Happy Saint Patrick’s Eve! You thought you’d experienced all the shelves you could handle last week? Think again! It’s time to explore the alcoves. (But not the ones in Koningin Astrid Park…)

The Alcoves

Last week I put up the shelves for the glassware to replace the dresser which has gone to a new home. This week it was the turn of the alcoves to be shelved. These were going to be used to replace more of the lost storage from the dresser although only for lightweight items. Rather than using floating shelf hardware, I made battens from some oak reclaimed from the conservatory flooring. The oak battens were a little overkill, but they’re strong and match the colour of the shelves.

A Whole New Fence (Don’t you dare close your eyes…)

My mama always said, life is like a hedge in Plymouth. You never know what kind of fire extinguisher you’re going to get.

Yes, there’s a certain element of mystery when you delve into the outback around these parts. You might find a garden tabletop, a fire extinguisher, a set of keys, or even an old Nokia mobile. The amount of litter I’ve removed is incredible. It’s all part of the process I suppose. I did some hedge clearing last week but for the fence itself I called in the professionals. The A(CE Fencing) Team! They worked diligently over a few days clearing the old rotten fencing and putting together the perfect replacement. I let go of finishing the wall and instead opted to have the corner fenced in. I was tempted to DIY it, but it would have been a massive job that I would have likely bodged together and taken a long time to do it. At least this fence will last for years to come.

Cocktail Corner

I was given some Austrian plum liqueur recently and I couldn’t resist some cocktail experimentation. The level of sweetness meant that it was best used as a modifier, so I found a build that would accommodate it nicely. The daisy is a combination of a base spirit (1 1/2 oz), a liqueur (1/2 oz), lemon or lime juice (3/4 oz), and sugar syrup (1/4 oz). I used the M&S Spiced Sugar Plum Gin liqueur as a base – it was weaker and sweeter than the usual base spirits but it fitted the theme and flavour profile of the cocktail nicely. To this, I added the plum liqueur, lemon juice, and some cocktail cherry syrup.

The concotion was shaken with ice and strained into Nick and Nora glasses, and garnished with a cocktail cherry. The silver leaf in the gin liqueur made for quite a striking finished appearance, and the result was rather good. It was on the sweeter side, so next time I think I’ll cut down on the sugar syrup as there is plenty of sweetness in the gin liqueur. I’m calling it Christmas in Kans…wait, that one’s already taken. How about, the Sugar Plum Daisy?

The Pipeline

I’m working on a number of projects as always. Dovetailing neatly into the last segment, I am going to build a set of doors for the bookcase currently housing our spirit collection. The Japanese door curtain is nice but not really that practical, and a cocktail cabinet would be ideal but they can run to a ridiculous price without adding much functionality. Just for fun I did get a quote for custom oak doors online which ran to a mere £446.40. Sure you can get MDF or vinyl ones, but it feels like sacrilege to bolt them onto a solid wood bookcase. Instead I am going to do learn how to do it myself. I’ve been down to Totem Timber for the oak stiles and rails, and I’m using hardwood plywood for the central panel. It’s going to cost significantly less than the quoted price even after buying a pocket hole jig and hinge jig. Even if I had to buy everything again I still wouldn’t come close to the quoted price.

Zelda: BOTW

Hot on the heels of the announced sequel, I have picked up Zelda Breath of the Wild and resumed from where I left off. I was a little deflated that there was no continue mode after defeating Ganon but now I’m back to exploring the countryside and working through some of the downloadable content (DLC) missions. The challenge level of some of those is immense and my skill level has dropped considerably, but that hasn’t stopped me from trying.

The beauty of the Switch is that I can play a fairly involved game while someone else is watching TV or playing a different console. The idea of playing the Witcher 3 on a portable console blew my mind, and although it’s not a perfect experience, it is still pretty enjoyable. Breath of the Wild feels much more optimised for the Switch though and provides a better handheld experience. Having said that, the majority of my gameplay is with the Pro Controller because it is undeniably more comfortable and ergonomic. The inbuilt controllers are by no means bad, but the rectangular shape inherently limits comfort levels.

Back to Zelda…