Archive | July 2014

Favourite websites: VolcanoCafé

I have always had a fascination with nature’s dramatic events, such as tornadoes or tsunamis or landslides or earthquakes. At the top of my ‘ooooh’ list: volcanoes.

The lava lake at Mt Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo by Cai Tjeenk Willink.

When a new volcanic underwater vent off the coast of El Hierro in the Canary Islands started erupting back in October 2011, I tried to find out what I could about it on the web. One of the best sources was a new blog, VolcanoCafé, which I gather was set up to house volcano aficionados who had been deemed too chatty for a more serious-minded volcano website (though I might have got that wrong …).

The eruption at El Hierro. Photo by INVOLCAN.

The eruption at El Hierro, pictured three months in to the eruptive phase, on 5 January 2012. Photo by INVOLCAN.

Lakagigar, Iceland. Photo by Juhász Péter, 1 July 2004.

I have little scientific knowledge. I did geology ‘A’ level partly because of my fascination with volcanoes, but it involved mineralogy and crystallography and other areas of study that I really, really struggled with, only having done biology and geology at ‘O’ Level. I found VolcanoCafé perfect for me, as it is accessible to those with little or no scientific knowledge. It’s maintained by a group of highly informed and interested amateurs who understand what it is to not fully grasp things, and explain patiently in the comments section anything you might not understand.

Mt Cleveland in Alaska. Photo by Jeffrey N. Williams from abaord the International Space Station. This was an APOD!

Mt Cleveland in Alaska. Photo by Jeffrey N Williams from aboard the International Space Station.

What I love about VolcanoCafé is that it features articles written by its readers, about volcanoes that inspire them. You get the real sense of wonder and excitement, plus a really eclectic mix of subjects. Professional volcanologists read it too, and pop up in the comments section every now and then. The comments section is always really lively, and often provides early alerts and updates to new volcanic events around the world. Currently I’m learning about the new eruption which has enlarged Japanese volcanic island of Nishinoshima. Fantastic!

When the submarine eruption near the island of Nishinoshima first broke the surface of the water, the isalnd it created was nameed. It has since expanded considerably and joined to Nishinoshima.

When the submarine eruption near the island of Nishinoshima first broke the surface of the water, the island it created was named Niijima. It has since expanded considerably and joined to Nishinoshima. This photo was taken on 8 December 2013, by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite.

So a heartfelt ‘thanks’ from me to Carl, the founder of VolcanoCafé, and the ‘dragons’, and all the contributors who make it such an interesting and vibrant read.

A scrummy pheasant recipe

Jul8

We were given a large frozen pheasant the other day (already dressed, so that’s one less messy job for me), and I spent a while riffling through my files to find a good recipe for it. I plumped for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Pot-roast pheasant with chorizo, butter beans and parsley. (For transatlantic readers, butter beans = lima beans). It’s a bit of an odd one to have for a mid-summer evening meal, especially as we have been having such hot weather lately, but it was delicious.

Yum.

Pot-roast pheasant with chorizo, butter beans and parsley by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Serves 4. Prep time 20 mins, cooking time 2 hrs, plus another 15-20 mins to rest.

A knob of butter
3 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
2 onions, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
A few sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
2 oven-ready pheasants (I used one large one)
300 g cooking chorizo, skin removed and cut into 2 cm chunks
400 ml white wine
500 ml vegetable, chicken or light pheasant stock
400 g tin of butter beans, drained and rinsed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 handful flat-leafed parsley, chopped

Directions

Place a large flameproof casserole (one that will accommodate both birds) over a medium heat and heat the butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil until foaming. Add the onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaves and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and slightly golden.

Cooking the onions, garlic, thyme and bay leaves.

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan. Season the pheasants all over with salt and pepper, add to the pan and brown on all sides over a high heat for 3–4 minutes.

Browning the pheasant.

Transfer to the casserole. Add the chorizo to the frying pan and fry for 3–4 minutes, until browned, then add to the casserole too.

Deglaze the frying pan by pouring in a little of the wine and stirring to scrape up any bits from the base of the pan. Add to the pheasants with the rest of the wine, the stock and the butter beans. The liquid doesn’t need to cover the birds but it should come at least halfway up.

