Wednesday 30 March 2016

A Last-Minute Candidate for the Republican Nomination???

He's just about par for the course. VOTE NOW for TOAD of TOAD HALL!!!


The world has held great Heroes,
As history-books have showed;
But never a name to go down in fame
Compared with that of Toad!

The clever men at Harvard
Know all that there is to be knowed.
But they none of them know one half as much
As intelligent Mr Toad!

The animals sat in the Ark and cried,
Their tears in torrents flowed.
Who said, 'Praise God! There's land ahead'?
Encouraging Mr Toad!

The army all saluted
As they marched along the road
Was if for Lincoln? Or Washington?
No. It was for Mr Toad!

A hot model and her girlfriends
Sat at the window and posed.
She cried, 'Look! who's that handsome man?
They answered, 'Mr Toad'.*

*From Kenneth Grahame's Wind in the Willows (slightly Americanized)

Tuesday 29 March 2016

It's all about Seif Eldin Mustafa

Given the amount of news made these days by Islamic Fundamentalist terrorists, it's no wonder that when a plane gets hijacked by a guy who happens to be Muslim, diverted from its proper course, and forced to land in Cyprus instead of Egypt, the authorities are quick to assure us that this time it's for personal reasons. But is Seif Eldin Mustafa's action really so different from that of a fundamentalist?
It's all about a woman.
...said Nikos Anastasiades, President of Cyprus, referring to the hijacker's wife who has apparently left him and moved to Cyprus.

Nope, not really. If you're correct about his motives, it would seem to be all about a man, Seif Eldin Mustafa, yet another self-centered, half-witted fool who can't seem to get it through his skull that other people are autonomous beings with their own lives and thoughts, not his lifestyle accessories, and that sometimes, damn it, life just doesn't roll your way.

Thought you were going on a business trip from Alexandria to Cairo? Not any more, because Seif Eldin Mustafa's wife has left him. On your way back home from a holiday? Nope, you're off to Cyprus to be used as a bartering tool in Seif Eldin Mustafa's attempt to recover his sexual property.

** Apparently, it's ended well. Eventually, we might find out if Mustafa really is as confused as he seems about boundaries **

And in the meantime here's a little something from my favorite Norwegian band.

Monday 28 March 2016

Poor Londoner's Gumbo


I wanted to make seafood gumbo for Easter, but there is so little seafood available, and it costs so much, I just couldn't face it. Spending a fortune isn't in the spirit of gumbo. It's meant to be a dish into which you throw just anything you can. This experimental gumbo contains the kind of 'just anything' you can find in London, for a family with at least one member who won't eat pork:
  • Sweet potato
  • Spicy olive dumplings, masquerading as spicy sausage
  • Halloumi, masquerading as bacon
  • Okra, pre-roasted to break down the sliminess
And also:
  •  A roux cooked till it looks like molasses
  • A stock, with bay leaves, garlic and thyme, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne
  • Chopped onions, peppers and celery
Looks like it's cooked in Guiness, goes well with chocolate Easter Egg for dessert.