http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com A fool abroad in London and beyond Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:02:46 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en [caption id="attachment_655" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Engrossed in 3D at IMax"][/caption] I didn't want to like Avatar too much. It's the most expensive movie ever made, costing around $280 million to make and another $150 million to hype, and that's enough reason to give it a wide berth. Besides Avatar is supposed to ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/if-you-go-down-to-the-woods-today.html [caption id="attachment_661" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Not all smiles"][/caption] At work I sit at my desk with my headphones on, sometimes listening to last night's Late Junction and sometimes with no sound at all. That might explain the how I didn't quite catch what was going on, at least I don't think it ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/office-angst.html [caption id="attachment_652" align="alignnone" width="443" caption="Widow Twankey honks her horn at the Hackney Empire"][/caption] What with the snow – or the ice – becoming annoying and the darkness of January grinding its way towards its lowest point on Blue Monday, it’s time for a little warmth and colour. That is, it’s really ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/hes-behind-you.html [caption id="attachment_642" align="alignnone" width="461" caption="Christmas garland, St Bartholemew the Great, London"][/caption] Peace on earth, and good will to all ... hopefully http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/happy-christmas-to-everyone.html [caption id="attachment_639" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Roast potatoes, courtesy of su-lin"][/caption] http://www.flickr.com/photos/su-lin/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Michael Caine came over as an charming, down-to-earth Londoner on the Desert Island Discs Christmas Special. He trotted out a few great stories and chose some surprisingly contemporary discs (he likes 'chill out' music).  As a self-confessed romantic, ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/the-man-who-would-be-king-roast-potato-maker.html [caption id="attachment_630" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Science & tech activity on Wikipedia visualised - courtesy of abeautifulwww.com"][/caption] Bad press on Wikipedia is probably something that most of us don't fear too much. If you're someone who does have such concerns, then you might want to set up an alert on Wiki Alarm. This ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/wiki-alarm_wikibooks_and_wikitips.html [caption id="attachment_622" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Ubuntu badges"][/caption] I know why Acer computers are so cheap. I also know that although I like the principles of Ubuntu (the software, not ethic), I am not yet committed to the practise. The story started when I was looking to buy a computer. I got lots ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/my-experiment-with-ubuntu.html [caption id="attachment_611" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The Bamiyan Valley from one of the monastic cells carved into the cliff next to the Buddhas"][/caption] Developing a tourist industry probably isn't a high priority in the reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan at the moment. IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) would probably put off even the most daring ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/on-the-highway-of-archangels.html [caption id="attachment_603" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Two Buddhist monks, Marine Drive, Mumbai"][/caption] Coming home from your holidays can make you feel blue. Out of the deckchair and into the office is a dismal contrast. It's helpful to have a treat waiting for you a few days after you get back. A little something ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/the-historians-tales.html [caption id="attachment_593" align="alignnone" width="224" caption="The sunflower sprouting numerous sunflowerlets"][/caption] Sometime in August, someone cut the huge head off my huge sunflower. By this stage the head had already dried out and its huge weight meant that it hung down towards the ground. Then one evening I noticed the head was missing. ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/sunflower-splendour-renewed.html [caption id="attachment_580" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Chanctonbury Ring in West Sussex"][/caption] Part 2 On our third weekend on the South Downs Way, we reached a momentous juncture – after having crawled across five folds on our map, we finally crossed on to the other side. Luckily, Side B only has three days of walking ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/way-down-south-3.html [caption id="attachment_570" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="The kitchen wall. Top: new paint job, middle: semi-polyfilla-ed hole, bottom: old wallpaper"][/caption] After almost three years of dreaming (and saving) I've finally got round to replacing my old 1980s kitchen. The drawers and cupboards didn't close properly, the tap dripped and the stove was rusty. It ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/7-lessons-learned-building-ikea-kitchen.html [caption id="attachment_559" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="A splendid view from the South Downs"][/caption] Part 1 Despite my blisters, I'd been looking forward to walking the second quarter of the South Downs Way. So, last weekend we set off again. On the Saturday leg, we were joined by one of the lovely Autumn's friends, Bruce. ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/way-down-south-ii.html [caption id="attachment_547" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="My head next to the huge sunflower"][/caption] It hadn't even occurred to me that the front garden could be improved. It's not like I hadn't noticed it: I walk through it every day. There's a back garden which is tended by the people who live at the ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/vegetable-mirror-ball.html [caption id="attachment_536" align="alignnone" width="225" caption="Toys - Indian style"][/caption] If you buy a copy of Geoff Dyer's new book, Jeff in Venice, Death in Varanasi you get a free copy of a second book. It's not unusual to get good deals on books in the Amazon era, but it's still welcome. In ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/varanasi-death-trip.html [caption id="attachment_524" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="A mask on the Roman Road, Hackney"][/caption] It can be difficult to throw things away, to finally get rid of things. I like to keep the Sunday paper and read it over the course of the week, but they tend to accumulate. There's now a nasty stack ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/collecting-stuff.html Most news stories are terribly remote. Only rarely do any of us know someone who is affected and it's even rarer to actually be involved ourselves. Although the media has given a lot of coverage to Swine Flu recently, as with the conflict in Afghanistan, I'd never met anyone caught ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/i-survived-swine-flu.html After yesterday's gigantic post, I'll try to make this one more digestible. Google allows you to find the meaning of a word or phrase by typing in 'define:' followed by the term you're after. I thought it might be interesting to create my own google definition. I found this article explaining ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/defining-the-home-date.html It's probably fair to say that most bloggers (and most writers generally) like to feel that their work gets read. I'm always pretty chuffed when Google Analytics shows that an increased number of people have spent time on ecstaticgaucho. When someone leaves a comment, a sensible one at least, it ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/emily-benet-went-out-there-and-did-it.html Those thinking about starting a blog must first consider what they want to write about. If a blog is a fire which needs fuel, you don't want to throw green wood into the flames. You should 'choose something broad enough to sustain your interest. By definition, a blog requires regular ... http://www.ecstaticgaucho.com/blog/interlude-extende.html