I see Alex Salmond is to start a new list-only political party to contest May's elections. And I thought it was going to be dull!
Some thoughts:
As I've mentioned before, I'm not a fan of parties being set up to try to 'game' the voting system. Nor am I a fan of a party being set up to try to give the current SNP leadership a bloody nose. If those form any part of the motivation here, and I think they probably do, I'm not keen.
From a tactical point of view, it will be interesting to see what happens next. By my count there are now three pro-Indy list-only micro-parties. If that remains the case, I expect them to split the vote and end up with a grand total of zero seats between them. But if we do see the other two folding in the next couple of weeks and a grand conjunction, they might be in with a chance.
My gut feeling, despite that, is that this is probably a retrograde step for independence. I'm quite sure that the Westminster government, and the BBC, and indeed the rest of our media, will spin anything other than an SNP majority as putting independence to bed for the next five years, and adding the Alba party to the mix makes that majority that much more unattainable (while, ironically, also making it more likely that there will be a pro-independence majority in Holyrood - but appearance means more than reality in politics, and the media control the appearance).
For myself, my plan had been to vote SNP/SNP, but that this was going to be my last ever vote - my willingness to support them has been hanging by a thread for some time, and if they can't (or worse won't) progress the cause of independence with significant speed then I won't be giving them another mandate. I'm now mildly intrigued by the possibility of SNP/Alba, but only if this appears to have a reasonable chance of being effective. Even then, probably not.
Of course, the last thing to mention is this: these list-only micro-parties are not the best thing in a single election, because they make the overall majority harder to attain with little chance of success themselves. But a new party needs to start somewhere, so even if the party can only get at least some traction, to be in a better place for next time, that may yet be worthwhile. Again, we'll see.
About a week ago Funsize got her hands on the Tesco magazine, and decided that she simply had to have the cake that was on the front cover. And so, for no particular reason, I found myself baking my second cake of the year. Once again, this was a job split across two days, and once again this was one that Funsize really wanted to help with... right up to the point where it came time to help.
The sponge part of the cake was nice and easy - it wasn't quite just a matter of throwing everything into a bowl and mixing, but not hugely far off. And the cake rose rather more successfully than the previous effort, which was nice!
The decorations on the second day were rather less fun - we don't currently have a cover for our mixing bowl, which meant that the kitchen was promptly dusted with icing sugar on every surface! Other than that, though, it wasn't too bad. That said, once again we were hampered by our cake tins being larger than recommended, which meant I didn't have enough covering for all the surfaces, and the raspberries were a little sparse also.
Still, it looked nice, and it tasted nice too. The sponge could perhaps have done with being cooked a little less, but that's a small tweak.
Would I make this again? Well... perhaps. It was good, and I was a little happier with it than the previous one, but on the other hand we make cakes so infrequently, and have so many recipes to try out...
A much-delayed Experimental Cookery, we actually had this meal some weeks ago, using the final two recipes from the curry box I received as a gift.
Both of these were simple, quick, and easy to put together. I have no complaints on that front. And the cucumber raita was very successful - something we'll no doubt have again.
Alas, the dahl did not have quite the same reception. Sadly, we found it rather too bland for our tastes. That's a shame, as I am generally looking for some good vegetarian options to add to our repertoire. But this one was less successful than either the chickpea curry or the other lentil curry I had tackled before.
As a consequence of all this, I can say that the cucumber raita is certainly something we'll have again. The dahl is not, except that I have some of the ingredients left to use up. So it's likely that I'll have it twice more, just for that purpose.
Overall, I've been very happy with this meal kit - of the six recipes only one really disappointed. Granted, some of them I felt would be a bit better in different circumstances, but given that we're just heading into BBQ season that's not really a problem. That feels like a successful Christmas gift to me!
#12: "Exploring Eberron", by Keith Baker
The fall out between Salmond and Sturgeon continues. It now looks like the two factions are thoroughly dug in for a fight to the death. One the one side we have Alex Salmond, Wings Over Scotland (the most-read Scottish politics blog site - but there's a good reason I'm not linking to it), Craig Murray, and now David Davis. On the other side we have Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP, and the current Scottish Government.
