Eddie

We ate Belgian tonight. Stoofvlees and stoemp (fed up of frites with my stoofvlees). Washed down with a bottle of Straffe Hendrik Tripel.

Change of plan. Start on the Bush Ambree (Charactere), stay on the Bush Ambree. An absolute stunner of a beer.

Well, Brugse Zot does mean 'Bruges Fool'.

It looks a bit parky today, so the Memsahib and I stayed watching it in front of the telly. Batters did not acquit themselves well, whereas Donald and Zak really entertained the brave souls who went. Chappell then pings one out in the first over.

What a brilliant menu. I'd start off gently with a draught Bolleke or a Brugse Zot Blond before getting stuck into a Chimay 150 or Wipers Times, then heading for the choccy (Cuvee de Chateau or Barista Chocolate Quad) and finishing up with a Straffe Quad.

Cripes, I can remember a guy in navy clobber with a bell back in 1967 at the Baseball Ground. That game finished 0-0, I think. I'd settle for the same on Tuesday.

It all depends upon the length of the match threads. A win today warrants about 25 pages, whereas a defeat at Northampton generates around 60. All we need to do is steal @RoyMac5's laptop and we're there.

I'm deaf. What is music?

Might pop down on Sunday if the weather looks ok. Be nice to see our latest international Wayno Madsoni in action again.

Wonderful. I've got my own ecosystem going at the moment in solid form. Last October, at the end of the chili growing season, I took 3 established first-year plants (2 x Scotch Bonnet and 1 x Armageddon) and pruned them savagely (think main stem up to where it divides into 2 branches, then each of those to where they divided, and chopped everything else out - so basically all that was left was 4 sticks attached to a main stem). I then reduced the size of the root balls and re-potted into smaller pots using fresh peat-free compost. I brought the plants indoors and stuck them in a South-facing window. The idea was to give them a 'rest' over winter, and for them to have a head start when April arrives and I move them outside (it's only the second time I've tried over-wintering - most people think that chili plants are annuals but they're not - they are just very susceptible to frost). The plants were watered very sparingly once a fortnight, and I expected little or no growth for the next 4 months. Things did not go to plan. By Christmas, I had green shoots appearing, not just at the nodes of the branches, but even new shoots growing from the main stems. By January, a few flowers were beginning to appear, so I pulled them off the plants - but obviously I missed a few. By February, I had a few chilis beginning to show, so I stepped up the watering regime and added a capful of tomato feed to the water. Then I started to notice tiny flies taking to the air each time I watered. A quick check under the microscope and t'interwebs revealed Bradysia - sciarid flies or fungus gnats, which infest decomposing plant matter (basically potting compost). War was declared. At the start of this month, I ordered a pack of sciarid fly nematodes - basically tiny worms which feed on the maggots of the sciarid flies. In the meantime, I stuck a 20 cm square of bright yellow fly paper to the window by the chili plants (fungus gnats are attracted to yellow). Within hours, there were dozens of sciarid flies stuck to the paper. By the time the nematodes had arrived a couple of days later, there were hundreds - perhaps thousands. We treated all the house plants - not just my chilis. A week after treatment, I was on top of the problem - still seeing the odd fly but nothing like previously. Last week, I administered a second round of treatment and changed fly paper. Today, no more flies. I've also harvested two Scotch Bonnet chilis which are destined for my next curry.

Yep. Ray Winstone playing Ray Winstone perfectly.

I've missed so many games this year that I think it's time to knock it on the head. Too old and too tired.

USA issued warnings about an imminent ISIS threat in Russia/Moscow a few days ago. Possibly linked to Ingushetia (an Oblast they have been trying to get rid of/suppress) since Stalin's days.

My first thought was 'False Flag' too. Nothing would surprise me.

Celebrating my 39th wedding anniversary in Row X of the North Stand with the Memsahib.

'Warneball'. Haven't you moved past that pathetic jibe yet?

Bruges for me. Eurostar do return tickets to 'Any Belgian station' for the same price as a ticket to Brussels, so the onward connection from Brussels Midi is essentially free. Belgian trains are really nice too. Bruges Centrum is about 1 Km from the city centre with pretty regular bus services. The coastal tram runs from De Panne on the French border to Knokke on the Dutch border.

Screw Carlsberg - the Pompey losing their next couple scenario is a De Halve Maan Brewery scenario.

Belgian beer glasses

Nailed it.

In the casserole. I made a sausage casserole and stoemp (Belgian mashed potatoes) tonight - blooming awesome and dirt cheap. 400g sliced pork and leek sausage 200g chestnut mushrooms 1 sliced onion 1 tin baked beans 300g potatoes 1 leek, washed and sliced 1 carrot, diced 1 dessert spoon garlic paste 1 dessert spoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika Dash of Worcestershire Sauce pinch of oregano 20g butter 20g double cream Casserole recipe Fry onion in 10 g of butter Add mushroom, continue frying for 2 minutes Add sausage and garlic, continue frying for 5 minutes Add Worcestershire Sauce, Paprika, Oregano Add baked beans Stir well Transfer to casserole dish Stoemp recipe Steam potatoes, carrots and leek. Mash potatoes with 10g butter, double cream and Dijon mustard Fold in carrots and leek Cook casserole in medium oven (Gas mark 5) for 45 minutes Microwave Stoemp Serve accompanied with bottle of St Bernardus Abt 12 (the beer probably cost more than the rest of the dinner)

Just brilliant, puerile fun.

I thought that the idea of the 'Dismaland' exhibition was absolutely brilliant - a huge improvement on 'normal' Weston-Super-Mare.

Unlike the previous fissure eruptions over the last couple of months, this one is beginning to look a little more substantial.

Seems legit....