quite a bit more.

There is a sponsor form for anyone wishing to sponsor the yompers on their quest. All of the proceeds will be going directly to Cancer Research UK and will be very gratefully received. Here is the link and thank you for helping.

http://www.justgiving.com/yomp07

Planet Thanet Uncut

For anyone wanting to see the uncut and sillier version of the Planet Thanet movie go to the following link; http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3584691616422836401&hl=en . Google Video allows bigger video uploads than YouTube but both films are still worth watching.

Beer Festival

We all had a great time at Planet Thanet 2007. Parkes worked on the beer token desk and enjoyed herself. My favourite tipples were Fuller's IPA, Old Bear's Hibernator, Cobbs, Dorset's Jurassic and Adnam's Broadside. Check out the Planet Thanet movie we made at the venue. Press play on the window on the left of the screen or double-click upon it to watch on YouTube. (I've had to edit it down to 10 minutes for submission to YouTube - the original film is fifteen minutes and is extra silly.)

Cavallino restaurant in Ramsgate after the recent fire. A shame really because we have been there a few times and enjoyed decent food. I reckon the owner had a good insurance policy.

Parkes and I had a lovely Thai meal in the Thai Orchid restaurant in Ramsgate on Maunday Thursday. I had a beautiful yellow chicken curry which was supposed to devilishly hot but was actually fairly mild. Which was nice.

Easter in Sevilla. Something about these costumes feels rather sinister to me. You'd also have to watch out for low bridges. And Jeff Bridges.

Ramsgate on a fine sunny Sunday. Lots of surf - plenty of seaweed and foam.

Springtime in Stamford. Plenty of blossom and what a beautiful color.

Stamford on a Saturday morning. Nice and bright and no pigs.

Pigs On Strings

Parkes and I had a lovely weekend. We spent Friday and Saturday night in Peterborough and Saturday daytime in the bonnie town of Stamford in Lincolnshire. Stamford is a very pretty market town and has been used for TV shows such as Middlemarch (which I have never seen before). Unfortunately I didn't spot anyone walking a pig on a piece of string.

On Saturday night Dad, Liz, Parkes and I visited Peterborough dog track to watch the greyhound racing. The stadium was absolutely rammed - even the hare had trouble getting out of the car park. This was followed by a curry in the Yeti restaurant in Peterborough which was lovely.

Sunday afternoon was spent sitting by Ramsgate harbour with Parkes and Keith. A few jars were sank celebrating the glorious sunshine.