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Your Daily Posterous Spaces Update October 10th, 2011
Got Setup? Posted about 23 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous
Boy, this new iRacing 2.0 is something isn?t it?? Personally, I really don?t have any complaints, but I do enjoy the depth that iRacing goes to in order to give us an accurate racing simulation.? Entering various sessions soon after the build was released all I heard was complaints? . . . which, to be honest, was somewhat expected.? Thanks to the new tire model, those super-loose or ?alien? setups as referred to in the forums no longer worked effectively.? If they did work at all, it was only a few laps before the tires were virtually melted-off the car.? Human beings in general seem to resist change and having to redo testing and research to achieve a fast lap didn?t make anyone happy.? However, if you take a moment [...]
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/iracing-news/got-setup/
Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn Boy Hayje Willi Heeks Nick Heidfeld
Revealed: the UK's foodie capital Posted about 23 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
The nation has voted and the winner is Lincolnshire! Not just for the sausages, either ?
"People drive around us, not through us," says Rachel Green, a chef and farmer whose family has worked the Lincolnshire land for more than 400 years. Which means missing out on local delicacies including chine, plum bread and pigs fry. The county has just been voted the UK's favourite food spot (pipping Cornwall) in a public poll to mark the start of British Food Fortnight and while this may have had something to do with mobilising votes ? there was some frenzied Twitter campaigning ? there is no doubt Lincolnshire, often overlooked as a foodie destination, deserves a turn in the spotlight.
"We're a remote county," says Mary Powell, tourism development manager. "It's very rural ? farming and horticulture is the mainstay of the economy." With its coast, hills and valleys ? and vast flatlands ? it has the largest proportion of grade 1 (in other words: the best) agricultural land in the country, growing more fresh produce than any other county. A third of its population is employed in agriculture and food production.
In recent years, says Green, "the council has been very good at championing food in Lincolnshire." She points to Tastes of Lincolnshire , a project that began in 2002 to encourage gastronomic tourism, and the Red Lion Quarter, a development that opened in Spalding earlier this year, providing a training restaurant and food court to showcase local food.
Restaurants that can compete with the best around the country are still few, though. The Old Bakery in Lincoln , and Harry's Place in Great Gonerby (recently listed in the Good Food Guide's top 40 best restaurants) are worthy of note ? and both place emphasis on local produce.
"The heritage food in this county," says Green, "really is the pig ? [there's the] famous Lincolnshire sausage, but also dishes like chine." It is, she says, an old English word that means "backbone", although the dish is made from the shoulder, stuffed with parsley and simmered. "It's a food I remember from my childhood," she adds, "and it is still widely eaten in Lincolnshire. We eat it with vinegar and a sprinkling of sugar. I live in the middle of nowhere and there are four shops within five miles where I can buy chine."
She also mentions haslet (a pork meatloaf), and a pork, liver and kidney casserole called pigs fry "that some butchers sell as a mix". The lard from pork production traditionally went into making plum bread ? a fruit loaf, another county delicacy.
Many food producers in Lincolnshire are family businesses. The Dennett family, three generations of ice-cream makers based in Spilsby, has been in business since 1926. Alfred Enderby Ltd has been smoking fish since the 1930s (it is one of a handful of Grimsby traditional smokeries to have protected geographical status). The award-winning Lincolnshire Poacher cheese was created by Simon Jones in the 1990s, the fourth generation of his family to farm in the Lincolnshire Wolds.
The Jackson family have been farming their land near Scunthorpe for 90 years. Is there something about Lincolnshire, its remoteness perhaps and relatively low population, that keeps families in the same business over the generations? "Definitely," says Sally Jackson, whose husband grew up on the farm. They now own the Pink Pig Farm , raising free-range breeds, and running a farm shop and cafe. "I'm a southerner by birth and when I moved up here I noticed a huge attachment to the land, and to family."
In the past 10 years, she says, local food production has boomed "as farmers diversified, and where there is good food, it encourages more good food and it encourages retailers like us to stock it." Cote Hill cheese is one example ? Michael and Mary Davenport ran a dairy farm for 30 years, but only started making their award-winning cheese in 2005. In 2004, Lincolnshire farmer Alex Albone set up Pipers handmade crisps; he started up by selling to local pubs, then at farmers' markets and food fairs and now oversees a business growing by 30% each year (while refusing to sell to supermarkets).
"We do [food production] quietly and in a very measured way," says Green. "The people who produce don't take shortcuts. It's about becoming the best." * Food & drink Emine Saner guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Alice Dodd Alicia Keys Alicia Witt Amanda Bynes Amanda Detmer
McLaren 1-2 in Suzuka Posted about 23 hours ago by zappanicoxs52g to zappanicoxs52g's posterous
The first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix saw a McLaren 1-2, with Jenson Button outpacing Lewis Hamilton by just under a tenth of a second. The pair were four-tenths ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who ended the session in a sand trap, having gone wide at Degner Curve. Fernando Alonso was fourth ahead of [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/mclaren-1-2-in-suzuka/
Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa Lorenzo Bandini Henry Banks
Keselowski cruises to win in Kansas Nationwide race Posted about 21 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/08/1551199/keselowski-cruises-to-win-in-k...
Charles Robert Hamilton V Kevin Michael Harvick Virgil Ernest Irvan III Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett
Pop-ups: the wheat and the chaff Posted about 21 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
Emma Sturgess shares a few techniques for separating the few real pop-up restaurants from the marketeers' soulless fluff
What have pop-up restaurants got in common with cupcakes and gastropubs ? They are victims of their own success. They are not all as the first ones were. They have been washed out by the rushing waters of the mainstream, and are beginning to moulder. They are likely to cause fatigue.
The phenomenon was interesting back in, ooh, 2009-ish, and since then its power has been harnessed by all and sundry, from Nando's to Thomas Keller's little venture which has just started. For the most part it has become nakedly commercial, bland, predictable and soulless. Has the pop-up bubble popped?
