#Builder's tea

[whatthefoucault]

Because it's peak hot beverage season, here's an assemblage of Hot Beverage Guys (gn). Which Hot Beverage Guy are you?

[cuppa-and-a-view]

Come tae the Barrowland tonight

Come tae the Barrowland tonight

Swing yer maw, swing yer paw, swing yer granny up the wa

Come tae the Barrowland tonight!

Cuppa: an exquisite builder's tea with two sugars

View: the retro interior of Guido's Coronation Café on Gallowgate, Glasgow.

I don't go into the city as much as I used to, as I've changed jobs. It's nice to have a reason to come intae toon on a sunny evening, and this Friday I had the best of reasons.

The Barrowland Ballroom was just that, a popular dancing spot until it burned down in the 50s and was rebuilt in the swinging 60s. The perfect place to spend a night at the dancing, and maybe find a cute boy to walk you home. Now that ballroom dancing isn't so much the thing, the Barrowland has become a world famous music venue.

Warning: flashing lights

When they started this way, I knew which song they were going to lead with! If you want to hear the rest, here's the lockdown version (there's a studio version and an official video too, I just like that one!)

I am a huge fan of Tide Lines. The man above has the voice of a burly Gaelic angel. And this guy here is a wizard on a different set of pipes:

We even got a wee cover of another act that famously played here:

It was a wonderful night. Especially the moment that Robert Robertson forgot his own lyrics, while the crowd confidently went on singing. Maybe we should hold up prompt cards.

I'll leave you with a couple of Glasgow's famous murals, on the Barrowland itself, and on the Winged Ox pub at St. Luke's, another excellent music venue just along the street.

[softh0neycomb]

Baker!Reader X Butcher!Simon

First little noodlings

You’re sat in your local Costa, sadly picking at an overpriced, sad sandwich and lukewarm coffee. Chains are never your first option if you can help it, but this small town doesn’t have a local cafe open past 10am.

Another sigh, you could do it so much better, you think, grimacing at a bite of soggy bread. As a baker, you know good bread and this, this is not good bread.

How difficult can it be, really, you sip from your cup; musing.

You could do it, you think, you already have a steady business as an online bakery and a presence at the closest local markets, known for your delicate bakes with pretty decorations.

The savoury side of things though…you know what’d you’d do, sandwiches with homemade focaccia, doorstep thick toast, savoury pastries.

It’d have to be right though. The voice pops up unbidden and you bite your lip, your need for perfection is both a blessing and a curse.

You abandon the remnants of your sandwich and head home thoughts churning.

In your kitchen, you create a focaccia, flaky salt, the good olive oil, rosemary and cherry tomatoes.

Once it’s cooked you realise you don’t have the right meats and you drag yourself to the store, you stand in front of the deli meats aisle for longer than you want to admit, until your fingers start to get a little numb and you take home a selection and painstakingly try a little of everything with the bread and nothings right, nothing works.

You hiss in frustration before cutting a large chunk and wrapping it in wax paper and grabbing your keys.

You know you must look like a crazy person, stomping into the butchers and dropping the bread on the counter in front of the mountain of a man who works there, bottom half of his face covered by a black mask.

“I need help” you say shortly “I’ve tried the supermarket meats and it’s not right.”

He stares at you, shocked, confused, you can’t tell.

“Look you’re an expert right?” A slow nod. “Good. I’m fed up of having no good cafes so I’m gonna do it myself but I’m a novice at savoury, so taste that.”

You wave a hand irritably at the wax-paper wrapped focaccia “and please tell me what meat is supposed to go in it.”

There’s a beat, two, before callused hands are unwrapping the bread and tearing a chunk off, corner of the mask lifting to accommodate before being lowered.

A moan. “I know” you say, slightly smug “so I’m not putting it with mediocre fillings”

The man hums, swallowing, before turning to a leg of something along the back counter and cutting a thin slice, dropping it onto a paper plate before handing it to you.

“Try that” he rasps, you take the plate and try the meat, it’s salty, slightly smoky and so much better than whatever you brought from the supermarket and combinations throw themselves into your head.

You’re unaware of the butcher staring at you.

“How much will I need to make at least….four sandwiches?” You half ask, half demand.

“Bout 15 slices” he replies after a moments thought.

“Great, that then please” you say sweetly, “and you can keep the rest of the bread.” you add on when you’ve paid and have the wrapped meat in your hand before almost running out of the shop to get home.

Simon stares for a long time, before devouring the rest of the bread.

[sluttyquarantinetheory]

Why does my coworker from Yorkshire have tea that's labeled like the toxic masculinity version of being british?

[celestialprincesse]

men will simply never understand the urge to put a whistling kettle on top of the stove and drink loose leaf tea by the fireplace😔

[sanddusted-wisteria]

Come out to the garden, beneath the wisteria and beside the moonflowers...

Somebody's waiting for you...

[fangbangerghoul]

Kiichi fits right in with The Fleeting Youth Tea Society.

