Well worth a read for anyone with even the slightest interest in web accessibility. Grab a coffee, this is a lengthy transcription.
I have many fond memories of my week on Islay attending the Bruichladdich whiskey academy.
The people of Islay were warm and friendly, the air was clean and the food was fresh. I was able to get my hands dirty gaining practical experience of all aspects of whiskey production from barley to bottle. Malting, milling, mashing, fermenting, distilling, filling, warehousing, bottling and needless to say tasting.
The throb of the turbo prop twin propeller aircraft landing me on Islay; the strength of the stiff sea breeze coming in off the Atlantic; the sweet taste of malted barley grains. The clacking of the mill making grist; the thunderous power of thousands of gallons of water filling Mash Tuns; the smell of fermenting yeast in washbacks; the hiss and heat in still rooms; the piece of damp and dark warehouses; the weight of bourbon barrels and sherry butts; the rhythmic clinking of the bottling line; the gentle tinckle of drams of aged single malt whiskey in nosing glasses; the unrestrained laughter of students at the university of life; these impressions of Islay and her people plus many more memories will stay with me for a very long time.
Just as well really as Mr Martin Roberts and I are now joint owners of a barrel of new make spirit which is maturing in a bonded warehouse overlooking the atlantic ocean. It should be ready to drink some time after the year 2017.
Oh and did I mention that my favourite new word is “reflux” – vapour which falls to be redistilled resulting in only the lightest cleanest vapour making it to the condenser.
Ok, if this works – I may be able to email from my thinkpad or Smartphone to my Blogger.com account, which will ftp my blog to my Plus.net web space, posting on DaveWilliams.co.uk, updating the Atom feed which should now also be syndicated to the FaceBook Notes application.
"Don't worry. As long as you hit that wire with the connecting hook at precisely 88mph the instant the lightning strikes the tower… everything will be fine." Dr. Emmett Brown.
There has got to be a more elegant way of bringing it all together.
I have finally succumbed to peer pressure and signed up to the Book. Now I am looking for way to integrate this blog with my FB activities. Grgrgr. Everything else is ticking over just nicely.
Online – I’m enjoying the BBC iPlayer and 4OD as well as Audible where I just bought a Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon.
Offline – The Whiskey Academy on Islay bookended by weekends in Preston is fast approaching. I am wondering what to pack and what not to pack. When travelling for work the choices are pretty clear: suits … check, Dolphin shirts .. Check, laptop … Check, bag of smartphones and accessories … Check. But a week on a remote Scottish island in September is a different prospect entirely. I’m hoping to squeeze in a guitar lesson and pub quiz before I go, neither of which is likely to offer any inspiration in the packing department.
In randomness – Don’t look now but Liverpool are sitting astride the English Premier League! Oh and lest you forget, I am 31 in 45 days! I just bought some nectarines from the Co-op. Think I may go and try one.
Fascinating eh? This is why I don’t blog much!