Things aren’t going entirely to plan. An irritating niggle is threatening my grand erection with flaccidity, but it’ll be sorted out – eventually. Mrs Crox locked herself out of her office, which occasioned some drama. And when I opened the fridge, a plate carrying a piece of cake fell out, carrying with it an egg. Egg and plate smashed on floor, and Canis croxorum was unusually reluctant to slurp up the raw egg. Or the cake.
But it’s not all bad.
The homegrown broccoli is a fab addition to my stir-fries. And KristiV’s recipe for kale chips is proving very popular (we did it again, with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper, a great bar snack).
And the sun is shining brightly. This is a panorama from the lighthouse yesterday looking out to sea (you can see it’s a panorama from the wobbly horizon). The gorse is in bloom sending a pleasing scent of vanilla into the warming air. For those in search of literary landscapes, the bluff on the right is the location of the Institute in my Great Unread Novel By The Sea.
The weather is enough to cheer the grumpiest countenance.
A good win by Norwich against Swansea this afternoon would put the icing on the cake. But what with eggs and such falling out of the fridge, could this be a bunny portent of DOOM?
Update: a visit to a reclamation yard in Norwich (I love reclamation yards) netted a Butler sink for £20 – for the new kitchen – and a set of gold-plated Victorian-style bathroom mixer taps (with shower) for £10. Here they are…
Another Update: the Canaries were thrashed 3-0 by the Swans. Bum poo willy bottom.
Tzores-what a great word!
Comes from the Hebrew plural Tzarot, meaning troubles, while the singular, tzar (not a Russian ruler) actually means narrow, or confined. Probably both words are from the same root.
BTW, I am thoroughly enjoying Bryson’s “The Mother Tongue”–which reminds me that I may have to revoke your prize for the Science Joke of the Week. He mentions working as a newspaper editor in England and receiving an indecipherable FAX that used the word “Crustacean” as part of a sentence, when it was supposed to read “Crowe Station”.
Which reminds me that I waned to ask you about the origin of your wonderful “Mentor” blog awhile ago. I know that story has been retold from various sources (though your version was by far the most entertaining!)–do you happen to know where it originated? I recall that Carl Djerassi used a form of it in one of his books–possibly “Menachem’s Seed”. But I assume that he didn’t invent it–do you have any information on that? Just curious.
I’m afraid that I really can’t remember where I first heard that story…
Steve – if you like Crowe Station / Crustacean, you’ll also enjoy this!
Splort.
What’s a few sowsandpigs among friends?
Novel was great, but not entirely unread. Enjoy the spring weather. Did you link to KV’s recipe, or is it only on special request?
Hi Heather: thanks! do tell your friends about the novel, so as to decrease its unreadness. Here is KristiV’s recipe, from a comment thread in a previous post:
@ cromercrox: The most difficult part of this baked kale recipe will be converting F to C. First, tear up the kale into bite-sized pieces (not necessary if you grow the miniature varieties, or have access to the young leaves) and rinse well. Allow the kale to dry completely. Put the kale in a large bowl and rub 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil onto all of the pieces, coating thoroughly. Place parchment paper (dunno if that has a different name in the UK) on a baking tray, and lay the kale pieces on top – it’s OK if they overlap a bit. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350F, and do not allow leaves to brown (they will become bitter). 8 minutes is perfect for the small leaves. Mix seasoning of your choice (smoked paprika, ground chipotle, Southwestern seasonings from Penzey’s that I should probably send you, etc.) with equal amount of salt, and sprinkle over baked kale. Eat the whole tray of baked kale and experience little or no guilt. Sometimes that’s my veg with dinner.
Okay, I’ve tracked down what kale is in French. But I don’t think it’s on the market, nor that my climate is optimal. However there’s a lot of “bette” available, which on looking I have discovered to actually be a variety of beet green (cf this, even if it’s in French, there’s a nice photo). Oh, it’s chard. Got it. I suppose as a scientist I should just find out if this recipe works on chard. Bet not on the stems, though. I’ll report back.
Young kale leaves, chard/leaf beet and broccoli all work well in a stir fry.
I’ve always found that gorse bushes smell more like coconut than vanilla. Gorgeous either way though.
Good luck with your erection!
*SPLORT*
^
that was coffee. Nothing else.
Not your erection, then?
BTW, the Erection is overcoming its problems and will soon be restored to its full and tumescent magnificence. The roof will be on by the end of the week.
Hurray for modern medicine and especially generics.
@R’pus and Henry,
Stop being such bad *splorts*
If all else fails one can use two lollipop sticks and a piece of string.
Ahhh, Henry. Always putting the ‘blue’ in ‘Blue Peter’.
The Blue Peter is a signal flag. It stands proud and can be seen from a long way off.