Who flipped the switch?

Yes I realize that autumn follows summer I just didn’t realize that in England on August 31 at 11.59pm someone flips a switch and that’s it summer is over. I didn’t really realize last year as spring melted into summer and summer to fall. It was more like two seasons last year winter and not winter.

This year we had summer, not the mind blowingly hot for three months kind of summer, but hey I live in England more than one day in the 90s F is a gift. It all ended promptly on September 1st. It was oh so noticeable, the cold mornings, bright sunshiny cool afternoons and crisp evening that had the autumn smell.

I look over at our fire place as I type this and realize that I need to take down my bright cheerful summer banner and think about sourcing some mini pumpkins and Indian corn. The leafy twigs that sit in the urns by the fire place need to be pulled down from the attic and maybe I should think about some Halloween decorations. I can honestly say that this year I am excited for fall. Usually I mourn the days getting shorter, the darkness creeping in, and the temperatures dropping but this year I can’t wait to buy me some pumpkins.

Then there is the food! Cottage Pie, Toad in the Hole, endless soups, and meat pies.
I love the heavy stomach filling stick to your ribs kind of food that fall and winter bring. Brussels sprouts should make their appearance soon and I have found if you eat the baby Brussels they aren’t so bad. Fall deserts are yummy too, pumpkin cheese cake, pecan pie, zucchini bread with the last of the summer zucchini.

The best part of autumn however has to be the fact that the goose down duvet has been pulled down from the attic and I can look forward to its light but warm cover for months to come

Iron Cupcak IV

Another month another iron cupcake. I don't know why I love the after shot more than the before. I think the pure gluttony of sitting back and realizing that you and your partners in crime just ate your way through more than 20 cupcakes. Yes you cut them in halves and quarters but damn your a pig and you would do it all over again. In fact you will do it all over again next month. For pictures of the pretty cupcakes in the before phase head over to Iron Cupcakes.

Yank Works

So I realized that I have never spoken much about my work on my blog. Some of that was the whole if I say too much I might get fired issue, some of it was just being lazy.

So what does Yank do?

I work for a corporate reception management firm.

What does that mean?

Basically the company I work for manages the receptions of a number buildings and companies.
Some are what we call Front of House this is where you walk into a large multi tenanted building and someone signs you in give you directions to where the lifts are and what floor you will need. These building only because there is little variance in your job are my least favourite.
Some are client floor(s) this is where you manage a client floor depending on the contract you will do different things from meet and greet, managing meeting rooms, taking meeting room reservations, switchboard, ordering of taxis, ordering of couriers, mail delivery and many other tasks. I like these sites better.

99.9% of the employees who work for my company are static, this means every day they go to the same place and work for the same client. Their shifts may rotate to cover reception during the open hours but they will always be at the same site. The other .01% percent are what is called the Elite Team. Our role is to cover holidays, sickness both short and long term, training, vacancies that have not been filled, maternity leave, busy periods.

I belong to the Elite Team, it was the role I took when I was hired and have been doing it for the last 15 months. I love my job, I love the company I work for, but I need a change, a new challenge. I really don’t want to change companies as I mentioned I love the company I work for. They are not perfect but you can tell they care and are actively trying to improve on a constant basis. This is the first company I have worked for where the training they say they are so big on in the interviewing stage actually takes place.

One of the downside of being on the Elite Team for the last 15 months is that I have been to almost every site my company manages. Some I have spent long periods at and this has allowed me to know which of these sites for whatever reason would not be the right place for me to take a static position. Some of these reasons are a trivial as the escalator is right next to reception and makes the most mind numbing noise all day every day until you want to scream, or they are in the wrong part of London to make my commute as hassle free as possible. Some of my reasons are a lot less trivial, I don’t mesh with manager’s style of management, I have had issues with another employee, as I mentioned above I prefer client floor to front of house services. So once I have ticked of sites I definitely do NOT want to work at, and sites that I would hesitate to work at I am left with a very short list of about 5 sites that perfectly or almost perfectly meet my criteria.

