Alan Williams's Blog, page 26

Neither Here Or There TWTW # 30

[image error]I’m writing this on Sunday afternoon, as by the time it goes live tomorrow morning I’ll be somewhere between here and Somerset on my way to a meeting with a client. A potential new client (although I do already know someone there, which is why I’m going). I have my fingers crossed that this might be some new work, but it means that if I don’t write this today, it might not get written at all tomorrow or anywhen else in the next week.

It’s been a fairly quiet week, which I’ve mostly spent wor...

That Wet Dog Smell TWTW # 29

[image error]It’s raining outside as I write this and my office smells of wet dog as it was raining when we went for our morning walk too. It’s still quite warm though, although thankfully not too humid.

I seem to be behind with a few things at the moment, this weekly post included.

[image error]I’ve been doing quite a bit of chutney making and pickling this week. Another batch of pickled gherkins have been added to the store cupboard (about 5 jars worth), and a gooseberry and red onion chutney. This latter mix made...

All According to Plan TWTW #28

 

[image error]So this week mostly went according to plan, no changes or last minute cancellations.

It was however a hot one, it looks like the hottest day ever was recorded for the UK and that the planet is sending us a warning of worse things to come if we don’t get our act together over climate change, reduce our emissions and prepare for the changes that we have already caused and are locked into our climate.

Weather patterns like those that we’ve seen this week could become a regular thing (at least...

Lemon Courgette, Pine Nuts & Feta Pasta

[image error]If you are starting to get a bit of a glut of courgettes, give this quick and easy pasta dish a try.

You’ll need (for 2 people):

200g of your favourite dried pasta shapes 1 regular sized courgette 1 packet of pine nuts (100g) 1 packet of feta cheese (200g) 1 medium / large unwaxed lemon Pepper to taste

The cooking of the pasta is the rate determining step in preparing this meal. Once you have prepped your other ingredients they only take about 5 minutes to cook, so get the pasta going first...

Another Strange Anniversary : TWTW # 27

Another week that was supposed to go one way ended up taking a different direction, strange how despite all the planning things don’t seem to be turning out the way they were envisaged. It’s left me wondering how the week ahead will pan out, which looks like being another one at the moment, but could potentially change.

Four years ago I said goodbye to my last full time, paid job. Although at the time I didn’t really know how things were going to pan out, I’ve been asked a few times if I reg...

My Ten (15) Favourite “Natural History” Books

I thought I’d sit and scribble out a list of my favourite Natural History books of all time. It wasn’t an easy task. I wanted to keep it to 10 books, but have ended up with 15, it could easily have been 20 or 30 and several of the authors I could easily of included second and third entries. I’m also sure there are many that I’ve missed, and memory plays tricks, but I remember all of these books fondly as “natural history” but one or two stretch this definition a little.

I recommend all of the...

Half Way Point – TWTW # 26

[image error]This last week turned out not as expected. Last Monday was going to be one of those days where I was going to be on the go all day – which generally isn’t a problem – and hope that everything will work out fine and there won’t be any hiccups that throw things out. However before the day had even gotten started I had a call to say that my first meeting of the day had been cancelled, then a few moments later another call to say that another meeting had been postponed. By the time I would have b...

Every Breath You Take – A User’s Guide to the Atmosphere by Mark Broomfield- Book Review

[image error]“Every Breath You Take – A Users Guide to the Atmosphere” by Mark Broomfield.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

If you haven’t heard about air quality over the last few months you’ve probably been
off-grid somewhere and your local air quality is probably quite good. However if you want to know more about the quality of what you’re breathing, what influences it and how poor air quality globally is responsible for over 7 million deaths a year, then this is the book for you.

It’s packed full of scient...

Site News & Downgrade Plans

It’s getting close to the time of year when I have to pay the subscription fees for this site. Due to the changes that WordPress have made in the last year this is now significantly more expensive than it was a year ago, and for me I’m not sure that this represents good value for money anymore. The cost would be well over £100, which is spare cash that I simply don’t have at the moment, so I have reluctantly decided to cancel my subscription.

Cancelling my current subscription is the only way...

The Insects Are Biting TWTW # 25

This week was the 11th year that I’ve had my current allotment. I was trying to find a photo or two of what it looked like when I took it on, however there seems to be a gap in my photo library around that point – I’m guessing that they’re still on whatever phone I had at the time, and are in our loft. I did however find this short video which was taken around the 26th July that year. Things have certainly changed since then.

As the year clicks past the half-way point, it’s been hot, the i...