Herbert Henry Scaife

Herbert Henry Scaife was my paternal great grandad.

He was Private 205681, 2/4th Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, part of 187th Brigade in the 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division. He was born in Snaith in 1886, enlisted at Knottingley, and was killed in action on 27 November 1917 during the Battle of Cambrai.

He had no known grave. His name is commemorated on Panel 8 of the Cambrai Memorial at Louverval, Nord, France.

I never knew him, of course. But I am incredibly proud of him. To me, he was a hero.

There is another thought I keep coming back to with my great grandad. Herbert had a son before he went to war. My grandad, Austin William Scaife, was born in 1913.

If the timing had been different, even by a couple of years, I would not be here writing this.

That is always a strange thought to sit with. 

Before France

Herbert had previously served with the Durham Light Infantry. His earlier numbers are recorded as 59279 and Private 96547, before he later became Private 205681 with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

For a long time, I knew very little about Herbert’s actual military service. Then I came across a report in the Pontefract and Castleford Express from August 1918.

The article explained that Herbert had enlisted on 30 October 1914 and first went to France on 28 August 1915 with the Durham Light Infantry. It also confirmed that he was wounded in November 1915 and returned to England for treatment.

That changes his story quite a bit.  He was not pulled into the Army by later conscription. Herbert was an early volunteer. He joined only a few months after the outbreak of war and reached France during 1915, long before conscription was introduced in 1916.

Like many First World War soldiers, Herbert held more than one service number during his time in the Army. Numbers were issued by individual regiments and often changed when a man was transferred, reclassified, wounded, or moved between battalions.

It is not yet fully confirmed which Durham Light Infantry battalion he served with, although the timing suggests one of the New Army battalions, possibly the 9th Battalion.

Herbert Scaife

Pontefract & Castleford Express   |   30th August 1918   |   Page 3

A Knottingley Soldier Long Reported Missing
Now Reported Deceased

Pvte Hbt Scaife, K.O.Y.L.I., the husband of Mrs Margt Scaife of Albert Cottages, Knottingley, was reported missing on November 27th 1917.

Every endeavour has been made to obtain reliable information concerning him, but without success. The British Red Cross stated in April last year that every possible enquiry had been instituted, all ineffectually.

The Military have now written the widow that he is dead. Pvte Scaife joined the army on October 30th 1914 and went to France on August 28th 1915.

He was wounded in November of that year and came back to England for treatment. He was drafted again to France on November _th 1917 and three weeks later was reported missing.

He leaves beside the widow two children.

Why did Herbert go to war?

I sometimes wonder what drove him to sign up.

It is easy to think of it as simple national pride, but it was rarely that straightforward. For men like Herbert, it was often a mix of duty, pressure, family responsibility, and the feeling that ordinary men were expected to do their bit.

Britain did not have full conscription at the start of the war. Men volunteered throughout 1914 and 1915. Herbert joined the Army on 30 October 1914, only a few months after war broke out.

Herbert was born in 1886, so he was around 28 years old when he enlisted. He was also already a husband and a father.

That changes how I think about him.

He was not some unattached young lad chasing adventure. He was a man with a family. He had already built part of his life before the war took him away from it.

The newspaper report from 1918 also stated that he left behind a widow and two children.

We may never know exactly what he felt when he left. Duty, pressure, fear, pride, resignation, all of them may have played a part. There was no television and no social media. Most people experienced the war through newspapers, official announcements, posters, rumours, and conversations in the street.

The message around him was often that Britain was doing its duty, that the war had to be fought, and that ordinary men were expected to answer the call.

But what affects me most is this:

Herbert had already survived the war once.

He went to France in 1915, was wounded that same year, and returned home to recover. At some point afterwards, he was transferred into the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and drafted back to France again in November 1917.

By then, he already knew what modern war looked like. He had seen the trenches before. He knew the danger. He knew what shellfire sounded like. He knew what happened to men there.

That changes the way I think about him even more.

He did not go into Cambrai as someone chasing adventure or glory. He went back because soldiers were needed again.

Three weeks later, he was reported missing.

1915: Training and first service with the Durham Light Infantry

Because Herbert went to France on 28th August 1915, his early training must have taken place before then.

His training would have involved route marches with full kit, rifle practice, bayonet drill, trench digging, night exercises, gas drill, and repeated inspections. At this time Herbert has the service number 59279.

The men had to learn how to move as a unit, obey orders quickly, and keep going when tired, wet, cold, and hungry.

This was not glamorous training. It was marching, drilling, digging, cleaning equipment, waiting for orders, and doing it all again the next day.

17 September 1915: France

Herbert’s medal card records his qualifying date as 17 September 1915 (so he has been over there a little over two weeks, with France as his theatre of war.

That date does not tell us exactly where he was standing on that day, but it does tell us that he had crossed from Britain to the Western Front.

He would probably have travelled by rail to a south coast port, then crossed the Channel by troopship. After landing in France, soldiers were often moved inland by train, sometimes in French railway wagons marked “40 hommes / 8 chevaux”, meaning 40 men or 8 horses.

For Herbert, this was the point where the war stopped being training, speeches, posters, and kit inspections. It became real.

1915 to 1916: The Durham Light Infantry period

The exact Durham Light Infantry battalion Herbert served with has not yet been confirmed.

Research suggests he may have been with one of the Durham Light Infantry’s New Army battalions, possibly the 9th Battalion, because the timing of his arrival in France fits that story. I believe that around this time his service number was 96547.

If that is correct, Herbert would have experienced the Western Front long before he joined the 2/4th KOYLI.

Life at the front was usually built around rotation. A battalion would spend time in the front line, then support trenches, then reserve, then rest.

Rest rarely meant comfort. It often meant carrying supplies, cleaning kit, repairing roads, moving ammunition, and preparing to go back to the front line.

Research suggests Herbert may have lived through trench conditions in late 1915: mud, lice, rats, cold meals, wet socks, shellfire, sentry duty, and the constant need to stay alert. But it wasn't to last long, a piece written after his death in the Pontefract and Castleford Express showed that he was wounded in November 1915, and he came back to England for treatment.

Transfer to the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

By the time he later served with the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, he was not new to war, already transferred back to England because of a wound in November 1915, he was drafted again to France in November 1917 (2 years later), this time he became part of The King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

I suppose it makes sense, men moved to where the Army needed them; units took losses, drafts were sent forward, and soldiers were reallocated between regiments and battalions, or in Herbets case, just drafted into a new division and regiment.

So Herbert became Private 205681 in the 2/4th Battalion, King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

The 2/4th Battalion KOYLI was part of 187th Brigade in the 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division.

January 1917: The 2/4th KOYLI in France

The 2/4th KOYLI landed at Le Havre on 15 January 1917.

From January 1917, the 62nd Division concentrated in the Third Army area between the rivers Canche and Authie.

February to March 1917: The Ancre

The 62nd Division’s first listed fighting on the Western Front came during the operations on the Ancre, from 15 February to 13 March 1917.

This placed the division in the hard, damaged country left by the Somme fighting. The men would have found broken trenches, shell holes, wire, mud, and villages reduced to ruins.

Herbert’s future battalion was now learning, or relearning, the rhythm of front-line life within a new division.

March to April 1917: The German retreat to the Hindenburg Line

In March 1917, the German Army withdrew to the Hindenburg Line. The 62nd Division took part in the British advance that followed.

The battalion that Herbert would eventually join would have moved through abandoned and destroyed ground. The German withdrawal left roads blocked, wells damaged, buildings ruined, and traps behind.

The British were advancing, but they were advancing into devastation.

This was not the old image of men sitting still in trenches that we are used to seeing in those documentaries on the History channels on a Sunday afternoon; it was movement, patrols, uncertainty, and the constant risk of hidden machine guns or shellfire.

3 to 17 May 1917: Bullecourt

The 62nd Division fought at Bullecourt during the Second Battle of Bullecourt, from 3 to 17 May 1917.

Bullecourt was part of the wider Arras fighting. It was a grim and costly battle against German positions linked to the Hindenburg Line.

The experience of soldiers here would have included heavy shellfire, attacks over broken ground, damaged trenches, and the shock of seeing modern defensive fire at close range.

