Brighton to Hyde Park

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Because I was having major trouble with my right ear...

Hydrogen peroxide, 6% solution. Works a treat. Cheap, too.

[marathondan]

Lookin' good on the front page there, EG. Will there be anything left of you when you reach your target weight? Sounds like a good day at the office, on a more than slightly hilly course. Nice work.

[El Gordo]

Because I was having major trouble with my right ear...

Hydrogen peroxide, 6% solution. Works a treat. Cheap, too.

Yeah, I was trying that but it wasn't delivering the expected benefit within the required timescale. (Sorry, you'll remember I've just been on a project management course.)

[El Gordo]

Lookin' good on the front page there, EG. Will there be anything left of you when you reach your target weight? Sounds like a good day at the office, on a more than slightly hilly course. Nice work.

Just added a bit. Both to the report, and to my waistline. I'm paying for my 2 days of excess.

But thanks.

Worse is that I'm off to Nottingham today for 2 days of festive bonding. This won't do my figure any good at all. I'm staring to feel dangerously negative about my chances of a good new year 10K. Just need to get past the next day or two, then get back on track.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I'm staring to feel dangerously negative about my chances of a good new year 10K. Just need to get past the next day or two, then get back on track.

Come on EG, just do it, man. Think of your lot winning the Ashes, if you need motivation. Oh hang it, you can even gloat a little if that'll help.

That's about as magnaminous as I get, I'm afraid.

[marathondan]

Just added a bit. Both to the report, and to my waistline. I'm paying for my 2 days of excess.

Glad to see that the report addition related to the important stuff.

Aldi Chianti sounds like a well-kept secret - do tell.

And Prem down the pub! What would Rodney say?

You may have seen this before - all simple stuff, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded.

[Sweder]

That guide was useful Dan. Timely too, as SP and I join Cap'n Tom for the annual liver-shredding festival that is the Mayfield Golfing Society Christmas Debauch. What stood out for me was 'don't drink cheap alcohol'. No danger of that in the Middle House where we'll be coughing up close to the monthly food bill each to get through around 10 hours of dedicated Guinness consumption

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

we'll be coughing up close to the monthly food bill each to get through around 10 hours of dedicated Guinness consumption

Gak! I think there should be another rule - don't drink in sessions lasting longer than you can run.

[El Gordo]

Glad to see that the report addition related to the important stuff.

Aldi Chianti sounds like a well-kept secret - do tell.

And Prem down the pub! What would Rodney say?

I'm quite a fan of Aldi wines - up to a point. You have to peer between the thistles to find the occasional rose. I seem to have missed out on their bargain Barolo (£6.99 or thereabouts -- around half the usual price) but I've often topped up with their Chianti. Can't recall the producer but it's £4.99 and is currently on 2004/2005. Nothing earth-shattering, but good value. They also do some cheap Rioja Riserva that's quite palatable. I also picked up some C9P, as the say in the wine trade (Chateauneuf-du-Pape). This stuff is overhyped in my view. I reckon its disproportionate popularity is largely due to the pleasing Frenchiness of the name, and its easy pronunciation. But anyway, Aldi have some cheap examples in at the moment, about £7, so I bought a couple of bottles. They also often have some reasonably priced 2nd wines of well known Bordeaux chateaux. The other thing I bought because you rarely see it, and very rarely at this price, is Valpolocella Ripasso. It's Valpol that's fermented with unpressed grape skins, to give the vino more flavour. Not tasted yet, but I recommend you try it.

But don't listen to me. I decided after a recent wine tasting that I have lost almost all my critical faculties.

[Seafront Plodder]

That guide was useful Dan. Timely too, as SP and I join Cap'n Tom for the annual liver-shredding festival that is the Mayfield Golfing Society Christmas Debauch. What stood out for me was 'don't drink cheap alcohol'. No danger of that in the Middle House where we'll be coughing up close to the monthly food bill each to get through around 10 hours of dedicated Guinness consumption

Now don't exaggerate Sweder. You know full well it's not a 10-hour Guinness fest....

We've a 2 hour err...break for the wine-laden Christmas dinner and debauched AGM to get through.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

... I have lost almost all my critical faculties.

Don't think so mate - you're not the one going on a 10 hour Guinness binge.

[marathondan]

Thanks for the tips, EG. I might make a quick pre-Christmas trip to the new, and doubly glamorous, Aldi Bracknell.

[El Gordo]

Thanks for the tips, EG. I might make a quick pre-Christmas trip to the new, and doubly glamorous, Aldi Bracknell.

Beware.

Aldi sell some good value wines but they are totally unequipped for customers. They usually have no empty boxes available if you want to buy more than a couple of bottles, and no staff to help if you need to move something. I usually end up taking off my jacket and remerchandising the odd stack just to dig out what I need. THey don't mind though, because there are no staff to mind.

Also, know that they don't like credit cards, so you'll need cash or a debit card.

Worth persevering with, but they can be hard work.

Also, if they have any of their cheap 50cl bots of eiswein, or beerenauslese or trockenberrenauslese (German dessert wines of fabulous richness), just buy them. I bought a couple of cases 2 years ago. Had a press release a month ago saying they were getting 'em in again but I haven't seen 'em. Amazing value at about £5 or £6. Usually double or triple the price for a smaller bottle.

I had something new and excellent last night in a restaurant in Nottingham. A shiraz - viognier blend. Weird as viognier is a white grape and shiraz is red. Never heard of the producer before: Red Dot. Australian. MLCM may know of them. Maybe it was the ambience, but this was the best Aussie wine I've had in a long long time.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

I had something new and excellent last night in a restaurant in Nottingham. A shiraz - viognier blend. Weird as viognier is a white grape and shiraz is red. Never heard of the producer before: Red Dot. Australian. MLCM may know of them. Maybe it was the ambience, but this was the best Aussie wine I've had in a long long time.

Yes I can tell you a little about this. Red Dot is a discount label of a McLaren Vale (south of Adelaide) winery called Penny's Hill, who make some very decent wine and seem to specialise in the wine club/mail order/export/discount-warehouse line of business. I've had a few of their wines and they are generally very acceptable and reasonably priced.

The shiraz/viognier blend is very, very trendy here at the moment. It's not strictly speaking a blend in the usual sense, as the grapes are fermented together rather than being blended after the fact. Whether this makes a bee's dick of difference or not I couldn't say. Nice enough wine, however.

Nice as it may be EG, I suspect the ambience probably did have something to do with it!

[Seafront Plodder]

Elucidate on your latest blog entry please EG. Slightly worrying....

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Elucidate on your latest blog entry please EG. Slightly worrying....

Don't worry SP, I felt the same after my first shiraz-viognier as well.



How's your training going?

[Sweder]

Don't worry SP, I felt the same after my first shiraz-viognier as well.



How's your training going?

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

[El Gordo]

Nice as it may be EG, I suspect the ambience probably did have something to do with it!

Maybe. It's odd how wine does always taste better in a restaurant than at home. Had a bit of bottle age which would have helped. 2005.

Stop press -- according to this (click) Parker gave it 91/100 which is quite a recommendation.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Stop press -- according to this (click) Parker gave it 91/100 which is quite a recommendation.

Like I said, good value. The winemaker there is Ben Riggs, who made a big name for himself at Wirra Wirra (also in McLaren Vale).