Vouchers

After a weekend of doing almost literally nothing, I was sat at this very computer today (I'd like to say "this morning", but I got out of bed after noon) when I decided to take a long walk into South Harrow and investigate the large branch of Sainsbury's at the end of its high street.

Part of the reason for this is that a certain pie company contacted me via a certain other blogging project of mine in response to my review of one of their products. They asked for my address and - lo and behold - a few days later, I received a voucher in the post, to cover the cost of more of their products.

The other part of the reason is that I wanted to cook something, properly and from scratch, and I wanted to be sure to get good quality ingredients.

The route I took was basically straight down the high street from my home, then through a park. I'd passed the park whenever I've been driven home, either from work or from my folks, but never got round to paying it a visit. It's quite a large area, and I'd imagine it looks pretty darned good in the summer... but on a cold (well, warmer than it has been, but still fairly chilly in the wind), grey wintery day, it looked a bit bare and lifeless.

I was more than a little surprised to find what looked like exercise equipment near one entrance, fairly near the children's playground. Might have to investigate them further, once it warms up a bit... but there's certainly something that looks like one of those ski-walkers.

As I came to the park exit I needed, I passed a group of folks who were clearly filming... something. The oldest guy in the group was lying on the ground, with the camera poised directly above him, while the younger members of the group were milling around discussing... whatever they were doing. Strange.

It was quite a pleasant walk, all told, and I wasn't even cramping that badly by the time I got to Sainsbury's. Must try to either do some more walking, or at least figure out my optimal speed of movement, to reduce the cramping I always seem to get in my left shin.

Sainsbury's... kinda disappointed me. Make no mistake, I got all the ingredients I needed and, in some cases, was spoilt for choice. I picked up far more than I actually needed (foreseeing the need for futher experimentation?)... and, since I was there, I also got myself some more cereal - since I'd run out of Dorset muesli yesterday - bacon, microwave rice... and even a packet of biscuits. What I didn't get was anything I could have used my voucher on. If my local shops let me down by stocking nothing, and the nearest Waitrose has but a paltry selection, then South Harrow's Sainsbury's, despite being of approximately the same size, offers an insultingly small range of one product by this company. I shall have to venture further afield... there are other branches of both Waitrose and Sainsbury's on the way to Uxbridge, so I shall have a look in them when I next get the chance.

Once home, I sat down and watched Chronicles of Riddick on DVD... Now, I know I missed this in the cinema, but I'm also certain I've seen it before. I remember Judi Dench appearing, I remember Thandie Newton wearing a very tight dress, and I remember the run across a burning landscape... but I'd got the order of events mixed up, and had completely forgotten half the film. That said, having watched it earlier today, I still don't remember much about it... really not a great film, and the intended trilogy never materialised because, at a guess, this one didn't make enough at the box offices to warrant two follow-ons. Vin Diesel is always fun to watch, and Riddick is a reasonably compelling character - if a little wishy-washy in this, compared with his first appearance in Pitch Black. I can't think why I thought Jack/Kira was played by Dina Meyer, though... but then Alexa Davalos doesn't look completely unlike her... And Karl Urban seems to have a wackier hairstyle in every film he turns up in...

I only got started on the cooking quite late - later than I'd normally start if I was cooking something ready-made - so it's probably no surprise that it didn't go too well. Since this was an experiment, done largely without referring to any existing recipes or instructions, my 'red onion gravy' was very thin... though it certainly packed a punch. I'll have to practice (or possibly seek advice) to get it just right, but it was a good start, for a novice.

Whilst stuffing my face, I watched the first in the BBC's new sci-fi series, Outcasts, and was underwhelmed. It's all very down-played. You'd barely know it was sci-fi, as opposed to 'edgy soap opera' if it weren't for the improbable devices and nigh-constant use of acronyms for just about everything. Oh, and the crashing space ship - that was a bit of a giveaway.

Whether it's the writers, the directors or just the budgets, I don't know... but the BBC doesn't seem to do good sci-fi.