Spring is in the air

Since I last posted here I've joined the new cycling club set up by some of my colleagues who'll be tackling the North Coast 500 later this year. They've been on some serious training rides but have also decided to organise some more leisurely rides to try and encourage other people to take up cycling. Today was the first of these - a gentle 14 mile ride around North Fife. The starting point was the Tay bridge car park, so as that's only 4.5 miles away we opted to ride from home. Cycling south across the bridge can be a bit of a drag if it's windy but luckily it was pretty still today - the river was like plate glass actually. I'd given myself plenty of time to get there so I had time to stop and take a picture of the V&A museum, which is finally starting to look like a building, though it's still a long way from being finished.

We had a decent sized group , and Ian did a great job of keeping us together. I've cycled the first part of the route before, but the stretch from Wormit to Tayport was new to me, though I may well ride it again as it's a nice flat route, with only one slightly scary right turn at St Michaels. As you can see, a decent day for a ride, considering we're only just into March.

Hopefully we'll get some more rides like this as the year goes on, and maybe even persuade some more people to join us!

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb

Strange things going on in the world since my last post - cake and beer reviews seem a bit flippant in the face of Donald Trump and Brexit, so this blog may end up being more political than intended!
So on that note I'd best get the politics out of the way first....
Last weekend on Twitter Owen Jones put out a bit of a call to arms for people to protest against Trump's travel ban that's enough of a Muslim ban to placate people who voted for him on the basis he'd ban Muslim immigrants, but leaving out almost enought Muslim majority counties to claim otherwise - yeah right. Now I don't think I've been on a demo/march/protest since I was at uni protesting about the introduction of tuition fees but there's only so many petitions you can sign and articles you can share on facebook before you think, this isn't really cutting it, so on Monday night I found myself in front of the Caird Hall with 300+ other people of all ages and backgrounds letting it be known we're not happy with our government cosying up with what's starting to look suspiciously like a fascist regime. In the grand scheme of things it may not make the blindest bit of difference but sometimes it feels like doing something is better than doing nothing.
Which leads me onto the first 'gig' review of the year.  Last night we sent to see Mark Thomas recounting tales of his experiences with Wakefield Labour Club, known as the Red Shed.  It would have felt odd going to see a show about political activism and not joined the protest on Monday to be honest.  The show requires 6 members of the audience to sit on stage and from time to time hold up masks of various characters in the 'story' whilst Mark Thomas plays back voice recordings.  (You can probably guess where this is going).  As we were in the bar before the show, waiting for our friends to arrive I'd clocked him coming out of the theatre into the bar and chatting to people, so when he came over to myself and Dave we engaged in small talk about Dundee and ended up agreeing to be in the show.  I suspect I was more willing than Dave initially, but we both thoroughly enjoyed the experience and also had a good old chinwag with Mark after the show, rather predicatably about the Trump situation. We've seen a few of his shows now and I would definitely recommend going to see him if you get the chance - he's a great story teller, helped by the fact he's clearly passionate about his subjects.  I think we're both keen to go for a pint in the Red Shed now too! Oh, and Wakefield's in the rhubarb triangle in case you were wondering!
Much cake and beer has been consumed since my last post, but my food review is actually going to centre on soup today. Last weekend we visited The Scottish Antique and Arts Centre,
in theory to look at living room furniture but really it was just an excuse to visit the cafe which had been recommended to us by several people.  When a menu item is prefixed with 'our famous...' you really have to go with it, so I duly ordered the Haddock Chowder. Look at it, in all it's creamy, saffrony loveliness!

 You can't tell from the picture, but it was full of big chunks of haddock and potato, sweetcorn and peppers.  Also - full marks for providing a pot of hot water with the pot of tea. I realise this makes me sound about 90, but it's definitely the sign of a 'proper' cafe! Fortunately I ordered the small portion as that left room for mojito sponge....

 We bought some of the local beer whilst we there too - not bad at all!

Hooray for Hollywood

No cycling to report so far, so this week's installment will cover beer, bakes and erm breakfast.

First beer of the weekend was an imperial stout that didn't quite live up to expectations to be honest.

It's not the best picture, but the beer is Black Chocolate Stout by Brooklyn Brewery. It was okay but a bit thin for a 10% impreial stout and just didn't quite deliver on the promised chocolate flavour.






Saturday was more of an English Ales kind of night.  We were at a retirement do in a village hall with no bar so a bring your own kind of affair - I took a bottle of Old Speckled Hen (reliable) and a Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale I'd picked up in Morrisons. It's brewed by Charles Wells who are a pretty old brewery but this is definitely one of their newer beers.  It was actually pretty good with plenty of caramel flavour.  Too sweet to drink more than one, but then I've never managed a second helping of Sticky Toffee Pudding either!
After a night out on Saturday, what better way to start your Sunday than with a bacon roll and a film?  Clearly we weren't the only ones to think that, as the 11am Cine Sunday showing of La La Land at DCA was sold out, with staff struggling to serve all those bacon or egg rolls and coffee before the opening credits rolled. I don't go to the pictures much anymore so I'm always a little concerned it's going to be a disappointing experience (yes Deadpool - I'm looking at you...) but I needn't have worried. La La Land is an old fashioned romance, but it's really a love story about Hollywood and the glory days of  musicals as much as it is about the two leads.  The opening song and dance number is a pretty good way of letting the audience know what they're in for for the next two hours, so at least if it's not your thing you are given due warning!  I'm pleased to report I loved it 😁
We left the cinema ready for lunch, and fancied trying somewhere different so headed to
Coffee and Co for soup followed by a scone- slightly overbaked, but the spicy carrot soup was good.  Another decent little cafe for Dundee is always a good thing, so hopefully they'll do well.

