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adventureral

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 18 (view)

Too wooden like on dates Posted: 7/10/2008 5:22:13 AM
What I tried (successfully) is rather than meeting in a bar & having to keep up a conversation was to do something active - surfing & hiking were good. It gives you plenty to chat about before, during & after.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 8 (view)

Adventure Vacations Posted: 2/13/2008 3:05:16 AM
I thought about trekking through Irian Jaya (West Papua) - but I'm not sure I can afford it. It's one of the most isolated places in the world. If you want real adventure - how about the Sentinel Islands? Though the locals have a habit of killing anyone that gets too close.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 1 (view)

West Papua/Irian Jaya Posted: 11/22/2007 8:26:14 AM
Has anyone been there? Any tips, good companies to go with etc? I fancy doing some jungle trekking &, I suspect, it's not something that I can do on my own. It seems one of the few places you can go for an authentic jungle experience, meeting people who spend all their lives there. Anyway if anyone has any tips, or wants to join me - having a travel partner would make it a bit cheaper too.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 38 (view)

BEST INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES? Posted: 11/22/2007 8:17:14 AM
For the transatlantic part everyone I've spoken to say Virgin are the best, though I've never used them. Personally I've found the US lines all equally awful (but cheap) & BA to be marginally better (free booze). Once you're in Europe it doesn't matter, you spend more time in the airport than on the plane so, if you're paying - go for cost, if business is paying - go for big airlines like KLM, BA, BMI, Lufthansa etc.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 46 (view)

Do you think my profile displays me as a Gold Digger Posted: 8/10/2007 6:39:46 PM
Randomly I discussing something similar recently with a friend who works in the City - she was saying that you get girls in the City pubs waiting to pounce on the stockbrokers & traders that come in. It's why it's good to stay relatively poor - then you know a girl wants you for you & not your money. That's my excuse anyway!

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 43 (view)

Do you think my profile displays me as a Gold Digger Posted: 8/10/2007 4:39:34 PM
Re: desertrosexxx: Nothing there that makes you look like a gold digger - no mention of salary or job; you're pretty enough to be fussy & you say what you're attracted to & what you don't like. All seems fair enough. Of course that doesn't mean you're not a gold digger, it just means you don't come across as one.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 8 (view)

Deep Sea Exploration Posted: 7/30/2007 3:55:56 AM
Oh oh oh, this is the sort of thing I do. Though for the most part it's looking at the crust beneath the ocean, I have done some work on fluid movement in the ground beneath black smokers. Well I do the engineering support for the scientists, so I think it should definitely be supported. I'm not so bothered about manned missions to the ocean depths, they are expensive, & I'm not clear why a ROV can't do the job just as well. Having said that I'd love to go down to 6,000m+ in a sub, but that's just for giggles, not because it's the most efficient way of doing research. I'd love to put in a universal ocean-bottom observatory - a combination of scientific equipment to monitor all aspects of the ocean floor & deep water - something like NEPTUNE Canada (google it) but covering sections of ocean all over the world. To the person who said that we should be focusing on ways to improve the lives of people - the problem is not everyone is interested in doing that. One of the marvelous things about people is we all have different interests, not everyone is interested in the best way to look after the elderly & if you forced people into a single line of research you'd just end up with a lot of bored people.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 21 (view)

'Something' in a background check,,,, Posted: 6/7/2007 9:14:49 AM
Umm is what you did legal? Anyway that aside, if you're not happy, bring things gently to a close - do NOT tell him why, just reply slowly & with closed replies. (As in don't leave any openers for further discussion).

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 9 (view)

sending messages Posted: 6/6/2007 7:33:47 AM
See I read profiles, try to write something relevant & I get around a 10% reply, if I'm lucky. I'm wondering if I should try a scattergun "Hi, fancy a chat" approach, or just accept a life of celibacy.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 15 (view)

Sending more than one message without receiving a reply. Posted: 6/6/2007 2:07:17 AM
Thanks all, you've pretty much confirmed my thoughts. I was just wondering if I was missing a trick here, but apparently not. Good luck with your fishing, Al

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 1 (view)

Sending more than one message without receiving a reply. Posted: 6/5/2007 2:40:51 PM
Hi girls (& guys if you want to give me your experiences), whenever I fail to receive a reply from an opening message I give up, I presume they young lady I have my eye on has no interest in me & so don't bother with a follow up. Am I giving up too easily? I'm not talking about saying something weird & stalker like "why didn't you reply to my first e-mail?", perhaps something more like "I guess I didn't manage to impress you with my first message, so can I have a second chance..." So what should I do? Give up after one shot or perceiver?

