Closed

This volume of the blog is now, after some five years service and something more than 2,500 posts, declared to be closed and activity has been moved to volume 6, to be found at reference 1.

With the closing snap reminding me that the US attorney for the District of Columbia, a reasonably senior position in the legal hierarchy in the US, was until recently a hostess on TV. But to be fair, as is explained at reference 3, before that she was an ambitious career lawyer.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv6.blogspot.com/.

Reference 2: Former Fox News host runs the gauntlet with Jay Powell probe: Jeanine Pirro’s investigation into Fed chair’s testimony raises questions over independence of the country’s judicial arm - Stefania Palma, Kaye Wiggins, Financial Times - 2026.

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanine_Pirro. '... In November 2019, she described Trump as "almost superhuman"...'.

Half tweet

A few thrush sized birds in the hawthorn out front this morning, but they would not stay in view for long enough to be properly inspected. Long pointed beaks, but no flashes of red. Nevertheless, I think that they were probably redwings, even though they usually come late in the old year rather than early in the New Year. A half-tweet.

Searching the blog for 'redwing' produces nothing more recent that reference 1. Which seemed a bit odd, but then I worked out that blog search is a bit literal and I tried for 'redwings', which turned up reference 2, which is not an actual sighting, just a mention.

To think that they used to be regular and tweeted visitors.

Image above turned up by Bing. My birds were not as fat as this one.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/11/human-forest.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/10/near-house-bound.html.

Labour force

Having been reminded yesterday of the abuse scandals in the mental health and care sectors in the second half of the last century, the piece at reference 2 makes me wonder what sort of people are going to wind up staffing the health and care sectors when we have driven net migration down to something like zero.

I dare say Farage himself has amassed plenty enough money to go private should he or his have need of health or social care, and will not be experiencing any of this at first hand, but I dare say also that plenty of his followers - nearly all of them in fact - have not. Let's hope that they do not change their tune when it is too late.

When will our leaders collectively come clean with us and tell us that if we want decent care going forward, we are going to have to make do with fewer foreign holidays and fewer consumer toys?

PS: FIL had lots of experience of recruiting mental nurses from Mauritius, for the Exe Vale group of hospitals, with the first wave of same being of very high quality - and, over the years, I have come across a number of them here in Epsom. The snap above was turned up by Bing.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2026/01/shirley-oaks.html.

Reference 2: Is UK immigration set for ‘net zero’: Migration surge after Brexit and Covid lockdowns has eased while clampdown has slashed arrivals - Delphine Strauss, Financial Times - 2026.

Shirley Oaks

Having turned up Shirley Schools yesterday (see reference 1), for some reason I carried on poking it around today. It did not seem to be as visible as one might have thought it should be and I was having trouble finding what was on the 1910 map at reference 1 in either today's Ordnance Survey or gmaps. It all seemed to be housing estate. Plus a large field of allotments.

But I did turn stuff up, starting with the silent film at reference 2, where everything looks dandy, at least for the time. Produced by the curiously named 'Bermondsey Borough Council's Health Propaganda Department'. All very Orwellian - but perhaps again, of its time.

I was very struck by this image of the Bermondsey. Presumably the children were not that different from those of Hartlepool whose teeth my father was attending to at about the same time - where it was not uncommon for a child to have lost all their teeth before he or she had left school.

All a far cry from life at Shirley, aka Shirley Oaks, from where the snap above is taken.

And there is a fair amount about the schools to be found at reference 3.

Stuff which, for some reason, is copy protected, but which did include the snip above. The welfare world of the Victorians had moved on and London then Lambeth took over.

It then occurred to me that this might be something to test Gemini on. I had found out a fair amount about these schools, so what would Gemini turn up?

He tells me that:

At the turn of the century, there was a movement away from "barrack-style" institutions. Opened in 1904, Shirley Oaks was designed to look like a normal village street rather than a prison or a hospital.

Which is fair enough - although the village was rather self-contained, in the way, of the mental hospitals of the time, with their own kitchens, workshops, laundries and so forth. But he goes on to tell me that:

While the early 1900s were seen as a period of "progressive" reform for child welfare, the school’s later history (particularly under Lambeth Council in the mid-to-late 20th century) became the subject of major public inquiries due to widespread systemic abuse.

Today, the original school building has been replaced by the Shirley Oaks Hospital, and many of the original cottages have been demolished or converted into private housing in what is now known as Shirley Oaks Village...

 The Numbers: Between 1965 and its closure in 1983, it is estimated that over 500 children were sexually abused at Shirley Oaks alone. Allegations were made against at least 177 adults connected to the home.

So what had started with good intentions, turned out to be quite incapable of stopping widespread abuse. What would now be seen as appropriate management structures and protocols were just not there. No wonder that they chose to knock most of it down. See, for example, reference 4.

