Puglia Wine Tasting Dinner

Putney, London, England - Wednesday 25-May-2011

This meal was an opportunity to introduce our friends Tim and Sarah to the fine restaurant Enoteca Turi and get ourselves in the mood for our forthcoming trip to Puglia. As always, superb food and wine. This must be our 10th or 11th wine dinner there (plus a couple of "normal" meals).

To quote from the blurb "Peter McCombie, journalist, wine writer, consultant and one of the highest authorities on Italian wine, will explore the expression of these grapes [Primitivo, Negroamaro and Nero di Troia] in different styles, accompanied by a Puglian feast researched by Giuseppe and Head Chef Massimo"

These three varietals [Primitivo, Negroamaro and Nero di Troia] are local and endemic in Puglia but not so well known elsewhere - apart from the Primitivo which the Americans know as Zinfandel but, in my view, tastes so much better in the Italian version.

As well as being knowledgeable (as you would expect from an MW he had some sensible things to say about enjoying wine. So we did :-)



Stuzzichini
Apulian tastes
Negroamaro IGT 2008 Il Meridione
*
Selection of antipasti
Aubergine involtini with scamorza, burrata and Altamura bread bruschetta
Primitivo del Salento IGT 2008 Pietrafitta
*
Orecchiette con cacio ricotta, rucola e pomodoro
Orecchiette with cacio ricotta, rocket and fresh tomato sauce
Il Falcone DOC Riserva 2005 Rivera
*
Agnello arrosto con olive e patate, pecorino e pan grattato, zucchine alla poverella
Roast organic Rhug estate new season lamb with potato and olives,
courgette poverella and toasted breadcrumbs
Le Cruste nero di Troia IGT 2005 Alberto Longo
Maime Negroamaro IGT 2006 Tormaresca
*
Formaggi pugliese
A selection of artisan Apulian cheeses
ES Primitivo di Manduria 2008 Gianfranco Fino
*
Coffee with almond nougatine sticks

Thames Bridges Bike Ride 2011

London, England - Sunday 22-May-2011

Our fourth participation in the Thames Bridges Bike Ride in aid of The Stroke Association - 14 bridges and 33 miles.

We don't ask for sponsorship for every event to prevent donor-fatigue amongst our friends. Instead we sponsor each other for the suggested fund-raising target, that way we can support the charity and the charity can claim the tax relief. We save the begging emails for the big events.


Start at Southwark Park

Mary signed us up for the 8 o'clock start (!). Public transport is not really fully operational at that time on a Sunday so we set the alarm for 6 and cycled the 7.5 miles to the start point.


Start at Southwark Park

We were in the first batch across the start line and consequently amongst the early arrivals at the end point just beyond Hampton Court. We did the route in a riding time of 2:53 consequently we were all done by 11. Then it was a well deserved cup of tea with Jamaican jerk chicken with red beans and rice.


Finish at Hurst Park

Previously: Thames Bridges

Kenilworth Grammar School 1971 Reunion

Kenilworth, England - Saturday 21-May-2011

At the weekend I went to my third old School reunion (see previous *). It is 40 years since I left Kenilworth Grammar School. Respect to Dilys Shepherd for her untiring efforts in tracking people down and organising these events.

This one was held in The Virgins and Castle, one of many of ye olde pubs in Kenilworth. Driving up the main drag made me realise what a delightful town it was. Probably very "middle England" and still very unspoilt.


