Our last supper and the art of flicking snow

Did I learn anything new this week?

Well I've almost mastered the hockey stop but I'm just too polite to shower people with snow and have a fear of falling flat on my face and looking like a fool.

I have learnt the art of flicking snow. At the start of the week I was flicking snow in my own face but can now fire a hefty dollop of snow, with a fair amount of accuracy, from my ski tips into friends faces. My friend Stew is a blackbelt in this and always takes revenge swiftly and with greater force.

I'm going to practice so next year I can say "I've been waiting for you, Stew-art. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you, I was but the learner; now I am the master"

Yeah, he'll still get revenge by shovelling snow down my hood and dropping icicles down the back of my jeans, but it will be worth it.

The last dinner together. My ski group is a mixed group of mid 30s professionals. Check out how many of us are making silly signs with our fingers. I hope this never changes.

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Food: easy five spice soda bread

In that idle time between Christmas and New Year some have dubbed Twixmas, I found myself recuperating from spending a week with my very intense mother-in-law by watching mid-morning TV. I flicked over to Nadiya's British Food Adventure where this recipe for red split lentils and five-spice soda bread caught my eye. I'm a big fan of curry; it's my favourite cuisine and the combo of lentil soup and soda bread ticked the right boxes. My dad is a keen breadmaker and he talked about making soda bread over Christmas which had tickled my interest. While I like the idea of making bread, I'm unlikely to have bread flour or yeast in and I find the kneading and proving off putting, but soda bread is doable. The lentil soup was eaten before I thought of photographing it. It's similar to dhals we routinely make for dinner - so cheap and easy to do - though the garlic and butter were a treat. The bread has lasted for a few days as there are only two of us in the house...

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Picture this

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