Damned if you do......

And just damned either way... no matter how you split it.
It seems that some people no matter what they do or what their reasons were for doing it.... they're just going to get a total slating. Take Michael Jackson for example, I mean, I know every little about him, never was a fan and can't say I was ever interested in what the media said he was doing or having for breakfast etc etc.. whatever you think about him, whatever version of the truth about his 50 years of life on this earth, what is amazing me is that he's now being attacked and vilified for....... dying!

Aparently "How dare he choose to die on the same day as Farah Fawcett" the contrast between these two people is immense but how dare he choose this time to pop his clogs.... Oh wait a minute... He didn't choose to die at the same time as Farah in fact we're reasonably certain that he didn't choose to die at all. But since he is dead and therefore reluctant to speak to us about it we have no way of confirming if this is the case, you'll simply have to keep your own council on that one.

Anyway, two very significant people died that day and no doubt thousands of other less significant to us but no less significant to the people they leave behind also died, so what ever way you look at it, that day lots of people lost those they were close to and cared about, but lets not lay that at anyones door.

Comfort Food

Yesterday all in all was a good day, since moving out of my house things have been a little up and down but mainly on the downside. The worst part has been the weather being nice and thinking "Great, Let's go out and do something", the I remember "Oh Yeah.... you're on your own!". Ah well Yesterday in Manchester it was nice for most of the day, but really quite sticky and humid, I'd decided to cheer myself up by cooking a Risotto and driving into town to pick some things up for the Risotto I was driving past the rows of houses with neat sandstone walls and well trimmed hedge rows, I saw a man in about his 60's talking to a girl sitting on the wall rocking back giggling and swinging her legs, my car approached nearer on it's journey and then I noticed that she too was in her 60's but even close to her looking at her she still seemed to me to be like a 14 year old, out enjoying the sunshine, kicking her feet on a wall and not a care in the world.

I got the rice and the stock and some Asparagus and started to drive home, as I did the clouds opened and we had a huge downpour that lasted a good couple of hours, it was quite nice and cooled things down just enough. I relaxed later with the risotto and fealt a lot better for it.... cooking relaxes me, anyway this is the recipe, I recomend using a couple of ladels of wine as well as Pecorino instead of Parmesan as it will compliment the sweetness of the wine better.

Asparagus risotto

Ingredients
500g/1lb 2oz British asparagus
1 finely onion, chopped
85g/3oz butter
300g/10½oz arborio rice
750ml/1½lb hot chicken or vegetable stock
55g/2oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. Gently fry the onion in the butter until it becomes translucent.
2. Add the rice and cook for a couple of minutes on a medium heat, stirring so that it gets a good coating of butter.
3. Add a ladle of hot stock at a time and continue stirring until all the stock has been absorbed.
4. Meanwhile, steam the asparagus for 3-6 minutes or until tender to the point of a knife. Chop roughly once it is cooked.
5. Add a knob of butter, the asparagus, half the parmesan and a good grinding of black pepper to the risotto and give it a stir.
6. Serve your risotto in warm bowls with a sprinkling of parmesan on top of each serving.

Now a bit of music to relax to and aid the digestion:-

Elton John-Tiny Dancer - The funniest bloopers are right here

Where has it gone?

I am not sure where it has gone, I use to have it, I totally love it but someone has taken it from me.
SLEEP!!! I do not know what it is any more, I can not sleep.
Friday my neighbour had loud music on and did not turn it down till 2am and then I have a very early morning. Last night I was looking after a friends dog and it is a total pain in the butt! all night walking around and crying.
So with work and idiots and dogs I have had about 10 hours sleep in 4 days, I look like a zombie and feel like i have been hit by a truck! I have really had it!

HOT HOT HOT

I do really need to get some air conditioing the nights are just getting too hot, I'm scottish, we aren't used to anything over 15c

Single in the summer

What I like most about being on my own is doing what I like without having to check with someone else or not do it because the other person doesn't want to do it becuase they either don't fancy it or aren't interested but insists that I compromise by not going. What I hate most about being on my own in the summer is there's loads of things to do outside and I'd love to do them but being on my own the event lacks that extra ingredient, that relish that makes doing it fun and memorable.

Confab?

Brain is feeling a little wired and just can't sleep... thank god for blogging I need to catchup not only on my blogging but also on reading some of them. I know I wont get a chance this weekend, I noticed on someones page they have a ConFab where they all get togethor and meet up, but not sure if I'm rady for something like that yet.

Home Sweet Home

Another Friday and another late finish.
Just glad to be home but the thing that bugs me is that for me losing a whole Friday is like losing more than half the weekend.
Fridays I love, it sets the tone for the weekend and it's likely this is one I will spend sleeping..zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zZ
Z
zZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz

Mixed up Summer

This summer is going to be really good for weather unlike previous ones where it usually rains every day that's not a weekday. I've been busy and caught up in the drama of my own life and let things slip a little with other people and I didn't mean to. So I'm making an effort to try and do something before summer is over and I'm hoping it will be in the company of a friend that's helped me a lot, if I can manage that then this summer will not be a complete right-off. You can't ever replace a good friend or ever forget the kindnesses they've shown you so I will make sure that I make this friend know exactly what they mean to me and what they've done for me. I don't buy friendship and never will as real friendship doesn't come with a price tag, I'm going to make sure this friend feels all the warmth and kindness repaid with interest as I know in the time t come it will keep them strong.

Twitter

Not really getting the hang of twitter, it's too cursory and fractured for me and seems a little pointless.......... more tiny little voices crying into the darkness?

Weekend in one day

Worked an 8 hour shift friday and then wen I finished at 6:00pm I started work again and did an 11 hour shift through to Saturday morning.
got home at 6:00am and then at 9:30 had to do 2 more hours of work and again at 3:00pm... then went to sleep for a nap and didn't wake up to 10:00am the next day..... so it feels like a really short weekend..... and I have to do it again next week :-(