A hectic few months have kept me away from the keyboard.

Plenty has happened since the last post. The more I have to write about, the less time there is to document it all. We’re in the middle of house tidying/improving which has been semi-all-encompassing, but we did make time for the annual Halloween movie. I’ve missed one (give or take) in the last decade, and I try not to repeat that mistake if I can help it.

This year we’ve kept it small scale and simple. Here’s “Baku”, the Halloween film for 2026:

Saturday Morning Ritual (Roll with it?)

It’s now baked into my Saturday routine. Friday night mix dough, Saturday morning shape and bake bread rolls. There’s something therapeutic in the simplicity of it, while finding a way of improving time after time. Noticing how the bread changes with the season, too. The dough becomes slightly less forgiving as room temperature drops, the rolls a little smaller due to less of a rise. I could find a way of fitting them into one of the ovens at a low temperature for a better rise, but they don’t really need it. Simple is best in this case.

Despite what you may read in an AI summary, I don’t vary proportions.

My mix is pretty much identical week on week. 600g strong white bread flour, 1 tsp fast action yeast, 2 tsp fine sea salt, and 460mL room temperature water. Whisk the dry ingredients together first, then add water, and form into a rough dough ball. Don’t bother kneading. All you’re trying to do is ensure everything is incorporated well and there are no massive lumps of unmixed flour. You might need to add a smidge more water. Then put a tea towel over it and leave it overnight.

The following morning, turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Divide into 12 pieces (I usually cut the big ball into three then each of those pieces into four). Shape each into a roll, then leave to proof on a baking tray for 20 minutes. Start heating your oven (fan, 200 C), then after 20 minutes brush the rolls with beaten egg (or milk) and sprinkle over sesame seeds. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate the tray 180 degrees and bake for another 5 minutes. Leave the rolls to cool on a wire rack and enjoy.

Misremembered Ghosts?

I thought I’d played Ghost of Tsushima. I thought I’d found it interesting but ultimately uncompelling. Turns out that was a different Japanese-themed samurai game. Who knows which one, as I can’t remember any other details, but it wasn’t this game. I finally sat down and played it this week and I can firmly say I’m a fan.

It’s absolutely stunning. Sweeping landscapes and breathtaking lighting effects meld with environmental clues to direct you where you need to go. The wind blows in the direction of your objective; perhaps the most inuitive way of finding your way round a map that I have ever seen. Who needs arrows when you can follow the windswept grass and trees. Is that too direct for you? Why don’t you take a few moments to follow a fox to a shrine, or a golden bird? These are a brilliant twist on traditional bland map waypoints.

For the uninitiated, Ghost of Tsushima follows Lord Jin Sakai who is one of the only survivors following a Mongol invasion of the island of Tsushima in feudal era Japan. You play a (now) lone samurai picking up the pieces following a great defeat in battle, attempting to regroup and repel the invading force. The samurai faced overwhelming strength and were brutally defeated, but Lord Sakai is determined to save his uncle who raised him and made him a samurai. Seeing Jin struggle between his noble idea of battle and the things he has to do to survive in this new world provides a compelling contrast and narrative tension. How do you cope in a dynamic and changing world when you are wedded to a rigid code and way of life?

If you enjoy Red Dead Redemption and the Witcher 3, you’ll probably love Ghost of Tsushima. It appeals to me deeply as a Japanophile, and provides an immersive and enjoyable experience exploring this period of history. The combat is satisfying too, and provides a reasonable amount of challenge without being punishing. Does that mean I’m good at it? Not really, but I’m slowly learning not to panic.

I have only just scratched the surface, but so far, so good. The only slightly irksome part is sneaking. Games often feel the need to put in protracted sections where you skulk around behind an enemy until you reach a set location, and although this is by no means the worst execution of this mechanic, it still gets old fast. Considering this is a game where you can walk up to enemies and challenge them to single combat by shouting at them, I think we can dispense with sneaking.