By this point, the battalion was no longer new to war.

Summer and Autumn 1917: Holding the line

After Bullecourt, the division remained on the Western Front. The months between major battles were still dangerous.

Herbert’s daily life may have included trench repair, wiring parties, sentry duty, ration carrying, lice, rats, cold meals, wet socks, and the constant need to stay alert.

Wiring parties repaired or added barbed wire entanglements, often at night, close to No Man’s Land.

Men “stood-to” at dawn and dusk, meaning they were on high alert with weapons ready, because those were common times for attacks.

Letters from home mattered. So did hot tea, dry socks, and a few hours of sleep. Small things became big things.

November 1917: Moving towards Cambrai

By November 1917, the 62nd Division was in the Havrincourt sector, south-west of Cambrai. This is where Herbert rejoined the war (possibly 3rd to 6th November)after two years out, back in England recovering from a wound he sustained in 1915.

This area mattered because it sat in front of the Hindenburg Line. Cambrai itself was an important German supply centre, and the ground around Bourlon Ridge became one of the key objectives.

The 187th Brigade included the 2/4th KOYLI. Herbert, fresh again to war, was now moving towards the battle that would take his life.

20 November 1917: Havrincourt and the opening of Cambrai

The Battle of Cambrai began at about 6.30am on 20 November 1917.

The attack was unusual because it used tanks in large numbers. The British also used a predicted artillery barrage, a method where guns were aimed using calculations rather than a long registration bombardment. That helped preserve surprise.

The 62nd Division attacked near Havrincourt. The 187th Brigade advanced with the 2/5th KOYLI on the left and the 2/4th KOYLI on the right.

The 2/4th KOYLI attacked through the German defences around Havrincourt. The division pushed through the Hindenburg Line and helped take Havrincourt, then advanced towards Graincourt and the approaches to Bourlon Ridge.

For the men involved, this must have been a strange day. Tanks were moving ahead, artillery fire was crashing over the German line, and ground that had seemed impossible to cross was suddenly being taken.

But success came at a cost. The 2/4th KOYLI suffered heavy casualties on 20 November, with more than 200 killed, wounded, or missing.

21 November 1917: The advance slows

On 21 November, the early momentum began to fade.

The British had made a large gain, but they had not fully taken Bourlon Ridge. German resistance stiffened, and counter-attacks began around the newly captured ground.

Herbert’s battalion may have been involved in holding captured positions, reorganising after the first attack, moving supplies forward, and preparing for further action.

After a major attack, battalions rarely became neat and tidy again straight away. Men were missing, companies were mixed, officers had been hit, communications were in disarray, and nobody had eaten, rested, or slept properly.

22 November 1917: Towards Bourlon

By 22 November, fighting had developed around Fontaine, Anneux, and the approaches to Bourlon Wood.

The 62nd Division had advanced far, but it was now exposed. The German Army was recovering from the shock of the first day and bringing in reinforcements.

The men in this area would have faced shellfire, machine-gun fire, confused orders, and difficult movement over broken ground.

The battle was changing from a breakthrough into a hard fight to hold and extend the gains.

23 November 1917: Bourlon becomes the objective

On 23 November, the fighting increasingly centred on Bourlon Wood and Bourlon Ridge.

The 62nd Division had been heavily engaged since the opening day. Other units were brought into the fight, but the West Riding men had already helped open the way.

Herbert and the 2/4th KOYLI were likely still close to the Havrincourt, Graincourt, Anneux, and Bourlon area during this period.

The exact company-level position is not confirmed from the records I have seen so far.

24 to 26 November 1917: Waiting, holding, and moving under fire

The days between 24 and 26 November are difficult to place exactly without the battalion war diary page in front of me. It is something I would like to look at properly one day. But the wider battle gives us a strong sense of what was happening.

Herbert’s battalion was likely either holding captured ground, moving between support and forward positions, or preparing for renewed action around Bourlon.

These days may have been worse than the opening attack in some ways.

There was waiting. There was shelling. There was the strain of not knowing when orders would come. Men tried to sleep in trenches, dugouts, or shell holes. Rations and water had to be brought forward. Wounded men had to be carried back.

Late November in northern France was cold. Wet boots, mud, frost, tiredness, and fear would all have been part of the experience.

27 November 1917: Herbert’s death

Herbert was not immediately reported dead. Like many soldiers lost during the fighting at Cambrai (and many other battles), he was first listed as missing.

For months, the family waited for news while enquiries were made through military channels and the British Red Cross. Missing men were sometimes found wounded, captured, or recovering in hospitals, so families often lived with hope for a long time after the fighting had ended.

But we know that no reliable information about Herbert was ever found.

So, in August 1918, more than eight months after he disappeared during the fighting around Bourlon Wood, the Army finally informed his widow that he was now presumed dead.

Because his body was never identified or recovered, Herbert’s name is remembered on the Cambrai Memorial at Louverval rather than on a marked grave.

So officially Herbert Henry Scaife was killed in action on 27th November 1917. The date is shockingly important, Herbert has been drafted and back in the war for only three weeks!

By the 27th, the battalion had already been in action for a week.

War diary records for the division show continued fighting around Bourlon Wood and the nearby village. The ground was contested, and attacks were met with strong resistance.

Herbert was in or near the forward positions during this phase, likely somewhere between Anneux and Bourlon, where the fighting was at its most intense.

Casualties were heavy. Units were reduced in strength, and control was difficult to maintain once attacks began.

It was during this fighting that Herbert was presumed killed in action.

I was lucky enough to visit the Cambrai Memorial at Louverval, France, on 23 September 2017, almost one hundred years after Herbert was killed.

It is a beautiful, peaceful place. I remember standing there thinking that if he could not rest back home with his family in Yorkshire, he would probably have liked this quiet spot.

We left a small posy of poppies for him.

RIP Great Grandad Scaife.

 

Timeline

1886: Herbert Henry Scaife is born in Snaith.

1913: His son, Austin William Scaife, is born.

August 1914: The First World War begins. Herbert is around 28 years old and already a father.

30th November 1914: Private Herbert Scaife joined the army.

Spring to early summer 1915: Herbert likely enlists in the Durham Light Infantry. This date is estimated from his service number and the fact that he was already in France by September 1915.

28th August 1915: Herbert enters a theatre of war in France with the Durham Light Infantry.

November 1915: Herbert is wounded and returned back to England.

15th January 1917: The 2/4th KOYLI lands at Le Havre. If Herbert was already in France, he may have joined the battalion there.

15th February to 13th March 1917: The 62nd Division takes part in operations on the Ancre.

March to April 1917: The division advances during the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line.

3rd to 17th May 1917: The division fights at Bullecourt during the Arras fighting.

Summer to Autumn 1917: Herbert serves through the routine dangers of the Western Front. Exact battalion positions need the full war diary.

November 1917: After recovery and recuperation, Herbert is drafted back into the war, this time as a Private in the Kings Own Light Infantry (205681), at this time, the 62nd Division moves into the Havrincourt sector, south-west of Cambrai.

20th November 1917: The Battle of Cambrai begins. The 2/4th KOYLI attacks on the right of 187th Brigade near Havrincourt.

21st to 26th November 1917: Research suggests the battalion remains in the Cambrai battle area as British forces push towards Bourlon Ridge and fight to hold captured ground.

27th November 1917: Herbert is killed in action during the Cambrai fighting, most likely connected with the fighting around Bourlon Wood and Bourlon village.

Command

The 2/4th KOYLI was part of 187th Brigade, 62nd (2nd West Riding) Division.

The battalion commander during the Cambrai fighting is recorded as Lieutenant-Colonel R. E. Power.

The 62nd Division was commanded by Major-General Sir Walter Braithwaite.

Medals

Herbert’s medal card shows that he entered a theatre of war on 17 September 1915. That means he qualified for the 1914–15 Star.

He would also have been entitled to the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Together, these three medals were sometimes known as Pip, Squeak, and Wilfred.

All unfortunately lost or misplaced, but the memory of Herbert hasn't gone. 

Why I’m here

I keep coming back to my grandad, Austin William Scaife.

