Simon Rumble’s blog

I bought one of these handlebar-mounted radios from eBay recently. It arrived yesterday and I listened to XFM on the way into work this morning. Over my 35 minute commute they played three songs and spent the rest of the time being terribly funny and running advertising. Jee-zus!

Have to get my little FM transmitter going so I can listen to whatever I want. Just hope the transmitter is strong enough to reach from pannier to handlebars, and doesn't get too much intererence from the copious pirate stations in London.

I brewed up another Belgian Wit kit on Monday night, this time a Brewferm Tarwebier. I didn't add any orange peel or coriander this time, just to see, and used only glucose. We'll see how it goes.

I tried to use the left over White Labs yeast I've had in the fridge for a few months. By the next morning it hadn't done much, so I rehydrated and bunged in the yeast from the kit. That seemed to get things going.

It's gonna be a bit of a weak beer. For starters, the kit only seems to be supposed to brew 15L when I'm doing 23L (with added sugar) and the gravity was kinda low. Still, as always I'm sure it'll be nice.

Have a bunch of stuff on the way from Hop and Grape to keep me going through the Winter. Forgot to buy some Campden tablets, so I might need to make a trip out to Spencers for that.

Currently drinking the delicious first attempt at a Belgian Wit. Waiting on the very bitter IPA and the Xmas keg beer. The cider is, of course, still bubbling away.

Meanwhile, trying to get some good beers down to keep us through the Winter. Space is going to become something of an issue.

I have a new public key for anyone wanting to contact me. Impetus for getting this was Rob Kaper coming to the wilds of NW London to exchange signatures with Steve and I.

Just bottled my exceptionally bitter IPA. Brewed from a Coopers IPA kit and it's certainly damn bitter. Should be nice when it's ready.

Also just cracked into my Belgian Wit which I thought was going to be a write-off. The flavour up until this time was cloyingly sickly fruit. Now it's spectacular. The fruity flavours have mellowed and now take a back seat. It's great! Think I'll take some to the Halloween party tonight.

My work is in such a delightful area. Apparently there was a shooting just outside the office last night around 1800. This morning I get to work to find Police and Fire Brigade around the building because someone jumped from the top floor canteen.

Anyone wanna offer me a job in London?

The only good DJ left on Radio 1, John Peel, has died.

A very sad day for all music fans. This man has broken more new bands, giving them their big break, than probably any other. His incredibly broad and varied. In one programme he would play everything from 78s from the 20's through hillbilly bluegrass to gabba techno.

Over the weekend, Scott and I went cider making in the Forest of Dean. Was a great weekend away in beautiful countryside and we learnt the pleasures of making traditional cider. We also got to bring back 25L of fermenting cider.

Photos here.

I seem to have injured my foot. Possibly a stress fracture, according to the quacks. Hurts like buggery ("Nothing hurts like buggery" - Doug Anthony All Stars) and was throbbing all night.

I'm off to do a cider course over the weekend in Gloucestershire. Will have to scale back my activities there, unfortunately. Fortunately my drinking arm is in good shape.

In other news, my geek tourism site is hitting random blogs all over the place. Not many people actually adding stuff yet, but it's ticking over. Blogistan should be good for my Google Juice.

Just hope I don't get Slashdotted in the near future... That would just wipe out my server.

My geek tourist site now has an Openguides address: engineer.openguides.org.

What part of no junk mail were you having trouble with, McDonald's?