Well it seems as if the snow is finally thawing. A combination of the wet snow and grit has painted the city centre a lovely shade of brown slushy mud. Bring back fresh white snow. We are never happy are we?
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
Monday, 27 December 2010
Wonderful Words and Phrases - Glaikit
Stupid, foolish, thoughtless, vacant. As in "Awa, yi glaikit eedjit!" Often used interchangeably with gadgies, minkers and schemies.
Thursday, 23 December 2010
Curry Facts
The Food Standards Agency have come up with the following interesting information.
A curry can be defined as a dish made with spices, cooked in oil with a sauce made from puréed onions, garlic and ginger.
Here are some more tasty facts and figures:
The origin of the word 'curry' can be traced back to the Tamil word 'kari' meaning spiced sauce.
Indian food is the UK's favourite cuisine. In the latest keynote survey, retail sales accounted for 42% of total sales of ethnic foods and was valued at £250 million.
The term 'curry' isn't really used in India. There are many types of curry style dishes, which have characteristic regional variations.
One of the earliest known recipes for meat in a spicy sauce appeared on tablets found near Babylon in Mesopotamia, dated about 1700 BC.
The Indian food industry in the UK is worth £3.2 billion and accounts for two-thirds of all eating out.
The first commercial curry powder appeared in about 1780.
Britain's first curry house opened in 1809. Called the Hindustani Coffee House and located in London's Portman Square.
Indian food now surpasses Chinese food in popularity, with Indian restaurants outnumbering Chinese restaurants by two to one.
Indian restaurants in Britain serve about 2.5 million customers every week.
Chicken tikka masala remains the most popular Indian dish. It's thought to originate in Britain after an enterprising Indian chef had the idea of adding a tomato and onion paste to the grilled chicken – to satisfy the British preference for food that isn't dry.
There are about 9,000 Indian curry houses in the UK, employing an estimated 70,000 staff.
In London alone there are more Indian restaurants than in Bombay and Delhi.
The word 'balti' means bucket.
On average we each eat 4.4 kg of rice every year, according to data from the Rice Association.
The latest keynote survey reported that curry fans spent £480 per minute in supermarkets and a leading supermarket sells 1.1 million packets of chicken tikka masala each year.
It is estimated that ethnic food sales will reach £792 million by the end of 2003.
Scientists at Nottingham Trent University have discovered that people begin to crave for a curry because the spices arouse and stimulate the taste buds.
Tuesday, 21 December 2010
100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross
6pm, Sunday 19 Dec 2010, Channel 4
Presented by gadget, gizmo and toy collector extraordinaire Jonathan Ross, 100 Greatest Toys with Jonathan Ross is a three-hour countdown of the nation's favourite toys and games.
From Action Man to Yahtzee and from Barbie to Trivial Pursuit, inventors and toy-makers tell the inside stories of their creations and success. And to fully explain the impact of these toys and games, the children of yesteryear - today's celebrities, authors, actors and journalists - reveal exactly what it was that made them love a particular toy.
Find out how Action Man evolved from the American GI Joe action doll and just how Tomorrow's World inspired his haircut. What was the genesis of Barbie? And who came up with the iconic design of the Raleigh Chopper?
There's also the chance to learn how a one-time wimp created the world's toughest action figure and how the Vietnam War almost destroyed Britain's Matchbox toy car range.
The shortlist of 100 toys was selected by a panel of industry experts and the final countdown decided by a Channel 4 online vote.
This was great programme with something for everyone and for those of you who didn't see it, here is the list in full.