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 12 (view)

lobster Posted: 6/5/2007 5:58:33 AM
I was told that the "nicest" way to kill them is to put them in cold, salted water & bring it slowly to the boil. Not sure if that's true or not. I still feel guilty for popping some langustine into boiling water once. I know you should be able to kill anything you eat, but that was pretty harsh - tasty, but harsh.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 16 (view)

Alcohols Posted: 6/4/2007 6:56:49 AM
I really can't stand blended whisky, the first time I got really, really drunk (think vomit fountain) was on whisky. Though I quite like some single malts though, Speyside for preference. For gin, Bombay Sapphire is probably my day to day favourite, & Tanqueray 10 for special occasions. Plymouth gin is pretty good too. I know nothing about wine - apart from preferring red & for beer, well mostly small breweries are better than big ones.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 20 (view)

Scuba Divers Posted: 6/4/2007 5:54:26 AM
I've been diving off the Maldives, Madeira & the Azores I loved Madeira, the guys there were great, & so much to see but it was my first time in the sea, so that might have made a difference. The Azores was fun too, lava tubes! The Maldives were a bit blah I felt.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 3 (view)

Where do those lovely old sayings come from? Posted: 5/29/2007 9:03:47 AM
Toe the line is to do with the houses of parliament, apparently it was when MPs were getting close to combat - the distance between the lines on either side two sides is two swords lengths - so the closest you were allowed to get to each other was when your toes were on the line.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 96 (view)

Scientists make alarming discovery in the ocean Posted: 5/23/2007 6:07:50 AM
To Fredhh (msg 71) Without the space program.. there would be no data to support the global warming theorists, nor would there have been any way to detect the ozone hole. At the risk of sounding like a broken record the thinning & loss of the ozone layer was first discovered by British scientists using ground based equipment, of course they could only show it happening at one location. Once identified, NASA the checked it's data & found that it had been ignoring any readings outside reasonable boundaries as being errors. They could then use satellites to map the complete area.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 27 (view)

The Politics of oil .. Posted: 5/21/2007 2:47:14 AM
In reply to Marie88 Oil has been running out since we first started using it. To take the north sea, since that's local, all the major fields are in operation, & there's little or no chance of finding any others there. There are smaller fields that will become more economic & enhanced oil recovery techniques mean we can get between 50-80% of the oil out, rather than 20-50% which we could expect in the past. There are a few other places in UK areas of influence where we will be able to exploit, the atlantic off the west coast of the Shetlands & round the Falkland islands seem to be the most likely, but it's only a matter of time before we run out.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 21 (view)

The Politics of oil .. Posted: 5/17/2007 6:06:30 AM
A few problems with oil: 1) The instability of places with large reserves, mostly the middle east, but also Nigeria, former Soviet republics & South America. 2) We're running out, it's finite resource, so we've been running out since we started using it, the problems are we're running out much faster than we used to be. See "peak oil" forums for further details. 3) Our reliance on hydrocarbons is changing the environment, and probably not for the better - you can debate how much climate change is related to us pumping out more carbon dioxide than the eruptions of the Siberian trapps during the K-T mass extinction, but it's going to be having some effect. 4) One of the things oft missed out is we use oil for fertilizers and medicines - so which is more important to you? Running your obese but hyperactive kids to school in a Toyota Landfu{ker or your (great)-grandchildren getting the medicine or food they need? Oh sorry turned into a bit of rant there. Finally, the oil companies know which way the wind is blowing, their stock will never be worthless. All the solar panels I see for sale are made by BP.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 10 (view)

History of Thinking. Posted: 5/17/2007 5:48:31 AM
We are but dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants. Well I'm not sure if that's entirely true - but through incremental increases in our knowledge we can now do things which the ancients would have found amazing.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 21 (view)

Buying a home in the uk... Posted: 5/16/2007 7:43:54 AM
On the subject of Madness (& house prices): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t8YTvdYXws

