Shopping

About ten days ago, having a medical excuse, we were able to pay a visit to Epsom, the first not involving a bicycle for at least a fortnight. 

Had a sit on the benches by the relocated equine art, opposite Wetherspoon's, from where we were able to admire this roof extension. From which we deduced that ugly roof extensions did not start in the 1980's as I had thought. To the left, we have the back door & dustbins for Wetherspoons plus entrance to a yard which includes good entrances to part of the Ashley Centre and some car parking, presumably for the people working in the South Street shops - or living above them. Once, we learned from an acquaintance, the yard for Epsom Coaches, a family firm which subsequently relocated to the Longmead Estate and has now been sold on to the French company at reference 1.

From there onto Rosebery Park where we were able to admire the proletarian duck house in the pond, not in the same league at all as the parliamentary duck houses which were in the news a few years ago. Plus a wagtail.

We also had a trio of young ladies conspicuously exercising. They didn't look like school girls so we thought possibly students at either the art school or the dance school.

Then, in a corner on the way out, a fine splash of celandines. With a fine looking cuckoo pint - which seem to be all over the place this year - including plenty in our back garden. Although no signs of flowers yet, for which see reference 2.

Back via the station where we were pleased to find that the Metro was present, if a bit thin. A wonder it has kept going considering. From there to the grocer in Waterloo Road where we were able to pick up both walnuts and peanuts, the former being more or less unobtainable in regular shops and the latter only on an occasional basis. There was also an advertisement for Covid jabs from the Islamic Centre around the corner in Temple Road. We might fail at social distancing, but jabs we do seem to be able to manage!

Don't know where the walnuts came from, but the peanuts came from Kampala. Small, and with some wastage, but otherwise a good flavour. Completely raw unlike those from Sainsbury's, which while strong on quality control have also been kiln dried, which is not cooked but not quite the same as fresh.

A little investigation reveals that groundnuts is not quite a synonym for peanuts, although the latter are included among the former. See reference 3. 

I associate to how FIL who, with very modest prompting, would launch into a lecture about the ridiculous bureaucratic waste which was the groundnut scheme in the closing years of our tenure in East Africa. For some reason he had a thing about government bureaucrats, despite being a middle manager (teaching) in the mental health service himself. Maybe it was his way of having a pop at me, being a middle manager (IT) in the civil service.

On investigation, a scheme which was dreamed up by the post-war Atlee administration. Not clear why it went so badly wrong - for which see reference 6 - but groundnuts look like a big crop in next door Uganda now - for which see reference 5.

Rounded out the expedition with a stroll through Court Recreation Ground where we had lots of jackdaws and tweeted one thrush. This last not being a bird we see much of.

Reference 1: https://www.ratp.fr/.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/04/cuckoo-pint.html.

Reference 3: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/02/trolley-396.html. Previous notice of the peanut scene at Waterloo Road. From the days when collecting trolleys was still an option.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundnut.

Reference 5: https://fortuneofafrica.com/ug/groundnuts/.

Reference 6: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanganyika_groundnut_scheme.

Reference 7: https://www.eeis.co.uk/.