https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/07
type: Collection
type: Container
contains: border
contains: border-2
contains: crochet
contains: border-3
contains: storm
contains: week-in-review
contains: photos-ksamil
contains: flat
contains: discovered
contains: week-in-review-2
contains: food
contains: ill-advisedly
contains: feel-like-crochet
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contains: photos-sarande
contains: week-review-13--
contains: photos-sarande-2
contains: photos-sarande-3
contains: photos-sarande-4
contains: photos-food-2
contains: photos-sarande-5
contains: photos-jelly
contains: week-review-20--
contains: photos-crochet
contains: photos-fly
contains: intermission
contains: back-lincolnshire
contains: photos-uk
contains: overstaying
name: Posts between 2020/07 and 2020/08
total items: 29

back-lincolnshire
type: Note
content: Back in Lincolnshire, I'm already confused again about what time of the day 'dinner' occurs.
generator: no-ceremonies-are-necessary
published: 2020-07-30T13:48:13+01:00
tag: travel
tag: life
tag: language

border
type: Note
content: It's not looking good. Albania dropped from the EU's official 'safe' list, and a minister saying Kakavia land border is not ready due to incomplete disinfectant tunnels..
in reply to: border-2
published: 2020-07-01T07:33:00+02:00
tag: albania
tag: travel
tag: greece

border-2
type: Note
content: I don't want to jinx it but ~ there's a rumour ~ that they're letting people across the border anyway today so apparently we're gonna try?!
in reply to: border
published: 2020-07-01T10:37:00+02:00
tag: travel
tag: albania
tag: greece

border-3
type: Note
content: Still in Albania. All the border guards were very nice. The Albanian side let us go double check with the Greeks if they'd let us across before they stamped us out which was good of them. The Greeks said they'd love to let us through but Angela Merkel says they can't. They were just letting Greek citizens over at the moment, not even EU. It's very frustrating that with an EU passport I could fly to Athens from Albania, but not cross the land border. I'm not sure what to do next. Going to take a break from thinking about it for a few days.
in reply to: border-2
published: 2020-07-02T12:00:00+02:00
tag: coronavirus
tag: travel
tag: albania
tag: greece

crochet
type: Add
content: I finally got around to taking a photo of (almost) everything I crocheted during lockdown. Just in time to leave most of it behind. I played with some new combination stitches, and really like an openwork lace one that looks like spiders or palm trees. Decided to combine it with the alternating shell and Y-stitch rows to adapt a cardigan pattern; that's the green in-progress one. Picked up more soft yellow yarn to finish a summer top, which actually fits properly and is really nice. I'm keeping this one.
published: 2020-07-01T20:03:34+02:00
summary: Amy added 20 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202003-al/
target: 202003-al

discovered
type: Note
content: I have discovered the JavaScript spread/rest syntax, and reluctantly admit, it is quiiiiiiite cool. (I still hate javascript tho)
published: 2020-07-09T15:11:01+02:00
tag: nodejs
tag: javascript
tag: hacking
tag: opendataservices.coop

feel-like-crochet
type: Note
content: I feel like my crochet skills have improved because I can now crochet and watch films/tv with subtitles at the same time.
generator: no-ceremonies-are-necessary
published: 2020-07-17T17:36:18+02:00
tag: life
tag: crochet

flat
type: Note
content: Found out I can stay in my flat for another month cos the next people aren't coming, which is a weight off cos trying to move this week would be stressful. On the other hand, as someone used to moving approx every one month, really starting to feel the 'how can people live in the same apartment/house all the time' feeling. For years? Seriously. It's weird. I mean, I understand it, I don't need anyone to explain to benefits or appeals, it's just if I try to imagine committing to any one space for a long period of time... shudder.
published: 2020-07-08T10:34:01+02:00
tag: travel
tag: life

food
type: Add
content: Gradually improving my burgers. Red beans make everything better. I think I stop them falling apart when they cook by chilling the mixture, coating in cornflour before cooking, and frying as hot as possible in not too much oil. But it's still a bit hit and miss. The contents are mashed beans, plus whatever diced sauteed vegetables I have to hand, typically. This week's special treat was nachos with a great bean chilli. Also I made bananapeel bacon a few times, more doughnuts, pancakes and an excellent lemon poppyseed drizzle.
published: 2020-07-13T10:36:02+02:00
summary: Amy added 28 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
tag: food
target: madefood