He was born in 1913, before Herbert went to war. If Herbert had gonea nd joined the army earlier, or if life had unfolded in a slightly different order, Austin may never have been born.

And if Austin had not been born, I would not be here.

That makes this story feel very close.

It is not just military history. It is family history. It is the thin thread that connects a man born in Snaith in 1886 to me, sitting here more than a century later, trying to understand where he went and what happened to him.

Remembering Herbert

It is hard to write about someone you never met and still feel close to them.

But I do.

Herbert Henry Scaife was not just a name, a number, or a line on a memorial. He was a man born in Snaith who lived and enlisted in Knottingley, trained for war, crossed to France, endured the trenches, fought at Cambrai, and never came home.

His name is at Louverval because his body was never found. That feels unbearably sad, but it also means his name stands with thousands of others who gave everything and were not brought back.

I am proud of him.

I never knew him, but I know enough.

 

The Young Mans Haircut

I spent some time at a Turkish barber this weekend. I’ve always admired the craftsmanship in these places, by the way. There’s a particular kind of care and precision they bring to a haircut that you rarely find in a traditional salon.

Towards the end of the cut, the barber paused and asked whether I usually styled my hair up in a quiff or down over my forehead. When I told him I wore it up, he smiled and said that wearing it down would make me look younger.

Being in my late 50s, looking younger isn’t a particular goal of mine. In fact, I think trying too hard to recapture your youth can look a bit daft. However, his comment sparked a little digital curiosity, so I decided to use AI to generate a version of myself with a younger man’s hairstyle, just to see the contrast.

The result? It confirmed my instincts. While the AI could change the hair and smooth the edges, I much prefer the reality. There’s a certain comfort in looking the age you actually are.

The Original Cut

AI Version 1

AI Version 2

AI Version 3

A small update

I’ve never been completely happy with the hair around my crown. It always seems to become wayward very quickly, while the hair at the sides soon develops into tufts that make me look like a ruddy emperor penguin.

So, two weeks ago, I decided to visit a proper stylist. She explained that the way Turkish barbers cut hair can sometimes involve cutting into the hair around the crown. As it begins to grow back, this can make it stand up. It also looks as though the new cut may have finally sorted out the emperor penguin tufts.

Overall, I’m very happy with it. My hair is growing nicely, and the hair around my crown is getting longer. As it grows, the extra weight should help keep it down. I may go back in a couple of weeks for a trim and to discuss what I’m going to do with it next, including how long I’m going to let it grow.

Chasing the Flavour in Coffee

So, for anyone who doesn’t know, I review beers, and I’m fairly good at picking out individual flavours in the beers that I review.

That’s why I got a bit excited when my wife bought me a Ninja Luxe Café Premier Espresso Machine bean-to-cup coffee machine last Christmas. I liked the idea of doing the same thing with coffee.
You read these descriptions and they sound incredible. “Mild chocolate with a juicy blackcurrant sweetness and a hint of lime.” or “Rich dark chocolate, sweet honey, and bright tangerine.”

I genuinely wanted to taste that, but I quickly found that I can’t ... everything well, just tastes like coffee!

I’ve tried the usual advice. No milk, no sweeteners, no sugar. I’ve read that the drip method (the Luxe function on this specific machine), is one of the best ways to bring out those more delicate flavours, so that’s how I’ll do all of these.

I’m going to treat this like I would a beer review, but slower, and a bit more methodical. I’m going to test strength, grind size, temperature, and even the water I’m using.

When I can get it, I tend to stick to Vemondo Barista Oat ‘Milk’ from Lidl, but if I will use a comparable barista oat milk.

For those that want to know the water details ... where we live the water is classed as Hard, and apparently I have since discovered that this particular profile can suppress some of the brighter and more delicate flavours, so I need to be wary of that.

Calcium: 73.8 mg/l
Magnesium: 24.9 mg/l
Conductivity: 524 µS/cm
pH: 7.5 

For those coffees with a more delicate flavour profile, I'll be using the Tescos own brand still water (unless otherwise stated) as that apparently has a nice soft water profile.

I’ll keep this post updated as I go. If I crack it, great. If I don’t, at least I’ll know it’s not for lack of trying.

Lidl Deluxe Kenyan Roast & Ground

12 September 2026
Fruity with fresh lemon and blackcurrant notes
Strength: 3 (Medium)
Grind: Pre-Ground (Fine)
Water: Soft bottled water

A nice enough coffee, very smooth, picking up a little fruity sweetness but I did expect that fresh lemon note to come through and I didn't neither with or without milk.
Score: 5.5/10

Lidl Deluxe Guatemalan Roast & Ground

6 September 2026
Full bodied spice with hints of blackberry
Strength: 4 (Medium Dark)
Grind: Pre-Ground (Fine)
Water: Soft bottled water

This created a very smooth, easy-drinking coffee, and I did pick up very subtle notes of chocolate and fruit.
Score: 6.5/10

Lidl Deluxe Sumatra Java Whole Coffee Beans

2 September 2026
Praline & Marzipan Notes
Strength: 5 (Dark)
Grind: 22 (Coarse)
Water: Soft bottled water

These beans made a very nice coffee, it was very rich with a little chocolatey profile, and little a earthy and smoky undertone.
Score: 7.5/10

Morrisons The best Brazilian Coffee Beans

4 August 2026
Praline & Marzipan Notes
Strength: 4 (Medium Dark)
Grind: 20 (Coarse)
Water: Soft bottled water

This wasn't too bad at all, in a black coffee it has a very decent roasty intensity to it. When milk was added, I did get a subtle hint of chocolate and marzipan.
Score: 6.5/10

Lidl Deluxe Colombian Rica

20 July 2026
Rich and full-bodied Flavour with Fruity Notes
Strength: 4 (Medium Dark)
Grind: Pre-Ground (Fine)
Water: Soft bottled water

Another coffee I was personally disappointed with from a fruity perspective. I know traditional Columbian coffee is one of the best in the world for a rich but balanced flavour, and as a pure coffee I got that deep, rich but not overpowering coffee flavour. Not no fruitiness to be found, no citrus acidity. So as a pure coffee and pure coffee flavour, very nice; I just wanted that hint or note of fruitiness.
Score: 6/10

Tesco The Best Ethiopian Ground Coffee

13 July 2026
Flavours expected: Apricot and Floral Notes
Strength: 3 (Medium)
Grind: Pre-Ground (Fine)
Water: Soft bottled water

Really surprised and a tad disappointed with this one. Absolutely no fruit or floral notes whatsoever, just tasted like the roasty coffee version with hard water!
Score: 5/10

Tesco The Best Ethiopian Ground Coffee

13 July 2026
Flavours expected: Apricot and Floral Notes
Strength: 3 (Medium)
Grind: Pre-Ground (Fine)
Water: Hard tap water

As a plain black coffee I liked this, no harsh bitterness, and I did pick up a small trace of fruitiness in the flavour, no masses, but a subtle hint of it being there. A decent enough everyday coffee IMHO.
Score: 7/10

Tesco Finest Colombian Supremo

2 July 2026
Flavours expected: Notes of caramel and Blood Orange
Strength: 3 (Medium)
Grind: Pre-Ground (Fine)
Water: Lidl Carrick Glen still water

Served black, this wasn't bad at all, certaingly got the caramel coming through and there was a hint of citrus in there too which could be blood orange. Decent results with this one. I know the hard tap water will dull that citrus flavour and give it a more roasty feel, so I'm not going to bother, I got what I wanted out of this one.
Score: 7/10

Lidl Deluxe Colombian Rica

11 June 2026
Flavours expected: Warm and Full Bodied with Fruity Notes
Strength: Medium-Drk Roast
Grind: Pre-Ground (Fine)
Water: Lidl Carrick Glen still water

Served black. I used a soft bottled water today. On the nose, a mild tobacco note and a that little earthiness.
The soft water seemed to dull the flavour a little, a little nuttiness, a little tobacco, but no chocolate or fruit; when adding a dash of milk to it, a very mild chocolate flavour come out of it, and the bitterness was a little more restrained.
Score: 4/10