KGS Reunion 2011 - Virgins and Castle

Who was there? Alex Smith, Andrew Fox, Bill Nealon, Caroline Bostock, Deb Collett, Diana Gibson, Dilys, Kay Warmingham, Ken Harrop, Kevin Beckett, Liz Thomas, Louise Phillips, Mark McLellan, Mark Webster, Martin Haswell, Mary Cameron, Rick and Wendy Skelcey, Ross Beadle, Sue Kirk, Pete Old, Wendy Skinner, David Ashwell, Paul Pearce, Craig Horner, Chris Hills and Carol Mallorie

plus.... teachers: Malcolm Chambers, Norman Stevens, Fud Forsyth and Peter Muckersie


KGS Reunion 2011 - Mark Webster and Mark McLellan

As before there were people who I remembered vividly and others who I would never have picked out in a police line-up. Not that they have changed - the years, in general, have been kind to the assembled company - it was more that I simply didn't remember them despite having spent years in their company. No reflection on them more a sign of my poor memory :-(


KGS Reunion 2011 - Team Photo
In this photo: Andrew Fox, Paul Pearce, David Ashwell, Peter Old, Peter Muckersie, Craig Horner, Sue Kirk/Hope, William Nealon, Dilys Shepherd, Wendy Skinner, Kevin Beckett, Liz Thomas, Chris Hills, Richard Skelcey, Nigel Mykura, Sue Lamb/Mykura, Norman Stevenson, Deb Collett, Caroline Bostock/Drew, Shelby Louise Phillips, Alexandra Gunning, Mark Webster

Some people had not made it to the previous reunions so it was fascinating to hear about their lives since KGS. It was also good to get an update from those who had made previous events. There are some who Dilys has not been able to track down - whatever happened to Brian Burton or Clive Dodds - and some where the trail went cold or they never replied.

An enjoyable afternoon and I would love to spent longer chatting to some there if we could meet up again - like parties there are so many people you never get long enough to talk to everybody.

Here's to the next one!

My full set of photos on Facebook

Facebook page for Kenilworth Grammar School 1971

* Previous reunions:
Reunion 2001 photos
Reunion 2006 photos

Race for Life, Battersea Park 2011

London, England - 18-May-2011

Raising awareness and raising money for Cancer Research UK



A cause we both support - both our Mums had breast cancer and Mary's Dad had prostate cancer and all successfully treated. More research is always needed into causes and cures.


Mary at Race for Life, Battersea Park 2011

Mary ran, I sponsored. They sensibly divide the participants into runners, joggers and walkers. Because of her dodgy back Mary placed herself with the walkers but, given all her recent power walking, she was closer in speed to the joggers - 5K in 40mins. Pink is the colour!

Afterwards we went for a meal at the Lost Angel with our friend Andrea A for a very enjoyable meal. It describes itself as "bar, restaurant and boozer". I have cycled past many, many times on my commute but this was a first visit - very pleasantly surprised. I was expecting more of a "young persons meeting place" but it turned out to be a very pleasant gastro-pub.

Colavecchia Primitivo Bottling

Three years ago our neighbours introduced us to the Colavecchia Primitivo - excellent everyday drinking wine at a ludicrously cheap €1.10 per litre. We bottled that first batch using old bottles and recycled corks pushed in by hand. I decided that we should bottle using fresh corks and a bottling widget but it has taken a couple of years to get round to doing that.


Colavecchia Primitivo - Buying 10 litres

While we were out in Puglia this Easter we took our friends Tim and Sarah and Elizabeth over to the cantina armed with two 5 litre plastic demijohns and bought their *cough* top-of-the-range primitivo.


Colavecchia Primitivo - Inspecting the bottle (Photo by Elizabeth Buie)

Back at Trullo Azzurro I co-opted Tim to assist in the bottling process.


Colavecchia Primitivo - Using the corking machine (Photo by Elizabeth Buie)


Colavecchia Primitivo - One down, twelve to go (Photo by Elizabeth Buie)

Mind you I'm not sure we needed to bottle all 10 litres because we had drunk half of it by the time we went home. The rest will be awaiting us on our next visit.

Trullo Azzurro: beautifully restored trullo in delightful, secluded valley near Locorotondo, Puglia, Italy. Available to rent on a per week basis, sleeps 4-6. For more information visit http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/trulloazzurro

JJ Grey and Marcus Bonfanti at the O2 Academy Islington

London, England - 12-May-2011

Were it not for the joys of the interweb and the iPhone we would have missed this gig.

