I don't think words are necessary…

Hot on the heels of Rolls-Royce's announcement of the launch of the 'baby Rolls', Bentley are releasing their fastest, most-powerful car ever.  They are selling it as such. 
Look at these figures:

• twin-turbocharged W12 engine
  
• producing 621bhp
• 204mph top speed
• and a 0-60 time in under 4 seconds.

But they're also trying to market it as environmentally friendly as it can run on bio-fuel.  They boast about the reduced carbon emissions:

 At the 2008 Geneva Auto Salon, Bentley announced a far-reaching environmental programme to reduce CO₂ emissions and improve fuel economy across its model range.

An important element of this strategy is by 2012 to make the entire Bentley fleet capable of running on renewable fuel through the introduction of FlexFuel technology, where engines are capable of running seamlessly on bioethanol, petrol or any mix of the two. 

At the same time Bentley declared that this would be achieved without sacrificing its well-known performance and luxury.

This statement of intent has taken shape in the Continental Supersports – a car that balances extreme potency with the pioneering use of biofuel technology in the luxury sector.

The result is a net CO₂ reduction of up to 70 per cent on a well-to-wheel-basis, the measurement of CO₂ release of a fuel from its production (well) to its combustion or deployment (wheel).

Bioethanol can be derived responsibly from crops such as corn, soybeans, sugarcane and switchgrass. Second generation bioethanol uses the non-food fibres of the plant (biomass), as well as agricultural waste and forestry residues. These are collected and refined into cellulose ethanol.

CO₂ is absorbed by plants as part of the photosynthesis process, and cars using biofuel then release that CO₂ back into the atmosphere, thus creating an unbroken energy cycle. In addition, biofuels are not derived from fossil fuels, making them a renewable resource ensuring a secure supply into the future.

Bioethanol is often blended with petrol in a variety of percentages ranging from E10 (10% bioethanol) to the most widely known, E85, blended to a ratio of 85 per cent bioethanol to 15 per cent petrol to ensure cold-start capability.

Bioethanol presents unique engineering challenges compared with petrol, due to its chemical composition and characteristics. E85 biofuel has a very high octane rating of 105 but a lower energy content that requires a 30 per cent increase in the engine fuel flow rate.

It looks like a cracking car.  But environmentally-friendly?  Please.  If it manages 15 miles to the gallon I'd be surprised.

You can read more this 621bhp eco-warrior here.

Try as we might, at this time of year it's impossible to prevent a celebrity chef from telling us how Christmas food should be prepared and enjoyed. And they all have a unique perspective. Gordon's going for that authentic feel, Nigella's going for sassy with a twist of opulence - Jamie's championing local produce - and Delia's doing Christmas on a shoe-string.

Having watched many a cookery show I fancied giving baking a try this year and opted to follow Delia's Christmas on a shoe-string approach. I decided to make some mince pies!

Ingredients: Flour, butter, pinch of salt, drop of milk, mince meat (fruity variety - won't make that mistake twice!)

Very simple and Unit cost I worked out at 7p each based on cost of quantity of ingredients above to bake 24.

However - having not baked since I was at school I had failed to take into account the cost of hardware I needed to purchase in order to make the mince pies. Hoping this would be the start of a new hobby I invested in the necessary:

• 1 hand blender
• 1 mixing bowl
• 1 rolling-pin
• 3 pastry cutters (different sizes)
• 1 pastry brush
• 1 spatula
• 1 cooling stand
• 1 apron

I calculate that my unit price per mince pie has now risen to: £2.07p (excluding energy required for baking, cleaning products and my time).

To put that into perspective - I could have bought 298 mince pies from Tesco for the same outlay. So much for a frugal Christmas!

Oh yes… and the other thing you never see on TV - cooking's a messy business!!

Just returned form another cycling trip - this time in Poland around the Tatra mountain range and border with Slovakia.

We flew into Krakow and stayed in the city for one night at the beginning and at the end of our 1 week stay. It's a pretty city; not too dissimilar from other Eastern European cities in so much as the city-centre squares that, over the years have witnessed such political, economic, social and religious turmoil, now fall victim to Britain's latest export - "The Stag-do." And whilst the purpose of this blog was not to rant, can I just say that it's bad enough that "booze-britain" is a recognised anti-social phenomenon in this country; so let's not take a perverse pride in turning that into a global reputation. "Stag dos should stay in Britain!", subject for a future blog no doubt.

