This post is to have a reference point for stringing tennis racquets with the stringing machine.
Install the racquet on the stringing machine. Do not do this too tight! Just so that the racquet is not moving when pulling on the strings with the machine.
Cut the old strings going from the centre of the racquet towards the outside, alternating mains and crosses. This is to prevent uneven stress on the racquet.
Remove all the old strings and check that the grommets are still in good condition
Ensure you have enough string for the mains and for the crosses. You need 40 feet or 12m of string for the whole racquet. Half for the mains and half for the crosses. Most strings are sold in 12m lengths. So if you have a new set of strings, take half for the mains and half for the crosses. If you are using a reel, measure 8 lengths of the racquet for the mains and cut at an angle to make a “pointy” end for the string. This will make it easier to weave and put through the grommets.
You will need another 8 lengths of the racquet for the crosses.
Start with the mains ( the ones going the long way of the racquet).
Put the string through the middle at the bottom of the racquet and make sure the string is even between both sides. Put the locking clamp close to the frame to ensure tight fit.
Start stringing and progress on both sides evenly to avoid putting biased stress on the racquet.
Once the whole mains are done, it is time to make the “end” knots. go through the grommet and around the anchor string but do not make it tight yet. Pull towards the centre of the racquet and then rock towards the frame. This will make a secure “flat knot”, then do a second one. Over the string and back through the loop to finish and secure it.
The Alternative is to use the machine to keep the knot tight. to do this start with a simple flat knot, then put the string around the anchor string again and though the first “loop”. find the side of the “new” loop which is tight and pull on that one with the machine. Finish by simply pulling the remaining string with hands or machine.
Do this again on the other side of the mains.
Then time to start with the crosses. This is slightly easier as we start from the top of the racket and weave our way down to the bottom of the racquet. once we have done a couple of lengths it is possible to tie a starter know. Using the same technique as above.
When weaving ensure that you check every time the over and under of the strings so that it is using an alternating pattern. Also, as you go down the racquet, the cross strings will have a tendency to “curve” or make a “smiling” racquet. To avoid this on every string ensure it is nice and straight and tight.
The machine is used to keep the tension constant as we go along.
I use pre-stretch and a pull between 25kg and 27kg. The last one I did was 25.5kg. The lower the tension, the more power and the larger the sweet spot. But you lose some precision in the shots. With my level of tennis, the lower the better…
Made some new Trivet designs, as well as a, incent burner inspired by a Japanese design that my mum has at her house. There are more designs to come…
This is a recipe that used to be the “standard” at weddings and other large family occasions. Over the years it has disappeared from the chefs’ menus to be replaced by a lot simpler chicken dishes to optimise costs and profit.
It requires a little bit of preparation time but it is very nice and can still make a big impression on the plate for a friends dinner.
Ingredients:
How to make :
Optional, get all men out of the kitchen and get them to do “manual” tasks such as taking out weeds from the grass in the garden…
This is for reference only :
Fresh yeast quantities are usually 2.5X to 3.0X the equivalent in dry yeast.
17.5-21g fresh = 7g dry
30-35g fresh = 10 – 14g dry
Helped a little bit Noe to make his own TV stand for his bedroom.
He created the design in Fusion360, we then had the woodcut out of 18mm plywood by a local CNC Workshop, we then used Festool connector system and finally painted the whole thing in a stylish black satin colour….
Enjoyed immensely this project with my youngest son, so we decided to ensure we signed the pice of art for posterity!
When I first bought my Lathe (back in the USA 2006….), I had a few projects to cut some aluminium. Then bought a laser cutter probably in 2009.
I also discovered Quilling which I thought would be something nice for my Mum to get into….I made some very average box and some templates for my mum….
Only 10+ years later my mum has started to use the quilling kit for a special occasion.
[More updates…April 19]
Feb. 2019 : I m back at it!
Trying to make a real French baguette….been trying this since 2012….check my initial effort.
Best one so far ….
It is all in the Flour, need to buy T55 flour and it all becomes a lot closer to true French Baguettes…all made in the UK.
Ingredients :
How to Make :
Prepare the day before a mix of 150ml of warm water, the yeast, and 100g of the flour. once you have mixed it all, cover with cling film and put in the fridge overnight.[update : I have experimented with sourdough starter approach with multiple days of feeding looks promising] Also check this : Here
Next day, bring all ingredients out of the fridge and let everything rest at room temperature for a while so that Water+Flour+Levain is all around 20 to 25 degres celsius. Put all the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl with hook mixing attachment. Put on slow speed for 10 minutes [update : sometimes is require 15 minutes to get to right consistency]
Need to get to a smooth ball of dough. Keep needing if not smooth.
Put in oven to raise for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough in 3 equal pieces and shape all 3 parts in baguettes. The following method is important. Extend the dough between your hands, then fold each side back on the middle on top of each other.
Then do the same but length wise, folding half of the baguette on itself.
You can optionally do this (length wise fold) a second time with a 15 minutes rest time between the previous step.
Then roll with your hands to provide the long shaped baguette.
