Horton Lane Clockwise

Done about a week ago.

There was a time when I used to walk the Horton Lane Clockwise more or less every day, outing or holiday days apart, snapped above for the benefit of those readers who may not know the area very well. It takes about an hour and a half. Note that the large red blob, marking where I live, is a proper estate, built on what had been farm land 1920-1950 or so, not one of the much more recent estates built on the sites of what had been the mental hospitals of the Epsom cluster, visible to the left.

Still not got the hang of the Microsoft Snip & Sketch marking tool: I have nothing like the control with the mouse that I would have had with a real pen or brush. That said, a useful product which I have come to like.

I was sorry to see that the Chain Saw Volunteers had been busy on Epsom Common again. When is someone going to tell them that, given the climate emergency (rather pushed into the background by the viral emergency), trees is good and cows is bad? See reference 1 for some of their previous outings.

Mainly gentlemen joggers down Horton Lane. Perhaps they were home workers who have displaced the lady joggers who had the place pretty much to themselves during the week, in the olden days.

Someone found it necessary to honk at me at the turning into Chessington Road for West Ewell as I was walking along the edge of the road to avoid an older lady on the footpath who did not look as if she knew or cared about social distancing. There was very little traffic about, so presumably someone who had got out of bed on the wrong side that morning.

Pleased to see that the star garden at the entrance to West Ewell was still up and running, even if I have not yet got the hang of taking pictures of roses with my telephone. Possibly something to do with depth of focus. Worth a stop should you be passing that way.

A little further on, the Luna Café remained open for business, with properly spaced chairs outside, although there were no customers that I could see. Not quite the right time of day for the bacon sandwich on factory white which I have been promising myself, so I couldn't help them out. 

The two Wellingtonia down Longmead Road seem to be doing alright - but non-scoring as they have yet to reach scoring dimensions.

The house just past Pound Lane which is often host to cars that I could not afford, sported a Range Rover (which seems to be favourite), a BMW lookalike and a rather more modest Vauxhall. Perhaps this last was for the daughter of the house while she steadied down.

Last but not least, a substantial brass tray - 3lbs 3oz of it - sporting a notice inviting me to take it away, which I did. Washed up nicely and now a useful addition to our stock of same. Possibly to be used as an infantile sand tray. I thought that given the modest irregularities of the rim, probably hand made. Perhaps Middle Eastern or Subcontinental?

Rain, mostly gentle, the whole way. Not a problem when one is properly tooled up. Much better than on a bicycle in the rain.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/04/epsom-common.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2018/12/near-solved.html.

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