sunny and windy. Hope I’ll not freeze when i get to London manaña… Yesterday I tagged along with Sita and her entourage of professors to a Citrus Museum in Riverside and some Mission or other. Photos here: Slideshow, separately. Amongst many other things, learnt that lemons are a genetically diverse bunch. Bit like dogs, I s’pose. Hence the Buddah’s Fingers variety, which we may try to cultivate one day:

California to be precise. 48 hours to go…

I saw some Taunton photos on Flickr today and went to the blog of the photographer, she’s an American considering moving to Taunton or thereabouts with her family and is in need of some restaurant recommendations. They’re currently staying in Holford. Here’s my list of possibilities and observations:

Food options are tricky though. I’m not sure how long you’ve been in the country but there just
isn’t
the same
culture of dining
out like
in the Statesthere just isn’t the same culture of dining out like in the States. It’s almost always for a special occasion / celebration with prices to match. This changes the bigger the city, so the nearest gastronomical hub would be Bristol. It’s quite common to get “take away” meals from the Chinese restaurant or Indian, or, obviously, fish and chips (my favourite: on Kingston Rd, by Gladstone st.) though. For a good, cheap(ish) meals your best bets are pubs and the prices’ll be higher and portions smaller that stateside…

I forget the name of the one in Bishop’s Lydeard, not far from holford, but it has a skittle alley and does fine food. There’s only 2 pubs there and I think only one of them does food, The Bell?
The Blue Ball (at Triscombe Quarry, your side of the Quantocks)
Porlock: Lorna Doone Pub, nearish minehead specialises in seafood i think…
Taunton: You can’t go wrong with either of the Weatherspoons pubs: The Perkin Warbeck and the Coal Orchard. They often have special deals and their food’s not half bad at all. They also have well enforced no-smoking sections.
There are a few chain restaurants at the Hankridge development (where the multiplex cinema is)
The Merry Monk in Monkton Heathfield’s also good….
Plenty of Indian / Chinese restaurants down East Reach and for takeaways, near the train station on Station Rd..
The Swan in Kingston St. Mary’s just changed management and they’re out to impress with their food apparently…
Ooh, there’s a Mexican restaurant just off St. James’ street called The Old Gringo or somesuch. Which, though the food bears little resemblence to US or even Mexican ideas of what Mexican food is, is very nice but a bit on the pricey side.

Any other food places to recommend? Brazz has been done… And I’m not sure how 4 yr old friendly Henry’s is…

Also, what’s the difference between nondenominational and CofE schools. I can’t think of many in rural somerset except there’s maybe more singing involved in religious schools and prayers can be boring.

More or less packed and ready for the off… Comment away if you fancy any anglo goods being brought back your way in time for xmas/new year…

Also in the middle of making mashed potatoes for Victor & Jana’s belated Thanksgiving feast… Looking forward to going home for a bit, shall be taking it easy and posting bloggery nonsense very sparsely. Hopefully photos aplenty over at Flickr though.

Here’s the first official link to recently more or less finished amourfou.com.mx. Still a few minor glitches to iron out here and there, but overall I’m pretty chuffed wit how it’s looking.

Here’s me dad’s photo of some sheep up the road from where I’m headed, bit too early for snow prob’ly:

Yesterday I went round Amour Fou (soon at amourfou.com.mx) and jammed a bit with carlos. I played the mini guitar and Carlos was on the 10 stringed instrument thingy and singing. Here’s the mp3 of us. I’m basically playing 3 chords and he’s doing all the work. But it sounds well good if you ask me…

For reasons I may go into another time in more depth, today I had to go, in person, to some government offices downtown to prove that the bloke who owes 3 years of road taxes or somesuch doesn’t live here anymore. There was threats from bailiffs involved and this was the third warning apparently… Anyroad, Long story short, I sorted it out and went to McDonalds as I felt I’d earned it. And I’m glad I did because I took this here photo. I’m fairly near certain you don’t get a molcajete full of green chiles coming as standard in other McParts of the world…