Circus

I don't usually take requests, but Ange at work 'demanded' she got to choose today's topic. And she chose "circus".

Here we go then!

I found this groovy image to accompany the blog. In real life, I have to be careful professionally not to use copyrighted images, but here, in a blog that only I read, along with my Mum, I thieve like crazy. But I will credit this on as you can buy it as a poster and you should. I like it!

And immediately play this classic song for the circus: Entry of the Gladiators. I can't help but think that the original composer, with a title like that, hoped for more than a bunch of clowns walking out to his music.

Sandwich wars!

Tonight is the battle of the sandwiches! We are both making each other a surprise sandwich, trying to impress and win the coveted prize of nothing at all.

Who will win? Will it be E with the red Joseph chopping board and an assortment of interesting, exotic ingredients or will it be T with a purple Ikea chopping board and blood dripping from a gigantic gash on her finger from cleaning the knife?

This is the second silly mishap this week. On Wednesday I was running away from the dog, playing hide and seek, and ran out into the garden ("haha, he'll never find me there!") and sliced the sole of my foot off on the concrete step. Obviously I couldn't squeal as I was playing hide and seek and didn't want to give away my location, so I hugged my ragged remaining stump of a foot to my body, sobbing internally. The dog walked up slowly, stared at me (pityingly one might say), and wandered off.

Me 0 : Dog 1.

Georgia on our mind

For a whole evening, yesterday, we had thought we might be moving to Georgia for six months.

But we're not.

But we shall eat their food and listen to their music this evening instead.

Favourited

Hello, hello.

There's been quite a gap since the last Friday Date Night, in fact the longest gap since we started doing these many many years ago. Obviously, our relationship is entirely built on this one night a week, it's our bedrock, so it cannot go away.

FDN returns bigtime.

We start off with a simple theme of "favourites". Favourite dish, favourite cocktail and favourite tunes.

Let's crack on.

Simple but wow

We wanted a nice, easy evening tonight, so I thought dishes that were pretty simple to do, but were lovely. Things don't have to take hours to prepare to be amazing.

I wanted to have music that was in a similar vein, so I have ended up with a list of a music that is apparently good to start with on a guitar. Some good tunes in there.

Blog is simple too.

Adieu.

I'm no Superman

A Scrubs themed night tonight.  We did a FridayDateNight a while back on the Brinner phenomenon (having breakfast stuffs for dinner) that they did themselves in an episode.  That was a wonderful idea.

We have been watching Scrubs re-runs recently and really enjoying them (and surprised how much we had forgotten).

We have loved Cougar Town and it's great to see Ellie back there almost identically as Jordan, the evil ex wife of Dr Cox. Ian admits he likes leering at Elliot's body.

Brrrm

I am getting a cheeky new car this weekend.  My little Vauxhall Tigra I have had since forever has become a bit of a liability to constantly fix.  Threw some money to pass its MOT and then a test drive at a Mini dealership ended up with the car I wanted being available.  Ahh, sod it.  I went for it.

Now, FDN theme wise there is a lot of music surrounding driving.  You can think of a few without putting too much effort into it.  But food?  Driving and eating isn't really a thing.  In the end, and he hasn't yet bailed on a theme, he has gone for a roadside diner idea.  Should be good.

I am making dessert as it keeps me out of trouble.

Kartoffelsalat

We were shopping in Kingston upon Thames last week and stumbled across a Bavarian restaurant.  I spent every summer holiday when I was a kid in Bavaria and it was great to have kartoffelsalat (German potato salad) that was spot on as what I remember from there.  My memory had become warped by time and I had been making a pale imitation.

I have been wondering since how they made it, so I tracked down a good recipe (I hope) and we're trying it out tonight.

We also went to Munich (sort of by accident) for part of a day last year (en route to Barcelona) and had some good beer.  Luckily Waitrose also likes German beers so we have quite a selection.

Flight of Fancy

He did an intensive course last week and passed a multitude of flying exams; Navigation, Meteorology, Radio Telephony and Flight Planning.  He's getting closer and closer to getting his PPL and being able to fly me to exotic locations.

I've been working for NATS, who look after the air traffic control in the UK (and beyond) so I have been in the weirdly unique position of knowing an extraordinary amount about their new computer systems, without actually really having any idea what anything does.  "Speedbird1", "callsigns" and a new feature which looks like a 1970s TV quiz board.  I know how to use them, I just don't know why.  Ahhhh, training.