ill-advisedly
type: Note
content: I ill-advisedly bought a jar of agar-agar today. It was expensive, and I do not have much time to use it up in. Neither do I have much experience with agar-agar. The plan is just to jellify a new liquid or combination of liquids every day for the forseeable future. So please, bombard me with recipes and tips. (It was the shock of finding agar-agar in Albania that made me buy it tbh. Just to see if it was real. I also got silken tofu at the same time. I don't want silken tofu, I'm desperate for firm tofu, but you take what you can get.)
generator: no-ceremonies-are-necessary
published: 2020-07-17T14:12:43+02:00
tag: vegan
tag: food

intermission
type: Article
content: Breaking news: I'm back in the UK. I flew back from Tirana, because travelling overland would have been next to impossible, not to mention rather foolish. The flight was early evening, and through a beautifully clear sky. We followed the Adriatic coast, which I know well from having spent literally weeks of my life bussing up and down it. Over the Alps, which were grandiose and snow-capped. France was quite flat and boring, but still very clear. The Channel had lots of boats on it. And then we approached a wall of grey, obscuring all beneath it. Aha, this must be England. We descended, and dark churning clouds on the horizon, backed by a red sunset, was a burning apocalyptic vision. Outside the airport the sky haphazardly threw handfuls of cold water at anyone unfortunate enough to be standing under it. I put on a jacket for the first time in months. And felt... welcomed. Lots of people have said they're happy I'm back (maybe they're just being nice), but I'm quite sad about it. I'm back for specific and worthwhile reasons, but as I posted the last of my Albania photos this afternoon, while looking out at a mostly grim, overcast sky, I wondered if I have made a terrible mistake. I haven't. I'm not back, it's just an intermission. I'm confident that the nomadic life across continental Europe I love will resume sometime next year, albeit limited by the pandemic and brexit. The next few months are uncertain in new ways. I don't really know where I'll be for the bulk of my time here yet. But in the meantime, I will be spending precisely the last two weeks of my twenties in government-mandated isolation in rural Lincolnshire. Gorging on vegan cheese.
generator: no-ceremonies-are-necessary
name: Intermission
published: 2020-07-28T18:12:37+01:00
tag: travel
tag: life
tag: coronavirus
tag: covid19
tag: flight
tag: uk

overstaying
type: Article
content: I've been to Albania a couple of times in 2019 for short visits, or on my way to somewhere else. I was looking forward to spending time on the coast, so finally in March 2020 I managed to head out for a month-long stay. Or so I thought. Not long after I arrived, the coronavirus lockdown began. As 3 months approached, I emailed local authorities and quickly obtained a visa extension 'until travel restrictions are lifted'. After a while commercial flights from the capital to some other countries started to run, and I wasn't sure how long I could push my overstay (usually, the fine for overstaying is €500 per day!). But lots of expats kept telling me it would be fine. Around the 4 month mark I was stopped by police in town and asked for ID, and fortunately had my printed visa extension email on me, which was enough for them, so then I was less worried. In the end I needed to head back to the UK for other reasons, and stayed in Sarandë for five months in total. For the first few months of lockdown, everything was closed and there was no public transport, so I wasn't able to see much of the country. Later when inter-city travel restrictions lifted I took a couple of cautious road trips. In any case, there were definitely worse places I could have been stuck. Where? I spent most time this year in Sarandë. It is a smallish seaside town, quiet in the off season, and a little smelly and loud in the town center from an excess of construction and road traffic. After a week in the center I snapped from this, and managed to move south to the outskirts. It's also smelly in the more rural outskirts from locals burning trash. But at least it wasn't so loud. My new place was right in front of the sea, close enough to hear the crash of the waves from the balcony, and a short scrabble from a little rocky beach that was mostly empty until July. There was no disadvantage in my opinion to being a 30-40 minute walk from the town center. When running, the local buses stop nearby. There's a…
generator: no-ceremonies-are-necessary
name: Overstaying in Albania
published: 2020-07-31T15:01:48+01:00
tag: travel
tag: albania
tag: sarande
tag: lockdown
tag: coronavirus
tag: covid19
tag: tourism
tag: castle
tag: beach

photos-crochet
type: Add
content: Finally finished a cardigan I started ages ago. I made up the overall pattern, just putting together some stiches I like that look like butterflies and spiders/palm trees. I made liberal use of half double crochet which is my favourite basic stitch, and had just enough yarn for sleeves that reach almost to my elbows.
published: 2020-07-27T09:12:56+02:00
summary: Amy added 12 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202003-al/
target: 202003-al