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 19 (view)

metric of imperial? Posted: 5/16/2007 2:45:54 AM
I mostly use metric (oh it's soooo much easier), but a lot of stuff I use is from America (or worse old like my car) so I have metric, US imperial & whitworth tools - now is it UNC or UNF or something else? I'm trying to phase out everything non-metric, but it's slow & expensive. I don't object to people buying goods in imperial measures - if it's what you can visualise, but really we need to move on & go metric. The rest of the world has, not just France, but everywhere apart from the US.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 3 (view)

Cops and Erm Robbers ? Posted: 5/16/2007 2:36:56 AM
Targets are only as good as the target setters. That's not to say that I don't agree with some of the things the police have been arresting people for, simply that this idea of trying to introduce private sector ideas into the public service isn't as simple as it appears.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 9 (view)

hangover cures wanted!! Posted: 5/15/2007 1:17:42 AM
We Scots, who let's face it have something of a reputation of heavy drinking, have a particular soft drink which is ideal. It's a toxic-orange coloured drink called Irn-Bru (pronounced iron-brew). Full of sugar & caffeine, like coke, but it's also got some other stuff in it, so it seems to work better.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 21 (view)

I know what you're gonna say! Posted: 5/13/2007 4:44:15 AM
You're being hustled. Maybe he doesn't mean to, or doesn't even realise it, but I doubt you'll ever see the money again.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 7 (view)

Rich & Sick (( or )) Poor & Healthy Posted: 5/13/2007 4:08:35 AM
It's not a generally realistic choice. In most cases the poor tend to suffer more health problems (in some cases self-induced, but mostly not) than the rich. The rich tend to be better educated on diet & exercise, tend to have more time to look after themselves; they tend to do less manual jobs, so are less likely to suffer from work related injuries. In most countries the poor lack access to health care, which must be an awful position to be in. But if I must answer I would rather be poor & healthy, but in a country with universal free* health care, so if I become poor & sick, I still have a chance. by rich I mean relatively well off, not necessarily "super-rich" *by free, I mean free at the point of use, I know it still has to come out of taxes.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 13 (view)

Positive correlation between IQ and profile length? Posted: 5/13/2007 3:57:45 AM
That's a great quote - I'm stealing that! As for the OP's question - there are well written profiles & badly written one, but length isn't that important.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 17 (view)

the earth is growing?? Posted: 5/13/2007 3:53:57 AM
& seismological phenomena generally fit much more neatly into a solid earth theory than a hollow earth one. For example, we can measure earthquakes (probably the best example, but others exist) across the world (apart from at areas blanked by the core), by knowing the time that the earthquake happened in say, Turkey, & the time we picked it up in say, London, we can calculate the speed of the pressure waves (which can pass through solid, liquid & gas) and the shear waves (which only pass through solids). By measuring the speeds we can work out the medias which these waves have passed through: rock, magma etc. Funnily enough none seem to pass through gas. If the planet is totally void inside (vacuum) we'd not even be able to pick up the pressure waves (no medium for them to travel through). That & my job would be rather redundant.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 18 (view)

negative equity on houses Posted: 5/11/2007 1:22:53 PM
My guess is that Mark was also paying his mortgage during that time too. so he didn't get away with just a loss of 7.5k, but 7.5k + mortgage payments (probably roughly the same as rent). Not such a great deal.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 14 (view)

negative equity on houses Posted: 5/11/2007 12:01:46 PM
I don't understand why rising house prices is a good thing. Apart from for my folks, who since they downsized are loaded, but for anyone trying to get onto the ladder or move up the ladder it's bad news. I'm pretty sure that interest rates are going to keep going up for a while & certainly not drop below 5% for the next decade. My reasoning is something like this - the last time RPI as at 4.8% (ish) interest rates were at 7.5%(ish), so they still have some way to go. As for the last slump, well it depends on area, I think generally it took about eight years for prices to recover in real terms - though some hardly dropped in nominal terms. Personally I'm renting somewhere cheap & saving, hoping to have a good deposit should prices fall. If they continue to rise, well I'll bugger off & live elsewhere taking my skills & taxes with me

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 28 (view)

Obedient wives Posted: 5/10/2007 3:48:36 PM
obedient - only some evenings & weekends The rest of the time - feisty & firey!

