In 1996 I moved schools from Rongotai College to Wellington High School. At Rongotai I had been part of a small group of heavy metal listening friends in a school whose focus was definitely more geared towards sport. Wellington High was a gloriously different beast with a strong music tradition. Members of Shihad had graduated…
Author: southstarbrew
Food : My Happy Place
Its Sunday afternoon. I have all day to myself. Apart from walking the dog I have responsibilities to no one. The sun streams through the kitchen window of my wee 70’s home, there is a freezer full of farm kill, a larder of possibilities, a fridge full of veggies and a garden of herbs. A…
Food : Vegetarian Steak and Cheese Pie
Vegetarian Steak and Cheese Pie 15 years ago I had just come out the end of an arts degree and graduate diploma in social policy. I had worked in kitchens as a kitchen hand / dish pig through my degree and now was working days at Moore Wilsons. I was also at the end of…
Travel : Brussels with the Neilsons
Saturday I woke went down onto the street and bought a coffee and pain au chocolat from the sandwich shop at the foot of the hotel. I walked over to the Church of Notre-Dame de Bon Secours which was ringing its bells and had my breakfast on the street below. I then headed back to…
Travel : Yorkshire to Brussels
Friday I woke , breakfasted at the pub and headed off for a last walk around Hebden. The sun was back out , the morning crisp and Hebden was immodestly picturesque. I walked down the canal and took in the narrow boats. Had a coffee and then headed for the train station. A quick train…
Travel : Vocation brew day Cragg Vale and Hebden Bridge
Thursday I woke after a strange dream filled nights sleep. A combination of all the homelessness I had seen and some odd open plumbing system on the toilet cistern that created dripping water noise all night resulted in me dreaming I was sleeping rough. I pulled myself together , went for breakfast in the small…
Travel : Heading up North
Weds I packed my things , said goodbye to Stu and Fritha and headed north by train for Yorkshire. Once in London I got onto my Leeds train and as I sat in the isle seat waiting to leave I felt a whack on the back of my head. A distinctive voice said sorry and…
Travel : Last day in London
Tuesday I did a final tourist day in London. I started out at London Bridge and walked down the Thames past HMS Belfast, a WW2 era light cruiser moored in the Thames as a tourist attraction and down to Tower Bridge and across . Then back up the Thames path to St Pauls. Then I…
Travel : Sussex
Monday Stu and myself set off for a journey through Sussex . First stop was Burning Sky in an impossibly beautiful village called Firle. I had hoped to meet Mark Tranter in the flesh rather than just in twitter land but he was alas busy else ware. Lead brewer Tom was a great guide however…
Travel : Rest day in Kent
Sunday was a rest day, and by this point in the trip I needed a proper rest. There had been an idea about heading to Tunbridge Wells to check out some pubs but in the end we stayed at Stu and Fritha’s and had a lazy afternoon of beer , wine and cheese in the…
Raise the Dawn 