jackjanderson: (Black Canary)
One of my favourite things about the change of the seasons, the turn into the cold and damp of autumn is food. So many of my comfort foods seem to stem from this season - stews, casseroles, pies, macaroni cheese. Proper, hearty, filling meals that stick to your ribs and warm you from the inside.

Today we had a wonderful beef stew with nice big chunks of beef, carrot, swede, turnip, celery and onion and topped with perfectly fluffy dumplings.
Even better was the butterscotch cheesecake we had for dessert.

I also like the colours of the season, they're so warm - reds and golds and purples and browns. It's comforting, the same as the food
jackjanderson: (A Little Piece Of Heaven)
Never let it be said that I do not look after my girls, or that I cannot cook. I admit I'm not the best cook in the world, much prefer to just cook meat on the bbq but this is Wales and I don't get the opportunity to do that as often as I like.

Samantha & Lucy spent the day out at Penrhyn Castle & Parc with the dogs. (I spent the day watching NCIS and Bones, my backs and knees weren't up for a day on my feet and they could do with some time together, they don't get enough) They came back all cold and wet and exhausted - but happy, which is the important thing. The dogs fast asleep in front the shower, the girls have showered and are flopped down on the couch under warm blankets. Aching feet have been rubbed and dinner has been served. I made sweet and sour pork stir-fry which was a hit all round and Lucy suggested I share the recipe.

I don't have a recipe, per se.
I mixed together pineaple juice, cornflour, tomato sauce, soy, sugar and vinegar. I threw some diced pork into a hot wok, cooked it through then set it aside. Fried the red pepper, chopped pineapple and onion, stirred in the sauce, warmed it through, added the pork back in. Served it with rice noodles. I even did the dishes!

I'm about the join them - and the cats - under the blankets and we're going to watch the 2008 Incredible Hulk. I'm not crazy about this version of Hulk, I definitely prefer Ruffalo as Banner but we're doing an MCU rewatch.
jackjanderson: (Han Solo)
Apparently I've lost a stone and a half of weight since I've retired. OK there's no apparently, because I stood on the scales and they're the ones that told me I'd lost the weight since the last time I stood on them. I guess I should say that I've accidentally done it, unintentionally.

Regardless, I've lost 21lb. Or 9.5kg depending on which form of measurement you ascribe to.

I'm not saying I couldn't have done with losing the weight. Samantha has in fact been nagging me to lose weight for months and now that I've lost some I do feel better. If more continues to drop then great.

How have you unintentionally lost 21lb in 10 weeks, Jack? I hear you asking.
(You are asking, right?)

I'm not exactly sure. I'm drinking less coffee, I'm eating less cake and biscuits, I'm snacking less in general - and when I am snacking it's on the healthy things in the house; fruit & veg mostly.
This is all directly related to not being in the office. Also connected is getting more exercise - longer walks with the dog in the morning, not sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, helping Lucy with the housework, more sex.

Shocking, I know. Eating healthy and more exercise = weight loss. I'm just not used to losing weight without making an intentional effort to do so.
jackjanderson: (Milky Way Blue)
[personal profile] katiedid717 asked:
Top five books?
Good question. Difficult question. Let me see.
Arthur C Clarke - 2001: A Space Odyssey
Frank Herbert - Dune
Dan Brown - Angels & Demons
Andy Weir - The Martian
Aldous Huxley - Brave New World

Top five authors?
and I'm going to make an effort to not list the same authors again...
George Orwell
Douglas Adams
Isaac Asimov
HG Wells
Orson Scott Card

Top five movies?
Star Wars. All of them but especially A New Hope
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind
X-Men
Avengers Assemble

Top five albums?
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos
London Philharmonic: The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music
The Music of John Williams: 40 Years Of Film Music
Hans Zimmer: The Classics
Beethoven - Symphonies No. 5 & 7 (Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic)


[profile] gwendraitth asked:
Top 5 Places to visit?
Paris
New York
Rome
Edinburgh
Berlin

Top 5 Sports?
Football
Rugby
Ice hockey
Formula One
I don't think I have a 5th

Top 5 Foods?
Roast beef & all the trimmings
Macaroni cheese
A full English breakfast
Chocolate fudge cake
Meat lovers pizza

Top 5 Pastimes?
Fishing
Astronomy
Watching movies
Crosswords
Sex

Top 5 People dead or alive you'd like to have dinner with?
I'm guessing Samantha & Lucy don't count?
Neil Armstrong
Homer Simpson
Stan Lee
Galileo Galilei
Mary Steenburgen

About Me

I'm Jack, a recent retiree looking for a new hobby. Apparently 'annoying my girlfriend' isn't the best use of my days. Her opinion, not mine

I'm a life-long science-fiction and superheroes fan, and a voracious reader. I enjoy movies, fishing, astronomy, and gardening.

I live in Wales with my wife, our girlfriend and an ever growing collection of four-legged friends.

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