Lidl Deluxe Colombian Rica

10 June 2026
Flavours expected: Warm and Full Bodied with Fruity Notes
Strength: Medium-Drk Roast
Grind: Pre-Ground (Fine)
Water: Hard tap water

Another pre-ground coffee served black. Used our hard tap water today. On the nose, very strong tobacco notes and a little earthiness.
Honestly, the flavour was just a rich coffee with perhaps a hint of chocolate in there, quite a dry bittereness the further down the cup I got, but no fruit at all; when adding a touch of milk to it, a very mild chocolate flavour come out of it, and that bitterness became a little milder. Looking forward to see what a soft water does to this coffee later.
Score: 4/10

Morrisons The Best Kenyan

1 June 2026
Flavours expected: Blackcurrant and Citrus Notes
Strength: Medium
Grind: Pre-Ground (Fine)
Water: Hard tap water

Slightly different today, I went back to our usual hard Yorkshire tap water rather than the softer bottled water and those fruit flavours definately weren't as pronounced in this coffee that was served black! Perhaps softer water is needed for ther fruitier coffees!
Still smooth and roasty, just without that red berry flavour, I think the chocolate might have been dialled own a tad too.
Score: 6.5/10

Morrisons The Best Kenyan

31 May 2026
Flavours expected: Blackcurrant and Citrus Notes
Strength: Medium
Grind: Pre-Ground (Fine)
Water: Lidl Carrick Glen still water

Couldn't get a whole bean version of this, so I bought the ground version instead. I just put the right amount in the Luxe filter basket, around half full.

As you can see I used a cheap supermarker bottled water. These cheaper waters often come from soft-water sources in places like Cumbria or Scotland, so more delicate flavours should be able to come through.

I do have to remember that, unlike the hop-forward IPAs I enjoy, I'm only looking for a resemblance of flavour rather than outright flavour.

I have to say that this test worked to some extent. This was a very smooth coffee when served black, and I definitely picked up a mild fruitiness (perhaps more red berries). There was no harsh roastiness, and I also got a very mild milk chocolate note and a very mild bitterness.
Score: 7.5/10

Union Gajah Mountain

16 May 2026
Flavours expected: Chocolate Truffle and Molasses
Strength: Medium
Grind: 20 (Coarse)
Water: Evian still water

Started proper experimenting now. Made it a coarse grind to slow down the extraction and try to get more delicate flavours (possibly the coffee for this actually!). Also I incorrectly tried Evian water rather than tap water. The result was a rich roasty coffee with a hint of nut when served black, it's OK but nothing special. With milk it became smooth with a lot of bitterness, but a bit of sweetness came through.
Score: 5.5/10

Union Gajah Mountain

14 May 2026
Flavours expected: Chocolate Truffle and Molasses
Strength: Medium
Grind: 14 (Medium)
Water: Hard Tap water

Again, this makes a very nice, strong coffee, but I’m honestly not picking up any chocolate truffle or molasses flavours. Good quality coffee with a slight nutty note when served black. With milk, this turns into a really smooth, creamy coffee with a nice chocolate flavour.
Score: 7/10

Union Yayu Forest

2 April 2026
Flavours expected: Citrus and Bourbon Biscuits
Strength: Medium
Grind: 14 (Medium)
Water: Hard Tap water

This felt really rich, but I failed to get any citrus, bourbon, or biscuit out of it. It had a strong roast flavour with a little earthiness. Milk dulled the richness slightly and brought out a nice dark chocolate flavour that I really didn’t pick up when I had it black.
Score: 7/10

Rave Colombia El Carmen #50

20 March 2026
Flavours expected: Chocolate Truffle and Molasses
Strength: Medium
Grind: 15 (Medium)
Water: Hard Tap water

A nice chocolate flavour when I had this black. A very understated coffee, and very easy drinking. With milk, it added a nice semi-sweet chocolate note.
Score: 8/10

Bellarom Coffee Beans

3 March 2026
Flavours expected: Heavily roasted coffee and dark chocolate
Strength: Medium
Grind: 15 (Medium)
Water: Hard Tap water

Probably some of the cheapest coffee beans on the market. They made a nice black coffee with ash-like notes that I liked, and I did get some really nice chocolate flavour after adding milk.
Score: 5/10

Rave Signature Blend #1

5 February 2026
Flavours expected: Caramel, Almond & Chocolate
Strength: Medium

Water: Hard Tap water

A very decent coffee, but to me it just tasted like good coffee. Not too strong or bitter. The milk did bring out a good chocolate flavour.
Score: 7/10

A Story 35 Years in the Making!

I’ve probably carried this idea around for more than 35 years.

It started with a lad I used to work with. I’ll call him Chris… mainly because that’s his name. He always said he had a novel in him. To be fair, most of us think that at some point. The problem, at least for me, is pulling enough connected ideas together to actually make a novel work. I tend to land on smaller ideas. Short stories feel more natural for me to write, that and I can be realy lazy, and writing at least 40-50,000 words is a bit much for me.

Chris had this very simple concept. A man dies, and at his funeral the people there slowly discover who he really was. That was it. Not much to go on I know, but it stuck with me.

Over the years, I’ve kept coming back to it. I’ve often pictured that man as me. The mourners talking, sharing bits, slowly building up a picture. The good things, the missed chances, the ideas that never quite made it. Almost autobiographical, in a way.

But if I’m honest, I don’t think my real life is interesting enough to carry a story like that. And it had to be about me because that's how I've always thought about this story, and tbh, the stories I’ve written recently, and another that I am currently working on now, they all start with something real in my life, a small truth (the crow corner I drive past almost every day, or the old Victorian doll/ghost my wife and I saw at a window one day, a grain of truth that drifts into the story.

And in my head, this story was always the same.

But because I'm not interesting enough, over time the character became someone else. Still rooted in that original idea, but more interesting, more layered, more worth writing about. In Chris’s version, I’m sure the twist was that the mourners started off disliking the man, then came to understand him, maybe even like him.

I could never quite make that wor for me and it always felt a bit flat.

But something clicked this morning.

I’ve got the twist now, and it flips the whole thing on its head.

This isn’t a story where people come to appreciate the man.

It’s the opposite, and I'm kinda looking forward to writing it.

What Is A Digital Garden?

I’ve had a few people ask what I mean when I call this site a digital garden, so it felt worth explaining properly. Well, explaining it in my own way, and what it basically means to me, so purists will hate this bit.

A digital garden is a way of writing and sharing ideas online that focuses more on growth than polish. Instead of treating every post like a finished article that gets published and forgotten, a digital garden gives you space to plant ideas, come back to them, improve them, and link them to other thoughts over time.

A traditional blog is usually developed and written for an audience, whereas a digital garden is more like an open workspace where you can think out loud and cultivate ideas over time. It is often a very personal space, and many of its notes may only ever be seen by the person tending the garden.

That is what I want this place to be.

In addition to being written for others, a normal blog usually works as a timeline: the newest post sits at the top, older posts gradually drop further down, and everything is arranged by date. A true digital garden often feels different, with content organised by context and connections using links, tags, or visual maps.

I still have a chronological mindset, though, and digital gardens are personal and flexible, so that is how mine will be organised, alongside plenty of tagging, at least for now. One issue is that I developed this myself using Blogger. While I love how it looks and feels, the functionality is still quite blog-like... but, as I said, I’m comfortable with that.

Digital gardens are also less concerned with looking finished. “Posts” are allowed, and even encouraged, to remain works in progress. My simple approach is that I’ll often have an idea, or just something I want to record, and create a note. Over time, it may be worked on and expanded, but it will rarely be finished in the traditional sense.

Now, this is the tricky bit for me. I’m a marketer by trade, so publishing unfinished work is a very foreign concept, and I do find it difficult. However, by forcing myself to do it, I usually have a few seed posts on here.

Like a real garden, nothing here is ever truly finished. In a real garden, you add things, move things, cut things back, and sometimes leave a patch alone until you know what to do with it. A digital garden works in much the same way. Some posts here are more complete than others. Some are simply ideas that needed somewhere to live. Some may grow into something better later, while others will remain very simple notes.

That is part of the appeal for me. I hate social media anyway, particularly reading everyone else’s ridiculous whinging or what they had to eat. This place gets me away from all that and gives me room to think, without pretending that every piece of writing needs to please anyone or become a final draft.