photos-fly
type: Add
content: Drive from Sarande to Tirana airport, then flight along the beautiful Adriatic coast, over the alps, across France and the Channel...
published: 2020-07-27T23:03:17+01:00
summary: Amy added 20 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202003-al/
target: 202003-al

photos-food
type: Add
content: Having acquired agar agar, I now have a mission to jellify all things. So far: Sour cherry juice Coldbrew coffee; cubed, dropped into almond milk. I also added it to bread pudding, but ate it too fast to wait for it to set. Also fancied up some doughnuts with cherry and lemon frosting. Dumped silken tofu on top of tomato rice under some roasted veggies. A good pizza, and nice simple chilli tomato spaghetti.
published: 2020-07-19T20:24:31+02:00
summary: Amy added 18 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
target: madefood

photos-food-2
type: Add
content: Lots of baking and dough of various kinds this week. Fresh doughnut holes shaken with cinnamon and sugar in a brown paper bag to take on an evening picnic. Rich chocolate hazelnut cake with fudgy frosting. Herby pastry filled with mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes and silken tofu (with chips). Standard banana pancakes. Vegan biscuits and gravy. They were light and fluffy and buttery and so fast to make, definitely a good quick bread roll alternative.
published: 2020-07-26T19:06:48+02:00
summary: Amy added 33 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
target: madefood

photos-jelly
type: Add
content: As promised, I jellified various things using agar agar. I mixed it with almond milk to make delicious creamy puddings. They are topped with watered down apricot jam, also mixed with agar to make jelly. I made a three layer loaf-jelly with cherry, lemon and apple juice, and suspended apple pieces. It tasted good, but the layers didn't stick together well, and the cherry and lemon layers merged a bit. But the most exciting thing was attempting to make blue dye from red cabbage. The first stage is to boil the cabbage to make a purple syrup. Adding bicarbonate of soda - just a tiny pinch - makes it fizz up and change colour to blue. But too much, and it goes green. I added too much because the potion like fizzing was so exciting. A drip of lemon juice takes it back in the other direction, with just as much exciting fizzing. Eventually I got the balance more or less right to create this teal-blue which lightened as it set (no photos). It's not the vivid blue you'd get with artificial dyes, but it definitely looks unnatural which is what I was going for.. I added the dye and agar to sugar water to make a pretty boring-tasting jelly.
published: 2020-07-26T22:58:54+02:00
summary: Amy added 33 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
target: madefood

photos-ksamil
type: Add
content: Got up really early and took the local bus to Ksamil. It's about a 15 minute ride, and the bus wasn't full, but nobody understands how to wear masks properly. It's 100lek (0.80eur). Walked over the hill for a view of the lake, before heading back into town for coffee by the sea. Even by 8-9am it was pretty busy. Shoved through some crowded beaches to find a quieter spot, without loungers and umbrellas, then swam from the shore to one of the furthest out islands. Swam for about half an hour. Sat on a small empty beach that was only accessible by sea, and with the main beaches out of sight, could have imagined there was nobody else in the world. Swam back, then went for pizza. Puzzled for a while over where the cafe would cook the pizza - figured their kitchen must be just out of sight. Half an hour later a pizza guy on a scooter turned up. It was a decent pizza though. Took the bus back after lunch.
published: 2020-07-07T14:57:19+02:00
summary: Amy added 30 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202003-al/
target: 202003-al

photos-sarande
type: Add
content: Making the most of Sarande (still). Some lovely tranquil swims, finding new secluded beaches, weekly paddleboard yoga, and some visits to Salad Farm across the road.
published: 2020-07-19T20:39:26+02:00
summary: Amy added 69 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202003-al/
target: 202003-al

photos-sarande-2
type: Add
content: Just some more hot AF days in Sarande, balcony-working when the breeze allowed, sitting in the sea the rest of the time, and snacks at Salad Farm and Te Beqoa.
published: 2020-07-23T13:35:05+02:00
summary: Amy added 27 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202003-al/
target: 202003-al

photos-sarande-3
type: Add
content: Some Sarande expats drove out into the countryside at Finiq to look for the comet. We didn't see it, but we had a nice picnic under the stars.
published: 2020-07-23T23:41:10+02:00
summary: Amy added 21 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202003-al/
target: 202003-al

photos-sarande-4
type: Add
content: Salad Farm roasted cauliflower is amazing, by the way. (But needs to be modified to be vegan.) Also in true American style, the lemonade is bottomless.
published: 2020-07-26T13:45:18+02:00
summary: Amy added 12 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202003-al/
target: 202003-al

