...Lemony roast chcken...

Yes, I know. I think that I have neglected the blog. Truth is that I have been very busy lately at work, and making money is sweet, so I often work overtime.

Anyway, today I am going to share a recipe with you.

Lemony roast chicken with onions, mushrooms and baby potatoes. Five generous portions and leftovers for curries.

You will need:

• 1 large chicken (I buy the expensive one from Marks and Sparks as I am certain it tastes better than the cheap ones). If you have no access to Marks and Sparks, prefer organic chicken for a better flavour.Treat yourselves to good food.
• One bag of baby potatoes, or if you grow your own, certainly prefer your own crop. Fresh potatoes taste fantastic.
• At least 20 white, medium-sized mushrooms.
• 2 red onions, chopped roughly.
• Salt, pepper, paprika to taste.
• Rosemary, oregano and sage. Be generous with sage and rosemary, not that generous with oregano. Too much oregano can spoil the flavour.
• 1 lemon
• Olive oil (5 tablespoons will do).

1. Preheat oven to gas mark 6
2. Place chicken and all other ingredients in the over tray and roast for 45 minutes.
3. After 45 minutes in the oven, turn the chicken upside down and place the tray back into the oven for another 45 minutes.
4. Your dinner is ready. Drizzle some lemon on it, and voilà!

...Bared to you and Reflected in you (Crossfire I and II) by Sylvia Day...

I recently read these two books (erotica - if you are not into it don't keep reading) and I wanted to share my impressions with you.

Bared to You

A clever story; but totally imaginary. The book is full of tall, thin, fit, beautiful people, with the main protagonists being filthy rich. It does not correspond to everyday life for the average Jo.

Now, coming to the porn (sorry, I meant to say 'erotica'), this is also very average in my opinion.

OK, the erotic 'scenes' are spicy, but not spicy enough for someone who is into S&M. There is a balance of erotic domination and submission in the first book, while the main protagonists are trying to establish their sexual personas.

Oh, and basically no scene of anal penetration.

I think that the book is so soft for S&M lovers, that they would rather read the Bible instead.

The plot is interesting, but nervous wrecking. I was annoyed to read the repetitive descriptions of 'will he leave me?', 'have we broken up or not'?, etc...

But in the end, I also read the 'Reflected in You' book, as I had some time to kill in the Bank Holiday weekend.

Reflected in You

Same drama, some rich people some bitchiness, same repetitive boring story, but fewer sex scenes, and not S&M enough for me. Again, only a vague trace of anal, but now the rich male protagonist is clearly the dominant one; with the young Eva being submissive in the bedroom sector.

Frankly, I lost interest in the book before I reached the middle of it, but I carried or reading.

Towards and in the end of the book, there was a crime (murder) featured, but not much sex. The story of the murder investigation was not that cleverly conceived in my opinion; and of course it did not correspond to reality. I understand that Day's objective was not to write crime fiction but erotica, but frankly, she should have paid more attention to detail.

Conclusion

If you think that the book is totally crap, then think again. Have you read the Fifty Shades of Grey? If yes, then the Crossfire Series is a masterpiece compared to it. Really. The Crossfire series is better written than the Fifty Shades of Grey. No kidding!

But in the end of the day, nahhh, not good enough for me. Bloody hell! I have wasted 3 days of my life!

...Hot patio sizzle chilli peppers...

Do you love your chilli peppers? Now it is time to start your seeds indoors! 
 
I have just bought some seeds of the 'hot patio sizzle chilli' variety (posh Latin name: Capsicum annuum) and I am growing them in pots in the patio. I am planning to give a couple of them away as gifts, in pretty pots.

They are decorative and they are supposed to look like this when they fruit.

 
Yes, I bet mine will look equally great! 

Plus, I can use them in my curry. They are mildly spicy - just about right. Not too hot, not too mild!

I will keep you up-to-date about how this project is progressing. 

Meanwhile, bye for now! 

..Megumi Igarashi...

This is art:

This is art:

This is art:

This is art:

This is art:

This is art:

But this is not art?

Release Megumi Igarashi now!

...Xmas humour...

