Day 24.7 - More political incentives to depart these shores

From Saturday's edition of "The Scotsman" I learn, somewhat unsatisfactorily as the article gives nothing more than a statement of deficits with no analysis or conclusions, that there is a cumulative £5 billion deficit in Scottish company pension schemes. This concerns me as I have a third of my working life pension provision tied up in one of these schemes. The problem with UK pensions can be fairly and squarely attributed to the flawed Robin Hoodism of Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer, who thinks with his socialist mindset that it is up to him to spend the public's money. After all we wouldn't want the public to get their hands on their own money and spend it the way THEY want to when we have Gordon on hand to raid the pension schemes and spent it on good left wing socialist crap, would we? In previous times it was possible for pension schemes to reclaim the tax credits from dividends paid on their investments. In 1997 (I think) good old Gordon noticed this and changed the law to disallow the practice effectively redirecting pension fund income to the Exchequer. In real life this might be termed "theft", but we are dealing with politics where anything goes - so long as the socialists think of it first.

As if the pensions article wasn't enough to make me spit my coffee in disgust I choked on my bagel when I read that a 30% pay rise for local politicians is "not enough". Property taxes are excessively high in this country already without having to load the local tax payer with this level of pocket lining self pay rise allocations by councillors.


UPDATE:
Sunday edition of "Scotland on Sunday":
More coffee splatters on the newspaper as I read that local government, yes - the 30% payrise gang, has been redirecting £1 billion per year in Scottish Executive funding for education to the bureaucracy that is local authorities. Guess we all know how the proposed "inadequate" payrise will be funded.

Day 21.4 - Beef tonight

Standards are slipping, eating in front of the TV, next thing you know I'll be microwaving TV dinners ..... arghhhhhhh.

Day 20.3 - Seafood night

King prawn stir-fry; I froze the prawns the day I bought them so, thinking that might adversely affect the flavour, I added some cumin seed, cracked black pepper, and turmeric to the garlic and ginger in which I stir fried the onion, carrot, and sugarsnap peas. The prawns were added last with a splash of soy sauce. Oh, and the oil used was half sesame and half olive oil.
The rice was boiled with a hint of lemon. Yummy.

Day 18; or Day 1 as some of us might say

Tonight's delicacy was a ham and onion omelet and I don't think anyone needs a photograph of that - see Day 7 if you feel the need.
Packing, packing, packing, and some sorting too. What a busy boy I have been tonight!

Cry freedom is on the TV; a film which made an impression on me when it first came out. I went to see it in Glasgow with a mad person of Irish descent (not Colin, who is not mad, although he is Irish)

Day 17 - just for a change

Last night Jim and Jean came over and brought haggis, neeps, and tatties for our dinner. I guess it was overwhelming for me to have people around the dinner table once again as I forgot to photograph the meal. Alas it was all eaten before I remembered so here is my Sunday breakfast instead.
There will be no postings tonight as I have shirts to iron and Foyle's War to watch!

Day 16 - Indian again ...

... because it's Friday.

Supermarket Indian food - what was I thinking?

Day 15 - Neither plastic nor pizza

From the supermarket chill cabinet, fresh Tortellini with cheese, tomato and basil, covered in red pesto sauce.

Day 14 - Post plastic pizza

After yesterday's less than thrilling culinary experience I felt the need of another steak night.
Filet steak, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, and a red wine and peppercorn sauce. Maybe I overdid the cornstarch in the sauce but it was still yummy.

Day 13 - Plastic pizza ...

... not that I'm losing interest in cooking but I thought it wise to purchase some ready meals to cut down the time I spend in the kitchen in the evening. The time saved is allocated to sorting, packing, cleaning, and generally preparing for my imminent departure from these shores.
Let's hope I can make good use of this time!
BTW, I'll not be cooking fish again - I can still smell it lingering in the kitchen tonight!

Day 12 - Something fishy here

First of all I don't know what is wrong with this picture; it can't all be steam. In any case it's too late now as I've eaten the evidence - no second chance to record the dish.
I don't have a name for this but it consists of one green onion, one third of a red bell pepper, and a few fennel seeds sauted in butter until soft and then two beaten eggs added and stirred until barely dry. Then I added flaked cod which had been oven cooked for 25 minutes, lots of ground pepper and some cut chive leaves and placed it all on a slice of buttered toast to be enjoyed with a glass of water.

Day 11 - post Tesco visit

The cupboards were bare, but no more, now that I have returned from Tesco with bags full of goodies to be refrigerated or frozen.
Tonight's offering was perhaps a tad spicy but nevertheless enjoyable.
Red Thai style chicken breast meat accompanied by Tabbouleh with feta.

Day 10 - Invitation to the Stott's for dinner

Coq au vin with garlic potatoes,carrots, greenbeans, mushroom and mashed potato followed by, and I forgot to ask what Angie called it, a cream meringue raspberry almond thingy which tasted yummy!
Lots of red wine and coffee to round off the evening.

Day 9 - Indian night

Chicken Dansak with fried rice and a nan bread - because Friday night is Indian night.

Day 8

Tonight was to have been pizza night but I'm feeling off colour today and pizza is never very filling so I ventured into the worst shop in the universe (Co-op) and bought some thin cut steak and a fresh supply of vegetables. I still have plenty ginger and garlic so another stirfry is the dish of the day. Served hot on a bed of rice; see the steam in the picture.
However I have run out of chocolate mints and so have puchased a replacement in the form of a packet of Revels - bad, bad Ted!

Day 7 - Eddy's birthday

My little girl is five today and she is 5000 miles away so daddy is not at his happiest this evening. However I decided not to have a plastic dinner tonight and, although omlette may not be everyone's cup of tea, created this one containing bacon, green onion, and red pepper sauted for a couple of minutes and then drowned in 3 eggs beaten with black pepper, milk, and a drop of cream.
And yes, I did put ketchup on it!

Day 6 - no enthusiasm for cooking

Sliced ham with plastic vegetables and a dollop of mustard. Actually the ham was very tasty and the vegetables were frozen and microwaved in the bag; very convenient but a bit of a cheat really.
The rot has set in, maybe a shopping trip at the weekend will help but this is only Tuesday.
Perhaps I should stop eating at the kids play table - it just reminds me that they are 5000 miles away.

Day 5 without family

Tonight I have prepared a filet steak, pan fried with ginger and garlic (left over from yesterday) and served with steamed sugarsnap peas and baby corn. While the steak was resting I fried up some green onion, more garlic and ginger, with a teaspoon of butter and a lot of ground pepper and sesame seeds. To complete the sauce I poured some single cream into it, cooked for a couple of minutes, and then poured it over the steak. Served with a glass of red wine and a chocolate mint to follow.
So much for economic eating and out the window with low cholesterol options - this cannot continue, I need to be reunited with better half and small annoying things? hum .... children!

How to eat when your seafood allergic wife is out of town

Ginger and garlic sauted in butter with green onion, red bell pepper, carrot, and tomato, copious quantities of pepper and a large portion of tiger prawns; all served on a bed of basmati rice with a hint of lemon and a glass of white wine. Oh, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds as well.