The dough will rise again and get puff up some more. [update : I do not let the bread rise on a cloth anymore, I put baguettes directly on the “form” and let rise on it]
Put the 3 baguettes on a “form shape” so it can rise again in a humid environment. I put in my steam oven which has a proving option. But simply putting in a closed oven with a bowl of steaming water is fine. You can also use a cloth to keep the shape of the baguette.
Let the dough rise for 60 to 90 minutes.
[update : once bread has had its second rise, cover gently with flour, then make a few deep cuts with “grignette” or sharp blade, this is important for the look but also for the crunch of crumb] If you want the “traditional look” , make 3 cuts in a S shape on top of the baguettes just before putting them in the oven. About 1.5cm deep. (I did not on this occasion)
Warm the oven to 230 degres celsius, with a tray in the bottom of the oven.
Once oven is nice and warm put the baguettes in the oven and throw a glass of water in the tray to create steam. This will provide the crispy outside of the baguettes. Cook until you have your desired colour of baguettes. Between 20 and 30 minutes.
Let bread rest of tray to allow for cooling down and a nice crispy outside to form.
I did more this week ….only 2 baguettes with same dough content. Better.
Original : 24th Nov 2012
I love Osso Buco, it taste so nice and is a great dish for autumn. A great comfort food dish. The house smells beautiful and gets everybody in a good mood.
Ingredients :
Garlic – Carrots – Celeri – Onions – Shallots
Pepper – Salt – Nutmeg – Flour – Butter
Chicken Stock – Osso Buco Veal pieces
Couscous or Pasta to go with it
It is very easy to prepare. Buy some nice pieces of veal, make sure there is no “loose” pieces of bones and dip in flour on both sides.
Seal the meat in your “Creuset” with a nice piece of butter. [update : I also add a bit of olive oil to make the butter foam-up a bit] Do not hesitate to put butter, it is a comfort dish, not some sprouting beans…Watch the temperature of the butter so that it does not burn too much. you just want to seal the meat, not cook it. Put some pepper to taste. I like it when it has a little bit of a kick. Do not put too much salt at this point, because you will put the chicken stock later which is salty on its own.
Once the meat is browned, put on the side and stir the onions. Again, do not burn the onions, you simply want to melt them and “clean” the dish to get all the nice flavours in the juice rather than sticking to the pan.
When the onions have started to get transparent, throw-in the other vegetables, carrots, celery shallots, garlic. Stir constantly until the dish is nice and clean at the bottom. (see the pictures). At this point, I like to add a little bit of nutmeg. This is the “secret” in my recipe of Osso Buco.
Prepare a chicken stock. (500ml approx)
Put the veal back in the Creuset pot, putting the meat on the bottom and the vegetables all around and over. Then cover with the chicken stock. I usually cover up to the top of the meat. You can put more or less depending on how juicy you want the final product. I prefer juicy and the kids like it that way as well.
Put the Creuset dish in the oven with the cover, at 160 degrees Celsius. For at least 90 minutes, or until the veal comes off the bones. This is almost a slow cooking dish. So do not hesitate to leave longer. The meat will not get dry, because of the juices from the vegetables and the chicken stock. If the stock evaporates too much, simply add a bit of water. But usually this is not necessary.
When ready to serve, I like to serve it with Couscous or Tagliatelle pasta.
Enjoy…
[update : It is ok to cook this in advance of people coming to the house and re-heat on time. It is also great on day 2 after a day in the fridge]
Only 4 days to go…
Saw this in the back of the European Headquarters’ building in Uxbridge , made me laugh…
We have not been “Rank Xerox” since 1997…
I never joined the club…maybe I missed on something special !
Can’t wait to spend some time on “me” and start to “grow” again…
As I organise my leaving party, I am amazed by the number of Xerox people who want to join me for a celebration drink and a bit of fun.
Anything Special about 4 ?
Four is the only number in English that is equal to the number of letters in its name.
Four on a calculator uses 4 LCD segments
The ancient Greeks associated the number four with earthly balance, believing that everything was made of four elements: earth, air, fire and water.
Pythagoras maintained that the soul of man consists of a tetrad, the four powers of the soul being mind, science, opinion, and sense.
I usually calculate the X4 by simply doing X2 twice…
While trying to convert the Irish into Christians, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the holy trinity with each leaf representing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. So when a Shamrock has a fourth leave, it brings “luck” to the party.
Only a few workdays to go before I get released from my duties at the office….
I feel relieved from the inappropriate pressures but still sad for all the people I leave behind.
I need to grow, learn, be inspired and feel loved, all of which I have felt for the last 25 years but not today.
Number of days left :
Did you know you can quickly calculate the 9 table ?
Let’s say you want to find out what is 7 X 9 ?
Simply take the 7 take 1 off it => 6
Then think what would be the complementary number to this 6 that would make it go to 9…that’s 3. Because 6 and 3 make 9.
So the result is 63 !
2 x 9 = 1…..8…..18
3 x 9 = 2….7…..27
4 x9 = 3…..6….36
Easy calculus…
I have actually tried to make Cassoulet a few times but never got it to work. The following recipe is the closest I have ever got to a truly delicious Cassoulet that all the family likes.
Ingredients :
How to Make :
Jules and I are making an Iphone App for my Tesla…we hope to be millionaires soon…
The best part is probably just the fun of playing together.
A short Video :