The claim, as has been online for more than a year, was aired at the Fabiani Committee a couple of weeks ago, and was restated in Parliament last night, is that a conspiracy of people around Nicola Sturgeon (including her husband; possibly including NS herself) arranged a crooked and unfair process to discredit Alex Salmond and, ultimately, imprison him up for crimes he was acquitted of.
If this were to be shown to be true, those involved would have to go. And if they refused, the government of which they are part would have to be removed from office. And with the election just a few weeks away, and then no opportunity for the voters to have their say again for five years, the stakes are incredibly high.
On the other hand, of course, extraordinary claims require extraordinary proofs, and I haven't actually seen those. I've seen extensive references to the relevant evidence, and David Davis in particular shone a light on where it can supposedly be found, but the relevant information is not in the public domain (often for good reason).
And while all four of the people I named above are very convincing, that's not quite the same as being truthful. And even being truthful is not the same as being right.
On the other other hand, the behaviour of the Scottish Government is very far from what it should have been. Having promised an open and transparent investigation, they have dragged their heels on releasing key evidence, have redacted and obfuscated extensively, and they've been generally uncooperative. In particular, the redaction of the Salmond evidence was just incompetent - the material was published and only then redacted. That had the effect of shining a big light on what was redacted... and it was really instructive to see what exactly they'd felt the need to hide.
Additionally, there's an inherent problem with the way the committee works - it has nine members, four of whom are SNP, one in a former-Green independent, and four are from the Unionist parties. Naturally, these all then vote on party lines. One way or the other politics is more important than truth.
The whole thing really, really stinks.
My view on all of this: I'm on the side of the truth, wherever that lies. As I said, if there was indeed a conspiracy to fit up AS, then those involved need to go, and if they refuse then the government needs to go (even though that would absolutely mean the end of talk of independence for at least five years). Conversely, if there's nothing to this, then that should also come out in the wash - and those accused allowed to carry on without a blemish on their character.
Unfortunately, it looks very much like we're not going to get that. We'll get some sort of wishy-washy nonsense from the official committee report, the SNP will spin this for all they're worth as a total vindication, the Unionists will spin this for all their worth as being a massive whitewash, and the voters will be left none the wiser. And we'll then have to vote based on a best guess, and with our confidence in the whole thing totally shot.
And all because nobody in the political and media circles in Scotland seems to actually be able to do their jobs.
Weep with me, for the worst has happened. I was all set to make my first coffee of the day, put the coffee and milk into the mug while the kettle boiled... and then noticed that my Gaudi mug from Barcelona had a chip in it.
On the plus side, one of our main trade shows has recently moved to Barcelona, so there's a reasonably good chance I may have to go there in the next few years anyway. If not, I daresay we'll make it there on holiday at some point. (Or, indeed, somewhere else in Spain - I collect mugs from countries, not really cities.)
But for now, alas, I'm a mug down.
#11: "Sharpe's Devil", by Bernard Cornwell
This one was taken from "Mary Berry's Simple Comforts", and it lives up to the title - it's simple, it was quite comforting, and basically it was a win. The only downside was that Funsize utterly rejected it, though she might well have eaten it happily on another day.
There's really not much more to say about this. We will no doubt have this again, and it's a very good choice for a meal if you need something that scales up to large numbers.
#10: "Sword of Destiny", by Andrzej Sapkowski
Another one from the recipe book that came with the spice kit, this was another quick (ish) and easy meal to produce. I say quick-ish because it consisted of two quick steps separated by a full day. So preparing the meal wasn't any great effort, but it does require remembering to marinade the meat the day before you want to eat - something I forgot last week.
In terms of the result, this one was fine, but...
Both LC and I felt that this would have been considerably better if made closer to summer, and probably on the barbeque. Which isn't a criticism of the meal as such, just something to remember for the future.
Additionally, we were both somewhat surprised at just how mild the flavour on these was. We had expected something rather stronger. Again, that's not a criticism, just an observation. We'll certainly have these again, subject to the above note.
