Rain. Rain. And more rain. Although that’s not all that visited recently…

For the first time in living memory, our garden played host to a little spiky mammal who wandered into view across the patio. The area is rather exposed and patrolled by multiple cats which is probably why we haven’t seen any hedgehogs here before. I’m hoping he sticks around and helps get on top of the slug population. They really are as spiky as they look (but not quite as fast as Sonic).

Finish It!

It’s time to get some house projects finished up. I had an offcut from the European walnut worktop I used for our office desk which I had been using as a chopping board. The only problem is the amount of space it took up on the counter. My ideal solution? Have it fit over the top of the induction hob.

How should one go about this? Glue some strips of wood at either end to lift it above the height of the hob? Or spend an excessive amount of time and effort using a router to cut channels out to get to the desired depth? You can guess which one I picked. As a result, I started the project and ran out of time. I finally picked it up again over the weekend, routed out the last little bit, then used the belt sander to level off the surface. I finished the job with a little hand sanding close to the edges.

It’s a little bit rough still but does the job. I finished it with some mineral oil and now I’ve got the perfect place to store the board. One off the list. Anything else to complete around here?

Resident Evil 4 Remake

Yep. We managed to finish RE4 after a slow start. It’s a great game but harder than I remembered. That, or I’ve gotten a bit worse at games (a distinct possibility). At first it felt like a questionable remake as the original is not that old in the grand scheme (2005) but it’s not long before you realise how much has changed. There are lots of little refinements and tweaks that make a much more pleasant experience. One of the most notable is the removal of quick time events (QTEs). If you’re unfamiliar, a QTE is a prompt that tells you to push a certain button that can be failed by not pushing anything or pushing the wrong one. Some of the QTEs in the original game were awful, and led to rather comical death scenes. It’s even funnier (read: incredibly frustrating) when you’re playing a port on the PC and the buttons flashing up are incorrectly mapped or don’t exist on a keyboard.

The graphics in the remake are fantastic. The controls and character movements much smoother. The only thing I wish they added is a dodge roll option, although that might have been straying too far from the original. The developers must have been in a constant struggle between modern innovation and preserving the spirit of the original game. It’s a brilliant revival and one any horror fan should give a try. And if you’re new to the series, it’s as good an entry point as any. The plot is relatively light in this one. Mansion/castle. Check. Lab. Check. Sewer. Check. They’re covering all the greatest hits.

Having said that, I still think the Resident Evil 2 Remake is the best survival horror I’ve played in recent times, and probably the best Resident Evil game. Period. If that wasn’t clear.

VanMoofing on

I have not forgotten the VanMoof X3. Though it has been mostly in bits in our conservatory, I’ve been poking it from time to time. I’ve managed to dislodge the socket inside the frame so the next step is to push it out. That sounds like it should be easy, but nothing in this bike’s design has made it straightforward. There have been a lot of challenges and awkward part removal to get it this far, but it’s almost where it needs to be. Whether I can repair the wiring harness is another matter entirely, but I need to get it out before I can assess that.

At Kitchen

We have been remiss. It had been a long time since we visited At Kitchen in Plymouth Market. Over the weekend we ascended the stairs to the market’s mezzanine to dine on some excellent Asian food including bánh mi and pad see-ew (stir fried noodles). It’s one of the consistently best spots for lunch in Plymouth and still remains reasonably priced despite the increase in overheads in recent years. You can even get Vietnamese coffee.

I’ll close out with some enhanced ramen. Packet ramen topped with fried eggs, sweetcorn, sliced spring onion, and chillies in oil. It’s still making my mouth water.