100 Raving Bonkers (boxing robots)
99 Teletubbies
98 Holly Hobby (rag doll)
97 Ben 10
96 Major Matt Mason
95 Bratz
94 Peter Powell Kites
93 Pippa
92 Super Striker
91 Bey Blades
90 Johnny Seven
89 Clackers
88 Trouble
87 Dr Who Cyber Mask
86 Magna Doodle
85 Stretch Armstrong
84 Tickle Me Elmo
83 Cross Fire
82 Girls World
81 Stylophone
80 Trolls
79 Weebles
78 Cabbage Patch Kids
77 Simon
76 Polly Pocket
75 Escape From Colditz
74 Furby
73 The Six Million Dollar Man
72 Beanie Babies
71 Buzz Lightyear
70 Power Rangers Action Figures
69 Buckeroo
68 Tiny Tears
67 Sindy
66 Hula Hoop
65 Tracy Island
64 Hungry Hippos
63 Evel Knievel
62 Mr Potato Head
61 James Bond Aston Martin DV5
60 Care Bear
59 Ker Plunk
58 My Little Pony
57 Spacehopper
56 Tonka Toys
55 Game Of Life
54 Tamagotchi
53 Super Soaker
52 Operation
51Slinky
50 Playmobil
49 Yahtzee
48 Master Mind
47 Barbie
46 The Raleigh Chopper
45 Pictionary
44 Frisbee
43 Jenga
42 Fuzzy Felt
41 Sylvanian Families
40 Mousetrap
39 Hot Wheels
38 Battleships
37 Pokemon Cards
36 Twister
35 Chemistry Set
34 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
33 The Yo-Yo
32 Top Trumps
31 Roller Skates
30 Risk
29 Spirograph
28 Subbuteo
27 Plasticine
26 Play-Doh
25 Pong Atari
24 Rubik’s Cube
23 The Teddy Bear
22 Etch A Sketch
21 Matchbox Cars
20 Action Man
19 Airfix Models
18 Connect 4
17 Horny Trains
16 Meccano
15 Cluedo
14 He-Man
13 X Box / Halo
12 Transformers
11 Star Wars toys
10 Nintendo Game Boy
09 Trivial Pursuit
08 Scalextric
07 Scrabble
06 Sony PlayStation
05 Nintendo Games consoles
04 Nintendo Wii
03 Dungeons and Dragons
02 Monopoly
01 Lego
Sunday, 19 December 2010
2010 - What Will We Remember?
Well the year is coming to a close. What will you remember about 2010?
Here's my starter for ten:
April - Apple iPad released
May - Gordon Brown's "bigotgate" PR disaster in Rochdale seals the end of the Labour Government and the formation of a Coalition Government
June and July - World Cup in South Africa - the world is introduced to the vuvuzela and England's disasterous performance delights 5 million Scots
October - the PR fiasco of the Dehli Commonwealth Games
October - the amazing rescue of 33 Chilean miners
November and December - the worst winter snow for decades
December - Scottish politician Tommy Sheridan convicted of perjury during his 2006 defamation case against the News of the World newspaper.
Wonderful Words and Phrases - Doolally
OK no doubt you'll say I'm mad to mention this but that is what this word means, behaving, odd, crazy or deranged. "He's gone doolally."
Dreaming Of A White Christmas?
It is almost noon on Sunday and three weeks since we were covered by the largest and longest blanket of snow I can remember in years. The low temperatures ensured that snow lifted very slowly, with patches of pavement and road surface appearing in increments and huge mounds of snow standing defiantly, the remnants of human shovelling or ploughing. What was left had turned to thick ice so that three weeks later the city still looked battle scarred. For the first time yesterday however, I felt able to go out without my walking books which have hitherto given me a sense of balance and confidence.
Today however, this morning there is a nice heavy fall of snow that has again painted everything white and the promise of a white Christmas looks like it may well be fulfilled.
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Voyager 1 and The Space Race
Recent news that Voyager 1 is close to the edge of our solar system got me thinking about the space race. What was the space race? Well as I recall it, the race was to get the first man on the moon. Given that there were only two competitors, the USA and USSR, I suppose it was the space equivalent of the cold war, where military supremacy in the form of nuclear arms, was taken out of this world with the battle to be the mightiest in space.
So we had the American Apollo space programme with their astronauts and we had the Russian Soyuz space programme with their cosmonauts. The cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin of course achieved history, and fame, as the first human to enter space orbit in 1961. This was the year before I was born so I have no memory of this, but I do remember the Apollo spacecraft vividly. It's greatest triumph, the mother of all victories, the winning goal in the World Cup Final, was in 1969 when Apollo 11 landed on the moon and Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on its surface. With those steps he uttered the now immortal words:
That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Wow the whole world was glued to the TV to witness the ghost like black and white images of Neil Armstrong stepping down from the lunar module onto the planet for the very first time.
