Polish Vodka? Part the Second.

Dear Patrick,

A couple of minutes ago I was 47, and you made me really smile. First of m 48th year. Thanks!

George

You kids up all hours!
Happy birthday George.

Cheers George.

Happy Birthday!!

happy birthday george! hope you see some poulenc soon :-)

Well, it was a lovely sort of a Party! Good compnay, good conversation, and a surprising number of empty bottles!

Five 0.7 litres of Wyborowa, and out of twenty Lechs, only six left, and all bar one serving of the Bigos was eaten as well. It was five kilos to start with! Eaten by eight people!

I was roundly ribbed for failing to make conversation in Polish but as it was my making of the Bigos, I was forgiven!

No headache, but that sort "I'd prefer to be asleep" feeling just now. I do not quite remember the end of it, which is a first for me, but it did not take too much effort to tidy up earlier, so no catastrophies!

One to remember for a very long time. There are some photos, but essntially not terribly good.

ATB from George

George,

Best wishes and many happy returns.

George.

Two litres of apple juice, one and half of orange juice, and two litres of Coca Cola!

It was a good one! One of the best and everone seems happ today, and two of our number were at work at six this morning though both were forgiven and came home early!

I suspect they must have looked a bit ropey at six o'clock, as they still looked somewhat done in by half past one!

ATB ...

The happy ending.

Each part-guest, when the have seen me since simpl has broken into a Cheshire Cat grin, and commented that it was the best part they'd been to in England!

It was certainly the best part I have been responsible for preparing, and that is down to the wonderful people whom I asked to be there ... Oh and my apparentl very fine cooking. To give Bigos to Poles is the culinary equivalent of taking coals to Newcastle.

A risky but entirely brilliant and brilliantly excecuted plan even if I say so myself. Apparently wh I woke up, well rested, in bed is because that is where I was put!

ATB

Dear Stu,

I keep trying to fix the bloody typos, and the ****ing PC keeps crashing! I'll leave 'em alone now!

No, I only had a couple of shots about half way through three crashes in the last twenty minutes! BUT Ihave a good two inches left, so its a good job I am in a good mood - that is a flasehood ...

But I have old Bach's Goldbergs on, so a good further hour to get into the frame of mind to sleep!

Catch ya soon, G

I know I am ready for a holiday, when I am so tired that I get home dog tired and go straight to sleep ... and then wake up later.

Unfortunately I fell over in the blast freezer today and that did me no good at all, so I am feeling a bit wretched ...

I could crack a bottle of Herb Vodka [Stomach Vodka as it is good for settling stomach ailments], but I am saving it for a special occasion! Has anone heard the one about ...? It's too long for now. Here is a shorter one:

Thinnk of an alternative word for a rabbit who always looks on the bright side! [See end for answer].

We have the electric off all day on Friday week [end of last full week before Christmas], so we may get a day's early holiday, though we have been incredibly busy bwith unexpected big orders for ice cream in the last two weeks - tubs for the theatre trade - so perhaps people are doing the old-fashioned thing and going to Pantomimes this year.

It will be very quiet after Christamas though as many restaurants are going to stay closed except one or two days a week, so we have been told. A sign of the times I am sure.

ATB from George

A hoptimist!

Well just in case you never hear from me again, I sm off to Frank and Mrs F's in the morning in Spain, where apparently Frank has seen to it that there is a sufficient stock of Wyborowa [very fine Polish Wodka] for my week's stay.

I then have another "extra week" off till 12th of January to get further down the slope of destiny when my best Polish friend returns on the 5th, no doubt fully armed with some more!

My New Year's resolution will be that I shall only only enjoy the purest and best drinks, so that at least I have the minimum of headaches and other ailments. I have never had a great wish to live into ripe old age, however!

Merry Christmas to you all!

And if you want to make my day go and look at the Klemperer thread, read the last two posts, and then go and order what is discussed!

Catch you all in the New Year! George

PS: What is the difference between a Snowman and a Snowlady?

Snowballs!

PS: When I get back I have new [second hand] bike to collect.

A good friend who is my age [and known since childhood] and who is also a bit of an athlete - oarsman still, and apparently time trialler on bikes in his younger days - has given me his old Carlton Racer. Seems that my suspiscion that he would choose a very good machine is correct looking at Carlton's history. So now I shall be able to crack on very nicely rather than fighting low gearing and huge tyres on my Eagle MTB!

I would rather a nice old style machine in preference to these modern bling monsters that weigh a ton and go nowhere fast! The Carlton will be very different from the Pashley that I was investigating, which all things considered was beyond the budget.

His wife has ordered it thrown out, so I guess I am rescuing another antique from oblivion! My collection of great ancients grows, to add to a very old Volvo, CB 140 etc!

ATB from George

Well this was not so funny. At least it was a [flyweight] Lemon parked on the stairs, and not a two ton Volvo.

But ...

On Christmas day you have to keep a sense of humour.