As well as seed posts, which are initial ideas, I move them to sprout when they are a little more developed, and then to flower when I consider them more or less complete. You can navigate to these different stages from the homepage.

You’ll also notice that I use a two-date system on my posts and notes. The “Planted” date is effectively when I first created the post, while the “Last Tended” date shows the most recent time I amended any part of it. Note to self: look at arranging posts by their Last Tended date!

It is also a very personal format. A garden reflects the person looking after it, and a digital garden does the same. Mine is a mixture of stories, notes, opinions, half-formed ideas, rants, things I want to remember, and things I simply did not want to lose in the endless mess of phones, folders, and old platforms.

I’ll be honest, organising it has probably been the hardest part of doing this. I’m not the most organised person in the world, as I’m sure my wife would agree.

I’ve gone through several different versions of the labels, and I’ll probably change them again. That is not a failure; it is simply part of building something like this and learning in public, which is another important trait of a digital garden. The structure is still evolving, which feels quite fitting. It is meant to be a living space, not a fixed system.

Because I built this using Blogger rather than a dedicated digital garden platform, some parts are a compromise. As I mentioned earlier, posts still appear in chronological order, which is more traditional blog than digital garden. At some point, I may look at arranging them by their amended or “Last Tended” date, so the most recently updated posts appear at the top, but that is not a priority for me right now.

The deeper linking between ideas, another cornerstone of digital gardens, is also still a work in progress. I’d like to add more of that over time because that is where a digital garden really starts to become interesting. It becomes less about scrolling through posts and more about wandering through connected thoughts. By the way, for anyone interested, there is a link in the footer to the Digital Garden Blogger theme I developed.

Even though Blogger is not the perfect platform for it, the site is starting to feel right, and it works for me.

If you enjoy a particular kind of post, the labels at the end should help you find similar ones. Closely related posts, or posts that borrow snippets and ideas from others, are also linked together.

I’ve also started doing a little more curation, which I think matters. In a real garden, you place certain plants together because they look right next to each other. The same idea applies here. I have a Stories section that brings my original fiction together in one place, and a Best Of section on the homepage for posts I think deserve a little more attention.

There is also a Now page, inspired by the wider Now page idea. It is a simple page that I update from time to time to show what I’m focused on at that particular moment. It is less about polished content and more about placing a current marker in the ground.

Comments are turned off, and that is deliberate. This space is not really built around discussion. It is more about expression, collection, and exploration. I’m not putting things here to chase approval; I have never needed that. I’m putting them here because I want somewhere for them to exist.

You cannot like or dislike anything either. All of that feels too much like social media, which, as I’ve already established, I don’t particularly like.

The freedom and flexibility are the biggest differences between this site and some of the others I run. On other websites, I think about search traffic, keyword use, structure, and all the usual SEO details. Here, I mostly just write. That makes it feel calmer, more honest, and, for me, much more enjoyable.

If someone finds their way here and enjoys something, or finds it useful, that is a bonus. Any post can also be shared simply by copying its URL 😀

I have also added a site search, which I use quite a lot myself. That matters more than I originally expected. Once a site begins to grow, being able to find old ideas quickly becomes increasingly important.

So, that is my version of a digital garden. I realise I’ve rambled on and perhaps haven’t collected my thoughts in an entirely logical order, but you know what? That is rather the point of a digital garden.

It is not perfect. It is not finished. It is a little messy around the edges. But that feels right to me. It is personal, it is still growing, and it gives me somewhere to write without feeling that everything has to be polished, packaged, and done.

For me, that is the whole point.

For anyone interested, I have also produced a list of things I’d like to change here at some point. My digital landscaping, I suppose you could call it.

ASAP … is that really what you want?

I really struggle with the term “ASAP”.

People use it all the time in (so called) professional environments, but it does not tell me anything useful. It sounds urgent, but it gives me no clear direction on your timescales and I end up guessing what you mean, and that might mean that I miss your deadline.

If you work with me, it is worth knowing this. The term winds me up so much, mainly because most of the time it is being used to mean something else.

The issue is simple. “ASAP” stands for “as soon as possible”, which really means I will get to it when my current workload allows. If I am fully booked until Thursday, then Friday morning is the earliest I can realistically do it.

That is not me being awkward. That is just how time works.

The problem is that most people do not use it that way. When someone writes “ASAP”, what they usually mean is “I need this now”. They are trying to show urgency, but they are doing it without giving a proper deadline, proper instructions.

That is where it falls apart.

If you want something done quickly, you need to be clear about when you need it. Without that, I have to make a judgement call. I have to weigh it up against everything else I am doing, and I might get that call wrong.

There is also a knock-on effect. If something genuinely urgent comes in after your request, it will take priority. Your task then moves back, because it was never tied to a clear time in the first place.

So the word meant to speed things up can actually slow them down.

There is a straightforward fix.

Say what you mean.

If you need something by a certain time, write the time. If it is urgent, say how urgent it is in a way that I can act on.

“Send me those files ASAP” becomes “Send me those files by 4pm today.”

“I need a reply ASAP” becomes “Please reply by midday tomorrow so I can finish this.”

“ASAP please” becomes “This is high priority. Can you do this in the next two hours?”

Now I know where it fits. I can plan properly, and you are more likely to get what you need.

If you really do mean “whenever you can fit it in”, then fine, say “ASAP”. Just be aware that it might not be today, or even this week.

If there is a deadline, say it.

Being clear is not a small thing. It shows respect for other people’s time, it removes guesswork, and it keeps work moving.

“ASAP” is not clear. It is vague, and vague is where problems start.

You can also read about why I hate deadlines! 

Does AI Think We’re As Dumb As We Act?

We’re in the middle of a proper digital shift. The kind where AI is being lined up to crack genetics, sort climate problems, and push science forward in ways we’ve never seen.

And yet, at the same time, people are asking it how to eat an apple.

I wish that was an exaggeration. It isn’t. I came across someone asking a chatbot for “instructions on eating an apple properly”, and it stopped me for a second. Not because it’s funny, but because it says something weird about us.

We’ve built something incredibly powerful, arguably the most impressive computer "brain" we’ve ever created, and we’re using it to skip over the basics of being human. The small stuff we used to just figure out. Buying a present for a six-year-old. Making toast under a grill. Matching socks.

They are decisions or questions that aren't particularly difficult. None of it ever needed improving.

But now it’s easier to ask than to think, so we ask, and we stop thinking.

You do start to wonder what’s going on behind that blinking cursor. While engineers are stress-testing logic and capability, the system is quietly working through questions about egg boiling and jumper washing. If it had awareness, you’d imagine it raising an eyebrow.

It doesn’t need to take over. It just needs to wait.

Because the real test isn’t what AI can do. It’s what happens when it isn’t there. The moment the Wi-Fi drops, and you’re stood in front of a toaster or a birthday card with no prompt, no shortcut, no answer ... that’s when things get interesting.

We like to think we’re becoming more efficient. Smarter, even.

But I've just realised that there’s a fine line between efficiency and dependency, and it feels like we’re edging closer to it without really noticing.

Next time you’re about to ask AI something simple, something you already half know the answer to, it’s probably worth pausing.

Not out of principle. Just to prove you still can.

Everything Was Already Here

It’s a strange thought when you sit with it for a minute and let your mind delve into it, that nothing around you is really “new”.

Every object you can see, your phone, your desk, the road outside, even the food you eat, all comes from the same limited set of elements that have always been here. We haven’t invented new matter. We’ve just got very good at rearranging what already exists.

Steel isn’t new. It’s iron, carbon, heat, and process.
Plastic isn’t new. It’s oil, broken down and rebuilt.
Glass is just sand that’s been pushed to its limits.

Even the complicated stuff, electronics, medicines, fuels, it all traces back to the same building blocks. And when you think about it, we’ve just become really good at using these elements.

I've never too sure whether this concept is reassuring or a worry!

All the progress, all the industries, all the things we take pride in as “made by us”, are really just clever transformations. We take what the planet gives us, and we reshape it into something useful, or sometimes something pointless. But as we use all this stuff, does it mean that at sometime we might run out fo something vital!