Although the space race pretty much ground to a halt in the mid 1970s I was inspired by the latest report on the achievements that have been made by Voyager 1. It is easy to forget that this space probe was actually launched in 1977, so it has been on its journey for over 33 years!. This compares with the 3 day journey to reach the moon!
The Nasa probes' initial goal was to survey the outer planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, a task completed in 1989. They were then despatched towards deep space, in the general direction of the centre of our Milky Way Galaxy.
Sustained by their radioactive power packs, the probes' instruments continue to function well and return data to Earth, although the vast distance between them and Earth means a radio message now has a travel time of about 16 hours.
Now 17.4bn km (10.8bn miles) from home, the veteran probe has detected a distinct change in the flow of particles that surround it. These particles, which emanate from the Sun, are no longer travelling outwards but are moving sideways. It means Voyager must be very close to making the jump to interstellar space - the space between the stars.
Edward Stone, the Voyager project scientist, lauded the explorer and the fascinating science it continues to return 33 years after launch.
"When Voyager was launched, the space age itself was only 20 years old, so there was no basis to know that spacecraft could last so long," he told BBC News.
"We had no idea how far we would have to travel to get outside the Solar System. We now know that in roughly five years, we should be outside for the first time."
Saturday, 11 December 2010
Kramola Fizz Available In Dundee
In my post of 20 November I mentioned that my daughter got a tub of cola flavour Kramola Fizz from a family friend (see photo above). Well we happenned to be in The Sweetie Shop in the Forum Centre today and my daughter noticed that they were selling tubs in different flavours though they were a bit pricey at £4 each. They do have little sachets for £1.50 though.
Monday, 6 December 2010
From Snow Go To Slow Go
Well a week has passed since the dramatic events of last Monday. Thundersnow took us all by surprise and the snow continued to fall heavily in the early part of the week leading to lots of people being snowed in, their vehicles well and truly grounded and lots of services reduced or shut down fully. However it looked like normal service was almost resumed with the announcement that most schools were to re-open today.
It therefore took me by surprise that I waited 45 minutes for the bus this morning and that a usually 10 minute journey took half an hour. It was with less enthusiasm that I waited for another 45 minutes for the bus home.
As Central Scotland seems to be getting the brunt of the snow this week, The Public Weather Service Advisor stated:
- More snow, ice and cold temperatures for Scotland in the week ahead. However, following the signficant snow accumulations mainly across eastern parts of Scotland last week, we will see a return to a more 'business as usual', 'typical Scotland in winter' weather situation over the coming week.
- The snow showers will continue to mainly affect northern and northeastern Scotland into next week.
- The band of wintry showers pushing southwards during this evening and overnight is now forecast to pass more quickly, is expected to fall as rain or sleet on lower ground and is generally expected to give little fresh snow (1-3cm) on higher ground.
- Widespread Ice becomes the main risk for much of Scotland into next week. There will be a slight thawing of lying snow during the day (temperatures rising slightly above freezing for a few hours) but this will quickly freeze as darkness falls. This will increase the risk of black ice on roads and pavements, and icicle formation on buildings in towns and cities across Scotland.
Even then it looks like we are not totally out of the woods yet though. A weather briefing from the Met Office states the outlook to 18 December is as follows:
Risk of snow showers developing again across northern and eastern areas of the United Kingdom. Mainly dry elsewhere. Overnight frosts continuing. Daytime temperatures likely to recover enough to lead to gradual thaw of lying snow. Confidence in this scenario is moderate for temperature but low for detail on any further snow.
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Wonderful Words and Phrases - Doup
This word is dedicated to one of my band colleagues who used it last night and I hadn't heard it for ages. Note for the uninitiated, it is not pronounced like "soup", it is pronounced as in "dowp". It can be both a reference to one "bottom" but also can refer to the bottom or end of anything. I recall It brought back memories of my gran who used it a lot in both contexts, the latter being her cigarette end or "doupies".
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Wonderful Words and Phrases - Gallus
Now this word is definitely one my Gran used a lot. I think of it as having a "devil may care" attitude though apparently it derives from gallows, meaning someone who was a bit of a rascal who deserved to be hanged.
