OK, so on Monday I had a super productive day. I made the most awesome tomato, mini pumpkin and chili soup for dinner and it was all sat with fresh bread ready to eat before Tash got home ... and so I had the genius idea of prepping some ingredients to bake some cakes with Alfie.
The plan was to get everything ready so we could do it when Tash got home ... cos I was sure it was gonna take two to monitor Alfie with floury ingredients!
Everything was kept simple, ideal for a child with about a 13 second attention span - and what could be more perfect than vanilla cupcakes with a chocolate frosting/icing!!
The cake recipe was 150g butter, 150g caster sugar, 100g plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 eggs ... and Alfie was only too keen to help out with the measuring, literally diving in with two hands!
And he mastered the electric mixing quick-smart, and only tried to stick his fingers in the whisk attachments about four times! (which I considered a success!)
Tash measured out the batter into the cupcake cases and each one was baked at 160 for about 20 minutes. Whilst the cakes baked Alfie got on with cleaning the whisk attachments!
Once cooled I gave half of the cakes a chocolate frosting and half a chocolate icing (cos my awkward wife doesn't like frosting apparently). Far from baked works of art, they are however baked gems of tasty joy! Alfie confirms this with lots of pointing at the cake stand accompanied with 'mmmmmmmmm' noises.
Incidentally, if you would like to learn how to decorate cupcakes properly (not like my half arsed attempts) then you might like to know my gorgeous friend Holly Bell (who was in the final three of this year Great British Bake Off) is now running classes up in Leicestershire. She's got a real eye for this kinda thing, and I can guarantee she'll be the most welcoming host and helpful teacher. Click here to be taken to her website where you can book your place!
Every year I plant a large number of tomato plants, and this year I focused on some bigger varieties with the aim of a bumper crop.
I been slow posting these pics, but you can see that by mid Sept they veg had well and truly taken over the garden! The tomatoes were growing like crazy, and some weird mini pumpkins had decided to grow all across the gravel paths!
Alfie started picking a few a number of weeks back;
And I picked a load to ripen up whilst we were away last weekend. And yes, that one at the front is ONE tomato!
But before then I collected about 1.5kg of ripe toms and made the most awesome sauce. Its kinda the reason I grew them, I wanted a big stock of sauce ready to go for pasta and pizza bases.
So here's what you do. In a big stock pot sweat an onion in a good glug (or five) of olive oil. Add a diced apache chili. Add your 1.5kg of toms (chopped). Once they start to reduce and give out a little liquid add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and just under a tablespoon of caster sugar. Leave over a low heat until it has reduced to the consistency you desire.
When needed, just add a generous handful of fresh basil and it is tomato perfection!
For a long time now I've wanted to get a shelter built off the back of the barn. A place for the racecar to live, and somewhere for me to start its rebuild with a roof over my head.
Short of funds for a complete garage to be built I decided a carport would be a suitable solution to the problem. A recent call to Bill had him booked in to help out with the erection and a phone call to Less2Build had the materials with me by Thursday.
On Saturday morning it was time to clear some space!
And got the woodburner fired up to give us a helping hand.
We spent a while measuring everything out, working our which way the posts were going to line. With the barn and the adjacent fence not being at right angles we had to work out which way the 'square' of our four posts was going to line. With everything planned I ran out to grab some postcrete whilst Bill went about digging some holes!
I returned to find all holes dug, and so we set about mocking up the posts and setting them into place.
With the posts set in place we went about measuring the joist position whilst accommodating a 6 inch slope for the rainwater run off.
It was looking good, and Bill gave it the thumbs up! Proper job!
It was about this time I learnt a valuable lesson. When tapping coachbolts into place don't leave a lump hammer on the top of the step ladder ... cos if you lose your bearings and try and step off the wrong side of the step ladder not only will you fall on the floor, but the step ladder will also fall on top of you throwing said lump hammer right between your legs from about 5ft up!
Once I'd finished jumping about and my voice had dropped back down to a normal level we got everything finished off.
All properly finished off with recessed coachbolts and right angle brackets in the corners!