Ready to go in the oven.

Bring to a simmer, cover and place in an oven preheated to 140C/275F/Gas Mark 1.

Cook for 2 hours, until the birds are tender.

Remove the pheasants from the casserole and leave to rest in a warm place for 15–20 minutes. If the chorizo has released a lot of fat, skim some off. Add the parsley and season to taste. Cut the birds into halves or quarters and divide between 4 warm plates. Spoon over the chorizo, beans and sauce, and serve with mash or lots of bread.

One note: I was working from the paper recipe I’d cut out of the Guardian; I see in the online recipe’s comments someone mentions he’s missed out the parsley, so I’ve added it above. The paper recipe also used dried, soaked butter beans rather than tinned ones, and has an optional pig’s trotter.

Merci beaucoup, TdF!

Jul7

To use the words of Big Chris: It’s been emotional. The Tour has finished its three-day sojourn in England—and what a fabulous three days it has been. Stage 3 ended with the first rain shower of the whole period and an exciting chase: Jan Barta and Jean-Marc Bideau were out on their own from the start, Barta right up to the last 8 km with Bideau, and Bideau on his own to the last 6 km, when the merciless peloton finally caught him. Then in a tightly-contested sprint up The Mall, Marcel Kittel won out, his second stage win in three days. Bravo!

Another view of the Tour passing through Finchingfield. Photo by PA.

The Tour passes through Finghingfield, Essex. Amazing crowds! Photo by PA.

The Tour passes through Finchingfield, Essex. Amazing crowds! Photo: Tour de France.

Another view of the Tour passing through Finchingfield. Photo: Tour de France.

During the race, ITV had a brief interview with Danny Boyle, who was in London to watch, and he made the point that the feeling of communities joining in the spirit of the Tour throughout its route is reminiscent of the way the country responded to the Olympic Torch Relay two years ago. He’s so right! The flame passed quite near to us, along the A30 and into Shaftesbury. I didn’t get to to witness it in person, but watched on the live coverage from the BBC vehicle right behind the torch bearer. There were flags and balloons and masses of bunting, and people were really getting into the spirit of it, just as they have over the last three days.

Then a little while after that interview, the Tour passed by the Olympic Park and the Olympic Stadium, which of course reminded me of the fantastic opening ceremony directed by Danny Boyle. He mentioned during the interview that Stephen Frears had just made a film about the Tour, and a quick bit of google-fu tells me it’s an as-yet unnamed biopic of disgraced Tour drugs cheat Lance Armstrong.

Merci beaucoup, Tour de France, et revenir bientôt! Photo by PA.

So au revoir to Le Tour, and merci beaucoup. I can’t say enough what a thrill it has been and how proud it has made me to see the Tour de France over the last three days in England. The sun shone, the crowds were massive and the scenery beautiful, all providing a great backdrop to the biggest and best cycle race in the world—and the largest annual sporting event in the world. (I’m not sure how this is calculated—number of participants, duration, number of spectators, number of people who watch it on tv, or a combination of some or all of these?) Christian Prudhomme, the Tour Director, has called the last three days ‘the grandest Grand Départ ever’: what a compliment. I hope the Tour will be back on British shores before too long. We’ve loved having you!

Tour de France: Stage 3

Jul7

Yesterday’s Stage 2 from York to Sheffield was an exciting watch, through more gorgeous countryside: and the rain held off too, which was a wonderful bonus. I thought the route designers were rather mean putting the Jenkin Road climb right at the very end of the race, but of course the riders were up to it. Vincenzo Nibali put on a great sprint at the end to leave the others behind and take his first ever yellow jersey.

So after two glorious days in God’s Own County, the Tour moves south today to Cambridge, Essex and London.

The start of today’s Stage 3 in my old student stomping ground of Cambridge will provide scenic photo opportunities a-plenty, though the flat ground of the route won’t prove too taxing compared to yesterday’s hilly climbs. The Tour will pass through the picturesque town of Saffron Walden, named after the saffron industry that used to dominate there in the 16th and 17th centuries—fields were full of the pretty purple saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) produced the expensive spice (each crocus has three stigmas, which have to be collected by hand and dried to produce the spice).