This summer was full of variations on the theme in picturesque locations and still they roll on . There are still many pop-ups whose adherence to the nominal rules of the game (appear not only temporarily but briefly in a space not usually used for dining, maintain a spirit of culinary rebellion if not necessarily a valid food hygiene certificate, offer thrills a conventional restaurant can't) align them with the excitement of the originals. But just as supermarket cupcakes lack the tender crumb of the Magnolia Bakery's red velvet , and not all food pubs are equal in the pork belly and real ale departments, there is a gulf between proper and improper pop-ups that is as deep and empty as a bad PR's bag of ideas.
So how might the innocent diner tell the top rank of pop-ups from the impudent imposters? My inner stickler suggests a ticklist. Sharpen your asparagus spear and make a note of the answers to the following enquiries (and feel free to supply your own criteria below).
How much is it? Restaurants can get away with being reassuringly expensive, but that's not how pop-ups tend to roll. Jay Rayner has registered his disapproval of Thomas Keller's 10-day French Laundry pop-up at Harrods which opened on Saturday and costs ?250 a head. Last night Sabrina Ghayour's response, a charitable "French Laundrette" dinner event costing a minimum of ?2.50, was closer to the spirit, though she called it a supper club and did it in a restaurant (see "Where is it?" below), which demonstrates just how muddy these waters can be.
The London Restaurant Festival's London Eye pop-up which from 4 October will see chefs including Angela Hartnett and Jason Atherton cook for podfuls of people for between ?12,500 and ?15,000 is rather more extravagant (and more like an outside catering job) than many others.
These high priced events are not for food or restaurant lovers - I'd rather save up and go to the French Laundry proper than throw ?250 at a pop-up event in London which is likely to be full of corporate types and sadly lacking in atmosphere - either of his restaurant in the Napa Valley or the underground atmosphere we associate with pop-ups.
How long it is there for? One night, a few days or a couple of weeks is different to a short lease of six months or a year. I am fond both of Drink Tea Eat Cake, a six-month spin-off of Manchester's Teacup caf?</a> which serves excellent caramel-filled chocolate witches' hats, and Roganic , Simon Rogan's celebrated two-year-long toe-in-the-London-water which does clever things with little-known greenery in a normal restaurant set up. I would not count either of them as a proper pop-up. Their appropriation of the term is merely a helpful indication that they won't be around for ever.
Where is it? If you're a chef running a pop-up restaurant in a venue that's usually a restaurant , that's not much of a challenge. And outside catering (I think that's probably you, chefs on the London Eye) is outside catering. Disused buildings, village halls and scout huts give better quirk and, by extension, a more authentic pop-up.
What are they selling? It's never a chore to eat great food, especially if it's cooked by a big-name chef whose restaurant is usually tricky to access. If it's washed down with a sponsor's liquor (or, worse, washing-up liquid), though, it might be a bit more difficult to swallow. If you're a PR with a client even loosely related to the food and drink industry, the marketing "activity" least likely to secure enthusiastic coverage is now ? you guessed it ? the pop-up.
In an attempt not to add grist to a particularly tiresome mill, I will mention only briefly Fairy Platinum dishwasher tablets, frozen food, Cloudy Bay wine and Kirin beer. Sadly, a crowded market makes it all the more difficult to see the good ones.
Been here before? Why go to a proper branch of a well-established restaurant such as Nando's, Pizza Express or even Canteen when you could you to a temporary, slightly confused version of the same place, possibly at a festival or with a shorter menu and dazed staff? Because head office thought you might like to experience a safe version of a recent and edgily uninsured dining phenomenon and at the same time refresh your opinion of their brand!
Is it something else? Is it a restored classic recreation vehicle serving food without providing chairs? Is it a boutique-turned-nocturnal restaurant at which invited amateur cooks work with a support team to produce an acceptable dinner for invited guests? Is it regular dinners at a stylish non-residential, non-restaurant venue? Is it a professional chef serving his or her food in someone else's restaurant? Is it a paid-for dinner in someone's house? Is it food cooked in a tent and served to the sounds of distant guitars? Then it could be a private dining club, street food, guest chef event, supper club, festival catering or subversive new (ha!) way of marketing mustard.
Your guess ? and I'd love to hear it - is as good as mine. I'm popping upstairs for a lie down. * Restaurants
* Food & drink Emma Sturgess guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Daniella Alonso Danneel Harris Deanna Russo Denise Richards Desiree Dymond
Vettel claims championship as Button wins in Japan Posted about 21 hours ago by zappanicoxs52g to zappanicoxs52g's posterous
Sebastian Vettel finished third at the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest ever double World Champion as Jenson Button claimed victory in Suzuka. In a frenetic race, Vettel was forced to settle for third after Button and Fernando Alonso managed to pass him but the German was able to consolidate his position and cruise [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/5nUt43CwYTE/vettel-claims-c...
Frank Armi Chuck Arnold Rene Arnoux Peter Arundell
Wednesday: CB 4 to Vote on West Side Protected Bike Lanes Posted about 19 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous
Community Board 4 will vote Wednesday on the DOT plan to extend protected bike lanes on Eighth and Ninth Avenues north from 34th to 59th Streets. As Noah reported in September, the lanes will offer a much safer route for commuters, delineating protected space on wide avenues sorely in need of taming, particularly near Penn Station, [...]
Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2011/10/04/wednesday-cb-4-to-vote-on-west-side-pro...
Paco Godia Carel Godin de Beaufort Christian Goethals Paul Goldsmith José Froilán González
DD Williamson changes brand identity Posted about 19 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
DD Williamson has launched a new brand image to reflect its 'expanded expertise in colour solutions for customers'.
In the new logo, 'DDW' replaces 'DD Williamson'. The company says its new 'The Colour House' tagline expresses a place where creativity blends with advanced technical capability to bring colour ideas to life.
In recent years, the company has recruited experienced food scientists to fill several new positions, located in the US and Europe, in applications and innovation. Customer demand for custom solutions has increased, with requests for naturally derived alternatives to synthetic food colour additives.
