Monday evening was the occasion of an episode of a detective drama on Freeview. A drama which featured murder by warfarin - murder of both horse and man. Very messy, and so complicated that we lost the plot well before the end. A problem which comes with our age and which was compounded by today's tendency for tired television dramas to go in for complexity as a substitute for flair. We are starting to find ancient films rather refreshing from that point of view, much more like a short story, with just one story to tell, without layer upon layer of red-herrings.
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| Shopping |
Figs from Grape Tree, the rest from Waitrose. With the Guardian included for free with the rest of it. Consumption of figs from Grape Tree seem, in some large part, have displaced our consumption of brick dates, as it happens on the same bit of shelving.
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| Looking roughly south |
Figs rather good, not too sticky, almost up to the standard of those from the store at Clapham Junction, as noticed, for example, at reference 1. From people called Demos who get them in turn from Clarke's. Type the address into gmaps and up comes a view of a place quite close to the western coast of Turkey, perhaps a place which used to be Greek flavoured not so long ago.
The address seems to be the track leading left from the blue gate, but the small trees and buildings beyond, to the right of the gate, might well be part of the fig operation - although hard to see how what can be seen here produces 2,000 tons of figs. Maybe they buy up more figs from all over the region.
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| Outdoors at the Blen, aka TB |
A Ruxley Lane anti-clockwise in the afternoon. Enlivened first by a young man in a small car who whizzed past me, rather noisily, slipped down a slip road which was supposed to support the left turn, did a U-turn and turned left back onto the main road, thus avoiding waiting for the light to change. A neat bit of driving, but a bit prattish none the less. Second by a couple of young men on motor bikes who thought that an empty 100 yard stretch of by-pass was an invitation to get up on their back wheels. Again, a neat bit of driving, but and so on and so forth.
Made my way down Ruxley Lane, down Hook Road and so to TB. Which, given that the new beer garden was near empty, I thought I would give a try. Having remembered to bring both cash and key to my bicycle lock on this occasion.
Poked my head in the entrance to be asked for my telephone number - which, for once in a while, I blanked on. Took me a few seconds to recover it. I then thought it best to check and found I had got one digit wrong. I suppose I don't get asked for my phone number that often these days. Order placed and delivered to my table in short order - by a barman who was pleasant enough but who was not wearing a face mask - although to be fair, the other barmen had masked up by the time that they had appeared. Maybe the manager was exercising his prerogatives.
First amused by watching a BMW do a neat bit of parking in what for me would have been far too small a slot. Maybe it came with those radar detection devices, although I could not see any tell tale holes or discs.
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| Finger left, plants centre, gate right |
Second amused by the rustic gate, part of which can be seen in the snap above. Knocked up with a bit of gash timber and attached to the gatepost by a couple of lightweight, interior grade hinges. Presumably intended to control any early rush there might have been on big Saturday, a few days previous.
Nasturtiums looking a bit straggly. But notice the little red and white flowers underneath the bamboo, known to cognoscenti as 'Hot Lips', presumably named for his favourite character in his favourite soap by some provincial nurseryman. A member of the Salvia family, a family which includes the sort of sage which is used for stuffing. A plant which is very popular in this part of Surrey this year. We might even have some in our own garden.
By the time I left, seven of us outside, including an expensive looking small dog, in three parties. I think it was rather busier inside, but on this first occasion preferred the great outdoors. Even though smoking was permitted all over.
And here endeth the first lesson.
Might have moved onto a spot of Pierre Précieuse later, last noticed at reference 4. Taken after rather than with cake.
Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/08/kensington.html.
Reference 2: https://demos-uk.com/.
Reference 3: http://www.clarkedriedfruit.com/contact.aspx.
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