And that's pretty much that. There are two more recipes in the booklet, both of which I'll tackle next week, and then it will be a case of using up the remaining spices gradually over time. All in all, a good Christmas present, despite the delay in using it!
As the previous post implies, Funsize has recently turned three. Whereas the first birthday saw us borrowing a hall and hosting a big party and the second year saw me taking the day of work for a daddy-daughter trip to the aquarium followed by a visit from many family members, this year was celebrated in lockdown.
The day started before the previous one really ended - it proved difficult to put FS to bed on Saturday, after which LC and I spent some time decorating the downstairs and laying out presents. Which meant we were already up against it, as going to bed after midnight is no longer as enticing as it was (and it was never all that enticing, if I'm being honest).
On waking, FS's immediate request was to have cake. She had been excited to help me in the kitchen on Saturday, only to be cruelly denied the ability to actually taste the cake we'd made, and again she was to be denied. Such a shame.
However, her disappointment was to be short-lived as we took her downstairs, whereupon all those efforts hanging bunting and blowing up balloons were worthwhile. And then she spent an hour or so tearing apart wrapping paper. Good times.
We then headed out for an early lunch, which we purchased from a McDonalds drive-through. I have no excuse.
From there we headed over to the Scottish Owl Centre, which is one of very few things that are still open. Fortunately, the weather was bright and sunny, albeit cold. Also fortunately, this is something the FS has very much enjoyed before, so we knew it was a decent choice. And so it proved. We enjoyed about an hour and a half of looking at the owls, including a talk from the keepers, before FS gradually decided it was time to move on. Then a quick play on an extremely busy playpark (not surprising on the first day of really decent weather in ages), and then home.
At this point we were then able to arrange a short playdate with one of the FS's friends. Obviously, the travel restrictions meant that family weren't able to visit, which is a real shame, while lockdown meant there was no chance for a party. But what is still allowed, we did. It's obviously no substitute, but it was also very welcome for all that.
Then FS helped me decorate the cake, something she'd been desperate to do all weekend, and then it was time for the Zoom and Skype calls to both sets of grandparents - and two lots of blowing out candles. (Poor thing - FS really wanted to try the cake, and after the first candle blowing she still couldn't! But it was, eventually, worth the wait.)
Then a birthday buffet, which I over-catered rather spectacularly, an evening watching "Spies in Disguise" (which is a reasonable way to spend a couple of hours, if you already have Disney+), and then bed for a very tired but very happy three-year-old.
It was a good day, though at the end of it LC noted a little sadness about it all - obviously, the lockdown meant no opportunity for a real party and also no chance to see family in person. For all concerned, but especially the two sets of grandparents, that's hard to take. And as good as the technology is, it again is just no substitute.
I totally understand that, of course. However, the major mitigation of that is that she's still young enough that she probably won't remember any of this, and resilient enough that when it's all over and done with she should just pick up where things left off. So rather than focusing on what she missed out on, it's okay to focus on what was possible. And it was a good day.
But here's hoping it is the only birthday she ever has to have in lockdown.
For Christmas I received "Mary Berry's Simple Comforts". Shortly thereafter LC and Funsize took a look through the book and the latter decided that this particular cake was the one that she wanted for her birthday (probably due to the strawberries). So on Saturday I made the cakes and then yesterday they were decorated with strawberries and cream:
The cake was easy to make and decorate - the hardest part was knowing exactly when to stop whisking the various components (and remembering to fold in the various items carefully!). The result looks pretty close to the picture in the book. It's wider and therefore shorter, due to my using a bigger cake tin than was indicated, but that's no bad thing.
In terms of taste, it's lovely. As might be expected from a fairly dense chocolate sponge, vanilla-infused cream, and strawberries. The only downside is that we probably have a bit much for three people and a cake that will only last for two days (fresh cream...). Still, I'm sure we can rise to the challenge...
I would certainly at least consider having this again. The only doubt I have is provoked by the fact that we don't have cakes very often - there are really only two occasions in the year when I might make this, and I'm somewhat inclined to try something new rather than repeat myself.
I didn't formally set goals for this year, but I figured it was worth an update anyway. So...