In the last two days I have been so priveleged to enjoy the company of two Forum stalwarts and great people as really met - my two oldest Forum friends, Frank and Geoff - and most kindly Frank's dear wife, Anniu ...

Twelve courses on Christmas Eve from Anna, and a truly English Christamas dinner from Frank today.

It was so nice this afternoon to bring Geoff into Frank's front roon and listen to the least heroic of Beethoven Symphonies - the Eighth - and then settle tosome equal master pieces from Astor Piazzola.

This was replayed via a set which is acually precisely what I would dream of as my perfect replat set [see Frank's profile no doubt], so no question that what emerged was well done ...

I suspect that Geoff found the old BBC tape not quite as fine as the best studio recordings, but could find the result at least an indication of significant, and possbly great music making ...

_______________

I have been priveleged to listen to vinyl replay via Ekos 2 with akiva on a top Linned TT, Dyn XVS on Aro [Naimed LP12 without Keel] and I did not care for the Akiva one tiny bit - perfectly hateful cart.

Well, at my request we shall try the Dyn on the Ekos, to see how kind that might be compared to the Aro.

And we shall see what comes with the Scoutmaster from VPI, which is such a kind TT.

Maybe we shall fit all these great cartridges to the simple [not so simple as a Rega] deck ...

_______________

But the morning started with Haydn's Clock Symphony 101] bringing a certain joy to the house, via the eminently kind CDS3 ...

_______________

I should emphasis that my old Volvo is parked safely in Bristol Airport, and that I am not going to join the tendency to take Dutch courage in driving ...

Best, and sincerely kind wishes from George

Dear George,

thank you for this entertaining report. It seems you are really enjoying your trip.

How about joining the Vienna Naimie Meeting in June 2009?
Vienna meeting

It would be great to meet an expert of classical music at this spezial place.

Best wishes

Manfred

Last night [of 2008] in the lovely house of Frank and Anna in Spain and with the equally kind company of Geoff [P].

What could be said beyond the thought that I have been treated so wonderfully that my frame of mind is alpha plus!

If I thought [in replay terms] that Lp was more than fine, from when I came to Frank and Anna's in February almost two years ago, now I know that it is splendid indeed.

And also that Wyborowa does not spoil in transport ...

Dobranoc and a Happy New Year to you all! ATB from George

Dear Stu,

If I don't end up in the Bay Of Biscay, then I land at Bristol [BHX] at 20.05 GMT, later today ... in other words, New Years Eve.

Catch you perhaps 22 hours GMT?

ATB from George

Dobranoc, dear Stu! Catch ya tomorrow ... G

Back home after hopeless flight delays etc.

Frank and Anna were the perfect hosts to me and Geoff, who still has a few days left there. I could hardly have had a nicer Christmas week.

Happy New Year to everyone here! Best wishes from George

Dear Manni,

Visiting Vienna would be such a thing for me! How would I find the time to visit all those great composers' grave - a habit of mine to seek out the burial places of heroes.

But it is right in the time when we are busiest at work. Ice cream is a rather seasonal product. So I could never ask for the time.

But it is a lovely thought. And thanks for it.

Best wishes from George

quote:

Originally posted by GFFJ:
Dear Manni,

Visiting Vienna would be such a thing for me! How would I find the time to visit all those great composers' grave - a habit of mine to seek out the burial places of heroes.

But it is right in the time when we are busiest at work. Ice cream is a rather seasonal product. So I could never ask for the time.

But it is a lovely thought. And thanks for it.

Best wishes from George

Dear George,

isn`t it possible to work harder during the week, so that you don`t need to make ice cream on Saturday and Sunday?

Or try to find a doctor, who loves classical music like you do. Tell him from the Vienna tour and he will write you off sick, a summer influenza is always possible .

Another reason for coming ( no joke ): It would be a pleasure for me, to pay for your drinks during your stay in Vienna.

Best wishes

Manfred

Dear Manni,

I do plan a trip to Poland in my car sometime this year, so perhaps I could make a stop at Neuss!

The trouble is that I am part of a production team of only five, and any absenteeism really does make it very tough for the others. Plus, I am still the junior in the team, and if things get tough, I do not want to be the first out of the door ... I very much like this job as it is in a nice place where the only stresses are related to being very busy for roughly six months of the year. After almost two years of employment instability the last thing I want is more of it. The company is now in its 131st year, and the owners are fourth generation in the same familly. I am lucky to have this potential long term stability. What we make is truly of the highest quality - no artificial colours or preservative, milk from one farm, cream from also one other farm, all naturally derived flavourings and ingredients, fantastic hygieme in production, and enough time and resources to do the job really well etc. The end product is selling very well even in our times of reduced spending, and sales were one quarter up on last year in the two months running up to Christamas compared to last year.

I would guess that a simple pleasure like a really nice ice cream is still possible even if the new car purchase has been put off ...