Some while back my friend Rosemary, who I met through the blogosphere, stayed with us and sent me a JJ Grey CD as a thank you. In return, for her birthday, we sent her a Marcus Bonfanti CD. We had come across Marcus as a support act when we went to see the legendary John Mayall.


Marcus Bonfanti

Rosemary had posted a link to the JJ Grey tour info on the Wednesday but after we had gone to bed. By chance I decided to check Facebook on the iPhone before I leapt out of bed and discovered that both these acts were on that very evening! Otherwise I might have cycled to work and Mary gone to her Italian conversation class.

As it was we had a rapid change of plans and went off to the O2 Academy, Islington for the gig.



JJ Grey and Mofro

Both acts were excellent - to quote Mary "Awesome!" What I was also impressed with was the venue itself. Very small, nay intimate, like a large pub room. That meant you could get right up close to the band, just feet away. It would be hard to imagine a greater contrast to the O2 Arena at the complete other end of the spectrum.

A great evening that really got us hankering to go back to New Orleans for the Jazz Fest. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Georgian Chiffonier

We have been looking for a stylish antique for the breakfast room for a couple of years now to replace the Homebase pine sideboard and a butchers block that had served as our work surfaces - well when I say "we"...

A regular Sunday activity has been a stroll to Criterion Auctions of London armed with tape measure to look for likely candidates. Many unsuitable items have vied for our bids but we resisted until the right one came along.

Rather than let this one slip away Mary went down on the Monday evening and bid in person. We got it for just under the guide price on the second bid, pipping an absentee bid and no in-room competition.


Georgian Chiffonier (with Peaches and Blue)

The next evening I went down in the car with the roof racks that have repaid their cost many times over and brought our trophy back.

Now it is the happy home for the kettle, cat food and serving dishes.

Sanding the floors and painting the hall

We are now in week six of a major redecoration with the end, at last, in sight.

SWMBO decided that the downstairs floors needed sanding. That means the living room, dining room, breakfast room and hallway - in other words the entire downstairs apart from the kitchen and shower room.


Boxes on the bed

So we had to clear the decks - everything had to be moved upstairs or to the garage - while they sanded. Dust everywhere!


Front hall - work in progress


Dining room - work in progress

Then Mary had her contract extended so we could afford to have the hall painted as well. However that is about a third of the house as it takes in the kitchen and breakfast room, stairs and upstairs landing. More sanding, more dust.


Hallway from the breakfast room

Thankfully the lads are nearly done and we have started to reassemble our life. The breakfast room is done; the living room is mostly reconstituted but we are waiting till the post-decoration spring-clean before unboxing the CD's. The dining room will be last when they clear out their equipment.

Then we will have to host some dinner parties to show off our wonder walls and shiny floors.

In praise of the 87 bus

London, England - 12-March-2011

We love the 87 bus; it leaves from just outside our house and goes all the way to Aldwych (Map of the route, PDF).

We use it regularly to get in to the West End on a Saturday, getting off at Charing Cross and walking up into Covent Garden and theatre-land. Even better we use the N87 to get home afterwards. Why spend £25 to get home in a black cab when you can snooze on the bus for £1.30.


Wandsworth - East Hill

I love to be in the front, right seat upstairs - it is the only place to be on a double-decker - from there you get the best views. From the 87 you get to see some of the great tourist sights of London.


Houses of Parliament


Big Ben

From Parliament Square you go up Whitehall, past the Cenotaph, Downing Street and the Horse guards on sentry duty in full ceremonial uniform.


Nelson's Column

Visitors to the UK spend a lot of money to get here and see these and we get them all for less than two of your English pounds. Result!

Commuting from Wandsworth Town

London, England - 28/30-March-2011

This is why I prefer to commute by bike when I can. Living in Zone 2 is great for getting home late at night but the commute to work in the morning is not as much fun.

The 07:40 is generally the last train you can be sure of getting on but not this Monday. From 07:47 onwards you are often have to let one or two trains go before you can squeeze on.


