Gareth Oakland 🇫🇷🏏🏉

Cheese and port

Out to lunch with a mate today.

And it’s an extra choir night (concert on Saturday) so it’s cheese, port and George Gently on the TV tonight.

European Chocolate Heuristic Regulation?

New curated collection of @sfhs.bsky.social French Historical Studies, by Avner Ben-Amos, on articles showing the influence of Pierre Nora on French history, commissioned by @jenniferheuer.bsky.social & Christine Haynes. 🗃️ All in open access!

read.dukeupress.edu/french-histo...

Surely “hydrogenated palm oil chocolate-flavoured sacs”

Don’t forget to say hello as you join.

And take a turn at the front…lazy git.

Ingredients

Cook them

Delicious meal

Guys, this stuff is not difficult.

And swap the beef for soy or mushroom based plant mince and it’s equally good.

And then George Gentley.

Ever since it was built (where our head office used to be), I have thought this looked like Isengard

Spaghetti bolognaise

Enjoy!

I haven’t made that in ages.

This week.

Thanks!

Onions, tomato, beef

Spaghetti sauce

The old “what’s in the fridge for dinner?” dinner.

The smell of Italian cooking in the kitchen.

We won’t be able to drive our cars.

Hurrah, a silver lining at last.

Classic bike.

I call my e-bike a Time Machine. It makes you feel 25 again. But also when you switch back to an acoustic you realise just how old and decrepit you really are!

Ah right. It’s the previous generation of Ribble Gravel Al-E. Standard configuration.

Heat treated aluminium throughout.

It’s got the Mahle X35 hub motor and the extender battery. Plus me at 100kg and about 25kg of luggage.

It’ll do 75 miles at around 15mph average on that set up.

On the mudguards? Yes Ribble own brand. The bag is suspended off the saddle.

2026 challenge at end of February

I like this challenge - it captures all activity. Of course most of it cycling because that’s where you go furthest. But also the walks into town, the hikes with friends even the few miles in the Pilates studio.

531 in two winter months is really good for me. Just got to stay injury free now.

And when I’m promoted to God Emperor I will make ALL roads that share a space with bikes and people, 20 mph max speed. If you want to get into London in your car, use the M11.

Touring bike

Yes, I’m told that you can cycle through the forest in the summer months but on this set up (my weekend away with kids) I much prefer paved (or at last packed gravel) routes. Fussy, I know.

It could be a fantastic resource if it had just a tiny bit of money and attention. Cut back the overhanging and stuff a sides, put a decent surface on it ALL the way. But no - we need to widen a road somewhere first…

It’s also shared with walkers, fishermen, dogs…

Norwich.

It’s not such a leap from melon and parma ham (s staple starter in many a French bistro over the summer) to peaches and prosciutto.

I certainly thought it worth a try.

It failed. But if we only made successful food, it would be very strange.

Is there a quieter, safer route?

A receipt for 7,500,000 francs

“Would you like a receipt for that?”

“If it not too much of a problem, thanks.”

The Epping Forest route is really very scary. That 40 sign? That’s a MINIMUM speed. And a reminder that 40cm passing distance at speed is ABSOLUTELY FINE.

I reckon there are a lot of disappointed women in Epping. “Of course that’s 9 inches, darling”.

Tell me about it! It’s the only realistic way through Epping Forest. So much room for a proper cycle path. You get to Woodford and it’s like “what’s a cyclist” all the way to Harlow.

Cycle lane

Not a cycle lane

LB of Waltham Forest and Essex Highways have a very different idea of a cycle lane…

Well let’s say that I would not want to be slip-streaming me today.

I’ll be Paula Radcliffing it through Epping Forest. It’ll be fine.

Well yes. Not many fresh peaches available in darkest Surrey in February. They’re “roasted”. Allegedly.

Normally fruit and Parma ham does go well together. But this was astoundingly bad.