Archive for November, 2008

Guy Fawkes Night in Poole

Monday, November 10th, 2008

We decided to leave the house and join the masses of people who also decided to leave their houses to watch the free fireworks display in Poole Harbour.

It was our first attempt at fireworks photos and I think some are pretty good. Mike gets all the credit for the photos (though it is my camera and it was my idea).

Click on the link to view all the photos:

Fireworks Photos

Weekend in Banbury and Oxford

Monday, November 10th, 2008

Last weekend we loaded up our £400 car with Mich and Ems and headed up to Banbury to visit Matt and Sonia. We weren’t sure if our car would make it but it seemed to go ok. On the Saturday we caught the train into Oxford for some sightseeing.

Here is a song we wrote, sung to the tune of “Ride a Cock Horse”

Drive an old bomb to Banbury Cross
To see Matt and Sonia and drink lots and lots
Rings on our fingers and beers in our hands
Drunk and disorderly in Oxfordland

Anyway, here are a few photos of the weekend:

Oxford Photos

Our Beer Farted

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

With only two more weeks to go on the liver cleansing diet, and the focus being on natural and healthy, we decided to treat ourselves to a home brewer. We figured if we start it now, our beer will be nice and naturally brewed, ready for us when we finish the diet.

We mixed it all up in a big tub last Thursday and it was just a matter of waiting until it farts. We were hoping to watch the farting process, but alas, this happened while we were away in Banbury for the weekend and we missed it! We came home on Sunday night and the beer hadn’t just farted, it had well and truely shit itself. There is brown gunk sprayed all around the edges and on the lid of the tub.

Anyway, this is a good sign as it means it has hopefully finished its primary fermentation phase and will soon be ready for bottling. It is very important to be sure it has finished farting before we bottle it. If we bottle it too soon, the gas will continue to build up and may cause an explosion, or worse, it may taste like shit!

Mike took a hydrometer reading today, and will take another one tomorrow. If the two readings are the same, then this means that the beer has stopped farting and is ready to bottle.