#90 Hot off the Press - Crevé Dur

Issue 2 of Crevé is now available:























Valves - should it be Presta or Schroeder? A spirited debate from both camps reveals that it is not an open and shut valve.

The Inner Tube - from the author of The Inner Game a new discussion into the psychology of pressure and how high it could or should go. Off the scale? - you decide.

Blow Up! - (1966) is director Michelangelo Antonioni's view of mod fashion and an engaging, provocative murder mystery that examines the existential nature of reality through the world of punctures and flared trousers.

FREE! pre-glued, jumbo puncture repair patch - with every new subscription to Crevé.
See also blog #78

#89 where? when? . . . . and why?

Another photo from the shoebox.

#88 Rare CD (live)

I just found this CD in the remainder bin at our
local supermarket - for only 2 euros!
I might put it on eBay and see what happens.



















Nathan Wiltshire is modern pop music's ultimate chameleon, bouncing from pop to country and even orchestral experiments all with the breathless enthusiasm of the newly converted.

Wiltshire has explored soul and funk before, but never with the conviction he shows here in this rare live recording.

Its a rare classic, don't you know (grin).

#87 Olé

Just to avoid any confusion - it is not me swirling the cape - I just took the snap!

#86 Thai Fish Curry

How I cook a fish curry in about 20 minutes:

















Ingredients:
olive or coconut oil for frying
red onion(s)
2 cloves of garlic
fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice of 1 or 2 limes
half a can of coconut milk
fillets of firm fish (Perch for preference) cut into cubes
½ mango (also in cubes)
some fresh coriander

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion and garlic until soft. Add the ginger and chillies and fry further 2 - 3 minutes.

2. Stir in the fish sauce, lime juice, coconut milk and cook for a further few minutes.

3. Add the fish and simmer for 5 minutes or until the fish is nearly cooked, then add mango, cook for 2 more minutes.

4. Dress with freshly chopped coriander.

Finally
Serve with rice or noodles.

More curries #73 and #69

#85 Moors and Christians

A thousand and a bit years ago, Spain had a ding-dong between the Moors and the Christians. These days it might be called 'ethnic cleansing' as the Christians sent the Moors packing back to Africa.

Now, we have a fiesta to commemorate the event - and everyone enjoys themselves!

Groups of men and women parade up and down the High Street dressed in their particular persuasion. Then they shout at each other, have a mock battle and get even more pissed!

Viva España!

top picture: a line of Moors - North American Indian division.
below: . . . . . . . your guess is as good as mine.

#84 Out for a Bike Ride

Self portrait as I wooshed down nice smooth road.
Somewhere between Sanet and Beniarbeig.
Costa Blanca, (sunny) Spain.

#83 More Front Doors

From a series of Other People's Front Doors















My man in Bali sent me this door - it could be his as he's building another house in his coconut grove. I will have to go there and confirm!

Other doors #29 #45 #61 #63

#82 Now Playing

Three new LP's on my Danset record player:






1. Ali Farka Touré - Savane
African guitarist and bluesman Ali Farka Touré's final solo studio album.

2. Gerry Mulligan and Astor Piazzolla - Reunión Cumbre
Jazz y Tango, recorded in 1974 - nice :-)

3. Anouar Brahem - Le Voyage de Sahar
Amazon said a load of bollox (including):
"Tunisian oud master Brahem continues his by-now-well-established collaboration with François Couturier (piano) and Jean-Louis Matinier (accordion.)

The trio's improvisations are miracles of weightless precision; while sounding like nobody else, they also evoke chanting medieval monks, Keith Jarrett's florid keyboard sagas, Parisian bal musette, the long-vanished Moorish kingdom of Granada via 20th-century Spanish composer Manuel de Falla, languid recollections of French impressionist Eric Satie plus dissonant gleanings from Astor Piazzolla's sardonic Argentinean neo-tangos.

Despite this complex array of intellectual influences, which permeate the trio's constructions like smoke rings, their works come across as disarmingly simple and unpretentious, a tidily diffuse combination of Arabic modes, European classical disciplines and jazzy intuition".

. . . . . . . . . . even so, it's quite good.