[elevatourism]

For being THE Earl guy ever to exist it's actually extremely funny how much I like coffee. Coffee is like literally a personality trait for me /LH

[sparrownnax]

just finished book three! what the fuck

[thegnomelord]

I just chugged a redbull and now I feel like I can beat a 6’10 bodybuilder

-🐈‍⬛ anon

Don't. You'll get bent like a pretzel

[f1-disaster-bi]

I glad you feel a bit better today! And that you are easing yourself back into writing 💕💕💕

Thank you!! I'm definetly feeling better! The head cold/flu is gone and all that's left is the sore throat that is slowly improving, but I'm keeping to my antibiotics and pain meds to manage it so fingers crossed 🤞

Hopefully I will get more asks done tomorrow and some writing. Today got away from me cause I had people up, we've builders at the house tomorrow so had to move/clean things, I've a hospital appointment tomorrow and then I was watching my cousin's four year old (who likes cars and I may have indoctrinated him with some F1....and he now loves "the orange car the same age as me"....he also asked where the cars live which was cute 😭).

So hopefully tomorrow, I can chill out and do some writing in the afternoon for you guys 🥹💖

[irradiate-space]

Builders' Tea

for reasons, I occasionally receive updates from an Englishman who is restoring a Scottish castle:

Admonition the Fifty-first: A Cup of Tea is Essential to Keep the Team Happy

If you have self-built or self-restored or even commissioned any significant building work here in the UK, you will know the importance of builders’ tea (BT). Not only that everyone on site drinks at least a dozen cups a day, but that you have to make a good mug to ensure workforce morale.

It helps too if you smoke.

Or did.

Or at least can provide matches.

Smoking or possibly vaping (though I have no experience of the latter) has been an integral part of the tea taste experience for years and shouldn’t be discounted lightly in the building site experience of tea drinking. The cloying sweetness of a good BT can be cut through by a drag of Golden Virginia or similar. Prefabs are, in my view, too polluted with additives – like salt petre – oh – and filter. This is not to say a fag is necessary, or even desirable, its just that for historical purposes, one needs to see that a cigarette until recently has been a virtually compulsory condiment.

A big Newfoundland is helpful too – not as a condiment obviously, but to finish discarded mugs left on the floor, ensuring that next tea-break is presented with a “sparkling” set of crockery.

The builders’ tea which would achieve the equivalent of three Michelin stars for the maker takes practice and an ability to distinguish in microseconds between multiple tea shaded pantones as well as the respective mash- and sledge- hammers of sweetness.

Critical BT elements are:

One: a big mug. Preferably with a sweary joke on the outside, or for a fuller flavour, inside on the bottom as well. It needs to be a big receptacle for the purposes of ensuring adequate hydration in the squad member, but also to retain tea-heat to the bottom of the vessel – this is especially important for the self-styled raconteur of the group, who will, it is true, spend more time gassing than drinking, smoking, laughing or farting, but will still insist on a properly hot cup of char to the end of the mug and / or break. Two: boiling water. Not for the purposes of flavour as refined tea-baggers would have it, but so the tea remains hot for as long as possible, particularly after the violent pressing – (3) below – and multiple silver spoons – (4) below. Three: Violent pressing (VP). For a deep mahogany colour, despite full-fat milk and below-mentioned epic quantities of refined Tate&Lyle. VP is achieved with plenty of greased elbow and an over-large teaspoon (otherwise the already heroic number of four teaspoons of sugar becomes a teeth-crackingly legendary seven). The deep colour of a good builders’ tea will visually presage the hot, sweet assault when you drink it. Four: 1 bag of Tate&Lyle Silver Spoon a day. To sweeten and render the correct stiff tea-texture, in which teaspoon stands momentarily. The legend of the permanently upright utensil is an overstatement. What you need to see as you lift your hand from the spoon is a momentary hesitation, and then a smooth fall in an arc centred on the tip of the spoon sitting on the bottom of the mug. If either the spoon tip slips to the side of the mug or, the fall is as sudden as you’d expect in water or, if the jangle of the spoon hitting the side of the mug speaks to a jostling, and a multiple impact, and therefore a lack of meniscal tension in the liquid – well, then, I am afraid you will have failed.

Now you might ask, what of the actual ingredients? Well, bags are essential. You will not have time to muck about with loose tea, no matter how flavourful and subtle. As you will have gathered, subtlety will be entirely wasted. The jury is still out on round, square or triangles, and I think, is influenced by the fact that various brands have different technologies. For me its about the blend … And a good blend is essential. Yorkshire. Scottish. Cheap is ideal of course because the more dusting included with leaves the thicker the texture. Milk is important. Just on the turn can invoke disgust or, depending on the audience, reminiscence about growing up. Full fat is better – again thicker. Skimmed works, but its thinness mitigates against the overall effect. No, the lactal fizz behind your back teeth of a full fat or even, gold top, as lactose and sucrose interact is an essential part of the experience – although the richness of the gold top might just be too luxurious. Biscuits are the compulsory condiment. We began with variety boxes, roadtested all-comers then settled on Rich Tea, Gingernuts and Bourbons. The deciding factor was the performance of each having been dipped. All other things being equal, you are now ready to recruit your team and begin the restoration – in our case, the house, rather than the castle.

Isn't he wonderful?

[bedforddanes75]

my toxic trait is i havent drank anything other than green tea since december

[telesilla]

Holy shit, I made it off the planet! How cool is it that if you use mods, they’re included in the credits along with the names of the makers?

[teaandgames]

Review - Frostpunk 2

So, I had a moment of wondering whether I really liked this game or not. Then I realised that I hadn't taken any notes for the last three days and my neck hurt from leaning in to the screen.

So that was a definite 'I like it'.

If you're a fan of the original Frostpunk, then brace for a slower experience, that's more about maintaining a balance than desperately stockpiling for the endgame.