Krakow, was interesting, but the remote Tatra Mountains and their surrounding countryside were worlds apart.The countryside at this time of year is simply breath-taking - and the strip farming regime using horse drawn ploughs and carts, transports you to a time a century or so ago when cars, electricity, and cycling helmets weren't even dreamed-of. It was strange to think that although I felt I was looking at scenes from a past era, this sustainable, environmentally friendly, self-sufficient approach to life could also, quite easily, be a glimpse of our future.

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What do jalapeños, fajitas, Majorca and Juventus have in common?

I was in Subway getting a sandwich the other day, and someone in front of me in the queue was asked if he wanted any jalapenos on his sandwich.  Oh "ja-lapenos" (he said stressing the J at the start of the word so that it was pronounced the same way as in 'jam'). 

The girl behind the counter said "yes, jalapenos" (pronouncing the word correctly), whilst rolling her eyes.

I heard someone order fajitas as well not so long ago, again insisting that the 'j' should be pronounced as in jam.

They must hear people pronounce these words correctly, and then choose to ignore the correct pronunciation.  Surely no one says Majorca with a hard 'j' anymore, although it wouldn't surprise me?

Andy Gray often refers to Juventus with a hard 'j', and he's not the only one.  Kevin Keegan does exactly the same.  Again they must hear people pronounce Juve or Juventus correctly and choose to ignore that they are the ones who are wrong?

The same people who insist on the hard 'j' incorrectly, also seem to be the same ones who insist on calling José Mourinho - 'Hosé' as it would be pronounced in Spansh, but not in Portuguese.  Do they take delight in getting it wrong and making themselves sound less intelligent?  Is it something they work hard at?

Talking of 'pronunciation' I am hearing more and more people mispronounce it so that it sounds like pronounce-iation. It isn't even spelt like that, so why do they insist on mangling the English language so?

It's a sad irony that in this time of web 2.0 and social networking, the fastest developing and most successful communities are online - yet the individuals tapping away on keyboards until the early hours are doing so behind locked doors and security gates within the real communities that are no longer safe to walk around at night. Is this just co-incidence?

On the day we moved in to our new place I was completely overwhelmed by introductions from our new neighbours from up and down the street - one of which included an offer for me to become the Community Warden for the next 12 months or so. Well - what could I say? I said "I'll think about it." That was five weeks ago - and now every time there's a knock at the door I tense-up and ignore it. Whoever they are have usually gone 10 minutes later.

The thing is - I like the idea of getting more involved with the community - but I lack the skills. How to speak with people you have nothing in common with - apart from living in the same street? What to talk about with people much older and wiser? What's the appropriate level of personal information to impart - without becoming the laughing-stock of the local pub? 

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This weekend, while Daniel was pokering from dusk till dawn, I went to Windsor and met the Queen. I have not been invited to meet the queen at Windsor before and so this weekend was no exception; except that I passed within one foot of her Majesty, and smiled politely as she, stamp-like, smiled back.

It was one of those events that you can't prepare for as Mum, Dad, Anna and I went for a stroll around Windsor; to build our appetites for Sunday lunch.

As we walked up the 3-mile-long tree-lined driveway that leads to her castle, a spangly Range Rover weaved its way through the crowds of sightseers towards us. My Dad said - "Look's like someone important".

As we stood to one side of the drive to let it pass I instantly recognised the person in the passenger seat - not everyday you get to see the face that accompanies most of your purchases.

I smiled. Her Majesty smiled back. I don't think she recognised me from Yappari - she probably just smiles at everyone, but it was a special moment.

So special, I almost forgot about the rant I'd been having 30 seconds earlier to my Dad, about how ridiculous it was charging £14.80 to go and have a look around the Castle. A Castle that is financed by the taxes I pay!

And so - have I come away a different person as a result of my encounter with the Queen? Yes - I have decided to take the lead from Her Majesty and follow-suit (Dan can explain what that means) with the entry policy to my house and garden at the following rates:

Friends & Family:    Free entry
Royalty:                 £14.80 (plus VAT)
Celebrities:            By prior appointment only.

Open to the general public, Sundays and back-holidays only. Entry fee… (if you have to ask, you can't afford it…) Please note - availability of parking is limited - and the neighbours will get upset if you park in front of their houses - even if you are Royalty!