A scene from Macbeth

Till Birnam wood comes to high Dusinane.

The Bosh could not defeat the good people of Merry ye olde London Town , neither will these shifty eyed salty looking dudes, water cannons, no tear gas no , just the will of the people and a good brush

If you want to ride like Alberto Contador you have to eat like him too

Pardina lentils with white wine, Serrano ham and pimentón

http://www.bbc.co.uk/emp/10player.swf?revision=18269_21576

This lentil stew is very pleasant served on its own or with any roasted game birds.

Ingredients

• 225g/8oz green-brown lentils, such as pardina
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 head garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 200g/7oz carrot, finely chopped
• 100g/3½oz thinly sliced Serrano ham, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp pimentón dulce (smoked sweet Spanish paprika)
• 2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, skinned, chopped
• 125ml/4fl oz dry white wine
• 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation method

1. Check over the lentils for any little stones, then rinse in cold water. Tip them into a saucepan, add enough cold water to cover them by 5cm/2in and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat
2. and leave them to simmer for about 30 minutes or until just tender but still a little al dente. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and set to one side.
3. Put the olive oil, garlic, onion and carrot in a wide, shallow pan over a medium heat and cook gently for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and just beginning to colour. Add the Serrano ham and fry for another 5-6 minutes.
4. Stir in the pimentón, tomatoes and wine and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until the mixture cooks down into a thick sauce.
5. Stir the lentils into the sauce with 150ml/5fl oz of the reserved cooking liquid, the chopped parsley, 1½ teaspoons of salt and some pepper. Simmer for a further 5-6 minutes.

This one is for John G

Where is this @Jvalen’s California or @BMFW’S Scottish Highlands

The Brompton Jacket @ £250 a bargin piece of cycling Kit or a waste of Bish Bosh?

Brilliant or what? The Brompton bike-to-boardroom cyclist’s jacket

It’s a must-have for all male cyclists: a waterproof jacket that’s smart enough to wear to work…

BY Mr C.R.G Humpries Bsc Textile and Knitwear Technology [Leicester Polytechnic]

Jason Morris models the new Oratory cyclist’s jacket by Brompton

Every so often a product comes along that’s so clever you kick yourself for not designing it yourself. The very natty Oratory cyclist’s jacket is one such product.

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You’ll see it above, in all its slightly varying permutations, modelled by my colleague Jason, who’s a bit of a cycling nut and, bless him, incredibly excited about its launch, for reasons that’ll soon become apparent.

Now, I’m no cyclist myself, but such is the genius of the Oratory that I am itching to go out and buy a bike, or at least finally activate my Boris bike membership, so that I can wear one too without feeling a fraud.

It’s made by Brompton, of folding-bikes fame, and was designed by Will Carleysmith, head of design at the company, to take the cyclist ‘from bike to boardroom to bar’. What this means is that it’s smart enough to wear to work while being waterproof – the baby cord is Epic cotton, which repels rather than absorbs water.

And there’s more, much, much more: namely a storm collar and adjustable cuffs with reflective undersides for protection against the elements and visibility; an ‘action back’ to give freedom of movement when in the riding position; a pull-out hi-viz panel at the back; discreet armpit zips for ventilation around the most sweat-prone bits of the male anatomy; and secret pockets inside for valuables.

As I say, genius – and, I’d hazard, a prime candidate for a future design award. Accessorise with a Brompton bike for full effect, though of course anything two-wheeled will do.

Available from September 1, for £250. See brompton.co.uk/jacket/ for stockists .

Wonder if this Don listenes to the Velo Club Don Logan

Becouse of the Auld Allience a Frenchman is always welcome in my Garden , I have called him Tomma after the great Voklar man in this years TDF

John and Scott are going a grand job with their Journal and Chronical

://velocast.tumblr.com/       http://www.thesofaboychronicles.com/

The Flying Scotsmen and Ladies at the St Andrews Highland Games

Pictures copyright of Mr Sandy Stevenson of the Tour Scotland website , see his other photographs daily at @tourscotland on twitter.

Thanks to Mr Sandy Stevenson http://tour-scotland-photographs.blogspot.com/