With everything done for the day we made the most of the last half hour of daylight to try and remove some off the abundance of tree and shrubbery near the fig tree. I'm pleased to say that most of the budlia is now gone! Its amazing what a few blokes can do with a piece of rope and a bit of heave-ho!
Next up is to move the fig tree, and then the whole carport will be extended to join the barn. In the meantime I'll probably add another joist, brace it with a few noggins, and then lay a nice tin roof over what we've already built. A perfect shack to build a racecar under!
Last weekend the calendars clicked over to October. I suppose that really marks the start of Autumn, but due to the freak 30+degree heat it was more like summer than anytime during June, July or August!
I was loving it, happier than a shark at a surf festival, and with a perfect weekend already planned the weather would prove to be the icing on the cake.
Due to post-Gathering activities I hadn't even made it to a single Villa home Premier League game this season, but with my Dad out of the country I had been left the pair of season tickets and I had no intention of missing the game on Saturday. The only spanner in my plan was the fact Tash was away at the NCT AGM for the day. Due to the wonders of social media I learn my pal Nathan was 'home alone' for the weekend and so invited him to join me for the day ... and help me try and keep Alfie reigned in! Part of me was dreading it, but mostly I couldn't wait to take Alfie to Villa Park for the first time.
All in all we had a cracking day - whats better than football in the sunshine!? Alfie slept on the way up, we arrived just before kick-off giving just enough time to grab a photo, a programme and of course his first Aston Villa scarf!
The game flew by, and Alfie found himself easily amused; mostly by the people around him, bouncing beach balls in the crowd, or birds that he thought he could see. With Villa rounding out 2-0 winners there was plenty of opportunity to clap which also pleased him a lot!
Sunday rolled round, a date I had been massively excited about for a long time. It was time for me to collect some more ink!
I had spotted the picture of the clown in the art store based above Casemates in Gibraltar back in 2007 - oddly enough the same place and same time as Tash found the image of her 'birds' that she had tattoo'd. I loved the image right away, it just made me smile. It kinda said to me to keep a smile on your face, even when the world is pissing down upon you. And as time passed this image kinda grew with me, and always seem relevant and appropriate to my life. The clown / the entertainer / the stay at home Dad, and the ducks as the family. I think that comes back to something I heard Tash say years ago, something about "no-one cuts up her ducks". That's why there is only one duck - to represent Alfie - and others will be added as future children arrive.
My only problem was Tash finds clowns freaky, and so didn't have the same affection for the picture that I did. I dunno if I just wore her down or if she changed her mind but eventually I managed to make the comment "I'm gonna have my clown tattoo'd" and I didn't get the response "I'll divorce you if you do!". And with that a deposit was laid down (thanks Sal!) and come Sunday I was ready to go under the needle once more.
We jumped on the train;
and whilst Alfie slept we found a lovely little Sushi place down Camden Lock;
of course it wasn't long till he woke up and joined us for some food;
saw a lovely poo-brown Porsche 911;
before arriving at Evil From The Needle, the shop where Jeff Ortega works from (and owns).
It was lovely to just sit down and chill whilst being tattoo'd ... and whilst Alfie ran Tash ragged for a change! Does that say something, that I'd rather have a man stick needles in me than be in charge of my son?? lol. Jeff let me take some 'in progress' shots;
And here's the finished piece, I am absolutely over the moon with it! Jeff, if you read this, thanks man!!!
Alfie has reached 'that age', an age where he is MAX everything. Exploring the boundaries of everything ... from the basic limits of 'klutz' right through to the edges of my patience.
Today is an ideal example of this, and Tash rightly pointed out I should make a note of such events for future reference.
The morning was crazy, trying to get stuff sorted around the house and some bits prepared for the weekend. We've had this freak 27+ degree weather recently and so it seemed the ideal opportunity to let Alfie play and run around whilst I was in the kitchen ... meaning he had full access to the kitchen as well as the garden.
With bottles filled and buckets brimmed he went about causing mayhem ... requiring me every few minutes to correct his behaviour. First he tried to 'superman' through his chair, then it was attempting to steal knives from the kitchen worktop, covering the garden path in a carpet of straw, trying to break into the barn ....
For 5 minutes I had my back turned to make some pastry. I turned back round to find the outside was inside. A perfect tripwire lined up behind me consisting of watering cans, buckets, playhouse stools, dog bowls ...