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 27 (view)

the glorious EU. Posted: 5/10/2007 3:37:48 PM
For some reason my posts are limited - something to do with "maintaining quality" - all my posts are quality Anyway getting back to the question at hand: 1) Interest rates: the long term average (i.e. from c. 1950 to now) has been around 8%. Currently they are lower than average (remember 1992 - I think it was I don't, when rates went to c. from 10% to 15%, we're at 5.5%). The reason they are low in the Euro zone is that Germany & France, the two biggest players there, have weak economies just now. Ireland & Spain, which are part of the Euro zone, have seen massive house price inflation too. Despite Spain building more that 800,000 houses last year - though that looks like it's broken them. Ireland too is seeing prices drop. In time the UK will too. 2) As I said before if house price inflation was due to immigration then we would see rents rise, but they are not. That is to say the cost of a dwelling whether bought or rented would rise, however, only buying a house has become significantly more expensive. I'm not saying that there hasn't been a lot of immigration, but it's not what's affecting house prices. If we wanted we could increase the amount of land built on from 10% to 15% (i.e. one & a half times what we currently use) & still have more than 4 acres out of 5 green & pleasant. In fact I subscribe to the Optimum Population Trust's (google it) theory that a reasonable population for our land is 30million, but that's a different rant. 3) We need to seperate UK household debt - credit cards, mortgages & personal loans make up 1/3 of the total EU household debt. UK government debt (which curiously is roughly the same including PPP, PFI rubbish) is due to bad fiscal management by the government. The EU may have made this worse, but if it was properly included in the budget, then it could be dealt with properly. 4) Really we can't prove that the EU/EC/EEC etc has or has not prevented war within it's member states. I used to think it was a bad idea, & it could do with a lot of cleaning up, we could abolish the CAP for a start, but at the end of the day it doesn't make my life much more unpleasant & makes it better in many ways. Because of EU regs, I can travel & work in any country there, I can import & export without any more paperwork than I need for internal shipping. It's not ideal, it could be improved, but what political institution can not?

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 23 (view)

the glorious EU. Posted: 5/10/2007 2:41:49 PM
If it was due to a greater demand for housing then rents would rise as fast as house prices, however, that is not what we're seeing - only house price rises. Actually there are more reasons than just cheap money, like Gordon's raid on our pensions, but it couldn't have happened without both low interest rates & the carry trade (borrowing money from Japan & elsewhere at near zero interest rates, lending it again at higher rates in, for example, the UK, Iceland & NZ). I would agree that NATO prevented war between the Soviet Bloc & the West, however, as you are no doubt aware membership of NATO did not prevent the Cyprus dispute between Turkey & Greece, which while it did not lead to direct conflict, did lead to Greece effectively leaving NATO. However, there has not been a case like this involving two (or more) EU states.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 20 (view)

the glorious EU. Posted: 5/10/2007 2:19:25 PM
PunkinPie Just taking issue on your first post here: high interest rates: 5.5% is very low historically c. 8% is average (though the Euro rate is lower) so how is this the casue of the EU? rising house prices: again this is due to loose money supply, basically banks lending lots of money, nothing to do with the EU debt: UK household debt is (see loose money supply above) is c. 1/3 of TOTAL EU household debt. Why would the UK suffer under this burden compared to the rest of the EU if it was caused by the EU? high taxes: there is something to be said that we pay the EU more than we get back, on the other hand we've had peace between the countriesin the EU for the past 50 years. Not something that has happened at any time in the past.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 16 (view)

Dinosaurs Posted: 5/10/2007 2:03:18 PM
I'll start with my usual caveat, I'm an engineer, not a scientist. Re: the chicxulub asteroid (the one that "wiped out the dinosaurs"), I was recently (well a couple of years ago) involved in a survey of the crater. & I picked up a bit from working with the scientists working on it. Anyway that bunch thought that the asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs. However, I went to a lecture recently where a chap suggested that the impact had relatively little worldwide effect (obviously major local effect) & the dinosaurs were wiped out by the eruptions of the siberian trapps. Indeed he tied most mass extictions to major eruptions. I'm not convinced either way, just thought I'd mix it up a bit.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 2 (view)

Doctor Assisted Suicide Posted: 5/10/2007 1:50:10 PM
If we open it up to people outside the US, I'd like to see assissted suicide legalised here (in the UK). Why? Well that's what I'd like to happen to me if I was in constant pain. I'd prefer a nice heroine overdose to withdrawal of feeding or whatever they currently do.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 14 (view)