But perhaps towards the end of August or early September might see me on a two week ramble across Europe in my ancient Volvo.

Thamks for the kind thoughts. ATB from George

My best Polish friend with his lady are returning to England on Tuesday from a Christmas break with his familly.

This will quite probably herald a party of mamouth Wodka consumption and memorability! The journey through a snowy Poland started a few hours ago, and they should land at Dover early on Tuesday morning. My friend is still working at the bakery where I trained him in what I knew of conserve making, but a big row awaits him I suspect when he returns to work.

Two days before finishing for Christmas, he was told his holiday was cancelled as his supervisor had never handed in the paperwork applying for the time applied for more than two months earlier.

Unfortunately I used to work with this certain supervisor, and I am not in the least surprised by this sort of behaviour.

Ironically my friend had no reason to see the problem coming as he has, in his turn, been training someone else to cover the conserve making during holiday time.

I sense that like me, my friend is quite probably going to be subject to some rather unfair and unkind actions now, and merely hope that he can transfer departments to get away from such petty empire building politics of a small minded little ...

It is hard to get away from the observation that in that place one does better by being useless, and brown-nosing one's way along.

Fingers crossed that he is not treated quite as badly as me [who eventually found going on working there impossible] ... But at least he could return home to Poland and security ... at the worst.

George

George,

Up until 18 months ago I too worked with bosses who quite deliberately made life extremely difficult for me, up to the point where the only sensible option to preserve my health and sanity was to leave. My wife and I decided to use the opportunity to start our own business, something we had long dreamed of. In these difficult times it is questionable how the business will fair. It is quite conceivable that before too much longer we will both be unemployed. Of one thing I am certain - no matter what happens I made the right decision to leave the living nightmare of my previous employment. Life is just too short to put up with that.

Regards,

Peter

Wednesday afternnon and evening saw a most enjoyable Wodka party where three of us consumed, over a long enough time, a bottle of that Polish speciality, Bison Grass Wodka, called Zubrowka. It went with the correct apple juice in separate long glasses, and no hanging about, the shots taken properly, but as it happened very well separated in time.

Three of us were much too poorly with colds to be doing such a thing, but we added a real cold cure to the end, consisting of eight yolks, sweetened and beaten to froth, two litres of beer and all taken to hot coffee temperature, not boiled. Enough to make a weak man vomit, actually very enjoyable at the end of the evening. It has coincided with a reduction in feeling so full of cold ...

This evening I collected a nearly veteran Carlton racing bike from an old friend who no longer has a use for it. What a thoroughbred! Light as a feather, and so full of finesse. All the aluminium fittings and frame joints are so neat that it makes most bikes look like the work of a farmyard blacksmith! Luckiliy it is almost my correct size as well - it is slightly taller than any bike salesman would allow me to take from the shop. I like a tall bike - always got old second hand ones that were little too tall! Unlike with my Eagle [which really is too tall], I can just stand over the cross-bar without tip-toes! It has those toe-clips, which will have to come off and be stored - replaced with some fine light ally type pedals, methinks. Just for practicality ...

The forks are chromed, and are the only part that look the age of it. I am not sure whether to have them restored ... The bike is worth it, but not sure if it the right thing to do to an antique ...

Photo to follow when I can get a camera to it.

I shall also have to buy a good pump as it has those fiddly racing valves on tyres about three quarters of an inch across. All the gear work is supebly tight and quiet without being lubricated to dripping point, almost as if it had bearly seen service, which it definately has! And the gearing is VERY long. I wondered about the sin of having mudguards, but there is no place to bolt the stays! So I will keep the Eagle on for rough weather, and fit new mudguards on that, plus paniers, so as to allow for the possibility of grocery shopping when no car is possible.

Though I don't plan to ditch the old Volvo now, I do plan to use it even less. Last twelve months between MOTs saw only 3700 miles added, and this year is already looking like it will be significantly less, I can see a time when I shall no longer motor ... But the average might be spoiled this year if I do drive on holiday to Poland later this year! Not sure which is environmentally worse - driving or going by aeroplane ...

I have DVD replay working on a PC for the first time in three years, so for once music here has been largely on film sound tracks for the last few days ... The music for Eric Williams' Wooden Horse was by Malcolm Arnold, so I discovered yeaterday!

Anyway, other good things have been happening though these are not so interesting I suspect, so I shall sign off now.

Best wishes from George

George,

I have a particular interest in film music. You may like to investigate "The Battle of Britain" on DVD and also the CD soundtrack. The film was scored by Sir William Walton, but all but one piece (Battle in the Air - a superb piece) of his music was rejected by the producers, who then got Ron Goodwin to re-score the film, and it is his music that appears in the final film. However, the DVD contains both the Goodwin score and the restored Walton score - either can be selected from the menu on playback. This makes for a fascinating comparison, as does the CD which again contains both scores. The experience apparently put Walton off scoring any more films - nobody bothered to tell him what had been done and he only found out when he went along to see the film!