?The new identity helps demonstrate DDW?s ability to deliver creative colour solutions for customers across a wide range of application sectors,? said Campbell Barnum, VP, branding & market development. ?What hasn't changed is DDW?s global commitment to the highest product standards and quality systems."
Source: DD Williamson
Ali Larter Alice Dodd Alicia Keys Alicia Witt Amanda Bynes
McLaren MP4-26 Launch pictures ( 4th of February) Posted about 19 hours ago by zappanicoxs52g to zappanicoxs52g's posterous
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C0-vQeDcGfc/TWDazry2paI/AAAAAAAAHIc/X3Qr7G1h9bk/s16... McLaren launched a rather radical MP4-26 during their scheduled Vodafone media event on 4th February at Potsdamer Platz located in Berlin, Germany shortly after the first test session of the season in Valencia.
The nose of the McLaren MP4-26 features the same high design as many of the other cars this season, while its sidepods are extremely sculpted and L-shaped. In addition, the airbox tweaks have been intensively reworked, while the car's exhaust system presents a classic rear-side design.
Technical specifications Chassis Moulded carbon fibre honeycomb composite incorporating front and side impact structures and integral safety fuel cell
Suspension (front) Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement
Suspension (rear) as front, except operated by pullrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement
Engine Mercedes-Benz FO 108Y 2.4 L (146 cu in) V8 (90?). Naturally-aspirated, 18,000 RPM limited with KERS, mid-mounted.
Transmission McLaren Seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox with reverse gear hand-operated, seamless shift
Weight 640 kg (1,411 lb) (including driver)
Fuel ExxonMobil High Performance Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel) Mobil Synergy Fuel System Mobil 1 lubrication
Tyres Pirelli P Zero Enkei wheels (front and rear): 13"
Links
McLaren MP4-26 - L-shaped sidepods ( The Official F1)
"There is no doubting the new MP4-26 is very different from all the other 2011 cars. Technical director Paddy Lowe has exploited to the extreme the idea of higher outer sidepods, last seen on the likes of Benetton's B195 from 1995 and Ferrari's F310 from 1996."
McLaren MP4-26 ? ?L? shaped sidepods (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"It remains to be seen if this set up works better than conventional undercut sidepods for creating rear downforce. Others team would be able to recreate the McLaren ?L? shaped sidepod inlets. Although it would require a significant change the radiators and bodywork, making it a major package upgrade and not a quick test."
McLaren MP4-26 Launch pictures Photos ? McLaren
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/PKSGf3lrBNs/mclaren-...
George Amick Red Amick Chris Amon Bob Anderson
2011 NSCS Hollywood Casino 400 Second Practice Session Speeds Posted about 17 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous
Kevin Harvick with RCR Team Owner Richard Childress - Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCARKevin Harvick, with a lap speed of?170.401 mph, was the fastest in the second NSCS Hollywood Casino 400 practice session at Kansas Speedway. Defending series champion,?Jimmie Johnson, with a lap speed of?170.057 mph, was second fastest, followed by?Carl Edwards (169.998)...more»
Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2011/sprintcup/10/08/2011-nscs-hollywood-casino-400...
Kevin Harvick Armour Vienna Sausage Kroger Chevrolet Clint Bowyer Zaxby s Chevrolet Brad Keselowski
Sagrada Fam?lia to be completed ? in 2028 Posted about 17 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
Barcelona's intricate temple to God to be ready for centenary of architect Antoni Gaud?'s death ? or thereabouts
? Catch up on the history of Barcelona's architectural wonder
Barcelona's emblematic Sagrada Familia church finally has a completion date ? 2026 or 2028, more than 140 years after it was started.
Joan Rigol, president of the committee charged with finishing the building by Antoni Gaud?, said it should be finished in time for the centenary for the architect's death ? or, if not, two years later.
Five huge towers are being added to the eccentric building, which is among Spain's most-visited tourist attractions.
Gaud? died in 1926 after being runover by the city's No 30 tram. He had been living on the Sagrada Familia building site and looked so impoverished that it took several hours for doctors to realise who he was. The tram driver thought he had hit a drunken tramp.
Originally paid for by subscription, the church was always set to take a long time to build. "My client is in no hurry," Gaud? once said, referring to God.
The building was at one stage popularly known as "the cathedral of the poor" and Gaudi himself was known to go begging for contributions ? which currently amount to around ?500,000 (?440,000) a year.
An influx of tourists, along with modern masonry techniques, has seen work speed up considerably over the past two decades. Some three million fee-paying tourists are expected to visit this year alone, contributing ?30m.
With a roof finally in place, Pope Benedict was able to consecrate it as a basilica last year. But a setback came when a man set fire to the basilica's sacristy in April, with repair work still under way.
"The damage is worse than we had thought," said the building's chief architect, Jordi Bonet. Authorities are now considering installing metal detectors at the entrance.
"Our new objective is to complete the six central towers, of which five have already been started," said Rigol.
The sixth tower will measure 170 metres and contain a lift to carry tourists to the top. Rigol added that a high-speed rail tunnel to be built nearby, which has been approved by the courts, may still damage the buildings foundations.
Bonet did not seem so sure about the finish date. "I'm not saying that it is wrong, I hope it is not, but it is not that simple. This is a very complex work and needs a lot of investigation," the architect told the RAC1 radio station. "Everyone has the best will, but I cannot give any assurances." * Spain
* Architecture
* Europe
* Catholicism
* Religion
* Christianity Giles Tremlett guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Dania Ramirez Danica Patrick Daniella Alonso Danneel Harris Deanna Russo
Busch looks to Kansas Speedway for Chase push Posted about 17 hours ago by zappanicoxs52g to zappanicoxs52g's posterous Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/08/1550289/busch-hopes-kansas-speedway-pl...
Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball Marcel Balsa
F1 teams face tough tyre call in Japan Posted about 15 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous
Formula 1 teams are set to face a major tyre strategy dilemma ahead of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix thanks to the high degradation experienced so far on the softer compound tyres. That is the view of Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery, who says the fact that the soft compound's pace appears to be dropping off so dramatically in a stint could push teams to revolve their strategy around the medium tyre.