It is not to be confused however with galluses, which my gran referred to as braces, i.e. for holding up trousers.
Gallus was also the name of the 1992 album by the Scottish rock band Gun. It's a superb album IMHO.
Subbuteo - A Toy I Did Get For Christmas
Wow - Subbuteo World Cup - with real working floodlights! Yes that was my first (and only) Subbuteo set which deviated from the standard set as the game came in the colours of Brazil and England instead of the usual blue and white kits. This was a deluxe set with special items including a miniature replica of the Jules Rimet Trophy. I loved it! According to Peter Upton's tribute website, the set I had (with white floodlights) came out in 1971, when I was 9.
The great thing about Subbuteo was that you could upgrade your set by buying additional items such as corner flags, barriers, crowd figures etc. but most of all you could add additional teams. These came in most colours so you could always find your local team. I remember going down to Brian Sheriff's toy shop in the Cowgate (now Rainbow Music) and being fascinated by the range of Subbuteo items available. The other great thing about Subbuteo was that you could organise competitions with your mates - league tournaments, cup tournaments etc. I used to have fictituous teams too, i.e. Everpool and Liverton!!!
I have no idea how I came about it, but I do remember having a Palermo team, in pink!
There was also a bit of controversy in the 1970s about the low wages being paid to the people who painted them. Often these were women working from home to earn extra money.
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
Wonderful Words and Phrases - Buckshee
A great word, meaning, "free" as in obtaining something at no financial cost, or obtaining something extra.
Example: "Eh've got tickets fir Sidney Devine going buckshee".
Now I always thought this was a Scottish word, or at the very least a longstanding part of the English language. It has also wrongly been thought that buckshee is Cockney rhyming slang for "free". However it's origins appear to be Persian, the word baksheesh meaning a gratuity or a tip to expedite service.
...the English usage origins of buckshee (also buckshees, although this can still refer to a single free entity) are firmly rooted in Middle-Eastern and Anglo-Indian language, dating back to the mid-1700s, and more widely adopted and popularised by the British army operating in the Middle-Eastern and Indian territories in the first and second world wars, who developed various meanings around the main interpretation. The root word is bakh'sheesh in Arabic, notably from what was Persia (now Iran), with variations in Urdu and Turkish, meaning a gift or a present. The early British usage of the expression would have been bakshee, backshee, but by the 1900s this had evolved into the modern buckshee/buckshees/buckshish. The modern form is buckshee/buckshees, referring to anything free, with other associated old slang meanings, mostly relating to army use, including: a light wound; a paymaster (also 'buckshee king'), and a greedy soldier at mealtimes. I am grateful for the following note from Huw Thomas in the Middle East: "...The word 'buckshee' was brought back by the British Eighth Army lads from North Africa in the Second World War. It comes from the Arabic word bakh'sheesh, meaning 'free' or 'gift'. In Arabic today, it refers to the tip given to a restaurant waiter." (ack Huw Thomas)
source: http://www.businessballs.com/clichesorigins.htm#buckshee_buckshees_origins
Monday, 29 November 2010
Snow Go In Dundee
The Courier reports that:
There were accidents aplenty over the weekend, with main roads blocked by trapped cars and jack-knifed lorries. But, for the most part, the accidents were not serious and there were few reports of injuries.
November's record snowfall overnight on Saturday brought a freak weather condition with it — as many areas experienced a rare weather phenomenon known as thunder snow.
Thunder and lightning are usually accompanied by rain, but snow fell heavily instead as storms raged overnight and into the day.
As for me I walked down Clepington Road towards Pitkerro Road, all the way down the Kingsway to the Apex Training Centre near the Scott Fyffe roundabout, only to find that it has been cancelled. En route, the streets were fairly quiet, not least I imagine because many cars were snowed in. The ploughs and gritters and had done their job making sure the main roads were open though and I saw a few buses on the roads too.
I was amazed however at the actions of a couple of older people who were trying to get to Arklay Street Post Office. Both were walking with the aid of sticks and were having great difficulty getting over the heaps of snow created by the ploughs at the side of the road. It reminded me of the queues of pensioners that used to form before opening time at Tesco in the Wellgate. There's just nothing gonna get in the way of them!!!
