Episode 14
Super Thursday Election overview; A trip down Ceefax memory lane; The fear of forgetting names at a party; The latest Breaking Lamb News from Snowdon; Possibly the least diplomatic Foreign Minister in the world; The Jersey Fish Conflict; and how untidy is your office?
Episode 13
The cheese sandwich ona plane confession; Tony Blair's latest hairstyle; Boris' Changing Rooms debacle; 30 years since Ratner's C**P gaff; How to become a Patron Saint; Let's all Bloviate till the cows come home; And the great Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa debate.
Episode 12
Is it possible to cheat with a Fitbit? Has the European Super League debacle triggered a rethink in the Beautiful Game? Is it ever right to have the Prime Minister on speed dial? And navigating your way through a supercharged UK housing market.
Episode 11
Victoria's reality show shaming trauma; Bob's hitting the big 60 trauma; an examination of 'isms'; the rise of social media in coverage of major stories; unlocked England's mad scramble for knitware; and the supermarket caterpillar cake wars.
Episode 8
The heartwarming story of the unscheduled Easter lamb called Barry; how on earth did we survive childhood when we had such lethal toys; making the most of a beef box extravaganza; legal things to do with rhubarb; the joy of Hot Crossed Bun ice cream; even more oyful spring cleaning of the kitchen cupboards; dreaming of restaurant visits after lockdown is eased; unpronouncable recipes involving artichokes; an aubergine condundrum, and a radish challenge.
Episode 10
When did crossing the English Welsh border become so controversial? Do we need help to unlock ourselves after Covid? Does English Education Secretary Gaving Williamson have an unerring ability to put his foot in his mouth? We attempt to explain #SofaGate - and fail; and peruse the latest attempt to crown 'A King of Fruit.' (Spoiler alert: It's not a Kumquat.)
Episode 9
Does anyone actually like April Fool's Day, especially in these times of Fake News? Can Donald Trump sing? Would you be happy to get a Vaccine Passport to buy a drink in a bar? We ponder on the life of a celebrity sofa and ruminate over a 'Save the Lamb' campaign.
Episode 8
When was the last time you used cash? Who's face would you choose to put on a new banknote? Find out which home nation is not represented in the Union Flag. Good news from East London with the closure of the ICU Covid ward at Homerton Hospital. Will the Vaccination Passport for pubs ever get off the ground? And special guest stars veteran news reader Iain Purdon and BBC Fivelive's Stuart Clarkson get down'n'dirty with the Icelandic volcano Fagradalsfjall.
Episode 7
One year on from the announcement of the first Covid lockdown in the UK, reflecting on how we've changed our shopping, eating and cooking habits.
Episode 7
What's behind the fall and rise of the of the Oxford Jab? Should our home grown vaccine get a branding makeover? How big should your patriotic flag be during a zoom call? Who would you choose as an elected head of state for the UK? And the reporter who got a thumbs up on twitter from his mum.
Episode 6
What we gleaned from that Oprah interview; Why are we failing to create safe streets for woman in the UK; Where Twitter is concerned, why sometimes less is more; Pawing over the latest Tweets of Major the Oval Office dog; and why Bob didn't dress up like Dolly Parton to get his first Covid jab.
Episode 6
Is Golden Syrup with Yorkshire pudding ever a good idea? And what about Mushy Peas with Mint Sauce, Wallys and Cheesy Chips? Does Rob's patent Pie Chart make any sense at all?
Episode 5
Is it ever right to eat while you Zoom? Is another case of Twitter malice about to escape justice? Would you pay to read your idol's tweets? What did the Covid epidemic ever do for us? How do we celebrating World Book and St. David's Day? Why is Tangential so hard to say?
Photo © Rob Jones
Saint David’s Day and the sun is shining, the Daffs are out and the birds are singing their little hearts out.
Spring is on the way. You can see it everywhere.
Perfect excuse for a quick romp around Welsh ‘Haute Cuisine.’ Not quite certain that ‘haute’ is the right word to describe it. But here’s my Top Ten Favourite Welsh Dishes. Gratifyingly I seem to have already featured the recipes for most of these on the blog. What better way - mainly because I can’t think of any way at all - to celebrate St. David’s Day.
Welsh Rarebit (courtesy of AMM)
And for more Welsh dishes, take a look at my Welsh ‘Tapas’ collection which is building fast.
Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus
RJ
Episode 4
Victoria and Bob get sidetracked by homeschool fatigue and Twitter abuse, but still find time for Mr Benn and the Mars Rover.
Episode 3
Victoria and Bob discuss illegal tourists in Snowdon; Boris Johnson's OJ Simpson 'joke;' US Senator Ted Cruz's trip to Cancun to escape the snow; The 6cm Liverpool Echo Journalist who was offered a Covid jab; The drama of the Inter Island Ferry in New Zealand; When is it right to change your name; and why Sooty and Sweep are comedy gold.
Narration available on Audible
At the extreme tip of South America, Staten Island has piercing Antarctic winds, lonely coasts assaulted by breakers, and sailors lost as their vessels smash on the dark rocks. Now that civilization dares to rule here, a lighthouse penetrates the last and wildest place of all. But Vasquez, the guardian of the sacred light, has not reckoned with the vicious, desperate Kongre gang, who murder his two friends and force him out into the wilderness. Alone, without resources, can he foil their cruel plans?