Church Street, Saffron Walden. Photo by Stuart Logan.

Saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), with the three long orange visible.

Saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), with the three long orange stigmas visible. Photo by Kenpei.

On its way into London the Tour will pass the Olympic Park, scene of both the fantastic 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics. Then it’s on into the City, ending on The Mall. The Mall is becoming quite a venue for important cycle races: the London 2012 men’s road race started and ended there.

And that will mark the end of the Tour’s three days in England: then it’s back across the Channel for tomorrow’s stage start at Le Touquet.

Daytime moths in our garden

Jul7

In the last couple of weeks we have had lots of beautiful scarlet tiger moths (Callimorpha dominula) in the garden.

Scarlet tiger moth on an Alchemilla mollis leaf in our garden, forewings only showing.

I was chatting on the phone the other day and looking out of the study window as I did so, on to the garden. The tiger moths were flying and I could look down on them, and they have the most brilliant flashes of red as they fly—quite striking. You can just see a hint of the red in the photo above, under the wing. Here it is in all its glory:

Scarlet tiger moth with the red underwings showing. Photo by Chris Manley for Butterfly Conservation.

Scarlet tiger moth with the red hindwings showing. Photo by Chris Manley for Butterfly Conservation.

They’ve been appearing each summer for about as long as we have been growing green alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens), and various reference books tell me that the scarlet tiger moth caterpillars feed mostly on comfrey (Symphytum officinale), which is a member of the Boraginaceae (borage or forget-me-not plant family), like the green alkanet. So it is not too much of a stretch to wonder if the caterpillars are feeding on our green alkanet plants, though I haven’t seen any direct evidence of this apart from the fact that the moths are concentrated in the part of the garden where the alkanet is. We have masses of honeysuckle in the garden (Lonicera caprifolium, Lonicera periclymenum ‘Serotina’ and Lonicera x italica) and the Butterfly Conservation page on the moths says the older caterpillars feed on that, so that might where they are dining.

One of the other really striking moths we see in our garden during the day is the large privet hawk moth (Sphinx ligustri). One time Chap found one on the lawn.

Privet hawk moth (Sphinx ligustri) in our garden. Big, isn’t it?

Privet hawk moth (Sphinx ligustri). That’s him at the top in the plate of illustrations.

Privet hawk moth (Sphinx ligustri).

We moved it out of harm’s way and when next we looked it had flown off. We see these about once a year: they’re not at all common round here, which is a shame as they are so beautiful.

The third moth we see during the day is the hummingbird hawk moth (Macroglossum stellatarum). We see a lot of these every year, usually in the later summer. They especially like feeding on our phlox flowers (Phlox paniculata ‘Mount Fuji’), and often are feeding right until dusk, darting from flower to flower in a flurry of wings—they make an audible ‘whirr’ as they fly. These little beauties fly so quickly that I haven’t yet managed to get a decent photo of one.

Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum). Photo by IronChris.

Hummingbird hawk moth (Macroglossum stellatarum), feeding on lavender (Lavandula sp.). Photo by IronChris.

UK Moths website.

Butterfly Conservation website.

Tour de France: Stage 2

Jul6

Such sad news this morning that Cav is out of the Tour after crashing 250 m from the end of yesterday’s stage—the very first of the Tour. I feel so, so sorry for him.

Poor Mark Cavendish slowly cycling to the finish after his crash.

Apart from that miserable end to the day’s racing, yesterday’s Leeds to Harrogate stage was fantastic. I watched the whole thing (much to Chap’s disgust, as it was a beautiful sunny day outside)—but hey, how often does the Tour come to the UK, and when it does, how often does the sun shine? Yorkshire looked stunning, and the aerial shots from the helicopter cameras showed the countryside to its best advantage. The sun shone, the grass was an unreal green, the drystone walls and stone buildings looked chocolate box perfect. Best tourism advertising Yorkshire could hope for! The crowds were amazing, too—estimates are between 1 and 2 MILLION people lining the course. I love the way the people have embraced the Tour with all the fun decorations to the houses and walls and lampposts and fields and sheep—pretty much anything that can be decorated.

