Seven years ago, there was promotion of Pink Floyd’s back catalogue, and this robot was one of the eye-catching images created. Love it!!
Moving things around
In all of the covid fun and games in the last year, I’ve been working from home quite a bit. During the first lockdown last year, I was WFH 100%, then we started alternating one week at the office, one week home. Then when the second wave started to get worse, even on the weeks we were supposed to be at the office, we were asked to WFH for a few days in those weeks.
From the start of 2021, I’ve been WFH all the time, and that’s going to be like that until after Easter now, based on the latest directives. Work has actually been very supportive, giving us a small allowance to buy office furniture and supplies. The major downside to all of this is the loss of the sense of separation between work and home. In essence, my office was snack in my bedroom. Also it meant that Katy didn’t have any chance of getting any quiet space for herself. To try and counter this, we’ve moved the office into the guest bedroom. We’ll see how that works in the coming weeks.
[recipe] Ajvar

4 medium-sized red bell peppers
Olive oil, around 1/3 cup
1 red onion
2 tsp white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 240°C (470°F)
Take a medium-sized baking tray and cover it with baking/parchment paper.
Cut the red peppers and onion into halves and arrange them on the baking tray.
Cook in the oven for around half an hour, ensuring that the peppers have gone a rather attractive shade of black.
Take the onion and peppers from the tray and place them into a large bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside for around 20 minutes.
Once cooled, peel the peppers.
Transfer the onion and pepper into a food processor, add the oil and vinegar and season to taste.
Pulse the contents of the food processor until a smooth consistency is achieved.
Take a medium-sized saucepan and empty the contents of the food processor inside the pan
Over a low heat, simmer the contents for around half an hour, ensuring that you stir constantly. The sauce should become thick as it simmers.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Notes:
If you want to make it spicier, you can add in a few roasted chilis, for a real kick!
When your cat has no concept of boundaries

Made Katy a chicken sandwich this morning. Tolstoy got very interested. To the point of sticking his face in it and nicking a piece of chicken.
They like me, they really like me
It’s been a journey…
Facebook reminded me that I got my weight-loss surgery two years ago, just after Valentines 2019. Even before then, all the appointments and the prep started in 2018… The results kind of speak for themselves.
[recipe] carrot oat muffins
300 g all-purpose flour
160 g old fashioned rolled oats
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
4 large eggs
230 g plain Greek yogurt
120 ml maple syrup
100 g golden caster sugar
120 ml milk
4 tsp vanilla extract
220 ggrated carrot
Preheat your oven to 350F/175C and prepare 2×12 muffin pans by lining the cavities with paper liners or greasing them with cooking spray or oil. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until they become slightly frothy before whisking in the yogurt, maple syrup, sugar, milk, and vanilla.
Mix until well combined before folding in the grated carrots.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing gently until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling almost to the top.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for ~5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Wear a damn mask!


[recipe] onion bhaji yorkshire pudding
2 small onions, finely sliced
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 green chilli, chopped
small handful of coriander leaves, chopped
2 eggs
100g plain flour
100ml milk
3 tbsp sunflower oil
Tip the onion and spices into a bowl with a generous pinch of salt. Mix well and leave for an hour until the onions have softened.
Add the chilli and coriande to the onions then crack in the eggs. Tip in the flour and mix.
Gradually add the milk and beat until the batter is smooth. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 9 with an oiled 12 hole muffin tray inside. Spoon the batter into the holes and cook for 15-20 mins until puffed up and golden and the onions have frazzled slightly.
Sahara sand
According to SRF Meteo, weather and wind conditions in regions of northwest Africa, including Mauritania, Mali, and Algeria forced desert sand two to five kilometres up into the sky before it was blown towards Europe via southerly winds, the national weather service said.
The result in various parts of Switzerland on Saturday were misty yellow-orange skies, also seen across much of southern and eastern France.