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/f1-t...
Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr Carl Michael Edwards III William Clyde Elliott Jeffrey Michael Gordon Charles Robert Hamilton IV
How to make dandelion and burdock beer Posted about 15 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
Dig for victory and your reward will be a very British root beer
Dandelion and burdock roots, being perennial, are available all year, but it is important to collect them only when the leaves are visible so that you do not confuse them with anything nasty. The very common hemlock water dropwort (pdf) , for example, has roots which will see you dead in three hours! Spring or autumn when the roots are at their fattest is the best time to search them out. Burdock has large, heart shaped, furry leaves and a tiresome reputation for providing those burrs that accompany us home after a country walk.
It is, of course, an offence to uproot any plant without the permission of the landowner. If you think that no-one would actually be prosecuted for such things, think again; I know of a fellow who was fined (?10) at the behest of an irritable local council for digging up horseradish. Having no dandelion roots of my own, due to my fondness for dandelion coffee, I had to venture out. There is a nice grassy bank near our village school which was planted out with daffodils by the children some years ago. It has become rather overrun with dandelions so I did a little public spirited - and rather nervous - weeding.
Burdock is slightly more of a problem as, while the hole made by an uprooted dandelion is a discreet affair, that made by a dislodged burdock root is large enough to twist an ankle. Burdock roots are tough, go down a long way in several directions at once and are particularly fond of soil rich in immoveable rocks. I shall not tell you where I went ? suffice it to say that it was a quiet spot. Being an experienced digger-up of burdock I went prepared with a pickaxe as well as a spade. My barrister friend tells me that this may count as "going equipped" and could involve free accommodation for up to seven years if things turned out badly. Foraging can be a nightmare. Of course, you'll have the permission of the landowner for yours.
While D&B beer is reputed to have a long pedigree going back to St Thomas Aquinas, the earliest reference I can find, beyond a recipe or two, is an 1897 report from Ashton-under-Lyne of some poor devil being fined a couple of quid for selling the stuff. No peace for the enterprising in those days either, it seems. Most of us will have tried D&B Beer at one time or other but much of the commercially available offerings contain neither of its eponymous ingredients nor, in my opinion, any or their flavour (a notable exception is produced by Fentimans).
I have slightly stolen this recipe from my friend Hugh . A couple of large burdock roots (about 150g)
A handful of dandelion roots (about 50g)
500g sugar
2 tablespoons of black treacle
Juice of one lemon
Teaspoon of copper finings (carragheen) to help clarify the beer ? optional
A beer yeast
4.5 litres of water
Scrub and finely slice the roots then boil them with half the water (and the carragheen if using) for half an hour. Experience the aroma of an unpromising vegetable stew.
Take off the heat, add the remaining cold water, the sugar, treacle and lemon and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Strain the liquid into a clean fermenting bucket and cover.
When your brew reaches room temperature add the yeast, keep covered for up to a week then bottle in strong swing top bottles. Another week and it will be ready to drink, though it is well worth easing the top off of a bottle every now and then to check for potentially explosive levels of fizziness. Once ready it is a good idea to keep the bottles in the fridge to prevent further fermentation.
The bottle pictured above was quite sweet with a low alcohol content and a touch cloudy because I did not use finings. The flavour is mildly bitter and aromatic with a now pleasant hint of that vegetable stew. * Beer
* Food & drink John Wright guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Jennifer Scholle Jennifer Sky Jenny McCarthy Jessica Alba Jessica Biel
Webber on the verge of walking? Posted about 15 hours ago by zappanicoxs52g to zappanicoxs52g's posterous Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/07/webber-on-the-verge-of-walking.html
Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball
Spyker Sold! We Interview the New Owner, Alex Mascioli of North Street Capital Posted about 13 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous
Early this morning, Saab-parent Swedish Automobile agreed to sell its Spyker sports car business to a private equity firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut. The deal, worth 33 million euros ($45 million at today's exchange rates) will be done entirely in cash. But what motivated a group of American investors with no history owning or managing [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/D1oWNbDvAgQ/
Charles Robert Hamilton V Kevin Michael Harvick Virgil Ernest Irvan III Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett
Competition winner: a bus tour of Orkney, Scotland Posted about 13 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
Jo Bunting won a tour of Scotland, and fell in love with its history and beauty ? not to mention her ever-patient guide, Richard
Never having experienced a minibus tour before, I soon realised that it would involve a certain mind shift. The way I'm used to doing things, the driving part is simply a means of getting to where you want to go and if there's going to be rain and poor visibility, then the day you're driving to your destination is not a bad day for it to happen. On a scenic tour, however, the driving is the holiday and therefore having something to look at out of the window is fairly essential. Otherwise you're just sitting in a minibus with 15 strangers, several of whom are engrossed in a crossword.
Early on, I wondered if we had people on board with bladder problems. Eventually, I realised it was just the intonation of Richard, our bekilted guide: "We'll be driving for about an hour, and then we'll stop for a wee. Coffee. After that, it's on to Spean Bridge for a wee. Spot o' lunch."
Throughout the journey, he got the balance just right between giving us some fascinating information and then keeping quiet for a while, so I could enjoy the noise of the woman behind me eating an apple.
The first day involved a drive through the valley of Glen Coe. Even the weather couldn't mask its staggering beauty, and as we peered out through steamed up windows, Richard described its terrible history. By 1 January 1692, the clan chief of the MacDonalds was supposed to have gone to Inverary to sign an oath of allegiance to King William, but mistakenly headed in the opposite direction to Inverness. Now I've done this sort of thing lots of times, but luckily so far my profuse apologies for the eventual late arrival haven't resulted in me being put to the sword. For the chief, who finally reached Inveraray on 6 January, the price for being late was having his whole clan murdered.
