Rowan Tree and Red Thread

Last week I attended a training course on Microsoft's Exchange Server 2003. We're in the middle of a migration from the old NT domain to a new Windows Server 2003 based domain, and the e-mail system is scheduled for an upgrade as part of the move. The old Exchange 5.5 servers are being upgraded (or replaced in some cases) to Exchange Server 2003 and I was sent along from Operations to get some feel for the migration process and the changes to administrating Exchange in the new set-up.

I found the course interesting, but I suffered from the physical set-up of the training room workstations. The seating and the right-handed mouse seem to have triggered some sciatica and referred pain in my right hand, which I usually avoid at my normal workstation. It doesn't take much to cause aches and pains, and I found the chair uncomfortable. Coupled with a right-handed mouse set up I ended up feeling pretty crappy by Thursday. Live and learn, I guess. Next time I'll be sure to arrange the desk and mouse layout properly before getting started.

Last weekend, no doubt partly in reaction to spending a week hacking about with Exchange Server 2003, I baked two new cake/biscuit/naughty recipes from a little book of biscuits my wife has had in the kitchen for ages. Stirred during an idle moment as Rowan, my daughter, was playing in the garden by the kitchen door, I looked through this book and found a couple of nice, simple things for me to try.

On Saturday morning I made a batch of Shrewsbury biscuits, and thought of Amanda (purpletigron) and our visit to Shrewsbury a few years back. Like the trip the biscuits were a success. Straightforward little shortcake ones with some sultanas thrown in, they'll do a treat for our Wednesday night gamers if the tupperware they are in proves sufficiently airtight.

Sunday morning I tackled a brownie recipe from the same book. Those of you out there in Interweb land who have come to any of my birthday celebrations will remember my mother's brownies. Her brownies aren't really like the usual american-style fudge brownies, tending to be closer to a very rich, dense chocolate cake smothered in chocolate sauce. This new recipe I used produces brownies in the traditional style: slightly biscuit-y top, chewy fudge centres. I liked them, though next time I'm going to up the flour quantity slightly in an effort to make them a little less gooey.

Rowan helped me with the first batch of biscuits, which was delightful, and I enjoyed the making and sharing of them. Ah, domesticity!