photos-sarande-5
type: Add
content: An evening hike up to the Monastery of the 40 Saints, which Sarande was named after. It's 200lek to look around, if there's somebody there to take your money, and mostly just ruins but the views over the city and the sea, and towards Ksamil to the south are lovely. GPS trace here.
published: 2020-07-26T20:48:14+02:00
summary: Amy added 69 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202003-al/
target: 202003-al

photos-uk
type: Add
content: A gloomy arrival into Luton, and some sunny days in the Lincolnshire countryside, attempting to recreate Sarande with inflatables... and some crochet.</p.
published: 2020-07-31T07:40:17+01:00
summary: Amy added 18 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202007-uk/
target: 202007-uk

storm
type: Note
content: Storm!! Thunder, lightning, rain! Big waves! Actual breeze! Long overdue after the last stifling, still, sweltering couple of weeks. Opening balcony doors all the way to welcome it in. I feel better already.
published: 2020-07-05T10:49:00+02:00
tag: albania
tag: weather
tag: travel
tag: life

week-in-review
type: Article
content: Packed up and cleaned my flat. Roadtripped to the Greek border.. and back again. Unpacked. Had a little jaunt with Albanian police thanks to walking past the buses with my backpack. Came to nothing. Not a very productive week; a bit of nodejs. Attended most of the DID WG remote face-to-face. Swam in the sea.. Still a heatwave. Did paddleboard yoga. Enjoyed a storm at last. Made more doughnuts. A bit of hacking on sloph apps. Watched Shanghai Fortress and Big Fish.. and Stargate.
name: Week in review: 29 June - 5 July
published: 2020-07-05T23:59:59+02:00
tag: hacking
tag: albania
tag: yoga
tag: life
tag: week+in+review
tag: travel

week-in-review-2
type: Article
content: Finished the terrible merlin book. Didn't have to move flats at the end of the week; small stress removed. Started S3 of Dark. Went to Ksamil for a morning on the beach. Got my APish food posting client working again. Did nodejs stuff, sadface. Made more doughnuts, burgers, a lemon drizzle, other things... Did paddleboard yoga.
name: Week in review: 6 - 12 July
published: 2020-07-12T23:59:59+02:00
tag: albania
tag: hacking
tag: travel
tag: week+in+review
tag: sloph
tag: food
tag: vegan

week-review-13--
type: Article
content: Swam a bunch. Generally trying to make the most of Sarande. Did paddleboard yoga. Went a few times to Salad Farm, especially when home internet went out. Worked from balcony, on OpenActive nodejs stuff. Got some of my ActivityPubish posting clients back up. Refactored a lot of shared functionality into a library (ERH). Made tasty food, including agar agar adventures. Watched lots of Stargate and a whooole bunch of movies.. Almost finished my crochet cardigan. Made plans to leave Albania..
generator: no-ceremonies-are-necessary
name: Week in review: 13 - 19 July
published: 2020-07-19T23:59:59+02:00
tag: travel
tag: life
tag: hacking
tag: food
tag: week+in+review
tag: ods
tag: albania
tag: nodejs

week-review-20--
type: Article
content: Worked way too much on Open Active. Ups and downs with nodejs. On schedule if nothing explodes in my face, but things keep exploding in my face. Swam a lot, it was really hot again. Ate in Salad Farm a bunch. Jellified a ton of stuff with agar agar. Went into the hills to try to see the comet (didn't though). Baked some good stuff. Improved what my /eats and /stuff pages look like. Finally finished all of Stargate Atlantis. So I watched all of all Stargate during lockdown. Except the movies. Will it never end. I like it but I can't believe the sheer volume. Also finished attaching sleeves to my crochet cardigan. Hiked up to the Monastery of the 40 Saints for wonderful Sarande views. Started on a page that lists all my blog articles by title, which really is just highlighting how I've only been communicating by week-in-review and photo posts for a while now. Need to step my article writing game back up.
generator: no-ceremonies-are-necessary
name: Week in review: 20 - 26 July
published: 2020-07-26T23:59:45+02:00
tag: albania
tag: sarande
tag: open+active
tag: crochet
tag: ods
tag: week+in+review
tag: vegan
tag: food
tag: hacking
tag: travel

https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/07
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name: Posts between 2020/07 and 2020/08
next: https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/08/
part of: https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/07
prev: https://rhiaro.co.uk/2020/06/