Ozone Layer - A closer look at public fraud Posted: 5/10/2007 10:51:49 AM
I'm an engineer rather than a scientist, but I have spent many a coffee break talking to one of the first people, well actually the first, to become aware of the hole in the ozone layer over antarctica. It was predicted in the 70s that CFCs would cause damage to the ozone layer, but it was not until the mid to late eighties that it was first observed from data recorded at Halley research station. Once it had been identified, NASA checked their data & found that while their satellites had been picking it up, the readings were outside the bounds of their processing software & ignored. Anyway getting back to the data recorded at Halley. This is an ongoing experiment that dates back to the international polar year in 1957 (I think) & to be honest the equipment hasn't changed in that time, the data has. In geological terms it's not a long experiment, but it ties in remarkably well with the phenomenum predicted in the 70s. Now, since I personally know two of the three people who found the hole, & I have the greatest respect for them as people & scientists, I know that they would not fudge their science for a chemical company or any other reason. They received no personal gain from their science, beyond professional recognition within their field.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 4 (view)

Steam Power HELP Posted: 5/9/2007 10:02:32 AM
I used to play with stuart steam engines when I was wee. You might need to google them, if this doesn't work: http://www.stuartmodels.com/

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 30 (view)

Human Population Posted: 5/9/2007 6:02:59 AM
Wars generally aren't enough to make any impact on population, apart from regionally. The most destructive war ever the Taiping rebellion killed something like 100 million people, a drop in the human ocean. So then we have disease, this is the only thing that's seriously re-adjusted the human population in recorded history with about 1/3 of the population being killed off. Though it recovered in a a century or so. Counterintuitively if we could reduce child mortality in the developing world (which we can, quite cheaply & easily) that will reduce the birth rate in those areas, though it make take a generation to filter through. This is what happened in the developed world around the beginning of the 20th C. If we can bring down the population, & we really must try, all the serious problems facing the planet: over-exploitation of resources; climate change (anthropogenic if you want, but if you think it's natural, it's still going to cause problems); oil running out; deforestation & loss of habitat; lack of food and so on are all going to be mitigated if we have a smaller world population. Therefore my* answer is to use DDT & mosquito nets to help prevent malaria. For the west to subsidize medicines for developing nations & to introduce fair trade. *by "my" actually this comes from Prof. Jeffery Sachs who's currently giving a set of lectures available for podcast from the BBC google: "reith lectures 2007" Good stuff & free (to all you non-Brits, we have to pay our licence fee).

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 23 (view)

picnic food? Posted: 5/9/2007 4:51:01 AM
I did a thread on this a few weeks ago - have a look for it. I'd go with some crusty french bread, cook some chicken in advance (buy chicken breasts (or fillets) drizzle some olive oil over them & sprinkle with a pinch of salt, a little pepper & some rosemary, bake for 20-30 minutes in at c. 180 deg C. or as directed on the packet), slice into nice chunks & pop into a tupperware type box. Make up a some salad (lettuce, cucumber & tomato) & pop into another box. So when you arrive at your romantic picnic spot, you can make up some nice sandwiches, while he opens & pours the wine (or v.v.). If you can't be bothered with the cooking part, just buy some cheese & some salami & do the same. Don't forget to bring a knife to cut the bread. Finish the meal with grapes or strawberries. Whatever you do enjoy it.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 143 (view)

What Are You Absolutely Snobbbish About? Posted: 5/5/2007 3:15:56 PM
about the wine thing - I was working on a French ship (& we all know what the French are like about wine) but the wine provided with the meals all came out of a tetrapak - it was reasonably palatable, well it was free & nice enough to get drunk on. We could buy posh wine (in bottles) but it wasn't really worth it. I guess though, that the quality of wine you get in a tertapak in France & that in a tetrapak in the US might be a little different.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 83 (view)