Along the entire length of Glen Coe there are now just two small farms and one house, the latter Jimmy Saville's holiday home ? something I wo
From: Subscriptions from Posterous
Date: Mon, 10 Oct 2011 12:54:18 To:
Subject: Your Daily Posterous Spaces Update
Your Daily Posterous Spaces Update October 10th, 2011
Got Setup? Posted about 23 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous
Boy, this new iRacing 2.0 is something isn?t it?? Personally, I really don?t have any complaints, but I do enjoy the depth that iRacing goes to in order to give us an accurate racing simulation.? Entering various sessions soon after the build was released all I heard was complaints? . . . which, to be honest, was somewhat expected.? Thanks to the new tire model, those super-loose or ?alien? setups as referred to in the forums no longer worked effectively.? If they did work at all, it was only a few laps before the tires were virtually melted-off the car.? Human beings in general seem to resist change and having to redo testing and research to achieve a fast lap didn?t make anyone happy.? However, if you take a moment [...]
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/iracing-news/got-setup/
Paul Hawkins Mike Hawthorn Boy Hayje Willi Heeks Nick Heidfeld
Revealed: the UK's foodie capital Posted about 23 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
The nation has voted and the winner is Lincolnshire! Not just for the sausages, either ?
"People drive around us, not through us," says Rachel Green, a chef and farmer whose family has worked the Lincolnshire land for more than 400 years. Which means missing out on local delicacies including chine, plum bread and pigs fry. The county has just been voted the UK's favourite food spot (pipping Cornwall) in a public poll to mark the start of British Food Fortnight and while this may have had something to do with mobilising votes ? there was some frenzied Twitter campaigning ? there is no doubt Lincolnshire, often overlooked as a foodie destination, deserves a turn in the spotlight.
"We're a remote county," says Mary Powell, tourism development manager. "It's very rural ? farming and horticulture is the mainstay of the economy." With its coast, hills and valleys ? and vast flatlands ? it has the largest proportion of grade 1 (in other words: the best) agricultural land in the country, growing more fresh produce than any other county. A third of its population is employed in agriculture and food production.
In recent years, says Green, "the council has been very good at championing food in Lincolnshire." She points to Tastes of Lincolnshire , a project that began in 2002 to encourage gastronomic tourism, and the Red Lion Quarter, a development that opened in Spalding earlier this year, providing a training restaurant and food court to showcase local food.
Restaurants that can compete with the best around the country are still few, though. The Old Bakery in Lincoln , and Harry's Place in Great Gonerby (recently listed in the Good Food Guide's top 40 best restaurants) are worthy of note ? and both place emphasis on local produce.
"The heritage food in this county," says Green, "really is the pig ? [there's the] famous Lincolnshire sausage, but also dishes like chine." It is, she says, an old English word that means "backbone", although the dish is made from the shoulder, stuffed with parsley and simmered. "It's a food I remember from my childhood," she adds, "and it is still widely eaten in Lincolnshire. We eat it with vinegar and a sprinkling of sugar. I live in the middle of nowhere and there are four shops within five miles where I can buy chine."
She also mentions haslet (a pork meatloaf), and a pork, liver and kidney casserole called pigs fry "that some butchers sell as a mix". The lard from pork production traditionally went into making plum bread ? a fruit loaf, another county delicacy.
Many food producers in Lincolnshire are family businesses. The Dennett family, three generations of ice-cream makers based in Spilsby, has been in business since 1926. Alfred Enderby Ltd has been smoking fish since the 1930s (it is one of a handful of Grimsby traditional smokeries to have protected geographical status). The award-winning Lincolnshire Poacher cheese was created by Simon Jones in the 1990s, the fourth generation of his family to farm in the Lincolnshire Wolds.
The Jackson family have been farming their land near Scunthorpe for 90 years. Is there something about Lincolnshire, its remoteness perhaps and relatively low population, that keeps families in the same business over the generations? "Definitely," says Sally Jackson, whose husband grew up on the farm. They now own the Pink Pig Farm , raising free-range breeds, and running a farm shop and cafe. "I'm a southerner by birth and when I moved up here I noticed a huge attachment to the land, and to family."
In the past 10 years, she says, local food production has boomed "as farmers diversified, and where there is good food, it encourages more good food and it encourages retailers like us to stock it." Cote Hill cheese is one example ? Michael and Mary Davenport ran a dairy farm for 30 years, but only started making their award-winning cheese in 2005. In 2004, Lincolnshire farmer Alex Albone set up Pipers handmade crisps; he started up by selling to local pubs, then at farmers' markets and food fairs and now oversees a business growing by 30% each year (while refusing to sell to supermarkets).
"We do [food production] quietly and in a very measured way," says Green. "The people who produce don't take shortcuts. It's about becoming the best." * Food & drink Emine Saner guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Alice Dodd Alicia Keys Alicia Witt Amanda Bynes Amanda Detmer
McLaren 1-2 in Suzuka Posted about 23 hours ago by zappanicoxs52g to zappanicoxs52g's posterous
The first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix saw a McLaren 1-2, with Jenson Button outpacing Lewis Hamilton by just under a tenth of a second. The pair were four-tenths ahead of Sebastian Vettel, who ended the session in a sand trap, having gone wide at Degner Curve. Fernando Alonso was fourth ahead of [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/mclaren-1-2-in-suzuka/
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Keselowski cruises to win in Kansas Nationwide race Posted about 21 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/08/1551199/keselowski-cruises-to-win-in-k...
Charles Robert Hamilton V Kevin Michael Harvick Virgil Ernest Irvan III Kenny Dale Irwin Jr Dale Arnold Jarrett
Pop-ups: the wheat and the chaff Posted about 21 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
Emma Sturgess shares a few techniques for separating the few real pop-up restaurants from the marketeers' soulless fluff
What have pop-up restaurants got in common with cupcakes and gastropubs ? They are victims of their own success. They are not all as the first ones were. They have been washed out by the rushing waters of the mainstream, and are beginning to moulder. They are likely to cause fatigue.
The phenomenon was interesting back in, ooh, 2009-ish, and since then its power has been harnessed by all and sundry, from Nando's to Thomas Keller's little venture which has just started. For the most part it has become nakedly commercial, bland, predictable and soulless. Has the pop-up bubble popped?