Approaching the top of Buttertubs. Photo: Le Tour de France.

Approaching the top of Buttertubs, 5 July 2014. Photo: Le Tour de France.

The Peloton passes through the Yorkshire village of Muker. 5 July 2014. Photo by Owen Humphreys/Press Association.

I’d have loved it if Jens Voigt had won after his brave breakaway, especially as this is his last Tour, but he was reeled in and it all came down to the mad dash into Harrogate, where poor Cav came a cropper and Marcel Kittel won the charge for the line.

Today the Tour carries on its journey through Yorkshire. The stage passes through Haworth and Brontë country, and climbs the splendidly-named Blubberhouses (renamed the Côte de Blubberhouses for the day). My sister and her hubby will be somewhere along the route watching. They thought they would try to get to High Bradfield (Côte de Bradfield in Tour speak) near the end of the stage.

High Bradfield Church and village. Photo by Terry Robinson.

I hope the weather is good today and the rain holds off. Allez!

‘Ay up lad’ or ‘Ooh aaar m’dear’?

Jul5

Watching the first stage of the Tour de France travelling through Yorkshire today reminded me of what I had always thought of as one of the most ‘Yorkshire’ television ads of all time: a young lad pushes his bike up a cobbled hill, on his way to deliver a basket full of Hovis bread loaves, while a brass band plays Dvořák’s New World Symphony (Symphony No. 9). The advert was directed by Ridley Scott in 1973. A few years later he went on to start his movie directing career with The Duellists and then Alien. The advert was voted the nation’s favourite in a poll a few years ago (albeit in a poll of just 1,000 people!).

However, my memory has failed me—I had always remembered it as being voiced by a man with a Yorkshire accent. I think the brass band would certainly have added to the general impression of ‘Northern-ness’. On re-watching it the voiceover is by a man with a West Country accent, and so is perfectly fitting for the location: Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset.

We live in the south-west corner of Wiltshire, so we spend a lot of time in the neighbouring counties of Somerset and Dorset. One of our nearest shopping towns is the Saxon hilltop town of Shaftesbury. 41 years on, Gold Hill is still known as ‘where they filmed that Hovis ad’, and a giant Hovis loaf stands outside the Town Hall, a collecting box for money to go towards the restoration of the Hill. Many of the older buildings in Shaftesbury are built with the green-coloured and well-named greensand stone.

Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, overlooking the Blackmore Vale. 15 June 2014.

The Hovis bread loaf collecting box, outside Shaftesbury Town Hall near the top of Gold Hill.

Shaftesbury Town Hall (right) and St Peter’s Church (left), on Shaftesbury High Street.

There were two other Hovis ads using the same music and a Yorkshireman doing the voiceover, which might help to explain my confusion:

and the first one in this sequence, with a boy walking up a cobbled hill (with his Mum):

Hovis do a nice line in ‘nostalgia’ advertising, and in 2008 they made a fantastic and very moving ad, celebrating 122 years of Hovis and British history:

They get an extra ‘yay’ from me for including the fight for Women’s Suffrage and the miner’s strike, as well as the brave men and women of both World Wars. Four years later Danny Boyle did something similar, but on a far grander scale—but that’s for another blog post!

Tour de France: the Grand Départ

Jul5

I’m going to be glued to the box for the next 23 days watching the Tour de France. It’s doubly exciting this year—the Grand Départ and first three days are in England, and Team Sky is going for its third consecutive win for Great Britain. I’m very sad that Bradley Wiggins won’t be competing, but watching Geraint Thomas and Richie Porte and the other Team Sky members supporting defending champion Chris Froome’s bid for the title is going to be gripping, as well as Mark Cavendish riding for Omega Pharma-Quick Step.

The wonderfully-named Buttertubs Pass, which the Tour will climb later on today.

The first two days are through the beautiful Yorkshire countryside. The fantastic ITV coverage of the Tour provides great aerial views of the scenery: armchair travelling through gorgeous sunny lands.

Fingers crossed for the Manx Missile winning the stage and the first yellow jersey today.