 Cheesus crust

Cheesus toaster

Cheesus grater

Cheesus cheetos

Full BBC Documentary Films 2014 Hermaphrodites Male and Female Sex In O...

...Childfree women are invisible...

In a society where everything is child-focused (even in the West), becoming a mother is seen as the top achievement for a woman in her life.

Take a pregnancy announcement for example - or the birth of a baby. 
The (future) mother is congratulated - again and again and again. Congratulatory cards and presents are sent to her and the father.

Well, I thought that making one's genitalia procreate is as common as changing one's t-shirt. Procreating is a biological function. So, what's the point of congratulating someone when a baby is born? We are 7 billion people on this planet and we are struggling for natural resources - so why do we congratulate every human being adding into the problem via procreation? 

Some of you may say that giving congratulations when a baby is born is a social obligation. We are entitled to say 'congratulations' to expectant parents, otherwise we will be stigmatised as 'antisocial'. 

Well, I don't! I 'd rather be myself and be called antisocial than say something I don't mean. 

But let us now go back to the points raised on the first paragraph. 

Is having a baby the top achievement in a woman's life? 

In fact, the answer is yes. With so many women out there, many cannot boast for anything else than 'being a mum or a grandma'.

But how about the childfree? We certainly don't tick the boxes that would make us worthy in the eye of the 'normal' beholder - don't we? 

So, how about if a woman - a childfree woman - does really well in education or in her career? 

Take Jennifer Aniston for example. Remarkable and awarded actress. She is often labelled as selfish because she has had no children (here).

Second example: Gertrude B. Elion: Nobel Prize for Physiology/Medicine, 1988 US. She was never married and had no children.

There she is: in the picture. 

MY ROLE MODEL

So, is getting a Nobel Prize less important for a woman than having a baby? It is for the average Jo out there. 

You know what? Sometimes I think that poor Gertrude received very few congratulations cards after winning the Nobel Prize, compared to what she would have received if she announced she gave birth to a baby. 

...The holiday...

Well, I don't celebrate Xmas. What Xmas? I am an atheist. 

I haven't put up any tree or anything. I find it pointless. 

I do however enjoy all the social aspects of social occasions, e.g. nice food, good company, a bit of bubbly. After all, why not? This year I am planning to spend the holidays with my OH. On the 25th, I will be serving a three-course dinner:

• Appetiser: baked mozzarella sticks and stars and greens and beetroot salad.
• Main: turkey wrapped in bacon, otherwise it tastes of nothing. Lots of veg on the side.
• Pudding: 'Xmas' pudding with rum sauce.

I usually have duck with orange sauce for the main, but this time I am going to serve duck on new year's eve instead. 

I am very busy this year, i.e. my free time is going to be limited during the holiday. Well, I will at least try to relax a little bit and spend some time with OH.

I am planning to re-watch a few films: the '12 monkeys' is on the list. 

I have also ordered a new book to read. The left hand of darkness. It's coming all the way from the States, as I ordered it from Amazon.com. Hurry up postman - I am thirsty for a splendid book!

...Discrimination...

...Echinacea tablets: the natural 'antibiotic'...

A couple of weeks ago I had the most horrid toothache ever. I was in pain for 3 days and nights, taking ibuprofen every 4 hours or so. 
Paracetamol did not help. Ibuprofen was just about working.

As I was unable to see the dentist straight away (I was out of town) I booked my dental appointment for the following week, but while waiting, I decided to take some echinacea tablets. 

Encinacea is not exactly an antibiotic. It's not a medicine. It's a herbal remedy. 

Enchinacea tablets strengthen the immune system and make it attack infections.

I took 3 tablets a day for a couple of days, and the following morning... my pain was gone!

I still had to go to the dentist (obviously) but my dentist agreed that Encinacea had helped reduce infection.

If it was not for Encinacea, the tooth infection might have spread. 

I am glad I discovered this powerful herb. 
Apparently, it helps getting rid of cold and flu too! 

Condoms: CATCH IT - BIN IT - KILL IT!

...Frankly, I don't give a damn about Xmas...

Or, should I call it giftmas instead? 

Xmas equals too much pretentiousness for me, it's not appealing whatsoever. 