Photo © Rob Jones
In all the time I was in China I was treated to a chinese Tea ceremony only once. It was in Chongqing. It was sprung upon me before I knew what was happening.
The host, someone I had someone to interview, signalled for me to sit on a sofa, on the edge of the seat, my interpreter on one side, and we were facing my host and their second in commond on the other. As though we were about to play a board game.
Then it happened.
A small clay pot was rinsed with boiling water and then tea was added using a bamboo scoop. The tea leaves were rinsed in hot water in the pot, and then hot water was added to the leaves to make the tea. Within 60 seconds, my host poured the tea into a little circle of cups. All in one go. Only half full. The chinese believe the rest of the cup is filled with friendship.
Each guest is invited to take a cup and smell it. Thank the host by tapping three times on the table with your finger.
Then pour your tea into a drinking cup, and knock it back in three swallows.
It was all gracefully done, and I really wanted to see it done again, so I’d remember it. Plus I was really thirsty.
All a far cry from a Britsh Tea Ceremony….
Run the tap a bit, so the water is nicely aerated. Boil it once to maintain oxygen levels. Pop a tea bag in a mug, and pour over the hot water. Stir briefly. Wait patiently. Give the bag a squeeze and remove it. Job done. (or as I do, leave the bag in.)
Important to sip the tea slowly and noisily, and then loudly say, ‘ahhhhhh.’
Matcha Green tea
On leaving China I was given a few treasured gifts. One was a book on China, another a calligraphy scroll, there was a little Chinese tea set, and a matcha tea bowl and brush. Certainly the last two get a good outing from time to time.
These days you can find matcha tea powder in the supermarket, although it’s a bit expensive.
Officially, you’re supposed to break a bit off off your fermented tea-cake (compacted tea-mud). Grind it into a powder. Place it in the cup. Pour in a small amount fo water to make a tea paste. Pour in a little more water and whisk with your bamboo tea brush. Repeat until you have created a foam.
If the liquor is pure white, it means the tea leaves were tender, and the production was just right. The whiter the better. If it’s green, the tea should have been steamed a bit. Grey, and the tea was over steamed. yellow, and you picked the tips too early. Red, and the tips were over roasted.
This tea method gradually travelled to Japan with monks, who called their tea ‘Matcha,’ which simply means Ground Tea. Matcha took on it’s green colour only in the 18th century.
Green tea is high in anti oxidants, is said to be good for your liver, can help you lose weight (they say), may help combat cancer, and is good for your heart.
Making it yourself, and whipping the foam knocks spots of dropping a tea bag into a mug.
And is so relaxing.
RJ
Episode 2
Broadcasters Victoria Meakin and Bob Jones take a meandering off-beat journey through some of the most popular tweets of the week, and come to no particular conclusion.
February 13th 2021
Should you set Covid boundaries for your chickens; Can Eurovision ever be socially distanced; How watching the BBC in China has never been easy; Anthea Turner’s spot of Twitter bother; Meghan Markle’s victory over the tabloids; and was Stonehenge just a flatpack from Wales.
Photo © Rob Jones
新年快乐 - a.k.a ‘Happy New Year.’
Don’t expect to hear anything from China for the next ten days - the country is on holiday.
New Year was one of those times in China that really felt like a truly crazy experience.
Fearing that I wouldn’t be able to buy food (which of course was silly) I checked into a hotel for a few days during the start of the ‘Spring Festival.’ I wasn’t alone. My hotel was full of foreigners uncertain what to expect. Probably a wise move.
I was there round about the last time fireworks were allowed (2016/2017). They were banned in the big cities on environmental grounds. What harm could a few fireworks do? Probably little. Only, there weren’t a just a few fireworks. There were masses. It was like a war zone. Hours upon hours of the biggest noisiest fireworks you could imagine.
Now, I like fireworks. But by about 3am, I was beginning to tire of the endless arial bombardment.
And it wasn’t just in the air? It was on the ground. It was from rooftops and pavements, gardens and even from car windows. Beijing’s normal murky air quickly became even murkier until it seemed more like a peasouper.
But that was then.
Now it’s banned. But what a decision that must have been. The Chinese invented fireworks. They’ve been a feature of Spring Festival for hundreds of years. The idea is that firecrackers are used to expel ‘Nian', a dragon like monster.
Anyhow - Let’s hear it for the year of the Ox.
Comes round every 12 years. I was born in the year of the Ox. That’s a good sign. I am a Metal Ox. (You could also be a Fire, Earth, Water or Wood Ox.). This year is also a Metal Ox year which is even more auspicious.
Male Oxen are said to be honest, dilligent, dependable, strong, and determined. We are strongly patriotic and have ideals and ambitions for life. On the bad side we are poor communicators and are stubborn.(AMM will be the judge of this.)
Numbers 1 and 4 are lucky. 5 and 6 are not. Tulips are lucky, as is white, yellow and green. Blue is unlucky. North and south are my lucky directions. South West is not.
Lucky careers are being a chemist or an estate agent?
So, how to celebrate, if you can’t have fireworks.
There are seven lucky foods: Fish for prosperity; Dumplings for wealth; Spring Rolls for … more wealth; Sweet Rice Balls for family togetherness; Good Fortune fruit for fullness and … more wealth; Glutinous Rice Cakes for more pay and position; and Longevity Noodle for happiness and a long life.
That’s dinner this week sorted then.
RJ