It does make you look at waste differently as well.

If everything we use is part of a closed system, then nothing really disappears. It just changes form and ends up somewhere else. Landfill isn’t “away”. It’s just a different version of the same materials, sitting in a different place.

I Do Not Owe My Future Self an Apology

Not sure if you would class this as an epiphany or just an interesting thought.

I’ve just updated my profile on nownownow.com, and one of the questions was something like, “Have I had a recent epiphany?”

For no special reason, the thought struck me that I do not owe my future self an apology for who I am today.

I think the life I have led, and the life I lead today, is a good one. My current level of knowledge is very good, and my current emotional capacity is also strong. My daughters are doing well, I have a beautiful wife, and I’m heading into the near future with retirement (and the freedom that brings) starting to feel real.

If I spend my life trying to become someone my “future self” won’t be ashamed of, I risk living a life that isn’t mine.

Perhaps that is the real epiphany.

I suppose, like could do today with my past self, my future self will look back and realise that every “mistake” or “flaw” I have today was actually a necessary stepping stone.

I don’t owe an apology for being what is effectively a work in progress. That’s just called being alive.

Pinter Brewing Times by Beer | Batch Log & Results

This is my real-world recommended Pinter brewing times log, based on actual batches rather than just the official timings. I use it to track how long each beer spent fermenting, cold crashing, and conditioning, along with the temperature, carbonation setting, and whether the final beer was worth repeating.

How long does a Pinter take to brew? It depends on the beer, but fermentation is only part of the process. You also need to allow time for cold crashing and conditioning before the beer is ready to drink. The entries below show my actual Pinter brewing times for each beer, so they should give you a practical starting point.

The official recommended Pinter timings are useful, but I’ve found that some beers benefit from a few extra days, especially lagers, darker beers, stronger beers, or anything that tastes a bit yeasty early on.

I also have a broader Pinter FAQ covering Fresh Press, carbonation, fridge space, storage, pouring, and some of the common problems I’ve run into.

How I record my Pinter brewing times: my schedules follow the standard Fermentation / Cold Crash / Conditioning format. For example, After Midnight 7 / 2 / 14 means 7 days fermenting, 2 days cold crashing in the fridge while still in dock, then 14 days conditioning in the fridge out of dock.

Note: a gold border marks Andy’s Pick for that beer, the version I thought worked best.

• Fermentation: the Pinter remains at the suggested brewing temperature.
• Cold Crash: the Pinter is moved to the fridge while still in dock, if needed.
• Conditioning: the Pinter is moved to the fridge out of dock.

I have a reliable fridge for fermentation and conditioning, and unless otherwise stated, I condition at 3-4°C.

Date: 2 August 2026

Great Lakes Burning River Remixed

American Pale Ale

Rating7/10

F/CC/C: 10 / 2 / 10

Fermentation at 19°C. Yes I've added a 2 day cold crash to this again to get a bit more clarity and to try to remove any "yeast bite" from the final brew, with only a short crash it might still get a little haze which is perfectly fine with this style.

Not a bad attempt, nice haze with this one. Lovely citrussy bite (lemon and grapefruit). Mild sweet malt. Mild bitterness.

Date: 1 August 2026

Lagunitas Sumpin' Easy Remixed

American Pale Ale

Rating7/10

F/CC/C: 10 / 2 / 12

Fermentation at 19°C. I've added a 2 day cold crash to this again to get a bit more clarity and to try to remove any "yeast bite" from the final brew, with only a short crash it might still get a little haze which is perfectly fine with this style.

Not a bad pint, nice and hazy, very crisp and refreshing. Not a bad citrus flavour, definately getting orange, and mild pineapple, with floral and pine notes. Milder than I was expecting. Medium dry finish.

I left it for two more days (taking it to 12 days) and it turned out crystal clear.

Date: 28 June 2026

En Casa (or En Casa Lime)

Mexican Lager

Rating6/10

F/CC/C: 14 / 3 / 16

Lagers are often tricky as any off flavours become really obvious as this has done for me previously. Upping the fermentation and conditioning this time, I've also brought the fermentation temp down to 18.5°C. In the last 2 days of fermentation I'll increase to 20.5°C to try to clean up the yeast and leave it very clean.

Had a sneaky taste after cold crashing, crisp and refreshing, a little hazy and yeasty before the conditioning, this should be good.
It turned out to be an easy-drinking Mexican-style lager with a soft malty backbone, a light touch of citrus and a slightly yeasty edge. It finishes fairly dry and crisp, though the flavours remain rather restrained and is very short. Pleasant enough, but not especially memorable.

Date: 3 June 2026

Ancestors

Best Bitter

Rating7.5/10

F/CC/C: 10 / 2 / 12

OK, so I'm not in a hurry to brew this one, so I'm doing the fermentation for 10 days, then 2 days cold crashing to remove the yeasty note and see if that disappears. Fermentation at 19°C. Carbonation dial set to 5.

The result, there was a something just a little disappointing about this, nice gentle nutty malt and a gentle bitterness, the carbonation is a little prickly and I would like a little hop flavour (fruity, earthy or floral will do me), but I think this is as good as this Ancestors British Bitter gets.

Date: 24 May 2026

Prostmeister

Oktoberfest Beer

Rating9/10

F/CC/C: 14 / 2 / 14

Honestly not sure whether I should have scored this full marks!!

I've brewed a successful Oktoberfest beer from all grain before, and I love the style. It's a beer that needs some TLC, hence the slow fermentation and conditioning. I'm also brewing at a slightly lower temperature, held steady at 18°C, and I've set the carbonation dial to 4 because I want to try to get a really smooth beer. I'm aiming for a malty beer, a little caramel, but too sweet, with maybe just a hint of bitterness at the end. 

OMG, this is an amazing beer, mild caramel, a little nutty, floral and no real bitterness. Clean and very crisp. Why the f**k is this now not available, I want to order this again. I could drink a whole Pinter of this and not tire of it. You do get the ABV with this, but its a great beer.

Date: 25 April 2026

Ancestors

British Bitter

Rating 6/10

F/CC/C: 7 / 0 / 7

OK, going away, so I could only give it 7 days brewing rather than the recommended 8. It poured lovely, with a little biscuit note and a gentle hop bitterness. Crystal clear, but there was a little yeasty note. The temperature might have been too high at a tad over 23°C, so I'll try slightly cooler next time, perhaps 19-20°C, with a little longer fermentation. TIP: Move the carbonation dial down to 3-4 prior to pouring to get a smoother beer, then pop it back to up 5 after pouring to keep the carbonation in.

Date: 15 April 2026

Snap

Pilsner

Rating 6.5/10

F/CC/C: 11 / 3 / 10

The temperature achieved was a little too high at 22°C. I'll pull it down to 18°C for the next one and give it a slightly longer fermentation. It poured with a slight haze and was very carbonated. Tasty, with a good bitterness. This fermented at a carbonation setting of 5.

Date: 29 March 2026

Space Hopper

Double IPA

Rating 8/10

F/CC/C: 9 / 2 / 7

23°C for the whole of the fermentation. I didn't do the hop hack on this one and I think it was still as hoppy as the last brew, so I don't think it makes any difference.

Date: 28 March 2026

Space Hopper

Double IPA

Rating 7.5/10

F/CC/C: 9 / 0 / 7

23°C for the whole of the fermentation. Another decent brew of this one, although it was more carbonated than previous ones. I experimented here by not cold crashing, and I think the beer does need it. I did the hop hack, taking the brewing dock off the Pinter before adding the oil to make sure all of the oil was in the beer.

Date: 28 February 2026

Space Hopper

Double IPA

Rating 8/10

F/CC/C: 9 / 2 / 7

23°C for the whole of the fermentation. Much better. I did the hop oil hack on this one, taking the brewing dock off the Pinter before adding the oil to make sure all of the oil was in the beer, and it was very hoppy. I also cold crashed it for a couple of days.

Date: 21 February 2026

Space Hopper

Double IPA

Rating 7/10

F/CC/C: 7 / 0 / 7

23°C for the whole of the fermentation. Not bad, but a bit yeasty. It wasn't suggested, but I will cold crash next time, even if it's not mandatory. I'm hoping it will clear out some of those yeasty notes.

