Saturday, 15 August 2026

Operating the Well


Never imagined just how tiring a well can be, every bucket was like bringing in a big pike.

But still, we got to water the young, struggling conifers:


Our New Friend, Mruczek


 In Eastern Poland, we met Mruczek, who through an illness has a bob tail:

Above everything else, Mruczek likes chicken cream:

Mruczek is third or fourth in a line of Mruczeks who we've known, and, of course, Kotek was curious about him:

Wednesday, 5 August 2026

Moby - Warsaw Progresja Letnia Scena (4-08-2026)


 Moby was always going to be a cracking concert and so it proved.

Loved every minute right from the word go.

Great tune following great tune (In This World; We Are All Made of Stars; Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad etc.).


Fantastic musicianship all round.


And the singing was awe inspiring (from Nadine above and India too, of course). When Nadine and India sang Flower/Find My Baby, I was mesmerised, the two vocalists work so well together.

A big well done to the sound people and stage crew, I was near the back of the gig, but the sound and visuals travelled really well.



Yeah, this was a thoroughly enjoyable concert.

Wednesday, 22 July 2026

Chick Pea Curry and Vegetables


Thankfully, my chick pea curry, rice, and vegetables turned out a treat.

Earlier in the week, I'd made chick pea bolognese sauce with rice and vegetables to similar effect:

Beforehand, the vegetables and rice had looked quite plain:


But that was before the chick pea Bolognese sauce, of course (I was more than pleased with this food experiment).

Thursday, 2 July 2026

Warsaw: Passing the Jan Twardowski Statue


 Back in Spring, I went to Mass at the Visitationist church on Krakowskie Przedmieście in Warsaw and came upon this wonderful monument to the late Polish priest and poet, Jan Twardowski:


I felt obliged to get a shot of the monument from all angles:


Have just read that Father Twardowski served the Visitationist church between 1959 and 2004, and the church very much pays honour to his service, both outside and inside:



The Visitationist church, itself, is stunning inside:


It's well worth a visit and honours another famous Polish clergyman:

Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński (1901-1981) who valiantly stood up to the communist regime, of course.

Friday, 26 June 2026

Happy Drinking Holba Again


 Really happy to be drinking Holba again, both the 4.7% version above, plus the 4.2% one below:


Have just read that the Holba brewery is based in the town of Hanušovice in the Olomouc district of the Czech Republic and dates back to 1874. 

Saturday, 20 June 2026

Of Monsters and Men - Warsaw Stodoła (18-06-26)


 The highlight of this week: seeing Of Monsters and Men at the Stodoła in Warsaw.


Had wanted to see Of Monsters and Men for quite some time and finally, I got round to doing so.


Despite being packed in like a sardine for a sold out show, I soon found myself tapping along to King and Lionheart (a truly beautiful song), the heavier 'Alligator', and, of course, Crystals.


But, the highlight was always going to be the show-ending Fruit Bat which has a great Prog-type feel to it.

Was also happy to catch RAKEL doing her set beforehand:


I'm now 60 years old and enjoy bands that I'm curious about who I've never seen before (I've been going to gigs since January 1980).

After the sardine can kind of crowd dynamic, I was very grateful for a cold beer:


But the Stodoła allowed very little time to finish the beer (the bigger concert places in Warsaw are going downhill with this kind of thing, while smaller places tend to be more human).