You know that film Parenthood? Remember that little kid? If not, let me jog your memory;
Well Tash and I have often said "thats gonna be Alfie!" .... And then this morning it finally happened ...
But lunch would come and afterwards he would nap and I could straighten out the house. Or so I thought. We had lunch and he was put to bed, that much is true. But nap he did not. After an hour of listening to what could easily be mistaken for seismic activity in his bedroom I figured a) he might as well play outside if he was awake and b) I'd better see what destruction he was up to. Amongst his usual destruction it appears he can now remove pictures from his walls via the cunning bed/storage box combo!
Once back downstairs he continued from where he left off. Largely using his little stool to gain as much height as he could manage. He climbed the chicken pen;
He tried to whack the washing with a fishing pole;
He climbed up to the kitchen light switches. And when he got caught he gave me that 'what? I wouldn't do anything wrong' look;
He climbed the raised beds;
And he even tried to mount an escape!
And so my day finishes and I am totally shattered. Absolutely cream crackered. But truth be told I wouldn't have it any other way!
As soon as I learnt Tasha's Dad was working in Madrid I had been keen to arrange an opportunity for Alfie and I to visit. Stories of an apartment around the corner from the Santiago Bernabeu had me itching to board a flight to see a city I briefly glimpsed in 1998; then to visit Real's local rivals Athletico Madrid.
And so with The Gathering done and dusted we cashed in some Air Miles and last Monday (12th) Tash dropped Alfie and I off at Heathrow Airport to board a BA flight to Madrid. We were there by 7:30am, and after over 2 hours of Airport Athletics we were finally able to board our plane ... to share a seat for the next 2 hours. Thankfully BA seats are fairly spacious and we managed OK, largely aided by the check-in desk having left the seat next to me empty!
We arrived at Madrid Airport, somehow stumbled our way through the minefield of travellators and escalators, and eventually found ourselves at baggage reclaim. By now it was lunchtime, and I had been with Alfie - but without buggy - for over five hours! All I wanted to see was that Land Rover luggage appear so I could finally put him down! At which point I realised there weren't many people about. And there was virtually no sign of ANY luggage on our carousel at all. And then it appeared, the only piece of luggage going round ... no, not Alfie's buggy, but the extending handle of some poor sod's samsonite. I laughed. Alfie laughed. My recently gathered fellow passengers ... didn't laugh. They clearly haven't seen this Rhod Gilbert sketch ...
Fred met us at the airport, and we jumped on the metro to head across to the apartment where Fred and Lydia stay.
With our cases unloaded we set off for a wander. Just 5 minutes down the road is the Santiago Bernabeu, and as we took a stroll towards it I noticed what the Spanish call a petrol station. Basically a pump in a bus stop - I'd hate to be a biker around here, there must be diesel all over the roads!
We rounded the corner and there in front of me was the enormous concrete theatre - Santiago Bernabeu! Not the most attractive of venues, but certainly imposing.
It was then a case of finding a bar for a drink, followed by a venue for food. This was pretty much the same scenario every evening. Not just so we had an excuse for a drink, but due to the fact the Spaniards don't do dinner till gone 8pm.
I'm not your typical tourist, I don't visit somewhere and look to hit all the attractions, I just like to 'exist' in a place and watch it all happen around me. However Madrid was slightly different; obviously I wanted to see the Bernabeu and I was desperately keen to visit the Angel Nieto Museum. Unless you're into Motorbike Grand Prix racing you probably won't know him, but he's quite a legend. Anyway, Tuesday morning we negotiated the Metro to find ourself in the opposite end of Madrid and greeted by this;
Right place, wrong time. Royally the wrong time too, as the exact four days I was in Madrid happened to be the exact four days they were closed! I peeked through the windows at the displays of trophies but I wonder what other joys I missed. It sure looks like it needs a tidy up though, I can't imagine the Italians ever letting Rossi's future museum getting into this state! Btw, the 12+1 is recognition of his thirteen world championships ... but he was very superstitious!
So what did we do? Why we sat down to eat of course! And I had a cerveza in THE BEST Mahou chilled mug!
