Duckspeak

Thanks for the memories

After a few weeks of experimenting with this blog, I'm now going to call it quits. It was fun while it lasted and I thank everyone for leaving so many lovely comments and "favouriting" many of my posts.

You can continue to keep up with my antics at kimbofo, and I'd be delighted if you "followed" me over there.

So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Tonight's view across the river

 

The landmarks, from left to right: Sea Container's House, OXO Tower, ITV building, London Eye and the National Theatre.

The scene of an 'international incident'

 

The things you stumble upon when you go for a lunch time ramble. I discovered this intriguing sign on the former site of the Barclay & Perkins Brewery (1781-1955), which is just behind the current Globe Theatre.

Apparently General Haynau, from Austria, was not a very popular chappy because he had a reputation for flogging women. When he toured the brewery on a trip to London in 1850 two drayman jumped off a cart and beat him up.

That it's commemorated on a street plaque 160 years after the fact suggests it must have been quite a beating!

There's more at the wikipedia entry.

Only in Scotland

 

From a menu picked up in Edinburgh recently...

What does fried pizza taste like, I wonder.

And what the hell is a wolfdog sausage?

A very special cross

 

It's hard to imagine that London was bombed so extensively during the Second World War. And yet, there are little reminders everywhere, such as this inlaid cross in the grounds of Christ Church in Southwark. Every time I walk past it, and read the little plaque nearby, I can feel the goosebumps erupt on my skin.

On 17th April 1941
Christchurch was set on fire
by enemy action and the
church cross fell in flames
on this spot.
These stones mark where
the grass was scorched
by the burning cross

A November sky

 

I fired off this picture at about 2.30pm today when I was taking a lunch-time stroll along the South Bank. I hadn't really paid attention to the sky until I saw it through the viewfinder of my BlackBerry. Suddenly, it took on a life of its own: a swathe of fast-moving grey clouds on a powder blue background. Little glimmers of sunlight were shining down, turning the surface of the river into a mirror and illuminating the buildings on the north side so that they glowed a pleasant and warming gold. Looking at this picture now you'd be forgiven for thinking I'd photographed a miniature model village.

Memories of Venice

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Prompted by the news that Venetians held a mock funeral for their city yesterday (because the population has dipped below 60,000), I decided to hunt out some of my Venice photographs. I've been to Venice twice -- for a few days in 2002 and a week in 2006 -- and it remains one of my favourite places on the planet.

These four photographs were snapped on that second trip (in which I came down with a rather nasty case of pneumonia). You can see my two Venice galleries on smugmug or check out some of my favourite piccies on my general blog.

A virtual trip to Bordeaux

I am in no way a wine buff, although I do know what I like when it comes to quaffing it (Sauvignon blanc, preferably from New Zealand), so I was a little nervous about attending a proper wine-tasting session last Tuesday evening. I imagined it would just be too snobby for the likes of me.

And yet, I thoroughly enjoyed the three-hour session at Blueberry, a lovely little restaurant/wine bar, in Chiswick. It was lead by a friendly, down-to-earth, French man, Anthony Auguin, who took us on a tour of the Bordeaux region. He told us a bit about the history of the area and its individual vineyards, how the wines are marketed and what makes a good vintage. But the best part was tasting the sumptuous red wines.

For each variety we were told to inspect the colour, the "legs" and the nose before tasting it. (It got increasingly humourous on our table of four, as we threw out random words to describe the smell. We know wines can throw out hints of vanilla, oak and berries, but VEGEMITE? And how about petrol, or old socks? Maybe you had to be there, but it was funny.)

Here's what we tasted:

1. Chateau La Hase, Bordeaux Superieur 2007
2. Chateau Gaubeau, Cotes de Castillon 2005
3. Chateau Petit Manou, Medoc, 2004
4. Chateau Haut Cabut, Premiere Cote de Blaye, 2006
5. Chateau Reserve Leoville Barton, St Julien 2004
6. Chateau Segur de Gabanac, St Estephe 2006
7. Chateau Larmande, St Emilion 1994
8. Chateau Gazin, Pomerol 1999

Afterwards, we were invited to finish the dregs, while we enjoyed a delicious three-course meal (I had salmon fishcakes as a starter, followed by lobster and chili tagliatelle, before indulging in a dessert I really didn't need: mango crème brûlée). 

The restaurant is planning on making these tastings a regular event (there's one in a few weeks involving wines from the Champagne region), so I may head back at some point. Next time I may just get a bit more serious, and take some tasting notes, because looking at the list above I could not tell you which wine was my favourite, which kind of defeats the purpose of attending a wine-tasting in the first place.

An expat's version of heaven

 

Remember that post about Jumbuck's pie shop? Well, I didn't tell you the best part. The shop also sells Australian sweets/lollies, including Cherry Ripes, Violet Crumbles, Caramello Koalas, Mint Patties and Summer Rolls. You name it, they had it. In fact, there were some lollies here that I hadn't seen since I was a kid, such as Chomp chocolate bars and White Knights. My eyes were nearly popping out of my head when I saw them all.

Sadly, because we were going to a gig, I couldn't stock up on "chonks", but I did buying a couple of smallish items that could fit in my handbag. Can you guess what I bought?

A good Aussie meat pie

 

Enroute to a gig at Bush Hall in Shepherd's Bush this evening, we took a detour to Jumbucks, a restaurant chain that specialises in Australian pies. Because I don't eat red meat I've never really missed the "national dish" but T tucked into one, with a side order of the most delicious chips ever: piping hot, golden and crunchy on the outside, and lovely and floury on the inside. They look pretty gorgeous in this picture, don't they? I'm feeling hungry just looking at them...

Autumn gold

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These photographs were taken in Central Park, New York, on election day in November last year.

Edinburgh Castle

 

We went to Edinburgh a few weekends ago and were blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather on the Saturday, which is when I snapped this photograph. I love how the castle just hunkers over the town, an unmissable landmark that gives Edinburgh its distinctive brooding character.

What is Duckspeak?

"There is a word in Newspeak" said Syme, "I don't know whether you know it: duckspeak, to quack like a duck. It is one of those interesting words that have two contradictory meanings. Applied to an opponent, it is abuse: applied to someone you agree with, it is praise."

George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four