Month: March 2019

Best analysis I’ve seen for the current state of Brexit

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Ah, Brexit. The national shitshow. The Guardian does a very good job of covering it in a fairly and factually (if slightly left-skewing) way.

So, since last update, there have been the indicative votes. All 8 of them, none of which got enough traction.

Then there was MV3 – The Return of the Agreement. Which, as expected, didn’t fly. So What happens now? The Guardian provides a full list of options in this nice flowchart:

However, reading between the lines and extrapolating a bit, we get to the most accurate predictor I’ve seen so far:

In other words:

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My cat is an ass and a bully

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It’s a sad truth that you cannot, under any circumstances, leave food lying around because Tolstoy will eat it. This is a cat that once chewed through a plastic bag to eat a bagel. This is what happens when you’re babysitting a large, vicious (not) Boxer. She gets her food bowl owned by an asshole cat and just stares on, wondering WTF is happening.

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When the boy is away

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The grown-ups can have some quality adult time.

Ben was at scout camp this weekend so – after shopping – we were able to go into Lausanne and have a (small) beer, share a basket of sliders and proper chips at a pub before going to see Captain Marvel.

Today, we went to Apero World and shared a G&T and a really big plate of antipasti.

It’s encouraging to know that even post-surgery, we can still enjoy foodie things like this.

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Mind blown!

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Katy and I went to the outlet shops in Aubonne with a mission to get me a new belt. I was super bummed when I was in the Levis shop, because their biggest belt was way too small, and the biggest jeans they had in store were 38s – and I’m not there yet. We looked in a couple of other shops, and the results were depressingly similar. Swiss shops tend to be sized for stick figure people. We tried one last shop, and it well made up for the previous disappointment.

The sales assistant in the Wrangler shop was super nice. First off, they did have bigger sized jeans. I first tried some 48s, but had to go progressively smaller and smaller to get the perfect fit, with ever increasing incredulity at each step. I think the lady was actually happy for me, because she got really into it as well and was really positive at the fitting results.

I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. My jean size went from 48+ inches to 42. Now granted the “before” jeans had always been baggy in the leg but I needed them for the waist. I now have fitting (and fitted) jeans.

Still working on the belt though, but that’s going to come in time – and I’ve punched the 3rd hole in my current belt.

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Constitutional chaos

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  • The Commons Speaker, John Bercow, has said the government cannot bring the meaningful vote back to parliament again unless there has been substantial change to the Brexit deal. Number 10 did not immediately set out how it planned to proceed, saying his statement requires “proper consideration”.
  • Bercow suggested the government could get round the problem by starting a new session of parliament. But he said it would be an unusual move and was not aware of whether or not ministers had such plans.
  • Nicola Sturgeon complained to Theresa May about suggestions the prime minister will allow the Norther Irish DUP a seat in any Brexit trade talks. For months, May has refused to give Scotland a direct role.
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[recipe] Beef Bourgignon

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1.5kg lean stewing beef cut into 2-inch cubes
6 slices bacon
2 carrots, sliced
10-12 small pearl onions OR 1 small white onion, diced
300g mushrooms, sliced
500ml red wine, young and full-bodied (Pinot Noir or Gamay – Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone or Burgundy)
500ml beef stock
1 tbsp tomato paste
125ml tomato sauce
30g (1/4 cup) flour
salt and pepper
1/2 tspthyme
1 bay leaf
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. In a large dutch oven over medium high heat pot add the olive oil and bacon pieces. Cook until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon.
Salt and pepper the beef and add it to the pot and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the dutch oven.
Add the carrots, pearl onions, and mushrooms and saute 2-3 minutes until tender. Remove and set aside.
Add the red wine to the skillet scraping down the sides and allow to deglaze. Add the beef stock, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and whisk in the flour.
Add the beef and the vegetables and bacon back to the pot and stir. Add thyme and bay leaf. Put a lid on pot and let it simmer in the oven for 1.5-2 hours until the beef is tender.

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