Monthly archives: March 2011

Daily Blog 03/18/2011

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  • Manchester FoE Email Action

    As part of the Metrolink tram Didsbury extension, the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) is planning to install a series of steps into the Trans-Pennine Trail instead of using ramp access as previously planned. If this is allowed to happen it will effectively make this part of the 215 mile coast-to-coast walking and cycling route impassable for many people.

    Manchester Friends of the Earth support the extension of Metrolink tram system, but believe that it should not be at the expense of existing active travel (walking and cycling) facilities. We are working together with Sustrans and the Trans Pennine Trail user groups to encourage GMPTE and Manchester City Council to come up with a better plan.

    tags: manchester cycling tram

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Introducing Garth Owen

This entry was posted in Facts and Fictions Garth Owen on by

I shall soon be graduating from being an independent author to an independent publisher, helping other people get their books available for ebooks and seeing how they fare. The Spinneyhead brand shall be quite diverse, with entries in multiple genres.

The first author to come on board is Garth Owen. I shall be publishing Slashed, his slightly loony horror/action/comedy hybrid novella before the end of April. It’s sort of Scream meets Die Hard.

Garth writes more pulpy stuff than I do, and he tends to be a bit more graphic when it comes to scenes of sex and violence. I have high hopes for his stories. He also has a name which returns no other results for humans in a Google search. (There is an author called Garth Owen-Smith, whose book An Arid Eden: One Man’s Mission in the Kaokoveld looks interesting but is unlikely to be confused with Slashed.)

The last edits of Slashed have begun, and I shall be starting work on cover concepts soon. Then I shall be talking to other potential writers for the Spinneyhead line.

There is a Garth Owen page on Facebook. It is a little empty right now, but it shall be filling up as publication of Slashed draws closer. Use the Like button below.

In the tiny little dog house

This entry was posted in 1:87th Model Railway on by

Model Shipyard is a Polish company specialising in laser cut card and wood models, such as these 1:87th scale accessories for your model house’s garden. 1:87th is HO, a model railway gauge favoured in Europe and the USA but less so over here and there are products available for it which put the more British OO (1:76th) to shame. I have plans to rectify this, if I can spend enough time learning 3D modelling and do a better press blitz for the products I’ve already created.

Daily Blog 03/16/2011

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Daily Blog 03/15/2011

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Daily Blog 03/14/2011

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Boyfriend Season at Smashwords

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Spinneyhead Shorts 1- Boyfriend Season is available through Smashwords in multiple ebook formats.

‘“Autumn is boyfriend season. With the nights drawing in and the weather getting worse it’s the right time to have a man to keep you warm and stuff.”

I was with Lauren and Vanessa, a few pints into the night somewhere in Didsbury, when Lauren had dropped this concept into the conversation.

“And in Spring you can dump them because there’s so much else to do.” Vanessa added.

I think I did a guppy impersonation for a while. It was only later that I thought that men are at their horniest in Spring. It’s all sunny and the serotonin levels are rising again. I’d probably have been told that that’s just the way it goes.’

James is looking for love, so it’s good that the season’s turned and the girls are hunting boyfriends. A short romantic comedy about speed dating, blogging and drinking after work.

Also includes How Deep Is Your Love? Find out what happened to James next.

Warning to van drivers- stop talking bollocks and learn how to drive 5

This entry was posted in Bikes road safety on by

On the way to work on Thursday I passed a van belonging to a company called PTS (probably this PTS, the logo looks the same. On the rear left hand corner of the van was a sticker which read (roughly, this is from memory)-

“Warning to cyclists! This van may turn left, do not pass on the inside.”

The person who had this printed up and attached to the van may have thought they were being helpful. Some of you may wonder why they’re bothering to state the obvious. I saw it and translated it to-

“Warning! The driver of this van may be a moron who doesn’t know how to use their mirrors or indicators. We’ve stuck this bullshit notice here as an attempt to cover our arses if they do anything stupid.”

Cyclists know that drivers sometimes turn left. That is why, whenever we’re going up the inside of traffic, particularly close to junctions, we’re on the lookout for drivers who are about to make manoeuvres. When drivers have the sense and decency to indicate it makes our, and their, lives so much easier.

I can’t help thinking that telling people you may do something stupid at some point in the future isn’t a valid defence when you go ahead and do that stupid thing. It probably makes the stupidity worse. The sign on the PTS van feels like a lazy attempt to blame any future victims when the company should be ensuring the competence of its drivers. They should make sure they’re drivers understand mirror-signal-manoeuvre, not make excuses for them.

I cycled past the van on the inside.

Daily Blog 03/13/2011

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Collision cooking- vaguely oriental sea bream with pak choi and soy-chilli toffee

This entry was posted in Collision cooking Facts and Fictions on by

This recipe will probably work just as well with lots of other fish. As usual, no weights, measures or times.

Courtesy of Withington’s monthly market I had two fillets of black sea bream. After removing the last of the bones I laid them in a foil envelope on a baking tray. Next in was a handful of coriander leaves and then a large chunk of ginger root cut finely. I drizzled chilli oil on them next- in lieu of chopping up a chilli I didn’t have- then soy sauce and honey and finally lemon juice. After folding the foil envelope closed it went into the oven for about 25 minutes.

About ten minutes before the fish came out of the oven I heated some oil in a flat bottomed frying pan, split the pak choi lengthwise and fried them. When I’d served them up I left the pan on the heat whilst dishing out the fish, then poured the sauce into it. It boiled impressively, thickening and caramelising. When it was sticky enough I poured it over the fish and pak choi. the fish was light and tasty and the sauce was sticky and tangy, a rather nice combination.

Daily Blog 03/12/2011 1

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Daily Blog 03/11/2011

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.