The City Council's website also advised that:
All Dundee City Council-run schools will be closed on Monday and the council will announce plans for Tuesday as soon as they are known. Check www.dundeecity.gov.uk for updates.
All family support centres and learning disability centres in Dundee, along with the Oaklands day centre for older people, will also be closed.
Dundee College is also closed, but Dundee High School has said it will be open for all who can get there safely today.
By late morning the Courier reported that:
A Met Office spokeswoman says at least another 10cm of snow will fall before the showers drift away.
Dundee, Fife, Angus and Perth and Kinross can all expect temperatures to drop below zero tonight, making conditions on Tuesday even more treacherous.
Although the worst of the lightning and snowstorms that hit Tayside and Fife may now be over, there will be no respite from the Arctic conditions until the end of the week.
"There are a lot more snow showers to come later today and although they will dry out overnight, temperatures will drop as low as -3C in Dundee and lower inland so it will be very frosty tomorrow," said the Met Office spokeswoman.
"There will be some snow showers on Tuesday afternoon and we could be looking at another 10 centimetres in all before the snow moves away."
Temperatures as low as -20C are predicted in some parts of the country.
View Over Howff Cemetery, 30 November 2010
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Snow, Thunder, Lightening
I woke at 6am this morning. I was still in that half sleep of not being sure I was awake or dreaming, when I saw a flash and heard a peel of thunder. Sleep ensued quickly as I am not one for rising at that time on a week day, never mind on a Sunday. It was with amazement that there were several flashes of lightening and thunder around noon, whilst it was still snowing outside. I can't ever recall this combination of weather in North East Scotland, nor have I heard of it either.
I have just googled this and according to Wikipedia it appears to be called "thundersnow" and it has the following features:
- a thunderstorm with snow falling as the primary precipitation instead of rain
- the snowfall acts as an acoustic suppressor of the thunder
- in the United States, March is their peak month of formation, and on average, only 6.3 events are reported per year
- the thunder also is unique and instead of a typical "clap" and "roll" the thunder sounds like a large electrical arc or a blown transformer without the reverberation
- thunderstorms with snow are more likely to occur near the coast, where the relative warmth near the sea meets the colder condiions inland
This article also noted that:
On the 26th and 27th leading into the 28th of November 2010, Aberdeen, Scotland experienced thundersnow, including hail stones which were of golfball size. A thundersnow event was also reported in Perth and Dundee in Scotland, in the early hours of the 28th of November, 2010.
The STV website noted that Dundee's Police HQ had been struck by lightnening during the storm:
Police in Dundee arrived at their snow-covered headquarters this morning - to find the building had been struck by lightning.
Snow and thunderstorms brought double trouble to the east coast overnight, a rare phenomenon caused by freezing cold air moving over warmer water.
And Tayside Police's HQ was struck by lightning at around 6.30am, affecting the phone network across the city.
Emergency 999 calls were not affected but the force had to initiate plans to re-establish non-emergency lines from its fallback facility located in Perth.
Superintendent David Tonks, head of the force's communications centre, said: "Members of the public can be reassured that 999 lines and all other IT systems are not affected.
"The non-emergency system is of a resilient design and has never previously failed.
"However, from speaking to the specialists in this area this morning, it is clear that despite the best efforts of engineers it is impossible to prevent complex systems from being affected in such extreme conditions.
"I am though sorry for any inconvenience caused."
STV weatherman Sean Batty said: "We are getting thundersnow in places because of the very cold air travelling over warmer water in the North Sea.
"That creates large clouds and thunder, especially in the east."
Gavin Keymer created a facebook page dedicated to this event entitled "I survived the great Dundee thunder-snow-storm! 28/11/10" and the page said that it was, "The time of the near-apocalypse in Dundee & Tayside. This storm, of biblical proportions, brought catastrophe to Dundee, teaching us that it is actually possible to have snow and thunder and lightning at the same time!"
Saturday, 27 November 2010
The Snow and Power Cuts in the 1970s
Whilst walking today in the snow with my daughter she remembered a time when the car got stuck as we were going to visit her grandparents because our electricity had gone off. I was telling her about the 1970s when there was an enforced three day working week and power cuts were introduced due to a shortage in the electricity supply brought about by miners'strikes. As we were one of the few houses to have a gas cooker, my Gran was called upon to boil pots of water so that our neighbours could make a cup of tea. I can remember vividly sitting around candles, singing songs and playing cards. I was never in the Scouts or Boys Brigade but this was bit like going on camp - it was great fun!
