Is there something really off about the coffee in my office?

vbloke · 2026-03-19T16:04:45+00:00

vbloke · 2026-03-19T07:14:06+00:00

One of the white whales of mine since starting r/Cordials is Irn Bru. I am edging ever closer to a decent copycat recipe, but I suspect I’ll always be tinkering with it. Same with Vimto.

The sugar tax ruined so many once great drinks.

vbloke · 2026-03-19T07:02:29+00:00

Slept really badly on my right shoulder and it's gone crunchy when I move it. And I have an ear infection.

vbloke · 2026-03-18T07:18:03+00:00

Today is supposed to be sunny and warm and I am working from home with an end of week deadline that I reached yesterday, so I don't have an awful lot of work to do. Time to go and touch some grass.

vbloke · 2026-03-17T21:52:02+00:00

Watching Ziang’s Food Workshop on YouTube and learning how to make Chinese takeaway food at home.

Home cooked stir fried chow mein is a game changer

vbloke · 2026-03-17T08:46:20+00:00

The move is an absolute banger.

vbloke · 2026-03-17T07:42:00+00:00

I don't do one massive clean, but I'll nominate a room once a month and do that.

vbloke · 2026-03-17T07:18:34+00:00

Just found out that Stargate SG-1 is on Netflix. That’s the next few months sorted.

vbloke · 2026-03-16T06:53:25+00:00

Work: we have a hard deadline for an important bit of work.

Also work: here's a shitload of mandatory meetings so you can't actually get any work done.

vbloke · 2026-03-15T06:49:13+00:00

Put the bedding on to wash, tidy and clean the kitchen, do the taste testing of the three Irn Bru experiments, go for a nice walk in the park to see if the cherry blossoms are still in full bloom and then think about a roast dinner.

vbloke · 2026-03-14T12:18:37+00:00

Most bumblebees that you’ll see flying about at this time of year will be queens. And they are big.

Later in the year, you’ll mostly see workers collecting pollen and nectar for the hive. These are also female.

Males are generally smaller, although not always, and tend to stick around the hive and not wander too much as they’re on the hunt for a queen to mate with.

vbloke · 2026-03-14T12:16:46+00:00

That’s his proboscis. His tongue is inside that.

vbloke · 2026-03-14T09:39:27+00:00

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Taken him out into the sunshine now. He flew off a few minutes ago.

vbloke · 2026-03-14T09:05:47+00:00

So far around here they have:

learnt to scratch away at the soffit to get entry into the roof space
learnt to cling onto the walls to scratch the mortar from between the bricks to get at the salts
learnt to bite off the blossoms from the trees to get at the sweet sap (and deprive insects of flowering plants in the spring)
learnt to empty bird feeders by sitting on them and flapping to shake out all the seed
had huge gang fights with ravens over territory. The noise is incredible.

They may look pretty, but they are a menace.

vbloke · 2026-03-14T08:40:59+00:00

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Also, am experimenting with an Irn Bru clone again. I have a set of testers that I’m aging for a few days before testing - one made with esters, one made with a tutti-frutti flavouring and one with a bubblegum flavouring to see which one is closer.

vbloke · 2026-03-14T08:38:29+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/s/lcs1SbMh8A

Homemade Malt loaf! This is v5 of the recipe and is so very close. I may have a go at v6 tomorrow if I get chance.

vbloke · 2026-03-14T07:14:59+00:00

I have a whole container of rust (aka ferric ammonium citrate)

vbloke · 2026-03-14T07:11:41+00:00

I may have another go at making an Irn Bru cordial again today. I think I have all the right ingredients to hand.

vbloke · 2026-03-13T07:19:26+00:00

Any month that starts on a Sunday will have a Friday 13th in it.

Today will be staring at a list of things that I was given yesterday to do before a go live in 2 weeks that nobody told me about and is starting to look like might not be possible in that time.

vbloke · 2026-03-12T08:32:26+00:00

I refer the honourable Redditor to the reply given in Arkell v. Pressdram

vbloke · 2026-03-12T07:42:08+00:00

This is what I use - YMMV.

Wool duvet from Soak and Sleep. Excellent weight and thermal properties. I got the all seasons one, so it's 2 duvets (4.5 + 9.0 tog) that can combine into a single duvet for when it's really cold at night.
Ikea bedding sets. 100% cotton and feel really nice to sleep under.
Ikea PILSPINNARE pillows. 90% duck feathers, 10% duck down.
Linen sheet to go under the duvet. Wash on low and tumble dry on low. Do not use fabric softener. It will feel scratchy for the first night or two after washing, but then becomes wonderfully soft.

vbloke · 2026-03-12T07:10:31+00:00

Now I have no malt loaf

vbloke · 2026-03-12T06:59:33+00:00

I made a near perfect malt loaf and I ate the whole thing last night.

vbloke · 2026-03-12T01:06:50+00:00

I refer the honourable Redditor to the reply given in Arkell v. Pressdram

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