We then made our way back, Alfie fell asleep, and I managed to grab a 20 minute siesta (I had been up since 4am!) before our planned tour of the Bernabeu. It kicked off at 6pm, and was a brisk walk through the home of the most successful football club in Europe. If I was on my own I would have felt robbed - it was too fast, and covered too little. But I was carrying Alfie the whole way round so actually I was pretty glad it was so rapid!
By the time we had completed the stadium tour it was 7pm, and Fred had made it across from work to join us. Which meant it was "drinks followed by food" 'O' clock.
Wednesday arrived, and as Fred had taken the day off work we had planned to visit Madrid Zoo.
As I mentioned, I'm not a great fan of 'attractions' but I was quite looking forward to taking Alfie to the zoo. He's at that age where he has a massive interest in animals, and seems to love elephants. I couldn't wait to show him the real life versions that really go PAWOO! I was right to look forward to it too, for I was truly blown away by just how good the zoo was!
Just a few weeks prior I had been so impressed with Shepreth because of their lack of 'cages' and Madrid was very similar. It is possible to house man eating monsters without trapping them behind steel bars.
After Alfie did a lot of running, and we had checked out the sharks in the underwater enclosure, we stumbled across a display of birds of prey and various other feathered oddities.
What amazed me was that the birds we free to leave the arena, and it seemed to me as if they were free to land where they wanted. This massive eagle landed just behind us on a bin, and at one point was on top of the lamp post we were stood next to!
As we meandered around we happened to stumble upon the dolphin arena, just as they were getting ready for their next show.
We grabbed a seat, and I have to be honest the whole experience very nearly brought a tear to my eye. Alfie is quite familiar with animals, but it occurred to me he would have no idea that a dolphin might jump out of the water or put on a display for him.
He was truly gobsmacked, and concentrated so hard on the whole experience there was no energy left for an expression on his face!
After all that excitement Alfie fell asleep. It was about 1pm (so too early for lunch in Spain) and the mercury was up around 37 degrees! We opted to find some shelter and sink a drink whilst Alfie recharged his batteries. Once he awoke it was time for lunch, and then onto more zoo based adventures.
Amongst many others we saw Anteaters;
Giraffes;
The 12 month old Panda cubs;
And of course the ELEPHANTS!
Do you think he had fun?
You may know that Alfie has a stuffed toy Koala, which has taken the name Walla, and unsurprisingly the zoo had an enclosure with a pair of Koala's. Being nocturnal they were both asleep, and I was amazed at how close to the real thing Alfie's stuffed toy was! So was Alfie, as for a few minutes he seemed quite distressed at having to leave Walla behind a glass panel!
Madrid Zoo also has a 'Madagasca' themed area. We walked past and saw a sign saying you can go in the enclosure with a guide for 'x' Euro's. I wondered what they meant by that, cos surely you can't go in with those crazy monkeys, right? I was proved wrong, and those monkey are actually very friendly little folk. When Alfie spotted a few up against the edge of their enclosure he did what he does with all animals - and tried to feed them stones!
Metro home, and it was soon time to head out for food. We had spotted the local Harley dealership setting up an event outside the Bernabeu the previous night, and so took a stroll down their for BBQ and a beer.
An evening outside a football ground, surrounded by bikes, BBQ and beer ... does life get better? Oh yeah, traditional Spanish baked offerings too!!
On Thursday I got my day of 'mooching'. Taking it easy amongst Madrid, as life goes on around me. Tasha's Mum took us past the 'Kings Crib';
The Cathedral;
And then whilst Alfie grabbed some shut-eye we found a nice little place to eat. By the time he awoke it was lunch time and we dined well!
We meandered our way through the streets of Madrid, stopping off at a few shops along the way, until we found ourself right in the middle of Madrid!
Another evening was enjoyed, and before we knew it it was Friday morning. Just enough time to grab a map of Madrid (for planning the bike ride) and a Real Madrid lapel pin souvenir before we had to board the Metro once more, this time bound for the airport to board a plane home.
A perfect week away, and what could be a better welcome than have your wife meet you in the arrivals area of Heathrow!?! Except I kinda took the edge of that surprise by calling Tash as we went through customs to ask where she was ....