This summer was full of variations on the theme in picturesque locations and still they roll on . There are still many pop-ups whose adherence to the nominal rules of the game (appear not only temporarily but briefly in a space not usually used for dining, maintain a spirit of culinary rebellion if not necessarily a valid food hygiene certificate, offer thrills a conventional restaurant can't) align them with the excitement of the originals. But just as supermarket cupcakes lack the tender crumb of the Magnolia Bakery's red velvet , and not all food pubs are equal in the pork belly and real ale departments, there is a gulf between proper and improper pop-ups that is as deep and empty as a bad PR's bag of ideas.
So how might the innocent diner tell the top rank of pop-ups from the impudent imposters? My inner stickler suggests a ticklist. Sharpen your asparagus spear and make a note of the answers to the following enquiries (and feel free to supply your own criteria below).
How much is it? Restaurants can get away with being reassuringly expensive, but that's not how pop-ups tend to roll. Jay Rayner has registered his disapproval of Thomas Keller's 10-day French Laundry pop-up at Harrods which opened on Saturday and costs ?250 a head. Last night Sabrina Ghayour's response, a charitable "French Laundrette" dinner event costing a minimum of ?2.50, was closer to the spirit, though she called it a supper club and did it in a restaurant (see "Where is it?" below), which demonstrates just how muddy these waters can be.
The London Restaurant Festival's London Eye pop-up which from 4 October will see chefs including Angela Hartnett and Jason Atherton cook for podfuls of people for between ?12,500 and ?15,000 is rather more extravagant (and more like an outside catering job) than many others.
These high priced events are not for food or restaurant lovers - I'd rather save up and go to the French Laundry proper than throw ?250 at a pop-up event in London which is likely to be full of corporate types and sadly lacking in atmosphere - either of his restaurant in the Napa Valley or the underground atmosphere we associate with pop-ups.
How long it is there for? One night, a few days or a couple of weeks is different to a short lease of six months or a year. I am fond both of Drink Tea Eat Cake, a six-month spin-off of Manchester's Teacup caf?</a> which serves excellent caramel-filled chocolate witches' hats, and Roganic , Simon Rogan's celebrated two-year-long toe-in-the-London-water which does clever things with little-known greenery in a normal restaurant set up. I would not count either of them as a proper pop-up. Their appropriation of the term is merely a helpful indication that they won't be around for ever.
Where is it? If you're a chef running a pop-up restaurant in a venue that's usually a restaurant , that's not much of a challenge. And outside catering (I think that's probably you, chefs on the London Eye) is outside catering. Disused buildings, village halls and scout huts give better quirk and, by extension, a more authentic pop-up.
What are they selling? It's never a chore to eat great food, especially if it's cooked by a big-name chef whose restaurant is usually tricky to access. If it's washed down with a sponsor's liquor (or, worse, washing-up liquid), though, it might be a bit more difficult to swallow. If you're a PR with a client even loosely related to the food and drink industry, the marketing "activity" least likely to secure enthusiastic coverage is now ? you guessed it ? the pop-up.
In an attempt not to add grist to a particularly tiresome mill, I will mention only briefly Fairy Platinum dishwasher tablets, frozen food, Cloudy Bay wine and Kirin beer. Sadly, a crowded market makes it all the more difficult to see the good ones.
Been here before? Why go to a proper branch of a well-established restaurant such as Nando's, Pizza Express or even Canteen when you could you to a temporary, slightly confused version of the same place, possibly at a festival or with a shorter menu and dazed staff? Because head office thought you might like to experience a safe version of a recent and edgily uninsured dining phenomenon and at the same time refresh your opinion of their brand!
Is it something else? Is it a restored classic recreation vehicle serving food without providing chairs? Is it a boutique-turned-nocturnal restaurant at which invited amateur cooks work with a support team to produce an acceptable dinner for invited guests? Is it regular dinners at a stylish non-residential, non-restaurant venue? Is it a professional chef serving his or her food in someone else's restaurant? Is it a paid-for dinner in someone's house? Is it food cooked in a tent and served to the sounds of distant guitars? Then it could be a private dining club, street food, guest chef event, supper club, festival catering or subversive new (ha!) way of marketing mustard.
Your guess ? and I'd love to hear it - is as good as mine. I'm popping upstairs for a lie down. * Restaurants
* Food & drink Emma Sturgess guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Daniella Alonso Danneel Harris Deanna Russo Denise Richards Desiree Dymond
Vettel claims championship as Button wins in Japan Posted about 21 hours ago by zappanicoxs52g to zappanicoxs52g's posterous
Sebastian Vettel finished third at the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest ever double World Champion as Jenson Button claimed victory in Suzuka. In a frenetic race, Vettel was forced to settle for third after Button and Fernando Alonso managed to pass him but the German was able to consolidate his position and cruise [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/5nUt43CwYTE/vettel-claims-c...
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Wednesday: CB 4 to Vote on West Side Protected Bike Lanes Posted about 19 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous
Community Board 4 will vote Wednesday on the DOT plan to extend protected bike lanes on Eighth and Ninth Avenues north from 34th to 59th Streets. As Noah reported in September, the lanes will offer a much safer route for commuters, delineating protected space on wide avenues sorely in need of taming, particularly near Penn Station, [...]
Source: http://www.streetsblog.org/2011/10/04/wednesday-cb-4-to-vote-on-west-side-pro...
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DD Williamson changes brand identity Posted about 19 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
DD Williamson has launched a new brand image to reflect its 'expanded expertise in colour solutions for customers'.
In the new logo, 'DDW' replaces 'DD Williamson'. The company says its new 'The Colour House' tagline expresses a place where creativity blends with advanced technical capability to bring colour ideas to life.
In recent years, the company has recruited experienced food scientists to fill several new positions, located in the US and Europe, in applications and innovation. Customer demand for custom solutions has increased, with requests for naturally derived alternatives to synthetic food colour additives.