I never make the house Xmassy, I never bother. 

With the market celebrating (sell-ebrating) Xmas since August time, by mid November one is sick of the whole thing. 

...Babies, children and (semi-)nude photography...

Why do the media show nude pictures of children? Why is it considered 'normal' and 'common' to share a picture of a child on social media, when the child is hardly ever dressed?

Why do you all do this? 

Seriously, don't you think that sharing a picture of a semi-naked child with your friends:

a) is utopic? 
Because most of these pictures show beautiful babies, with beautiful eyes! Have you ever seen a picture of an unattractive baby dressed in pretty clothes? Or a similar picture of a baby that lacks his/her hands or feet?  Or a picture of a blind baby?

These pictures have gone through a photoshop process. The babies look gorgeous, but in truth not all babies are beautiful, not all babies are healthy. This is simply a matter of propaganda: these pictures 'sell' the view that all babies are gorgeous, and that YOU should also become a mother / father and get a gorgeous baby like these. 

But expectations may be deceiving. Your kid may be no-oil-painting, suffer from poor health and disabilities, etc.

Babies are no photographic trophies - so stop sharing these pictures! 

b) Have you ever though that all these pictures of semi-naked children could be the apple of the eye of paedophiles? Every time you share these pictures on facebook, the paedos rejoice! In fact, in my opinion, more and more people get sexually attracted to kids simply because the media show way too many semi-naked kids.

Would you share a semi-naked picture of your kid on your social media? Then why would you share a semi-naked picture of other kids? Don't you CARE about other people's kids the way you care about your kid?

...How to chit potatoes for planting...

Simple. Place them in a dark dry place and wait for them to chit. It should chit pretty soon (1-2 weeks) but it is ready for planting in 4 weeks time. 

Some store-bought potatoes may take longer to plant as they are sprayed with chemicals to delay chitting.

Don't wet your potatoes as they will go mouldy. That's why it's important to store them in a dry place and wait for them to chit. 

When your potato tubers have long sprouting buds (by long I mean over 2 cm) they are ready for planting. 

Why is it important to chit your potatoes before planting?
Because you get harvest earlier if you do so. In fact, this is up to 3 weeks earlier... 

When you chop your chitted potatoes for planting, make sure you use a clean knife washed with antibacterial. You want to give your potato plants a great start. 

Lastly, people ask me: can I chit a potato now, and harvest at Xmas time? 

Τhe answer is no. If you chit your potatoes now, and you grow them in bags inside, then you may get your first potatoes in early February. 

Potatoes hate frost. It's not a good time to plant them outside this time of the year. But there's nothing stopping you growing them inside the house.

...Xmas is coming and...

Frankly, I don't give a poop? (see 'Atheist')

But... potentially I could make some money. Because You have to SPEND. And I am willing to take your money. Yes, I do!

How much do you parents spend on your children's Xmas presents? 

Let me guess: a fortune?

To paraphrase Father Xmas: 'Ha ha ha'! 

NB: If you don't get a season's greetings card from me this year is because I don't like you. You are not worth the price of a stamp. Chiaro?

 

The news...

Tony Blair on the cover of Gay Times: Really? The man who was responsible for the death of thousands of people is a gay icon? 

Chelsea Clinton announces that she had a baby girl. Nobody cares. 

 

Stephen Hawking officially announces that he is an atheist and that there is no god. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSS!  

 

 

...trips...

So, how's life everyone? 

After my recent trips abroad I am back home catching up with everything, from work to work (yes, I know,I work hard).

The garden looks abandoned. Of course... what do you expect? The gardener spent the summer sunbathing somewhere exotic...

But, am I done with travelling abroad for this year? I do not think so. I have a couple of destinations in mind, for the end of 2014 or the beginning of 2015. Also, I must start planning my trips abroad for next Spring / Summer.

...Jeanne Manford...

A first! In 1972, Jeanne Manford, a primary school teacher, walked the streets of New York supporting the Gay Pride Parade.

...It's about you...

It's about trust.

Maciej Osika’s transgender self-portraits in the Love and Democracy exhibition. Read more.

...A picture that describes me...