Wandsworth Town rail station 07:40 on 28-March-2011

The Thameside path is a different matter - no crowds here - and the river's ever changing moods. One day gray with the tide out, another day sunny and the tide is high (cue song).


Thameside path 07:40 on 30-March-2011

Maybe I should take a series of photos from the same spot to illustrate - no matter - the point is that it is quicker to cycle to work than take the train (seriously), cheaper than the gym (saves me money) and you are there in the moment - no slug-like dozing on the train but all senses alert for the traffic around you - that wakes you up for the day!

Edinburgh - Scotland vs Italy

Edinburgh, Scotland - 19/20-March-2011

We went up to Edinburgh for a short city break based around the six nations Scotland vs Italy match.

Flying up on Saturday morning we had no time to do anything but dump our bags at the hotel and head straight for Murrayfield for pint of Guinness.



The atmosphere at rugby matches is always welcoming and the crowd friendly. Many of them take the opportunity to dress up in fancy dress - we've seen all sorts: Hawaiian grass skirts, nuns, school girls, Ali G, vikings and Smurfs...


Rugby supporters dressed as Smurfs

What I liked was that both squads got an honour guard of a pipe band to escort their team buses round the stadium.


Bagpipes welcome Italian squad

We needed lunch so wandered round the various fast food stalls seeing what was on offer. I just had to go for this particularly Scottish healthy and nutritious offering.


Deep fried haggis and chips

The evening meal, I am glad to say, was much more sophisticated - Cucina at the Hotel Missoni. As you might guess from the name an Italian restaurant and high quality it was too. The sommelier was particularly accommodating. Our red wine had the faintest hint of cork taint at that borderline level where it is hard to decide whether it is returnable. After a discussion the sommelier tasted and opened a new bottle. Marginally better and the other side of the borderline.


Edinburgh castle

Sunday we did the castle - took the free half hour tour to get a basic orientation then spent another hour and a half wandering round.

To recover from a hard morning's touristing we had lunch at Monteith's in The High Street. The Top Table deal was a free glass of wine which they very kindly swapped for a glass of prosecco (as we were going to order more wine anyway). Excellent food, service and value, I would happily go back there again.


Sparkling aperitif

Then home for a quiet evening.

Trullo Azzurro - opening up 2011

Locorotondo, Italy - 25/27-March-2011.

Our usual flying visit to open up for the start of the season. We took Friday afternoon off and flew RuinAir out of Stansted. Straight to T-A for a late cupboard supper of pasta, sauce in a jar and a bottle of red wine.

The next morning an early dash to Trito village stores for bread, butter and milk. After breakfast a trip to Conforama to look for extra sun loungers and a few other bits and bobs including buying ingredients for lunch.


Lunch al fresco

After lunch was when we dragged all the beds and mattresses out into the courtyard, turning every hour, to toast them in the wonderful spring sunshine and drive off the winter damp.

While that was happening I neatly folded the olive nets into the crates - they had been hastily stuffed indoors after our last visit to harvest the olives.

In the evening we popped into Cisternino for aperative and free wifi in Bar Fod.



Then back to T-A for a relaxing evening in: fine food, fine wine and an early night. Bliss!

Sunday morning there was only time for a quick tidy up but I did plant half a packet of rocket (arugula). Hopefully when we are out there in a month's time for Easter we might have some fresh picked salad available to eat.

Trullo Azzurro: beautifully restored trullo in delightful, secluded valley near Locorotondo, Puglia, Italy. Available to rent on a per week basis, sleeps 4-6. For more information visit http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/trulloazzurro

Weekend in Scotland - March 2011

Last weekend was spent in Irvine doing DIY for the MIL. Not that I begrudge it at all. She is Mary's mum after all *and* she has been very generous to us in not spending the children's inheritance but passing it on. Also it takes some of the load off the SIL who does an awful lot for May, being so much nearer.


Bathroom mirror

Saturday's task was drilling holes in tiles for the bathroom mirror - always a nerve-wracking task. Went smoothly I'm glad to say as did the towel ring and loo roll holder.