This week, therefore, it is time to have a flying theme.

"You'll eat what Jeff eats"

One of our favourite Mighty Boosh episodes is The Legend of Old Gregg.  And it's quite foody.  Sorta.

In it, our heroes visit a fishermen's village and try to get some food and drink in a local pub.  Then they fish on a lake on a full moon (classic mistake) and Howard meets Old Gregg.

Tonight is very niche and insane.  Welcome to our very, very favourite FridayDateNights.

Goblin King Ball

Tonight we were meant to be attending an 'actual' Goblin King Ball, but it was sadly cancelled at the last minute.

We have decided to create our own mini version.

D.I.S.C.O.

Time for some D.I.S.C.O!

We haven't had some cheesey music for a while; I crave some boogie-ing around the kitchen whilst the dog looks at me bemusedly, and do I detect a hint of pity?

Truly offal

Who on earth has a theme around offal?!

We had a really nice meal with kidneys a few weeks back and I thought we should look at all the innards of animals and nom them up.  I don't know why I think these things.

I went to a fabulous butchers where they only mocked me a little.  It was such a real butchers with burly butcher-looking guys.  The place could have been lifted out of fifty years in the past.

I bought all sorts of offal, thinking Ian would enjoy the challenge of creating beauty out of innards.  Ah, he does.

Boat race

This weekend is the start of the Henley Boat Races.  I saw a poster as I wandered around Henley in my lunch break and idly thought of how nice it would be to go, if only for the catering available.  But, I don't 'get' rowing.  What's it all about?

I am definitely up for some food foofery though.

Thai holiday memories

We went to Thailand last month, got back, and just slipped back into our real lives.  That was a shame.  We haven't had anything Thai since, so we thought we should remember what lack of rain and cold was like, and what adventures we had.

Since we had a cooking course while we were there, Ian wants to have a go at making what we were taught tonight.

We stayed in a sort of nice hotel up a bit of a hill from central Katon.  The view from the rooftop was of the surrounding mountains, and was lovely and peaceful.  Coming from grey, grey England, seeing beautiful hot pink flowers was uplifting.

Thai music ain't gonna cut it though, so will have to try something else.

Hold the LINE

Today is my last day at LINE Communications.  It's been an interesting contract, seven months long, and I have made some great proper friends (a shout out to the very, very awesome Phil).  There are also very few companies that are truly inclusive of contractors and let them go to events like Christmas Do's.  Which you know I super duper LOVE!

There have been some intense projects and I made some great and groovy stuff.  The two main projects I worked on were for BP Castrol and the NHS Leadership programme.

I know it's weird and strange to do a theme around some company you have just left, but I think it's a nice way to reminisce and, um, well, eat and drink the memories?  Yeah, yeah, I know, I'm weird.

The picture is of the entrance to the building.  How cool is the font?

Rabbit with a pancake on its head

It was Pancake Day this week but we didn't have the energy or interest to whip up pancakes.  How about a whole relaxing evening dedicated to the cause?

Here's a picture of a rabbit with a pancake on its head.  I think this is one of the earliest memes I encountered about a Chinese rabbit called Oolong.  Heck, before they were even called 'memes'.  The owner used to put items on his head and photograph them.  There is no reason, THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO BRILLIANT.

Food wise, there's lots of pancake possibilities, but what on earth can I do on music?!  Who would choose to write a song about a pancake?!

Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras!  What a cheerful fun theme to do!

We need an injection of fun into this dreary weather.  We even ran away for a holiday to Thailand for a week, and it was like being transported into the summer.  But now, back here, with the February rain and flooding.

Yay.

METALCORE

Innocently, I asked "what's metalcore" in last week's FridayDateNight and so here we are with this genre as tonight's theme.

As I put the list together earlier at work I had serious misgivings.

And what the hell is he going to make for food?

Ah well, that's what FridayDateNight is about: stupid themes.

恭喜发财 Kung hei fat choi

Happy New Year!  Today we're gonna celebrate the Chinese New Year; we're now in the year of the horse.

If you haven't kept your New Year's resolutions, look, you can start again at this point!  Yay.

We are going to look at Chinese food and music and see what it's all like (the former I only know from Chinese restuarants, we haven't really done much beyond stir fries at home).