?The new identity helps demonstrate DDW?s ability to deliver creative colour solutions for customers across a wide range of application sectors,? said Campbell Barnum, VP, branding & market development. ?What hasn't changed is DDW?s global commitment to the highest product standards and quality systems."
Source: DD Williamson
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McLaren MP4-26 Launch pictures ( 4th of February) Posted about 19 hours ago by zappanicoxs52g to zappanicoxs52g's posterous
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C0-vQeDcGfc/TWDazry2paI/AAAAAAAAHIc/X3Qr7G1h9bk/s16... McLaren launched a rather radical MP4-26 during their scheduled Vodafone media event on 4th February at Potsdamer Platz located in Berlin, Germany shortly after the first test session of the season in Valencia.
The nose of the McLaren MP4-26 features the same high design as many of the other cars this season, while its sidepods are extremely sculpted and L-shaped. In addition, the airbox tweaks have been intensively reworked, while the car's exhaust system presents a classic rear-side design.
Technical specifications Chassis Moulded carbon fibre honeycomb composite incorporating front and side impact structures and integral safety fuel cell
Suspension (front) Inboard torsion bar/damper system operated by pushrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement
Suspension (rear) as front, except operated by pullrod and bell crank with a double wishbone arrangement
Engine Mercedes-Benz FO 108Y 2.4 L (146 cu in) V8 (90?). Naturally-aspirated, 18,000 RPM limited with KERS, mid-mounted.
Transmission McLaren Seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox with reverse gear hand-operated, seamless shift
Weight 640 kg (1,411 lb) (including driver)
Fuel ExxonMobil High Performance Unleaded (5.75% bio fuel) Mobil Synergy Fuel System Mobil 1 lubrication
Tyres Pirelli P Zero Enkei wheels (front and rear): 13"
Links
McLaren MP4-26 - L-shaped sidepods ( The Official F1)
"There is no doubting the new MP4-26 is very different from all the other 2011 cars. Technical director Paddy Lowe has exploited to the extreme the idea of higher outer sidepods, last seen on the likes of Benetton's B195 from 1995 and Ferrari's F310 from 1996."
McLaren MP4-26 ? ?L? shaped sidepods (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"It remains to be seen if this set up works better than conventional undercut sidepods for creating rear downforce. Others team would be able to recreate the McLaren ?L? shaped sidepod inlets. Although it would require a significant change the radiators and bodywork, making it a major package upgrade and not a quick test."
McLaren MP4-26 Launch pictures Photos ? McLaren
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/F1InsightAFormula1Blog/~3/PKSGf3lrBNs/mclaren-...
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2011 NSCS Hollywood Casino 400 Second Practice Session Speeds Posted about 17 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous
Kevin Harvick with RCR Team Owner Richard Childress - Photo Credit: Tom Pennington/Getty Images for NASCARKevin Harvick, with a lap speed of?170.401 mph, was the fastest in the second NSCS Hollywood Casino 400 practice session at Kansas Speedway. Defending series champion,?Jimmie Johnson, with a lap speed of?170.057 mph, was second fastest, followed by?Carl Edwards (169.998)...more»
Source: http://www.catchfence.com/2011/sprintcup/10/08/2011-nscs-hollywood-casino-400...
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Sagrada Fam?lia to be completed ? in 2028 Posted about 17 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
Barcelona's intricate temple to God to be ready for centenary of architect Antoni Gaud?'s death ? or thereabouts
? Catch up on the history of Barcelona's architectural wonder
Barcelona's emblematic Sagrada Familia church finally has a completion date ? 2026 or 2028, more than 140 years after it was started.
Joan Rigol, president of the committee charged with finishing the building by Antoni Gaud?, said it should be finished in time for the centenary for the architect's death ? or, if not, two years later.
Five huge towers are being added to the eccentric building, which is among Spain's most-visited tourist attractions.
Gaud? died in 1926 after being runover by the city's No 30 tram. He had been living on the Sagrada Familia building site and looked so impoverished that it took several hours for doctors to realise who he was. The tram driver thought he had hit a drunken tramp.
Originally paid for by subscription, the church was always set to take a long time to build. "My client is in no hurry," Gaud? once said, referring to God.
The building was at one stage popularly known as "the cathedral of the poor" and Gaudi himself was known to go begging for contributions ? which currently amount to around ?500,000 (?440,000) a year.
An influx of tourists, along with modern masonry techniques, has seen work speed up considerably over the past two decades. Some three million fee-paying tourists are expected to visit this year alone, contributing ?30m.
With a roof finally in place, Pope Benedict was able to consecrate it as a basilica last year. But a setback came when a man set fire to the basilica's sacristy in April, with repair work still under way.
"The damage is worse than we had thought," said the building's chief architect, Jordi Bonet. Authorities are now considering installing metal detectors at the entrance.
"Our new objective is to complete the six central towers, of which five have already been started," said Rigol.
The sixth tower will measure 170 metres and contain a lift to carry tourists to the top. Rigol added that a high-speed rail tunnel to be built nearby, which has been approved by the courts, may still damage the buildings foundations.
Bonet did not seem so sure about the finish date. "I'm not saying that it is wrong, I hope it is not, but it is not that simple. This is a very complex work and needs a lot of investigation," the architect told the RAC1 radio station. "Everyone has the best will, but I cannot give any assurances." * Spain
* Architecture
* Europe
* Catholicism
* Religion
* Christianity Giles Tremlett guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Dania Ramirez Danica Patrick Daniella Alonso Danneel Harris Deanna Russo
Busch looks to Kansas Speedway for Chase push Posted about 17 hours ago by zappanicoxs52g to zappanicoxs52g's posterous Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/10/08/1550289/busch-hopes-kansas-speedway-pl...
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F1 teams face tough tyre call in Japan Posted about 15 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous
Formula 1 teams are set to face a major tyre strategy dilemma ahead of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix thanks to the high degradation experienced so far on the softer compound tyres. That is the view of Pirelli's motorsport director Paul Hembery, who says the fact that the soft compound's pace appears to be dropping off so dramatically in a stint could push teams to revolve their strategy around the medium tyre.