So now I wait, I wait for a position to come up at one of these sites, I wait for contracts for new sites that might be of interest or worse case scenario I start looking outside of the company I work for. I am not really ready to do this yet but if by next summer nothing has come available or I have not been able to secure a position if it has become available that is where I will be.

So raise your glasses to new challenges and opportunities and watch this space.

Death by Cupcake

This is what a valid attempt to try 24 cupcakes with three mates looks like. More new on last nights Iron Cupcake when the sugar rush wears off.

How can something so pretty taste so bad?

.

The frosting I mean, there is nothing wrong with the cupcake itself actually the cupcake is really nice, the frosting however leaves something to be desired. It was my first attempt at boiled or 7minute frosting, and to be honest I can ever remember tasting it in the past. I wanted something that would give the illusion of marshmallow on top of my graham cracker and chocolate chip cupcake. I was going for a s'mores theme but sadly the frosting was so disgusting I gave up. These are not the cupcakes I will be entering in the Iron Cupcakes contest tonight. Really anything that tastes as bad as this did should not be allowed to look as cute as my little cupcake looks. I even "toasted" some of the frosting with a kitchen torch to get the whole roasted marshmallow effect, it did not improve upon the flavor. I think the next time I do it I will add a %#*$ load of flavoring into the frosting so you don't get that whole sickly sweet meringue flavor. Watch this space either to night or tomorrow I will post the pictures from Iron Cupcakes I am now going to contemplate that I made that monstrosity above

Yank Cooks!

So anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I can bake at a slightly above average level, but yes Yank can cook too, sort of. Yank chooses not to most of the time because Mr. Y in E is a chef so why waist that talent. A few weeks ago though Yank wanted Mr. Y in E's yummy gammon soup which requires boiling off gammon and having dinner of that one night and then making soup with the stock and left over gammon. Due to schedules if Yank did not boil off the gammon the soup would not get made. So never one to shy away from a large hunk of meat Yank Cooked.

1 Gammon,
2 pepper corns
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1bay leaf

All Rough chopped
1 carrot
1/2 onion
1 leek
2 stalks celery



Cover with just enough water to cover the gammon and bring to a boil.
Gently simmer until temperature probe reads 145F

Transfer Gammon into casserole dish and cover with a glaze of brown sugar, maple syrup, and water (sorry did not measure just made it up)

Bake in oven continually basting until all the glaze is cooked off.

Remove from oven bask in glory of the large piece of pork you just cooked and then eat.

Goes well with warm potato salad and crispy garden salad.

Dear. . . .

Bob Crow
General Secretary
National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
Unity House39
Chalton Street
London NW1 1JD

Dear Mr. Crow,

Earlier this week I wrote an angry letter to you in regards to the strike taking place by members of your union in regards to pay and benefits on National Express East Anglia line. In the letter I compared you to the Antichrist, but after much thought I decided not to send it. I certainly believe that workers should have the right to strike when working conditions and pay are bad. I however don't believe that in the current financial climate asking for a 2.5% raise above inflation and a four day working week is very sensible. Never the less in the spirit of your right to strike I have dealt with the longer train journeys on a train line that is not as easily assessable to where I live ( I don't drive). I am however disappointed that after all of the hardship your union members are putting me through so they can have their strike that I have not seen one picket line either at the station located near me or at Liverpool Street Station in London. I do understand that due to the strike and the lack of train services a number of your union members are probably having a difficult time making it to London but I would enjoy the sight of them at my local train station, which is Southend Victoria should you care to ask a few people to picket for my pleasure.

On a side note after having journeyed home on the C2C line last night and enjoying a train service that was air conditioned, ran on time, and a lot smoother ride maybe you could mention this to the big bosses at National Express East Anglia. I know it is not your concern about customer service I am just thinking that maybe if you came up with some ideas of how to draw more customers to the line so they could make more money and then in turn be able to pay for your 2.5% pay raises and 4 day working week they would be more willing to negotiate.

I do hope that you and your union members enjoy your four day weekends (five days over the bank holiday sweet!) for the rest of the summer, funny how that all worked out for you. While I am no longer upset enough to compare you to the Antichrist I would not worry about leaving your diary open for dinner party invites or keeping you eye out for a card at Christmas.

Kind Regards,

Yankee in England