French drain

Sunday's task was creating a French drain along the edge of the lawn. The troughs were killing off the grass and made it difficult to lawnmower up to the edge. Some black plastic, six bags of gravel and a couple of hours hopping about like a frog fixed that.

All in all a good deed kind of a weekend well spent.

Timeshare in Ambleside, the Lake District

After several enjoyable walks at Christmas Mary decided we should do more walking.

Back in 2009 we had an excellent weekend of walking with Bob and Lynn based out of Ambleside in the lake district.

Mary's uncle Ronald and wife Avril have owned a week in the Quaysiders timeshare apartment in Ambleside for many years. They grew to love the area so much they eventually moved down to Kendal.


Lake Windermere Ambleside

So Mary got to hankering after one of those timeshare apartments.

At Mary's instigation Ronald sent us details of some weeks that were for sale and the prices were very reasonable. Less than our normal monthly credit card bill in fact!

To cut a long story short we went up to Kendal to spend the weekend with Ronald and Avril. The main purpose of the visit was to have a confirmatory inspection of the timeshare apartment before signing on dotted line.


Quayside Timeshare Ambleside

We have purchased the Christmas week of unit 16. It cost a little more than some of the others but it is worth lots of points in the trading schemes that enable you to swap for other timeshares. So when we get bored of Christmas in the lakes or just want a change we can swap for a couple of weeks in the sun and still have points left over.

It doesn't really count as a major addition to our property portfolio as it is only 1/52nd of a property.

A meal is more than just fuel for the body

It is an opportunity to share and chat and enjoy.

This last week has seen us give the M&M corporate mission "To eat, drink and have a good time" a thorough workout:

• Last Friday we met up with brother Ian and his partner Sarah for an excellent meal at our favorite italian restaurant - Enoteca Turi. Although I&S got married last September they have been together for a number of years and I am so used to saying "partner" I find it hard to switch to "wife" or "sister-in-law".
• Saturday we hosted Bron and Maggie for a Chateau Leoville dinner party. We had a bottle of 1982 Leoville-Poyferre and B&M a bottle of Leoville-Barton also 1982. So we had "compare and contrast" opportunity with two fine, mature clarets. And some excellent food to go with.
  
  Leoville-Barton 1982, Leoville-Poyferre 1982
  
• Sunday we cooked a traditional roast for our Danish house guests, who had arrived on the Monday, to give them a taste of traditional English cooking.
• Monday Mary went out for a team meal from work.
• Tuesday we gave our Danes a taste of traditional Scottish food with a Burns Supper. Unfortunately they were not convinced so it will be refried haggis for us at some point.
  
  Google Doodle Burns Night 2011
  
• Wednesday was Mary's birthday so we went to the wonderfully kitsch, Grade 2 listed Criterion Restaurant for a pre-theatre meal. That was followed by The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman at the inappropriately named Comedy Theatre - an excellent but intense play.
• Thursday we had the night off.
• Friday was meeting up in Glasgow with "the girls" - Mary's friends from Uni. We had an excellent meal at Guy's Restaurant in Candleriggs and a real good blether. We also treated ourselves to a stay in the refurbished Grand Central Hotel just a short stagger from the restaurant.
• Saturday no meal of note *but* we did meet up with fellow blogger and close neighbour of May's - Lynnette "Life with the Lusks" and husband Tommy for a coffee in Irvine. Always good to meet a cyber-chum in real life.
  
  Lynette and Tommy Lusk
  Lynette's blog post on our meeting: Saturday Coffee Time
• Sunday we plan a nice meal in - something we try to do every Sunday evening. A little quiet time together.

Home but not alone (3)

You are never alone with a "To Do" list.

While Mary went off to Grayshott Spa for a weekend of pampering and power walks I was home alone with the cats.