Generally speaking, things are going about as well as could be hoped. It has been a stressful few months, but things do seem to be gradually improving. I'm currently looking forward to three key things (other than the above): getting the vaccine, the end of lockdown, and getting some better weather.
And that's that, really.
I see that the Independent today has an article with some Tories calling for the government to restart Brexit talks. Social media has therefore gone into a whirlwind of people laughing at Brexiteers and the government, and the notion of "Get Brexit Done", and so on and so forth.
The thing is, of course the government should be restarting talks, in at least some form. In fact, they should never have stopped.
Three reasons:
Firstly, the notion of "Getting Brexit Done" was always a nonsense. Yes, leaving the EU was an event, and ending the transition period was also an event. But the reality is that we remain intimately tied to the EU in a wide variety of ways, large and small. Some of those are ties that we want to retain long-term, some we may wish to allow to diminish... and there are some that have ended that we might well want to renew. So we should talk.
Secondly, it is a fact that the eventual withdrawal agreement was negotiated and signed off with almost indecent haste, especially towards the end. That inevitably means that it is flawed in a variety of ways, with some parts not working for us, some not working for the EU, and some not working for either party. So of course talks should continue, to see if improvements can be made for mutual benefit.
But thirdly, the EU remains our closest and most important neighbour, and unless it ceases to exist as an entity it will always remain so. And, despite our recent issues, it remains an ally. As anyone who has a neighbour knows, it is much better to have a good relationship with them than to have a poor one - and an antagonistic relationship can be all sorts of awful. So we should talk, and keep talking.
#9: "The Star Wars Book", by Pablo Hidalgo, Cole Horton, and Dan Zehr
Two more from the same spice kit as previously, these are both more or less as the name implies.
The Tandoori chicken was easy to prepare, but did involve a long marinade step (which meant it was delayed a day). The chutney proved to be much easier than I had initially expected, as a stick blender did almost all of the work.
In terms of result, the Tandoori chicken was very nice but would, I think, be better if finished on a barbeque. Certainly, I plan to do this again in summer when that will be a possibility. The chutney was okay, but really needed more mint and coriander - it was just a little bland. To be honest, I'm not sure I'll bother with that one again.
And that's that. There will be another recipe from this pack next week...
I had really hoped that the Joss Whedon allegations were untrue. It helped that I could largely ignore them, having next to no interest in either version of the "Justice League" movie.
However, even at the time it was obvious that there was something really not right in the filming of "Angel" series 4, and so when Charisma Carpenter made her statement it had the unmistakeable ring of truth. Given that other stars of "Buffy" have now come out in solidarity, it very definitely looks like a pattern of behaviour.
Damn.
The upshot of that is that I'm now no longer interested in any future project that has Whedon associated in any major capacity. I'll still give him the credit for what he has done - I'm still a fan of "Buffy", "Angel", "Firefly", "Toy Story", and "The Avengers". Having red in your ledger doesn't erase the black. But as for new projects... no. Just no.
It's also worth noting that there has been talk of a "Buffy" reboot for several years, and there is always talk of a "Firefly" reboot/restart. But in both cases I was never interested without his significant involvement, and now I'm not interested if he is involved in any significant way.
Time to let those IP die, I'm afraid.
For Christmas 2019 (!) I received a kit of spices for various chicken dishes. This has sat in a cupboard until recently, when I decided I really had to start using it - and the chicken curry was the first of the recipes.
This proved to be a quick and easy recipe - soften a base of veg, add the spices and form the sauce, then add the chicken, and then simmer.
The result was highly successful - I liked it, LC liked it, and Funsize raved over it, coming back for seconds and indeed thirds. So we'll be having it again!
Next up is tandoori chicken, which also looks good.
In case you haven't heard the term before, "the pink tax" refers to the relative pricing of some items when marketed to men versus women - most commonly shown in the form of the pink version of the item being sold at a higher price than the identical blue item. Which is, of course, crazy - both that so many manufacturers do that, and that they are actually able to get away with it (presumably because women do indeed buy the pink item).
