Even Bigger Sea

I was in Norfolk last weekend aka 'Cambridge on Sea'.

It was interesting going there in the winter as there is a distinct lack of the 'Chelsea Tractor' full of cocooned family's ploughing up and down the narrow roads at top speed. The place had more of a community/local's feel about it, albeit depleted by the soaring house prices with weekenders investing in holiday cottages.

I spent some time strolling on Brancaster beach and really started to appreciate the immensity of nature and how wonderful it is (I have found that this feeling is rapidly eroded by too much urban living.) On returning home I noticed the news was harking on about the environment yet again. The story was on the lines that the icecaps are now proved to be melting out of control and before we know it we will be reliving Kevin Costner's 'Waterworld'. It was bad enough the first time. I felt a pang for the environment after tasting it first hand in Norfolk, so I opened up a bottle of Chianti, sat down, and gave the news the respect it was due. I learnt that Norfolk will be one of the areas submerged, but on the plus side I guess even 'Chelsea Tractors' cannot deal with that, and my own back garden might gain a sea view. Despite this I felt sadness and guilt for the damage we humans were inflicting on our lovely planet and wondered what the individual could do to help. I then became hungry, wandered into the kitchen, boiled the kettle and put yet another load in the tumble dryer while heating up the oven for an accompaniment to the Chianti.

Oh dear, I seem to have fallen at the first hurdle.

Big Sea

Today the world's smallest fish was discovered in Indonesia.

I suppose I initially started drawing analogies between dipping my toe, for the first time, into the World Wide Web and a 'Big Sea'. I then realised that this minute aquatic discovery was hampered by the fact that the group of 'small fish finders', who made this dramatic find, were too busy with their noses stuck in the Indonesian peat swamps to notice my local fish restaurant, and the incredibly small fish, of all varieties, that seem end up on my plate. One of my pet hates in a restaurant is ordering a very expensive piece of fish and ending up with one small mouthful of something vaguely resembling a once happy go lucky 'Nemo'. Perhaps that's why the prawn cocktail is becoming more popular, you are guaranteed lots of small fish (rather than one) mixed with ketchup and mayo to cunningly disguise the flavor of the chemicals the fish kindly filtered out of the sea for you.

As my local fish restaurant is not up to anything aside from potentially impressing 'small fish finders' and gaining notoriety in the Guinness Book of Records I am forced to cook fish at home. I then do not have the luxury of a wine waiter to help choose a wine with the fish. I am told it is even possible, and indeed appropriate, to drink red wine with some fish. This sounds an interesting concept as copious white wine consumption can lead to a delightful acid backlash if you are not careful.

Birds and Whales

Went to London yesterday. At the train station, I sat myself in the only available seat next to some stranger who was stuffing himself, rather incongruously, with a pasta salad. I proceeded to read my paper and chanced upon a section about bird flu.

The media appeared to over 'egg' (excuse the pun) the current threat attempting to cause mass panic on our shores. Anyway I reached a paragraph concerning wild birds, when a pigeon casually walked up beside me and started circling the stranger with the salad in a greedy/mocking type way. Maybe it was the article, but I am sure I could detect a pang of fear on the strangers face when confronted with this potential ambassador of 'Avian Flu'. The pigeon then wandered off to flex 'its' (hard to tell the sex at a glance.) new found stature elsewhere on the platform. I began to think that maybe a pet pigeon might help clear the crowds in London and ease my journey.

On reaching London (without the pigeon) I ended up on the Circle line in a quiet carriage. Three girls were chatting about how excited they were to be going to the Natural History Museum. One then said to the other that her friend told her to look out for the whale. The reply was along the lines of 'no..not the one in the Museum, she means the one in the Thames'. 'Oh' said the confused girl who obviously had no idea what a newspaper was, and looked rather stupid and embarrassed .I guess its not every day you get a whale in the Thames, maybe it was Zaphod Bebblebrox and his improbability drive flying over London and conjuring up a whale, on the way to The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.

Anyway, creatures aside I ended up at my friend's house for an excellent birthday lunch where I consumed far too much wine. I realised that the subtlety of flavour etc between wines starts to evaporate when one drinks alot. In fact after many glasses they all start to taste the same.