YOYO'S POOL PARTY 2010

Thanks to everyone that showed up to YOYO'S POOL PARTY 2010.

As the sun set, folks started to show up...skaters and non skaters alike. I spent a good coupla days fixing up the backyard and setting the scene with a Tiki/Voodoo theme, which looked really great. GoGo Lou and Lady Di took care of the skarfing material, serving up killer veggie chilli dogs and an awesome Indy cake.

It was mainly a gathering of older skaters and a great session was had by all. Some skate highlights were PSYCHICK BOYs Slob-Airs and Rock 'n' Roll slides, CYBs backside grind to tail, CAPT. HIGHSIDEs Rock to Fakies and Cess Slides and BULLCRAIGOs Tail-Drop, his first time on a skate in 22 years!!

Some other things worthy of mention were JOHNNY ALPHA and CONWAY CASTLE providing a terrific aural backdrop to the nights activities, my "BMX Bastard" nephew Jake pledging to skate more often, my neice, Shea, skooting around on my 33 year old G+S slalom board and Capt. Highside drunkenly barbecuing a 2 foot long giant marrow at 2am!

Other shout outs to Geoff from CO-BUILT, driving over from Oxford to make the scene, Foxy (with a broken foot) and Daisy for hooking me up with a new S.S.S.-SHRED-SLED deck, Mr. Wilson, out of action with a back injury for all the photos and Joe Crow for his electrical expertise and inadvertantly taking the "slam of the night".

Skarfing Material.......Damn tasty!

Running late? Too busy blogging to eat? Need to grab a quick snack? Try this... Beans 'n' Sausages burritos.

Super-simple, super-cheap, super-fast, Super-tasty.....I can make this AND eat it in less than 5 minutes!

Watcha need:
1 tin of beans 'n' sausages (I'm veggie but you can use meaty ones, I guess)

2 x soft tortilla wraps.

Microwave.

Watcha do:

Slice up 3 of the 6 sausages onto each burrito.

Divide equally, the remaining beans onto each burrito. Its best to run off some of the excess bean juice or they will be too soggy.

Tuck 'n' roll 'em up and chuck 'em in the microwave on full power for 2-3 minutes depending on your microwave.

Garnish with 'Branston Fruity Sauce', salt and pepper.

I can live off these for days on end..yum yum!

"SALT 'N' VINEGAR?" Best chippy in town

"My Name is Dave Arnold......and I am a Chip-Shopaholic"

I really don't have many vices. I don't drink, do any drugs or smoke. But I do have one all consuming bad habit....chips!

To add insult to injury...I like 'em steeped in salt and swimming in vinegar, to the point of embarassment.

I have this routine/ritual I go through each time I buy chips. When the girl behind the counter asks "Salt 'n' vinegar?" I reply "That's OK, I will put my own on, thanks". I seize the salt and vinegar and at this point in the proceedings, I ask for a can of Coke from the fridge behind her and while her back is turned.....I  squeeze the vinegar like a washing up bottle with all my might, shooting out a hosepipe-force jet, half-filling the styrene tray. I then feverishly shake on a months supply of salt on the soggy mound. If there are other people queuing up in the shop, I look out the door with a concerned expression, as if a crime is being commited, so as to divert attention away from  my vulgar, dispicable act.

I can actually sympathise with smokers, drug addicts and alcoholics. I know that all this chippery, saltery and vinegary will eventually kill me but......it just tastes so jolly good!

As if my chip habit wasn't bad enough, recently I find myself unable to resist ordering a couple of "Smacks" on the top. These are essentially giant, fat, bulbous chips fryed in batter!

To garnish , I ask for "Pea Wet". There is no charge for this and as the name implies, it is merely strained water from the mushy peas. This seems to be only available in chip shops in the 5 mile surrounding Wigan area, ask for "Pea Wet" in Haydock or Westhoughton and you will get a one yard blank stare across the counter. It is strange to me, that it is perfectly acceptable in Wigan chip shops to ask for "Pea Wet" and they willingly give it free of charge, without any stigma attached. However, woe betide the thrifty patron who dares to ask for "Bean Wet". The collective chip shop owners seem to take this as a personal affront, "Bugger off you cheapskate and get yer hand in yer pocket!"

Anyway,WHELLY CHIPPY  is hands down the best chippy in Wigan, . It is also called WHELLY DELI, which has a nice ring to it but I have never ever witnessed anyone buy anything whatsoever from the "Deli Menu".

Its not located in the town centre, it's tucked away up a small side street, so you won't accidently stumble upon it and it closes at 8.45pm......always a sign of a good chippy. The proprieters already made their money at Lunchtime and Teatime with queues out of the door. They don't have to put up with late night rowdy shenanegins when the pubs and nightclubs empty.

Unluckily for me, this chippy is located really close to the band rehearsal space and everytime I see the neon sign I feel compelled to pull over and stuff my face, even if I am not hungry!!

It's a hard habit to break......