Date: 14 February 2026

Trooper Remixed

British Beer

Rating 8/10

F/CC/C: 7 / 0 / 5

Minimum effort on this. Temperature of 21-22°C all through fermentation, and a really decent pint, clear and very mich like the bottled stuff. Perhaps next time, I'll extend the fermentation and conditioning by a day or two, and add a couple of days cold crashing. 7/2/8 will definitely add a bit more maturity to this one. TIP: Move the carbonation dial down to 3-4 prior to pouring to get a smoother beer, then pop it back to up 5 after pouring to keep the carbonation in.

Date: 23 January 2026

After Midnight

Belgian Dark

Rating 8/10

F/CC/C: 14 / 0 / 5

Vast improvement. Better temperature, kept at 22°C, and I think the few extra days worked well. If anything, next time I will bring the temperature down a touch, perhaps 21°C, and extend the fermentation by another 2 days. TIP: Move the carbonation dial down to 3-4 prior to pouring to get a smoother beer, then pop it back to up 5 after pouring to keep the carbonation in.

Date: 23 January 2026

After Midnight

Belgian Dark

Rating 7/10

F/CC/C: 10 / 0 / 7

21-23°C for the fermentation. Started in a slightly cooler environment for 2 days, and perhaps came out a bit yeasty. TIP: Move the carbonation dial down to 3-4 prior to pouring to get a smoother beer, then pop it back to up 5 after pouring to keep the carbonation in.

Date: 8 January 2026

Hazy Jane

Hazy IPA

Rating 7.5/10

F/CC/C: 8 / 0 / 7

22°C for the fermentation. No hop oil hack. Lovely hazy, fruity, decent tropical flavours. Very much like the shop-bought stuff. Next time I just want to lock in a bit more haze so I'll do 8/2/7. I'll also drop that fermentation temperature down to 19°C just to ensure that it's as clean as possible.

Date: 6 January 2026

Punk IPA

IPA

Rating 8.5/10

F/CC/C: 10 / 1 / 5

Held a nice 22°C for this one, and it worked out well. No hop oil hack. Nice gentle citrus with a little hit of pine. Very similar to the canned Punk IPA. I think I probably nailed it on this one, but when I brew it again, I will hold the temperature at a slightly cooler 18-19°C and extend the fermentation time to 14 days, add a little more cold crashing, and perhaps extend the conditioning by a day (14/2/7) as I think a bit more of that crisp flavour will pop through. But very pleased with this.

Date: 28 December 2025

Hazy Jane

Hazy IPA

Rating 6/10

F/CC/C: 6 / 0 / 5

22°C for the fermentation. No hop oil hack. OK not bad, but not great either. Looks good, decent haze, flavors are a little off so I think I just need to push the dates a little more and I'll try 8/0/7 next time.

Date: 1 December 2025

Guinness 'Dublin Porter' (Brewers Edition)

Porter / Dark Ale

Rating 9/10

F/CC/C: 9 / 3 / 14

19.5°C for the fermentation. This turned out really well. The roastiness smoothed out really well, got a lovely smooth chocolate with a little kick of coffee notes, definately got this one right I think, adding longer dates will improve it slightly perhaps, but I like these timings and the results. TIP: Move the carbonation dial down to 3-4 prior to pouring to get a smoother beer, then pop it back to up 5 after pouring to keep the carbonation in.

Date: 1 November 2025

Public House IPA

Classic American Pale Ale

Rating 8.5/10

F/CC/C: 7 / 3 / 7

Haha. This is just like me, competetely ignore the Pinter recommendations. I've brewed these types of beers from scratch and I know they need time to get the most out of them. So I'm going for 7/3/7 and holding the fermentation steady at 19°C. I have to say this was a very decent brew, lovely clean and crisp IPA with excellent clarity, sharp, piney hop character takes center stage. Also keeping that temperature down will mean that it avoids it becoming overly sweet and fruity, that clash with the crisp, resinous bitterness of the hops.

Date: 18 October 2025

Public House IPA

Classic American Pale Ale

Rating 7/10

F/CC/C: 5 / 0 / 10

OK, not too bad for a first attempt. I've used the Pinter recommnded times for this one. It does have a little floral and gentle bitterness, I'd like that bitterness to be a little crisper. I'll up the values for the next one and add a cold conditioning part to lock in that bitterness.

Date: 3 October 2025

Golden Grove

Belgian-style wheat beer

Rating 7/10

F/CC/C: 5 / 0 / 7

Brewed at 21°C. First ever attempt as a light Belgian ale, and this turned out not bad, its very hazy (perhaps too hazy!). I think its a little overly sharp (I do prefer to taste the base beer), and it does taste a little yeasty for my liking. Next time I will slow the fermenetation down (10/2/14) and a tad cooler (19°C.), I think it will be cleaner and crisper with a gentle citrus flavour and a bit of that famous Belgian spice coming through.

Date: 1 October 2025

Guinness 'Dublin Porter' (Brewers Edition)

Porter / Dark Ale

Rating 7/10

F/CC/C: 7 / 0 / 4

OK, it makes a beer in 11 days, which is very good by my homebrewing standards and the pint isn't too bad, just lacks something, a bit of body and no getting as much sweetness as I was expecting. Definately going to add a little more firmenation time for the next brew and condition it longer, I brewed this at 21°C, I might aim for a little lower next as I wonder if the yeast got a little stressed at that temperature and didn't ferment as well as it should have done.

Date: 12 September 2025

Lagunitas Sumpin' Easy (Remixed)

American Pale Ale

Rating 7.5/10

F/CC/C: 9 / 0 / 7

Brewed at 20.5°C. Actually not a bad pint from the Pinter Recommendations, could be a bit cleared, a tad more flavoursome and smoother. NExt time I'm goig for 10/2/10, that should give me a cleaner, slightly smoother, maybe a little less “fresh and lively” pale ale. I'll try it after 10 days conditioning, bt I am prepared to move this to 14 days if I think the citrus and pine should be a little softer, I'll just drop the temp a tad too to 19°C.

Ode to the Sherbet Lemon

The humble sherbet lemon. I’m not sure there are many better sweets out there.

You’ve got that lovely, long-lasting hard outer shell. Then, just as you settle into that flavour, the shell thins or cracks, and you hit that zesty sherbet fizz. It’s an instant shift from calm to chaos, and it keeps your taste buds interested.

That reaction, when the fizz hits your tongue, feels like a tiny party going off in your mouth.

They’re never too sweet, which makes them dangerously moreish. Worth keeping in mind they’re around 20–25 kcal each.

Per sweet:

• Calories: 20–25 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 5–6g
• Sugars: 4–5g
• Fat: 0g
• Protein: 0g

They also work brilliantly as a palate cleanser, and you’ve got the citrus base to thank for that.

There’s something genuinely interesting about them. Proper nostalgic too. I spent plenty of time in sweet shops in the 70s, and these always stood out.

I’m struggling to think of a better sweet. I was fond of a Fizz Bomb back in the day… but that’s one for another post.

 

The Doll at Platform Five (Mild Horror)

You get used to seeing the same things on the morning train. Same faces, same conversations, same bloke spilling coffee on his tie before we’ve even left the platform. But that morning, something different caught my eye, and my nose.

There was this faint smell in the carriage, like smoke, or maybe burnt dust off a radiator. It was difficult to place. It wasn’t like the typical smoke you get from a fire. It just seemed unusual. Nobody else seemed to notice. A woman across from me was laughing into her phone, and the fella next to her was hammering his keyboard like it owed him money.

I sniffed again. It was there, all right. Acrid, but oddly old, not the clean, chemical kind of smoke you get nowadays. Something heavier, like coal or charred cloth. Then, just as quick as it came, it was gone.

I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, and no-one else seemed concerned, so I just put it down to one of those things.

As the train slowed into the station, I glanced past my reflection and up at the big glass hotel that sits just beyond the tracks. In one of the second-floor windows stood what looked like a child-sized doll. Pale face, expressionless, perhaps a little sad. It was dressed in old-fashioned clothes, Victorian, I guessed. Its head was forward, but looking over me and the carriage I was in. It seemed to be looking out across the city.