Examples of the pink tax are many and varied, of course. Possibly the most egregious was the "woman's pen", which was simply a pen made in pink, but with the price doubled. Another common example are razor blades, which are slightly different for the sexes, but in many cases largely interchangeable. And then there are cases where the items being sold generally are different - but where the "male" version of the tool is coldly functional, the "female" version is less functional but of greater aesthetic appeal... and significantly more expensive.
As I said, the whole thing is crazy. But it does, at least, seem to be getting a little better. (Though, to quote a recent TV show, actually talking about racial issues, "it always gets better. But never enough, and never quickly enough.")
Anyway, the reason I mention this is that yesterday while at Tesco there was an item I needed to pick up, and they very definitely had a pink and a blue version. Surprisingly, though, and just for once, the pink version was the cheaper - largely because that one was reduced to clear while the other was full price.
The upshot being that I proceeded to buy the pink item. For two reasons: (1) I'm never actually going to use said item in public, and (2) I honestly don't care anyway. Pink and blue are both perfectly good colours, and we would really benefit from breaking our obsession that one is for boys and the other for girls.
But maybe that's just me.
It's fair to say that the UK government's handling of the Covid-19 crisis has been absolutely abysmal - a monstrous death toll, disastrous economic consequences, and vast amounts of public money given to chancers largely for no results. In general, the Scottish government have been doing better, though as I said in another post it's a difference of degree rather than type.
But where the vaccine roll-out is concerned, I feel I do need to give credit where it's due - after a slow start, the UK government have reached a very good rate of delivery, such that there's some genuine hope for the future. (Although there is one massive caveat - I'll get to that momentarily.) And, on the topic of vaccine delivery, I'm afraid the Scottish government just isn't doing as well, nor indeed is it doing well enough. And, again, it's a difference of degree rather than type, which means that the same caveat applies.
(That caveat concerns the increased delay between doses, where they were approved for a 3-week delay, the manufacturers recommend a 3-week delay (although it should be noted that they are obliged to do so), and yet the government has elected for a longer delay of up to 12-weeks. That's one hell of a gamble, and we must all desperately hope that they've got it right - the consequences if not are too horrible to contemplate.)
So I feel I must offer a very cautious congratulations to the UK government on this part of the process. And ask that the Scottish government please up their game.
Fair warning: what follows is just a moan. There's no happy conclusion, nor is there a book listed at the end of the post. So maybe look away? I'm also well aware that this one is somewhat lacking in perspective. But it's my blog, so sometimes I'm going to post about me.
It's fair to say that I'm not coping with this new lockdown at all well. Whereas last time it at least happened just as we hit the Easter holidays, and also just as the weather turned really nice, this one suffers from lots of short days, dark nights, and pretty dire weather.
Additionally, I'm finding the closure of just about everything really hard to take. Not that I'd be inclined to go many places anyway... but there's a difference between choosing to not go somewhere and having nowhere to go in the first place.
Mostly, though, it's just the slog of routine that sucks - work all day, then deal with my list of tasks in the evening, then do it all again. And then at the weekend don't really do anything.
I'm missing people, both in the general and the specific. Basically, the third most meaningful relationship I've had in the "real world" this year has been with the checkout assistant at Tesco this week. And while she was perfectly nice, and somewhat amusing on the topic of the Christmas playlist, it's not really right.
I fin myself intensely frustrated by the lack of information - when will this end, and how will things look when that happens? When can I expect to receive the vaccine? And so on. And yet, I'm also well aware that the powers that be shouldn't be giving out that information. It's better they stay quiet until they have solid answers, because it's much better to under-promise and over-deliver.
Actually, that more or less sums up the situation entirely - much as I don't like it, they're mostly doing the right things now. It's right that I'm at the bottom of the queue for getting the vaccine, it's right that I should be avoiding people as much as possible.
And, as I said up top, relatively speaking we're almost certainly doing better than almost everyone, and much better than a great many people. I'm aware I should really be counting blessings rather than just moaning.
But that doesn't really help. Moaning into the void does, perhaps surprisingly. Though more than anything, what I really need is a problem that I can actually solve (and that will stay solved).
Anyway, if you've made it thus far, I commend your forbearance. Normal service will return soon. I hope.