What Are You Absolutely Snobish About? Posted: 5/2/2007 2:39:47 AM
Getting back on topic - things I'm snobbish about: Almost all my food - but cheap, processed meat scares me (after numerous food scares during my formative years - think BSE). So cheap sausages, pies, burgers etc. are out shudder Mayo - well that's ok, if it's good stuff Salad dressing - unfiltered, extra virgin olive oil & Balsamic vinegar Wine - actually anything that doesn't taste of vinegar & gets me tiddly Seafood sticks - do you get them overseas? Basically pressed fish(??) protein Cheese - actually it's only the cheapest cheeses I find offensive Marmite - none of that antipodean rubbish, got to be proper British Marmite Beer - proper beer is so much better than crappy, cheapo lager. I remember walking round my local supermarket & over-hearing a couple debating whether one should use ketchup or just tomato puree for spaghetti bolognese.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 10 (view)

Chef's toolbox Posted: 4/25/2007 7:26:21 AM
Rubbermaid plastic spatula- not just for flippin, but I can't tell you what else I use it for. lol You have to tell us now!! (otherwise my imagination will fill in the blanks!!)

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 2 (view)

Healthy (or semi-healthy..lol) Meals for One? Posted: 4/24/2007 4:13:19 AM
My current fav is to get a small roasting dish & a couple of (skin free - if you're going to be healthy) chicken breasts (or legs), drizzle some lay some (fresh) rosemary over them & drizzle some olive oil, just a little - a desert spoon's worth. Cook for 20-30 minutes (until brown). Slice & serve with some salad in a warmed ciabatta or other posh bread-roll. Either eat the second one for dinner the next day or take with you for lunch (what I do). Not sure how cheap it works out, but it's really simple & quick to prepare. Also I make big pots of chili, bolognese sauce, curry etc & divide it into portions & freeze. (Top tip: line the tub you're going to freeze it in with cling film, once it's frozen remove the food (nicely wrapped in cling film) from the tub & you can re-use the tub).

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 4 (view)

Anyone have a good samosa recipe? Posted: 4/16/2007 5:38:16 AM
I made some using, for the filling, I think the filling was just lamb mince, onions & peas, maybe some diced carrots too. Then add some spices, say cumin, corriander, ground ginger & chilli powder. Fry the onions until soft, then add the mince & brown. Add the pean, carrots & spices & cook for a while until the flavours all merge - draining off any excess fat - (dip some kitchen roll into the mixture to absorb the fat). Leave to cool (v important) then spoon into the cases, fold & fry.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 25 (view)

SCOTLAND Posted: 4/6/2007 8:42:15 AM
I can recommend a lovely, romantic cottage in Forres if anyone's interested pm me & I'll dig out the details

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 10 (view)

Picnic food Posted: 4/4/2007 5:46:11 AM
Of course! One of the nicest things about picnics is you can drop crumbs everywhere & it doesn't matter. Choose your poetry carefully - pond poets might be more appropriate, rather than Sylvia Plath

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 7 (view)

Picnic food Posted: 4/3/2007 5:21:53 AM
I love the idea of champers & strawberries dipped in chocolate. If you find a nice stream, you can always chill the wine in the water. No bears here, so that's not an issue. I was thinking something like chicken salad, but that might be too fiddly.

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 1 (view)

Picnic food Posted: 4/2/2007 11:22:57 AM
Suppose you are taking a young lady or chap for a walk in the hills or woods. The plan is to find a nice romantic spot & woo your chosen belle or beau with some home made nibbles! What would you prepare? (should really be served cold)

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 40 (view)

Research Vessels Posted: 3/23/2007 5:39:30 AM
I'm a scientist (well really I do technical support for scientists), & I get to spend a 2-4 months a year at sea. So that's another route to working on ships It's not as hard work as, say oil industry work, but then it's not as well paid either. And I have a full time job with a fair amount of security & going to sea is a "bonus".

al1977uk

Joined: 4/5/2006

Msg: 21 (view)

Eating well on the cheap. Posted: 3/21/2007 3:46:36 PM
Dhal 300g/10oz lentils (any colour, but soak as per instructions on packet) 1/4 teaspoon tumeric Wash lentils in several changes of water bring to boil in 1litre/1 3/4pints stiring often until soft. Spice perfumed butter: 2-4 tablespoons light veg oil 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds 1 tablespool chopped fresh ginger root* 2-4 hot green chillies 1 table spoon lemon juice 4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander heat the oil, when hot add cumin, when they turn dark brownadd the ginger and chillies & fry for 30 seconds. Pour over tha dhal. Add lemon juice & coriander. From Classic Indian Vegetarian Cookery - Julie Sahni Full of tasty budget recipes. yum yum

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