Mmmm, comfy: Part 2

Jul4

Here’s Ballou. I know it looks like she’s being tortured, but she’s zenning out while she’s having her ears scratched. This photo was taken about 9 years ago, and she hasn’t sat like this since. Strange creature. I love the way she looks like she’s kicking back in an easy chair—beer and takeaway just out of shot to the right.

Ballou. She was enjoying this, honest.

Arts and Crafts pewter

Jul2

Pewter is a silvery metal alloy, a favourite metal of Arts and Crafts metalworkers and jewellers. I have learned from Wikipedia that it is ‘traditionally 85—99% tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and sometimes, less commonly today, lead. Silver is also sometimes used.’ It tarnishes to a dullish grey, and this patinated appearance is often favoured by collectors. If desired, it can be polished to a high silvery shine.

Archibald Knox (designer): Tudric pewter vase with enamelled medallions, for Liberty & Co. Photo by charlesjsharp.

Archibald Knox (designer): Arts and Crafts ‘Tudric’ pewter vase with enamelled medallions, for Liberty & Co. Photo by charlesjsharp.

I have a few pewter objects in my Etsy shop at the moment: three date from the Arts and Crafts period, ie roughly from the 1890s into the early 1900s. and one is very modern, made in the Orkney Islands in the far north of Scotland, but based on a design similar to those of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, one of the most famous Arts and Crafts architects and artists. Originating in the UK, the Arts and Crafts movement put great stead on traditional workmanship, on authenticity and on hand-crafted wares, and on affordable materials—all of which pewter suited perfectly, having been the main metal used for household wares for everyday people for centuries in the UK.

The first piece I listed in my Etsy shop was a shallow Arts and Crafts pewter dish with a flowing fleur-de-lys design. The upper part of the dish is in pewter and it is formed over a white metal base. It would look great as a table centrepiece filled with nuts or tangerines or big bunches of purple grapes—whatever you fancy, really.

Shallow Arts and Crafts pewter dish with fleur-de-lys decoration. For sale in my Etsy shop. (NOW SOLD).

The second is also an Arts and Crafts piece – it originally would have been a cigarette box but would serve as a lovely jewellery or trinket box today. The pewter has the hand-hammered finish that is so typical of Arts and Crafts work. It has been polished by a previous owner so has more of a silvery shine than the other pewter pieces I have.

Arts adn Crafts hammered pewter jewellery box / cigarette box / trinket box. For sale at my Etsy shop.

Arts and Crafts hand-hammered pewter jewellery box / cigarette box / trinket box. For sale at my Etsy shop. (NOW SOLD).

The third piece is also a hand-hammered item – a hip flask cunningly shaped to fit the curve of your buttock as it is carried in a back pocket. (I always think it was a bit of that insane Victorian prudery that caused it to be called a hip flask, when a bottom flask would have been a much more appropriate name!) It is marked ‘English pewter’, and originally carried 4 oz of whatever liquid you wanted to fill it with. The piece has had a life, as witnessed by the dints in the soft metal, but I think this is part of its charm. I love a piece that can tell a tale.

Hand-hammered English pewter hip flask, Arts and Crafts period. For sale in my Etsy shop. (NOW SOLD).

The last pewter piece I have is a modern brooch, in the Arts and Crafts style of famed architect and artist Charles Rennie Mackintosh. It is made by the Ortak company, based in the Orkney Islands off the far north coast of Scotland.

Ortak pewter brooch, in the style of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and featuring a Glasgow Rose. For sale in my Etsy shop. (NOW SOLD).

It features the famous Glasgow Rose, a stylised rose flower made famous by the artists of the Glasgow School of Art, where Mackintosh trained. After going into administration last year, the Ortak company has been bought by new owners and will be relaunched, with manufacturing resuming in Orkney.

Inglenookery

West Country witterings

Archive | July 2014

Favourite websites: VolcanoCafé

A scrummy pheasant recipe

Merci beaucoup, TdF!

Tour de France: Stage 3

Daytime moths in our garden

Tour de France: Stage 2

‘Ay up lad’ or ‘Ooh aaar m’dear’?

Tour de France: the Grand Départ

Mmmm, comfy: Part 2

Arts and Crafts pewter