There are much more substantial reports at references 8 and 9. That at reference 9 suggests that Lambeth Council was far more interested in picking fights with central government than in looking after the children that should have been in its care. It makes very depressing reading - not that I have done more than turn a few pages. It also provided the aerial view snapped above of the school at Shirley.

With what was the school at the northern end of the site now being the Shirley Oaks hospital, run by the Circle Health Group and to be found at reference 5. And also, a little confusingly, at reference 6. The business of health has moved on too.

I have not yet attempted to check Gemini in detail, but it is clear that he has brought to my attention something that I would otherwise have missed. I would have gone away with the idea of an idyllic model village set in glorious country grounds. Perhaps a little old fashioned, but well meaning and good for its time. Maybe the odd Wellingtonia, after the fashion of the cluster of mental hospitals that we used to have here at Epsom.

Gemini is the source of the snap at the top of this post.

PS 1: perhaps someone should tell the curators of reference 3 that their material ought to be updated. Maybe I will get onto it.

PS 2: Gemini is still reminding me about my passing interest in the granite of Dartmoor, over a year ago now. See reference 10. Why does he keep picking on this one, rather than one of my other passing interests - acorns for instance?

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2026/01/news-from-comet.html. 

Reference 2: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-shirley-schools-1929-online. 'The care and education of Bermondsey's orphans and abandoned children - before the introduction of the welfare state'.

Reference 3: https://www.workhouses.org.uk/StOlave/.

Reference 4: 'I have suffered all my life': survivors tell of abuse at Shirley Oaks children's home: Four siblings from one family describe their experiences while in care in south London: Over £46m paid to survivors of abuse at Lambeth children’s homes - Nick Hopkins, Guardian - 2020.

Reference 5: https://www.circlehealthgroup.co.uk/hospitals/shirley-oaks-hospital.

Reference 6: https://www.nhs.uk/services/hospital/shirley-oaks-hospital/NT436.

Reference 7: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/.

Reference 8: The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse - Alexis Jay, Malcolm Evans, Ivor Frank, Drusilla Sharpling - 2022. October. HC720. 450 pages.

Reference 9: Children in the care of Lambeth Council: Investigation Report - Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse - 2021. July. HC704. 230 pages.

Reference 10: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/12/granite.html.

News from the Comet

A couple of snippets derived from a recent number of the Epsom and Surrey Comet, our local freebie. 'Pay peanuts get monkeys', as they used to say.

Starting with Coombe, once a hamlet to the south east of Croydon, of which a general description is to be found at reference 1. The buildings of present interest being Coombe House, Coombe Wood House, Coombe Farm and Coombe Lodge.

Three of which are to be found in the snap above, from around 1870. All now listed buildings and all once part, seemingly, of the Coombe Estate.

Situation not much changed in 1910.

Nor, indeed, in 1940. And it remains a rather rural island, despite the proximity of Croydon. Coombe Wood House, now a fancy restaurant and wedding venue, is presumably one of the buildings in the woods just to the east of the Lodge, with the new name adding a bit of heritage. Coombe House has been through various roles and is now, I think, intended for a school for special needs. The sort of thing that used to be done by the council for a good deal less than the owners of this establishment will no doubt be charging. More public dosh for Bullingdon Boris and his friends; those people who make such a parade of how awful the public sector was - and still is.

Which brings me to Coombe Lodge, a new public house - to be found at reference 4 - which makes a change from all the stories of closure, doom and gloom. Wetherspoons is having another go, having closed two of its houses in Croydon in the past. Although they are hedging their bets by going for a franchise - which answers a question which has often crossed my mind - Wetherspoons do do franchise - a fact which I dare say I could have run down for myself had I bothered to take a look at their annual report - something which presumably exists as they have publicly listed shares.

For this franchise, see references 5 and 6.

An early report on the new house itself is to be found at reference 3. It will interesting to see if a boozers' operation will fly out-of-town, given that few people drink and drive these days. Just think of all the giant road houses there used to be along our main roads, pretty much now all gone. There is also the consideration that the franchisee looks to be new to the business. Maybe we will go and take a look for ourselves.

The second item in the Comet was about Surrey Street Market in Croydon, which I knew near sixty years ago as a very busy fruit and vegetable market, including lots of now near-vanished green vegetables, a market from which we bought, inter alia, the odd sack of potatoes. Last time I visited, maybe twenty years ago, it was very run down, doing very little in the way of old-style fruit and veg. Plenty of candles and and other exotica instead.

It seems that the current traders are cross about parking, in particular that there is no free parking for 30 minutes, in the way that there is in much of the borough. I thought the borough's response was a bit feeble - particularly since the amount of revenue involved must be pretty modest. Why on earth don't they give it a go and see if it breathes a bit of life back into the market?