La La Land wine - why not?!?

We decided to walk home from town via Majestic Wines - this one insisted on coming home with me....
 








About a year ago hubby dearest won a voucher for a meal at The Fisherman's Tavern  - we decided a Sunday night in January was the perfect time to use it.  We had delicous steaks and couldn't say no to the dessert menu - especially when one of the choices was sticky toffee pudding.  A proper old fashioned pudding in a proper old fashioned pub!

 

So, a weekend of much eating and drinking, but we did walk more than 20 miles over the course of the two days so I guess that makes up for it!

Hello old friend

Hmm, it's been a long time since I've updated this blog, but as it's still here I might as well take a duster to the old place and give it a new name rather than starting a whole new one! As per title it'll mainly be about the unholy trinity of beer, cake and cycling. Well, not just cake - any cafe visit will qualify, but let's face it, that will usually involve at the very least a scone!
I haven't been out on the bike since we got back from York on Monday, but I did have the last (probably) of the Christmas themed beers on Friday night, Northern Monk's Festive Star, a seasonal version of their Northern Star Mocha porter with the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg. This was my first beer on our Leeds festive beer crawl and it was so nice I had to buy a can to bring home. If you're  in Leeds I'd recommend crossing the river to the Holbeck Urban Village. Northern Monk are based in the Old Flax Store - just one of several old industrial buildings that have been converted in what seems a pretty extensive regeneration project.

Look at that glorious sky - I was lucky to get that photo as the fog rolled in not too much later!

Monthly update - oops!

I really need to get better at updating this here blog! Not too much gardening at the moment as I'm committing as much time as is reasonable to cycling, now that the Coast to Coast trip is booked and paid for, and rapidly approaching! Today I completed my second ride to Arbroath, and this time without the help of a fish and chip lunch to keep me going. Instead I had a home made energy bite at Carnoustie on the way out (recipe here) and  made it as far as the Van Diner before stopping for a not exactly healthy Lorne roll and slice of carrot cake. Well, I had to wait for he rain to go off.....
For a chalet on a caravan park it's a pretty decent little cafe, and it's a really handy spot too. 
Broughty Ferry was pretty busy today as it's the start of gala week and there was a fete on in the park. Lots of people out and about at the yacht club and sailing club too so slightly tricky cycling along the shared use path. As long as you keep smiling and go really slow people are friendly enough, but not always very good at getting out of the way! 
Lots of birds and butterflies about, and some stretches of the route were looking particularly colourful with all the flowers out. I didn't take any flower pics but did get a snap of this heron in Arbroath.
  

Long time no blog!

It really is easy to get out of the blogging habit isn't it? I've just had 2 weeks off work though, so plenty of pottering news! I'm still at least a month behind at the allotment but that's an improvement on where I was 2.weeks ago. I now have peas coming up, courgettes planted out and my leeks aren't far off being ready to plant out. Hopefully the netting will protect my peas from whatever's eating the decoy petunias! In knitting news, I've knitted a pair of socks on double pointed needles

It's a bit fiddly, but not as difficult as I thought, although I need to find another pattern as the heel is a bit odd! I bought the wool from one of the new wool shops that's opened in Dundee recently - it's called Fluph and stocks some pretty funky yarns, including the sock yarn I used for these socks. It's by a German brand called Schoppel wolle and is dyed in such a way that you get an identically patterned pair of socks once you've done some unwinding (instructions are on the 'flying saucer it comes on!).
I didn't get as much cycling in as I'd hoped, as I really had to prioritise the allotment. I cycled out to Carnoustie yesterday, and hit some pretty string wind on the way back. It was tough going but you just have to keep the gearing low and keep going really. I did stop at the Van Diner for a hot chocolate to break up the slog though. I've also now cycled all of the green circular, though admittedly not in one go! Templeton woods and Camperdown park are interesting when you have no suspension, but I did see a deer and heron on that run, without even leaving Dundee. You do see your city in a different light on two wheels!

It was my birthday, and our wedding anniversary, this week so we went out for dinner at the new fine dining restaurant in town, Castlehill. I think it's a good sign for Dundee that someone would even consider opening somewhere of this calibre here, rather than edinburgh or Glasgow. Not sure if it's the V&A effect or not, but whatever it is, there's definitely a bit of a buzz about the place just now!

Keeping at it

Week one of maintaining my weight and I've actually lost a wee bit, so I think a bit of tinkering may be in order! I promised myself a bit of a reward for reaching target and here it is...

Pretty isn't it? And it's got so many pockets I can't imagine what I'm going to use them all for. I've never used a hydration pack before so that going to be an experience - I'll report back on that one!
I've not managed any cycling this week with the weather being stuck in a cold, grey rut. It's been milder today so I'm hoping for a better week this week. Whether the weather picks up or not I'm going to have to get back in the saddle and get some hill climbs in.
I'll be off to the allotment tomorrow to sow some of the big stash of seeds that arrived in the post this week. Off the top of my head that includes peas, tomatoes, Beetroot, courgette, kohl rabi, salad, herbs, kale, leeks. Enough to keep me busy for a while! Oh, and I have my cocktail garden that I got for Christmas to sow too.
Dinner tonight was interesting - a work buddy gave me a cockerel of all things, so that spent the afternoon in the slow cooker with a bottle of red wine and some veggies for a genuine coq au vin, which went down well with mashed potatoes and a pile of cabbage. I really don't use the slow cooker as often as I should. It really does do wonders with what would otherwise be tough chewy meat!