The "to do" list, to be fair, was self inflicted - there were a number of things needing to be done including "watch DVDs": Friday night was "Escape from New York" and Saturday night was "Millers Crossing". Other items included:

• tip run (garden rubbish)
• charity run (Mary's clear out of the wardrobe prompted by the immanent arrival of Danish house guests)
• grooming the cats (a never-ending task)
• various DIY tasks now consigned to the memory bin of history

Sunday I went down to visit Mum and Dad for lunch from were it was only 25 minutes to get down to Greyshott to collect the heavily exfoliated Mary and chauffeur her home.

Onassis @ the Novello Theatre

We went to see the last night of Onassis by Martin Sherman and starring Robert Lindsay at the Novello Theatre. The plan was a matinee with our friend Andrea aka Mary's Andrea (*) followed by a meal in Covent Garden.

Andrea was ill and unable to attend but we decided to go anyway. The box office didn't do refunds - like many other theaters once they have your money the ticket is your problem. Mary couldn't be bothered to loiter outside like a ticket tout so offered it - for free - to a surprised lady in the box office queue.

The play was good, much better than I was expecting from the Telegraph review.

We did cancelled our restaurant booking for three. Instead we had a couple of cocktails in the bar at Christopher's Grill. Then off home on the 87 bus for a meal at home.

* Andrea A is Mary's Andrea, Andrea L is my Andrea and Andrea P is our Andrea.

Christmas 2010 - The Usual Suspects in Polperro

The Usual Suspects

This year we reconvened "The Usual Suspects" for Christmas redux. For most of a decade (the 90's) the same core crowd would rent a holiday home for a week of eating and drinking. Then children intervened and we dispersed for another decade (the 00's) of smaller scale gatherings.

The children are now at an age that we decided to reinstate the team outing. This time the venue was Landaviddy Manor in Cornwall. The pattern was much as previously: each couple cooked one meal apiece, we ate out or leftovers for the others, lots of country walks and beer in real pubs.


Polperro Harbour

Wed 22-Dec-10: travel down to Devon and Mary did a simple pasta meal.

Thu 23-Dec-10: a quiet day awaiting the last couple, Bob & Lynn, to join us. John & Andrea did the meal - well Andrea really.

Fri 24-Dec-10: after breakfast a walk along the Southwest Coast Path to Looe - a 9 mile round trip - with pub lunch at The Ship Inn. Evening meal at Couches restaurant in Polperro.


Southwest Coastal Path

Sat 25-Dec-10: full cooked breakfast and presents followed by a coast path walk to a landmark - 5 mile round trip. Back for birthday cake and more presents for Julian, my godson, who was born on Christmas day.

Kate & Ian presided over traditional turkey evening meal. We have always gone for black tie for the meal. Makes it a bit more special and give the girls a chance to flaunt their party frocks.


Christmas meal

Sun 26-Dec-10: A full team outing walk to the Jubilee Inn at Pelynt - 7 mile round trip - although some caught the bus back for the sake of the children. Bob & Lynn did venison for supper.

Mon 27-Dec-10: Walk to Polruan - 12 mile round trip - with pub lunch in The Russel Inn. Ate leftovers.

Tue 28-Dec-10: Too wet for a long walk so we simply walked down into Polperro for a beer at The Blue Peter. Last night for some of us. Mary did a Thai meal.


Southwest Coastal Path 2

Beautiful scenery, good beer, excellent company, fantastic meals and wonderful wine. What more could you ask for in a Christmas break?

Full set of pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/markmclellan/sets/72157625707730544/

Movember 2010 update

Thanks to all my friends and sponsors who enabled me to hit the £400 mark.
http://uk.movember.com/mospace/1088126/



It was on the 4th of November Mary said "Why don't you grow a moustache for Movember?" OK but the next morning I forgot and shaved as usual. After the shaky start the rest was easy - send out a begging emails and taking Mary's cakes into work.

In the UK in 2008 there were 12,047 female deaths from breast cancer BUT there were 10,168 male deaths from prostate cancer. [Source: http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/mortality/]

Prostate cancer deserves more awareness, more research, more money!