One might think that there was more money for them in the foot fall than in half an hour's free parking.

PS 1: along the way, I stumbled across an odd clutch of buildings called Shirley Schools. Mostly built to the same pattern and well spread out, right in the snap above. A bit of poking around and I learn that:

'The Shirley Schools were on Wickham Road, and had been established in 1903 for the board, education and training of the Bermondsey Poor Law children and consisted of 39 detached houses for about 16 children each, along with the school, laundry and homes for the staff. The site was set in grounds of around 79 acres'.

Perhaps Bermondsey was exporting its distressed children to Croydon, rather as, at about the same time, Westminster was exporting its distressed adults to Epsom. I think that there is a connection to the church we did not visit at reference 2. 

A step on the way to the recently more-or-less-abolished system of schools run by local authorities.

PS 2: it so happened that we left a red grapefruit in the not-much-heated kitchen when we left for our recent holiday. I discovered today that it was perfectly eatable after six weeks, which surprised me. I would not have thought an orange would have lasted that long, not even a lemon. Some onions were OK too.

PS 3: back in November I was taking an interest in acorns, resulting in reference 7. Today, the people at Academia - a good source of free copies of academic papers - many authors being keener on getting read than getting paid - remembered about this and sent me reference 8. Not quite to the point, but not far off. And I notice once again the euphemism 'sacrifice' for the killing of experimental animals. To be fair, one has to use some word or other, and this one seems to be well established in the context.

PS 4: I close with a piece from today's FT about what not trying to appease Trump might involve. On this story, not such a big leap as at might first appear. Although it would work better if we had not left the EU. And if Norway had joined in. And what about the Swiss, another bunch who like having their cake and eating it?

References

Reference 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coombe,_Croydon.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/08/white-cube-part-two.html.

Reference 3: https://insidecroydon.com/2025/12/23/coombe-lodge-open-at-last-but-it-doesnt-seem-quite-finished/. The source of the opening snap.

Reference 4: https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pub-histories/coombe-lodge-croydon/.

Reference 5: https://papasgroup.co.uk/our-brands.

Reference 6: https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2025/09/08/jd-wetherspoon-signs-franchise-agreement-with-the-papas-group/. It looks as if Wetherspoons franchises are a small but growing part of the mix.

Reference 7: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/11/gemini-pigs-and-acorns.html.

Reference 8: Effect of whole acorns (Quercus pubescens) shred based diet on parotid gland in growing pigs in relation to tannins -M.G. Cappai, P. Wolf, V. Große Liesner, A. Kastner, G. Nieddu, W. Pinna, J. Kamphues - 2010.

Reference 9: Europe should embrace the idea of going it alone: The more the EU has to pay for ingratiation with Trump, the less convincing its strategic rationale for doing so - Martin Sandbu, Financial Times - 2026.

Supplemental

I imagine that with the growing popularity of things like turkey crowns rather than turkeys for the Christmas dinner, there is a good supply of legs and wings. Some of which find their way into processed foods like pies - but some of which turn up discounted on the shelves of the Sainsbury's at Kiln Lane.

So today we took a supplemental turkey dinner. Roast thigh of turkey - costing all of £4.50 or so - recycled potatoes, roast parsnips and Savoy cabbage. Otherwise crinkly cabbage, the first such we have had for a while. Not sure why, as we used to eat a lot of the stuff. I even used to grow them on the allotment, although they rarely grew to the size you get in shops.

One advantage being that they do not overcook as easily as chou pointu.

Rounded off with tinned peaches from Del Monte. The ones named for a sometime luxury hotel in California. For which see reference 2.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/10/counting-pebbles.html. The drumstick version.

Reference 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Del_Monte.

L'Amie de Madame Maigret

Following advertisement at reference 1, a post to be avoided by readers who are thinking of reading this Maigret story for the first time. A spoiler.

A story which I have read several times over the years, although I do not seem to have written about it before, beyond the mention at reference 4. A story broken down into nine roughly equal chapters of around 15 pages each; a short novel rather than a short story.

The structure of the story

This structure having been put together after several readings of the story. The inner structure, rather than what you get as a reader. In which I hope I have not been too clever, in the way of the people who put together the fancy graphics in the online version of the FT: all very clever but not very comprehensible. From where I associate to paintings where the artist has gone to a lot of bother to include all kinds of tricky stuff, most of which is not noticed by the viewer, at least first time around.

So we have a small gang who commit a couple of murders, one of them one their own. The story starts with one murder, goes on to put the gang together, turning up the second murder on the way.

With the incident involving Madame Maigret with which the story starts, slowly getting woven in.

Steuvels, an art bookbinder with an impressive list of clients, is where murder 2 starts. The former clown who is Steuvels' brother, goes by various names, including Moss, turns out to be central to solving the mystery.