Source: http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/formula-one-news/f1-formula-one-news/f1-t...
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How to make dandelion and burdock beer Posted about 15 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
Dig for victory and your reward will be a very British root beer
Dandelion and burdock roots, being perennial, are available all year, but it is important to collect them only when the leaves are visible so that you do not confuse them with anything nasty. The very common hemlock water dropwort (pdf) , for example, has roots which will see you dead in three hours! Spring or autumn when the roots are at their fattest is the best time to search them out. Burdock has large, heart shaped, furry leaves and a tiresome reputation for providing those burrs that accompany us home after a country walk.
It is, of course, an offence to uproot any plant without the permission of the landowner. If you think that no-one would actually be prosecuted for such things, think again; I know of a fellow who was fined (?10) at the behest of an irritable local council for digging up horseradish. Having no dandelion roots of my own, due to my fondness for dandelion coffee, I had to venture out. There is a nice grassy bank near our village school which was planted out with daffodils by the children some years ago. It has become rather overrun with dandelions so I did a little public spirited - and rather nervous - weeding.
Burdock is slightly more of a problem as, while the hole made by an uprooted dandelion is a discreet affair, that made by a dislodged burdock root is large enough to twist an ankle. Burdock roots are tough, go down a long way in several directions at once and are particularly fond of soil rich in immoveable rocks. I shall not tell you where I went ? suffice it to say that it was a quiet spot. Being an experienced digger-up of burdock I went prepared with a pickaxe as well as a spade. My barrister friend tells me that this may count as "going equipped" and could involve free accommodation for up to seven years if things turned out badly. Foraging can be a nightmare. Of course, you'll have the permission of the landowner for yours.
While D&B beer is reputed to have a long pedigree going back to St Thomas Aquinas, the earliest reference I can find, beyond a recipe or two, is an 1897 report from Ashton-under-Lyne of some poor devil being fined a couple of quid for selling the stuff. No peace for the enterprising in those days either, it seems. Most of us will have tried D&B Beer at one time or other but much of the commercially available offerings contain neither of its eponymous ingredients nor, in my opinion, any or their flavour (a notable exception is produced by Fentimans).
I have slightly stolen this recipe from my friend Hugh . A couple of large burdock roots (about 150g)
A handful of dandelion roots (about 50g)
500g sugar
2 tablespoons of black treacle
Juice of one lemon
Teaspoon of copper finings (carragheen) to help clarify the beer ? optional
A beer yeast
4.5 litres of water
Scrub and finely slice the roots then boil them with half the water (and the carragheen if using) for half an hour. Experience the aroma of an unpromising vegetable stew.
Take off the heat, add the remaining cold water, the sugar, treacle and lemon and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Strain the liquid into a clean fermenting bucket and cover.
When your brew reaches room temperature add the yeast, keep covered for up to a week then bottle in strong swing top bottles. Another week and it will be ready to drink, though it is well worth easing the top off of a bottle every now and then to check for potentially explosive levels of fizziness. Once ready it is a good idea to keep the bottles in the fridge to prevent further fermentation.
The bottle pictured above was quite sweet with a low alcohol content and a touch cloudy because I did not use finings. The flavour is mildly bitter and aromatic with a now pleasant hint of that vegetable stew. * Beer
* Food & drink John Wright guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds Jennifer Scholle Jennifer Sky Jenny McCarthy Jessica Alba Jessica Biel
Webber on the verge of walking? Posted about 15 hours ago by zappanicoxs52g to zappanicoxs52g's posterous Source: http://www.metrof1.com/blogs/metrof1/2011/07/webber-on-the-verge-of-walking.html
Giancarlo Baghetti Julian Bailey Mauro Baldi Bobby Ball
Spyker Sold! We Interview the New Owner, Alex Mascioli of North Street Capital Posted about 13 hours ago by rovenlunger to rovenlunger's posterous
Early this morning, Saab-parent Swedish Automobile agreed to sell its Spyker sports car business to a private equity firm based in Greenwich, Connecticut. The deal, worth 33 million euros ($45 million at today's exchange rates) will be done entirely in cash. But what motivated a group of American investors with no history owning or managing [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/D1oWNbDvAgQ/
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Competition winner: a bus tour of Orkney, Scotland Posted about 13 hours ago by kimtopps to kimtopps's posterous
Jo Bunting won a tour of Scotland, and fell in love with its history and beauty ? not to mention her ever-patient guide, Richard
Never having experienced a minibus tour before, I soon realised that it would involve a certain mind shift. The way I'm used to doing things, the driving part is simply a means of getting to where you want to go and if there's going to be rain and poor visibility, then the day you're driving to your destination is not a bad day for it to happen. On a scenic tour, however, the driving is the holiday and therefore having something to look at out of the window is fairly essential. Otherwise you're just sitting in a minibus with 15 strangers, several of whom are engrossed in a crossword.
Early on, I wondered if we had people on board with bladder problems. Eventually, I realised it was just the intonation of Richard, our bekilted guide: "We'll be driving for about an hour, and then we'll stop for a wee. Coffee. After that, it's on to Spean Bridge for a wee. Spot o' lunch."
Throughout the journey, he got the balance just right between giving us some fascinating information and then keeping quiet for a while, so I could enjoy the noise of the woman behind me eating an apple.
The first day involved a drive through the valley of Glen Coe. Even the weather couldn't mask its staggering beauty, and as we peered out through steamed up windows, Richard described its terrible history. By 1 January 1692, the clan chief of the MacDonalds was supposed to have gone to Inverary to sign an oath of allegiance to King William, but mistakenly headed in the opposite direction to Inverness. Now I've done this sort of thing lots of times, but luckily so far my profuse apologies for the eventual late arrival haven't resulted in me being put to the sword. For the chief, who finally reached Inveraray on 6 January, the price for being late was having his whole clan murdered.
Along the entire length of Glen Coe there are now just two small farms and one house, the latter Jimmy Saville's holiday home ? something I wo
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