The library service in Devon recently dropped all late fees. Although I’ve never had to pay any before, when I saw the announcement I realised that I hadn’t used Exeter Library in quite a while. It is a particularly good library with a big selection, so I went in, ordered a new card since I’d lost my last one and had a look at the history section.
In the third Dune novel Alia is ruling the empire as a regent while Paul and Chani’s twins, Ghanima and Leto, are still children. They are like her however, pre-born, and although they are only nine years old they have had the knowledge and wisdom of all of their ancestors since birth. They are concerned about Alia, they believe she has become an abomination, that she has been taken over by one of the voices in her head. Paul’s mother, Jessica, is returning from planet Caladan at the start of the novel, and this is making Alia very nervous.
This is the first time that I’ve read a Sherlock Holmes novel. I’d seen several film and TV adaptations over the years, but they never particularly grabbed me. I thought I’d give one of the books a go since I’ve got a new ebook reader and loaded it up with public domain books. The device is an Xteink X4 Pro, which is a tiny little thing. I bought it to keep in my pocket in the hope that I will reach for it over my phone. I want to stop ending up on Reddit reading things that just make me anxious. So far it appears to be working.
This is a free racing game from 2008 that is entirely based around time trials. Each track is set in a stadium, there is only a single car, and each have bronze, silver, and gold times that you must beat to get a medal. Each track is categorised into one of five different difficulties using a colour scheme, from white to black. The first four have fifteen tracks, and the final one has five.
This is a very traditional dish that I have had countless times since my childhood, although I’ve only recently started making it. I’ve made all the different parts in other meals, so nothing was particularly surprising. For the base you’re aiming for a thick, rich gravy and a deep umami flavour. The recipe isn’t prescriptive, red wine would work, maybe a little soy sauce.
This is a DLC add-on for Final Fantasy VII Remake. I got the platinum trophy for that game a few years ago, but never got around to playing this. I enjoyed Remake a lot, I particularly liked how well they brought the characters to life in a modern game. All of the spin-off media for Final Fantasy VII until then seemed to completely get them wrong. Tifa isn’t a bad-ass, she’s the sensitive one. Aerith was a sarcastic wind-up merchant, not some hippy earth mother. Cloud wasn’t a mopey sullen teenager, he was a stand-offish guy with a messed-up psyche. Despite that, by the end I was pretty done. Like so many modern games it seems, the experience was drawn out, everything takes so long. That led to me leaving this until later, until now.
This is a pretty unusual zombie story. It’s not about the outbreak, or a handful of survivors. It’s about a woman named Kesta, a biomedical scientist living in the aftermath of a zombie plague. There have been no attacks for three months, it is generally under control, and things are very slowly returning to normal.
I visited Boneyard Arcade in Exeter with my son today, it’s an excellent video game arcade. I grew up near Newquay, by the seaside, and there used to be so many of these. I didn’t quite realise that it was because I was living in a holiday destination, I just thought it was completely normal. Over the years the video games faded away in those places as well, and all that was left is the coin pushers, grabber machines, and ticket prizes etc. I’ve been to a few of the modern barcades like Four Quarters over the years, but they always disappointed me. They tended to be more of a bar that had some broken machines than an arcade that happened to sell beer. It was bad beer at that, too. Boneyard is different, the machines are in excellent condition, the owner clearly is passionate about restoring these things to the best they can be. It’s also not a bar, it has a welcoming atmosphere, and is very family-friendly.
It’s now autumn, the nights are drawing in, and the temperature is finally coming down after an extremely hot summer. It’s my favourite season, partly because it goes with hearty and comforting meals. I’ve also got a nasty cold which I can’t seem to shake. Feels like the right time for a chicken stew, warming, and full of nutrition. Fingers crossed it helps me feel better.
He passed away peacefully, I’ll miss him.
When preparing vegetables, instead of putting the ends and peelings into the bin I put them into large yogurt pots that I have kept. I then keep these in the freezer. Once I have two pots completely full I use them to make vegetable stock, or chicken stock when I make a roast chicken. I’ll make that into its own recipe one day as I can’t do it in my slow cooker.
I find this is the simplest way to get great roast potatoes. There are several little changes you can make, such as replacing the vegetable oil with goose fat, or adding rosemary and garlic, but this is the fundamental approach. The aim is to have a crispy outside, with a fluffy inside.
This is my approach to making a bacon sandwich. I’m not even sure if this counts as a recipe really, but I’ve had too many grim ones where the bacon is stringy, and you have to tear it with your teeth.
I actually played Cyberpunk 2077 at release on the PS4. It was hastily removed from the PlayStation Store after it became apparent just how broken the game was. It would crash, people would fall through the floor, assets wouldn’t load, cars would randomly veer off the road, along with countless other problems. It didn’t bother me, in fact I found the whole thing hilarious. I guess it helped that I didn’t actually buy the game, I got my copy via a rental service, Boomerang Rentals. I didn’t complete it in this state, I didn’t even complete the prologue. I liked the atmosphere, and the art, but it didn’t seem like the game was for me, even if it was fixed.
This is an extremely simple meal, but it’s packed with nutrition. Lots of vegetables and good fats. The ingredients listed are for 2 portions, but it’s easy enough to scale to what’s needed. It’ll keep well in the fridge for a week or so.