#81 Role Model

A picture from the archives, taken in St Thomas, US Virgin Isles.

#80 Pictures on walls (various)

If you can't make out the detail on this collage, come round to our house and have a look at the origional. Give me some notice so I can run off a print, have it framed and suitably hung.

#79 Lunatic Ahoy!

We don't get too much aggression or violence in Spain.
*Thankfully*

This poor man decided to try and destroy our water tap cover. It's made of iron, so he didn't succeed.

Woke the neighbours up from their siestas, though!

#78 Puncture Victims Magazine!

I'm going to start a magazine for cyclists that are always getting flats ;-)
It's going to be called Crevé. Here is the first front cover.
Hope it's not a let down, (ha ha).






















or that it's not just a load of hot air
or . . . . . (you may fill in your own pun here).

#77 Barcelona Ice Box

While we were in Barcelona we spotted this refrigerator in a shop window. It is painted in the Barcelona Football Club colours and is obviously intended for sale to some Cule (Barsa football club fan).

I looked on the Arsenal FC website and found a plastic drinking bottle for two quid and on the Chelsea FC site there were some Russian 'gold' medallions at various prices.

Being a bit of a Gooner I might have to get an Arsenal drinking bottle - just as cool as a fridge, eh?

#76 To the Fair

We went to the fair across the road.
We didn't ride the Bulls.
We didn't ride the Dodgems.
Someone did eat Chocolate Covered Churos!

#75 Torneo de Squash - Clasificado Uno!

Thursday and Friday
we had another
Torneo de Squash at the
Centro Deportivo Ogisaka
in Dénia.

Me (in very sweaty T shirt),
organiser Arturo and Paco
(runner up) on the 'podium'.

#74 HorseCop Chicago

Photo from the archives:
Policeman riding a horse in . . . Chicago!

#73 Hot & Sour Prawn Curry

How I cook:



Hot & Sour Prawn Curry - You will need:
Frying Pan

Fresh or frozen Prawns (shown here fresh Langostinos)
Red Onion(s)
Garlic
Chopped Tomato
Lump of Palm Sugar
Tamarind paste
Water (some)
Garam Masala Spices:
1tsp Black Pepper, 1tsp Clove, 1tsp cinnamon, 2tsp Cardamon, Bay leaves (alternatively buy ready made garam masala mix).
2tsp Cumin, salt to taste.
Sometimes I put in some fresh Chillies or 1tsp Chilli powder.

Method
Make tamarind paste by soaking pulp (or buy ready made).
Fry onions a bit, then add garlic, then garam masala spices & cumin, then tomato.
5 minutes later add sugar and tamarind, then water.
Make a sloppy sauce.

Cook this sauce for 20 minutes - or more (the more the better).

Finally
Add prawns for a few minutes.
Garnish with fresh coriander serve with rice or dhal.

#72 "Die you filthy cigarette packet!"

. . . . or words to that effect.
Keep Barcelona Tidy advertising campaign

#71 Back to Barça

. . . . or what we did at the weekend.



Friday: we drove up to Barcelona (5+ hours). Picked up Tom from work and carried on to Mataló to see a concert by Femi Kuti. Driving Nigerian Funk Rock.



Before the concert we went for tapas;
Calamares a la Romana, lots of home made Potato Croquettes, Pork Brochettes and Patatas Bravas - all good.

But *even better* was the cost of TWO BOTTLES of HOUSE WINE: 3.50 euros each! (If you think in your English Pounds, US, Canadian or even NZ Dollars, I can tell that 7 euros for two bottles is very, very cheap. Even in Indonesian Rupiahs they were a bargain!

Check the bill or ring them up at Can Pep if you don't believe me!

Saturday we walked around Barcelona. I took some photos of bottles of wine in a shop window and then Sally (in front of bottles of wine in a shop window).



Went for dinner in restaurant by the sea (not shown).
Ended up drinking mojitos in Leon's bar.
Pictured: Tom about to sample 7 euro (!) mojito.



















Sunday: photo of my Vans shoes,
print design by Addict,
standing on Pavement Plaque
somewhere in Barcelona.

Then we drove back to Dénia. :-)