Part of which is the attractive and personable Gloria getting herself employed by the rich old countess. The mistress of the murderous Levine and mother of his son.

Some of the important features of the story.

Most of the important stuff is there from the very beginning, with the three bits of new material only appearing as the story comes to its climax and end.

The shoes, which go with the hat, seem to be a loose end. Evidence perhaps that Simenon wrote his stories from start to finish with little planning and virtually no revision. Unlike, for example, D H Lawrence, whom I believe had several goes at at least some of his novels. Tearing up a manuscript and starting over. Not for Simenon!

Background colour

The usual Maigret stuff. His pipes, his wife, his flat. His relations with the examining magistrates. His many visits to cafés for a little something. His occasional visits to bistros for a spot of choucroute.

His half a dozen or so principal colleagues. Present as names, but without much of their lives or characters being filled in. We do rather better with Madame Maigret.

Barges, rivers and canals crop up quite a bit. While a good number of other stories are built around same.

Some comments

Maigret appears on most pages. He is centre stage most of the time. And the story moves forward: we might learn about things which happened in the past, but in the form of spoken report in the present. None of the jumping around in time that I find so irritating in a lot of the television drama which we watch - although it may well be that large chunks of spoken report would not watch well either.

The pushy young lawyer and his unsavoury ex-police assistant, take up a good bit of space. An opportunity for Simenon to write about same and also to make the space needed for the story proper to unfold. Without the pushy young lawyer the whole business would have been wrapped up much more quickly. Plus Simenon seems to have a bit of a thing about short policemen who dress high and wear high heels. Often Corsicans.

One loose end is that we are left with Maigret knowing stuff which would finish the lawyer off, if reported to the proper authorities. Which I find a bit unsatisfactory.

Getting information from the taxi drivers of Paris was an important ingredient. One wonders whether this is true of the London of today.

One might think that chopping up an adult male and burning the bits in a domestic stove in a small basement room would make a fair amount of mess and result in quite a lot of suspicious material in among the ash, rather more than a couple of teeth and a blood stain on a suit.

Criminals have private lives too. They have hobbies, friends, family and children and may care about them in much the same way as the rest of us. Perhaps their problem is that they think they can have it both ways.

I thought it unlikely that the successful art bookbinder (Steuvels) would be sucked into passport forgery for his wayward brother (Moss). He didn't need the money and he did like the quiet life.

I thought it unlikely that the pushy young lawyer, having made away with the valise and the important evidence therein, would not have put it out of Maigret's reach. Perhaps just by dumping it in the Seine.

We are reminded that the public like a story about old school Maigret vs. flashy young lawyer to be in the papers. A few days entertainment is much more important than the truth of the matter or the hurt and damage that might be caused by such stories. And for that part of the public in the quartier concerned, there is always the possibility of drinks from newspaper reporters or pictures in the papers.

I wonder whether the refrain about the changing ways of police work, here and elsewhere, with the old fashioned ways of Maigret slowly being superseded by bright young things from universities, not necessarily for the better, being part of the attraction of these stories - for all those men of advancing years getting left behind, stranded, by change of one sort or another. Perhaps, in my own case, by the invasion of expensive management consultants with fancy suits, pushing me and my kind aside.

More positively, I came away with the thought that consistency and continuity between one story and the next did not matter that much. One liked the cast and context to stay the same, but more or less the same was good enough. It did not matter, for example, that things did not change much over time. It did not much matter that some of the details about an examining magistrate changed from one story to the next.

On the other hand, I did worry about Madame Maigret, who seemed to prepare lunch and dinner every day, on the off-chance that Maigret would turn up. While when he had an inquiry on the go, he would often fail to show without notice.

Conclusions

An entertaining exercise. One which would probably run in a book club?

In the course of which, I did get to look up more words that I did not know than I usually bother with. Sometimes with surprising results!

I should add, that my various complaints about loose ends above did not detract much from my enjoyment of the story. Nor did the various coincidences. Complaints very much after the event. Maybe a story needs some coincidences, some oddities to make it interesting; otherwise it might all be rather mechanical, procedural in the jargon of television police buffs? Clearly time to consult a story theoretician.

PS 1: talking of words, I am reminded that I need to look up the origins of 'pillow' and 'cushion'.

PS 2: both old words, from at least the 14th century, both with more or less their present meanings. Both having plenty of derived words and phrases. The French for pillow is quite different, being about ears, but cushion is much the same.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-keeper-of-bottle.html.

Reference 2: L'Amie de Madame Maigret - Georges Simenon - 1949. To be found in Volume XV of the Rencontre collection.

Reference 3: https://www.trussel.com/maig/mommme.htm. A proper write-up of the story from a Maigret website. Not read at the time of first posting.

Reference 4: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/02/on-titles-and-titling.html.