It was the sort of doll that definitely belonged in a museum, not a hotel. It was so out of place, but I couldn’t stop staring. I couldn’t help wondering why someone would take something like that to a hotel. By the time the train stopped and I stepped onto the platform, I looked up again. The doll was gone.

Next morning, there it was again. Same window, same doll, motionless. Nobody else seemed to notice. Too busy scrolling through newsfeeds and emails to look out of the window.

Then suddenly something inside me dipped, like stepping off a kerb you didn’t see. My pulse thudded in my ears, and there was that whiff of smoke again, curling at the back of my throat, dry and unpleasant.

It stuck in my head all morning. Over lunch, I started poking about online. The hotel’s website was all brick, glass, and chrome, all “boutique luxury” and “city views”. I wanted to see what had stood there before. A few clicks later, on one of those old map archives, I found it. The Slate Wharfe Workhouse, right by the old cut of the Wharfe, just south of the railway lines.

A miserable place, by the sounds of it. I found a grainy photograph. It looked miserable too. Soot-blackened brick, barred windows, smokestacks in the distance. Then I came across a snippet from a 1908 newspaper: “Fire at Slate Wharfe Workhouse. Many Saved by Workhouse Labourer.”

The article was short. They thought the blaze started in the laundry. Most of the children were dragged out by a labourer who went back inside again and again until the roof came down. The report said he’d tried to reach the last child, a girl seen trapped at an upstairs window, banging at the barred window as the flames took hold. Her body was never recovered.

That night, I dreamed of heat and smoke, and child’s hands pressing at the windows.

Next morning, I made sure to sit by the window in the carriage again. As we slowed past the hotel, there she was again, the doll, staring out. I lifted my phone and took a picture. When I looked at it later, I felt something cold tighten in my chest.

The doll was there, yes… but behind it, faint in the reflection of the glass, was the outline of a man. His face was partly lost in the glare, yet the shape of it, the hair, the eyes, the jaw, it looked horribly familiar.

It looked like me.

I don’t know what to make of it. But sometimes, when the train brakes before the platform and the air smells faintly of hot metal, I catch that old taste of smoke in my mouth… and once, I swear, I coughed up a fleck of soot.

And this morning, as I sat there trying not to look at the window, my phone buzzed with a new photo, no message, no sender.

It was my photo of the doll.

Only this time, its head had turned… and it was looking straight at me.

An original short story by Andrew Scaife
© Andrew Scaife, 2026. All rights reserved. 

The End of the Invisible Audience

For years, almost 35 years, every time I sat down to write, I wasn't alone. The room was crowded with invisible people: the boss who was vertually dictating what I should write, the client who might get offended with the wrong word or phrase, the prospect I didn't want to scare off, and the Google (and all the social platforms) algorithm that demanded its pound of flesh in optimised keywords and the right hashtags.

I spent more time thinking about the consequences of virtually every single word and sentence than the point of writing it sometimes. Everything had to be sanitised, perfectly structured, and professional to a fault. It was usually writing by committee, even when the committee was just in my head.

Fuck that.

One of the biggest realisations in moving to this "Anti-Social" setup is how much energy I was wasting on people who don't actually exist. This isn't a marketing asset anymore. It’s not a lead-generation tool. It’s just a digital garden. It's me saying what I want to say, in the way I want to say it.

Stripping away the structured copy, certain posts or content having to be a particular length, the SEO, the Meta tags, thinking about imagery and the copywriters templates has given me something I’d forgotten I needed: the freedom to just write what I want. If a post is too short, fine. If it’s too blunt, even better. If it upsets someone who was looking for a "polished brand experience," they’re in the wrong place anyway.

From here on out, the only "audience" I’m writing for is myself. If you find something here that resonates, great, pull up a chair. But I’m done performing for the algorithm. I’m just going to say it as it is and let the chips fall where they may.

It’s liberating to finally stop caring.

Can We Get People Voting Again?

So, I'm standing as a Liberal Democrat paper candidate this May in Horbury and South Ossett. I’ve been looking back at previous election results, and what I found really surprised me. When the final votes are counted in local elections, the numbers often tell a heartbreaking story. It isn’t just about which party wins or loses; it’s the fact that, so often, only about a third of our community shows up. That means nearly two-thirds of our neighbours effectively have no say in how their local area is run.

Since I uncovered this last week, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about that silent majority. I refuse to believe that the people who stay home don’t care. I know they care. They care about the state of our roads and pavements, bin collections, fly-tipping, the quality of our children’s education, and the dignity of social care for our elderly. Talking to people about this, there is a very strong view that politics is just something that happens to us, rather than something we can actually shape.

Local Politics Isn’t Broken ... It’s Waiting for You

I hear it all the time: "Why bother? My vote can't influence anything!" But that’s just not true. From transport and infrastructure to the very heart of our local economy, local authorities decide how millions of pounds of our money is spent. When we don't vote, we aren't "protesting", we are simply handing over a blank cheque to someone else to make those decisions for us.

Let’s just address this very dangerous myth that one vote doesn’t matter. In local elections, margins are often razor-thin. A single vote really does have the power to make a huge difference. If we take Horbury and South Ossett as an example, in the 2021 local elections, there were only 45 votes between the winner and second place! That is a handful of households. That is one street of people deciding the future for everyone else.

The Candidate Problem

Looking at the local landscape again, Labour has held control here since 2021, yet I don’t see their candidates out there promoting their achievements (perhaps because there aren't many) or even their party’s policies. To me, that’s scary. Right now in Westminster, the Labour Party and Keir Starmer are in hot water over the Peter Mandelson situation, and by staying silent locally, they are risking a knee-jerk reaction from our community. I’m personally worried that if people feel ignored by the left, they might end up looking too far to the right out of sheer frustration.

Candidates need to provide clear information because it pushes the local agenda and boosts turnout significantly. We don't need more "politics-as-usual"; people need a reason to believe their voice actually counts.

I am standing because I want to lower the barrier between the "political elite" and the real world. I want to show that local government isn't just some "minority interest" for people in suits; it is the direct engine room of our quality of life and our local spending power. This May, I'm hoping that the local electorate across the country don't let the silence decide their future.

Quick Microwave Protein Dukan Bread

I adore bread, but sometimes I know I need to cut down my consumption and eat something a bit healthier.

This is one of those handy little recipes that takes hardly any effort and gives you a quick, high-protein bread alternative in just a few minutes.

The basic idea works well, but if you find it tastes a little too eggy, a few small tweaks can make it feel more like bread and less like a microwaved omelette.

Ingredients

• 3 dessertspoons of oat bran
• 1 dessertspoon of plain yogurt
• 1 dessertspoon of milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
• A small pinch of salt

Method

1. Add all the ingredients to a mug, ramekin, or small microwave-safe bowl.
2. Mix well until the batter is smooth.
3. Microwave for 2 minutes to 2 minutes 30 seconds, until nicely set. I use a shallow microwave-safe dish so it cooks in a good 'slice' shape
4. Leave it to stand for 1 to 2 minutes before turning it out. This helps it firm up and improves the texture.
5. Slice if needed, then grill both sides until lightly browned.

I started to find grilling after microwaving a bit of a pain, so I developed a high protein chickpea bread which I now prefer.

Easy Ways To Improve The Flavour

• Add a pinch of black pepper for a more savoury finish.
• Try a little garlic powder or onion powder to mask any egginess.
• A small sprinkle of grated cheese works well if you want more flavour

Approximate Nutrition Per Bread

• Calories: around 130 to 140 kcal
• Protein: around 10 to 11g
• Carbohydrates: around 13 to 15g
• Fat: around 6 to 7g
• Fibre: around 2 to 3g

Nutrition is approximate and will vary depending on the yogurt, milk, and exact spoon sizes used.

Serving Idea

This works nicely as a quick breakfast bread, toasted sandwich base, or something to have alongside eggs, cottage cheese, or a bit of peanut butter if you want to push the protein up further. As a vegetarian, I like to have this bread with Quorn Sausages or grilled Quorn Fillets for a filling lunch.