Wonderful Words and Phrases - Random
This is a word that I always thought was not contentious and means “doesn’t conform to a pattern” (my definition). It’s a word that my daughter uses frequently and in the ways that she uses it has come to mean a variety of things.
Urban Dictionary calls it, "The latest buzzword used amongst mindless teenagers as a way of showing just so utterly irreverent their predictable sense of humour is. Particularly dominant among English teens and University students, the word "random" or the act of being "random" is a desperate plea for others to recognise how totally against the grain of the norm you are and that you're really crazy and out there. Trouble is, being "random" is predictable, boring, moronic and extremely sad indeed."
Example: “Omg I have to tell you what happened it was just so random!”
Friday, 26 November 2010
I Ate All The Pies
For all the talk about healthy lifestyles and the Scottish diet there’s times when you just have to have something stodgy and greasy. And in Dundee we have our iconic food in the form of Wallace’s Pies. There can’t be many Dundonians who haven’t got some childhood memories of Wallace’s. For me, it was a trip into town and eating a greasy pie sitting in the City Square. On the one hand there was Wallace’s Auld Dundee Pie shop in Castle Street and then there was Wallace’s Land o’ Cakes in Crichton Street. I remember my granddad telling me that Wallace’s actually split into two companies due to a fall out between two family members. Both companies stopped trading years ago.
There is, however, a company called Wallace Family Bakers, based in Longforgan and this comes from their website.
Based in Dundee, Angus on the East Coast of Scotland, Wallace Family Bakers produce a large and varied collection of bakery products using only the best local produce. Our fleet of vans deliver daily across the length and breadth of Angus to local convenience stores and supermarkets. We have been established for many years with a growing reputation of producing the finest quality products. Our website will be continually updated with further information about the history of the company, our location and a full range of products, visit us regularly to keep in touch with ’your local baker’ or if you have a specific enquiry email us oninfo@wallacebakers.co.uk.
Unfortunately the website doesn’t give any more info than this. Consequently I don’t know if the pie in the photograph emanates from this company but I can assure you that it tastes very like the Wallace’s pies I remember.
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Demotivational Posters
These have been around for a while. They are parodies of motivational posters hung in offices to inspire staff to work harder or "smarter". Demotivational posters have become art forms and the previous post is an example of a classic one. Here's one of mine.
Mistakes
In the past week I have received two gifts from persons who have gone to a lot of trouble to let me know they have been thinking about me. You know who you are. You have helped me restore a bit of faith in humanity at a time when I have been feeling my role in life has been to serve as a warning to others. Thank you!!
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Wonderful Words and Phrases - Howk
howk [ howk ] (past and past participle howked, present participle howk·ing, 3rd person present singular howks)
transitive and intransitive verb
Definition:
Scotland dig: to dig, or dig something up or out ( informal )
[14th century. Originally holk, related to hole, hollow]
Example - whit ar ye daeing howking at yer nose?
Saturday, 20 November 2010
All Kramola Fizz Cola Flavoured Drink Crystals
In my post of 31 October I lamented the loss of Creamola Foam from the shelves of local stores. My daughter has, for the last few weeks now, said that she was getting a tub from a family friend and I was intrigued to know what it was going to be like. Well it's not Creamola foam and as you can see from the tub it's very different packaging. So, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Kramola Fizz.
This little tub produced a glass of cola flavoured fizz in line with the instructions below. The actual colour was more of a red cola and taste wise it was fairly bland and not very fizzy. A recent article on the raspberry version came to a similar conclusion.
For the record here is the tub and a list of the ingredients.
Shake well, two teaspoons in half glass of water, stir well.
Ingredients:
Sugar
Bicarbonate of Soda
Tartaric Acid E334
Citric Acid E330
Potasium Citrates E336
Cola Flavour
Saccharin E414
Acacia Gum E110
Quillaia Extract
A McCandlish
Low Auchensail
G82 5HN
tel: 01389 841269
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
