No. it is clearly not an anagram of St Valentine. St Trifon is the patron saint of wine growers and is celebrated today in, among other places, Bulgaria. Special ceremonies are enacted in the vineyards, the vines are pruned, and later much wine is consumed. Sounds just like any other day at work for me.
The day has been quite pleasant. Slight creaming accident in the kitchen tonight as I prepared a special St Valentine meal - I shook the tub for a second time having forgotten I had unsealed the lid. I blame St Trifon Zarazan.
We spoke at work today of how in time the organisation will run like clockwork. I suggested that clockwork mice might be a better analogy - running around in circles and/or bumping into the skirting board. It's that St Trifon again.
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Thursday, 14 February 2013
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Memory Lane or Gin Alley?
So foggy on the way to work this morning, and throughout the day on stretches of the M1. It was minus nine degrees at twenty to nine this morning. One of my intentions for my daily diary throughout January was to reflect on the role of alcohol in my life. A little trip down memory lane, but one has to be aware of the propensity for fog and ice.
I remember going to the pub at lunchtimes when I was in the sixth form at school, enjoying a couple of pints of cider and a game of darts. I had the nick-name of Zulu because of the powerfulness of my dart-throwing, but sadly this was not matched by the accuracy. Like many teenagers, I had to progress through the various stages of induction into the mysteries of alcohol. My parents were not drinkers, but I remember my grandfather enjoying a glass of Mackeson at home while playing cards. How much better my A level grades might have been if I had not fallen into bad habits, how different a course my life might have taken! In truth, I echo Edith Piaf - je ne regrette rien.
I think my journey was from sweet cider, to lager and lime, to lager, to bitter (a difficult step that required much practise and persistence) and then to stouts. Somewhere along the way I discovered the screwdriver - in Croydon pubs this was with vodka and neat orange squash rather than orange juice if I remember correctly. In the morning, it more often felt I had been hit with a hammer. In fact, I think my susceptibility to severe hangovers was my saving grace, it tended to put a limit of sorts on my drinking over the years, but it was certainly not an infallible safeguard.
It has not been a struggle to remain abstinent over the past 3 weeks - don't forget the sponsorship for Cancer Research UK and the promise of embarrassing photos! - because there have been other periods in my life when I was drinking at much higher levels, but it feels that I am missing out on one of the pleasures in life. A glass of wine complements my evening meal, it is warm and comforting and lovely on the palette, and contributes to a sense of communion, in a secular way.
Alcohol Info Shots # 12
Alcohol has in common with other sedatives the ability to induce State Dependent Learning. This is the phenomenon whereby something learnt while under the influence of alcohol will be recalled from emory best when the person is in the same state (i.e. under the influence of alcohol).
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| Demonstrating Dart Throwing |
I think my journey was from sweet cider, to lager and lime, to lager, to bitter (a difficult step that required much practise and persistence) and then to stouts. Somewhere along the way I discovered the screwdriver - in Croydon pubs this was with vodka and neat orange squash rather than orange juice if I remember correctly. In the morning, it more often felt I had been hit with a hammer. In fact, I think my susceptibility to severe hangovers was my saving grace, it tended to put a limit of sorts on my drinking over the years, but it was certainly not an infallible safeguard.
It has not been a struggle to remain abstinent over the past 3 weeks - don't forget the sponsorship for Cancer Research UK and the promise of embarrassing photos! - because there have been other periods in my life when I was drinking at much higher levels, but it feels that I am missing out on one of the pleasures in life. A glass of wine complements my evening meal, it is warm and comforting and lovely on the palette, and contributes to a sense of communion, in a secular way.
Alcohol Info Shots # 12
Alcohol has in common with other sedatives the ability to induce State Dependent Learning. This is the phenomenon whereby something learnt while under the influence of alcohol will be recalled from emory best when the person is in the same state (i.e. under the influence of alcohol).
Friday, 11 January 2013
Foggy Friday
The advantages of being a dedicated DryAthlete become more apparent as the number of days of abstinence begin to mount. This morning the fogginess was in the air rather than in my head. I drove out of town on the Northampton road, glimpsing the vineyards of Kettering stretching towards the lower foothills and invisibility.
An unremarkable day in the office, mostly because I never actually visited my own office today. I am an itinerant psychologist, an errant knight in the world of mental health, favours trailing from the wing mirrors of my psychomobile as I slay dragons and banish negative thoughts. I am a cogknightive behavioural therapist.
Friday evening is a psychological hurdle when it comes to resisting the lure of the grape, but one that I am able to clear successfully.
Alcohol Info Shots # 7
There is a distinction between British wine and English wine. The former is made from imported grapes, while the latter is made from grapes grown in England (but not Kettering).
An unremarkable day in the office, mostly because I never actually visited my own office today. I am an itinerant psychologist, an errant knight in the world of mental health, favours trailing from the wing mirrors of my psychomobile as I slay dragons and banish negative thoughts. I am a cogknightive behavioural therapist.
Friday evening is a psychological hurdle when it comes to resisting the lure of the grape, but one that I am able to clear successfully.
Alcohol Info Shots # 7
There is a distinction between British wine and English wine. The former is made from imported grapes, while the latter is made from grapes grown in England (but not Kettering).
Sunday, 6 January 2013
Fourth Test - A Bit Cheesy
So, Christmas is officially over for another eight months, until mince pies and tinsel are lining the shelves of our local supermarkets again. I took a saw to the tree this morning, a post-Christmas lumberjack in checked shirt standing manfully on the patio. I rewarded myself with a stray chocolate decoration that had fallen to the ground, its wrapper slightly damaged, but not contaminated enough for it to go in the bin. Sunday is chocolate day - I just made up this rule, because until today chocolate was on my banned foods list. We have to be reasonable.
The real test came this evening when I had prepared a lovely platter of crackers and cheese. How lovely to have a glass of red wine with the cheese. But it was not to be - I am a Dryathlete with supreme reserves of restraint, a saw and a cheeseboard.
Alcohol Info Shots #2
It takes about 600 grapes to make a standard 75cl bottle of wine.
Think how lucky you are not to be a grape counter in the great vineyards of the world and rejoice by supporting Cancer Research UK!
The real test came this evening when I had prepared a lovely platter of crackers and cheese. How lovely to have a glass of red wine with the cheese. But it was not to be - I am a Dryathlete with supreme reserves of restraint, a saw and a cheeseboard.
Alcohol Info Shots #2
It takes about 600 grapes to make a standard 75cl bottle of wine.
Think how lucky you are not to be a grape counter in the great vineyards of the world and rejoice by supporting Cancer Research UK!
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