Time to replenish the cheese after our swing round parts west, an outing resulting in the rides snapped above. I also get two emails from TFL, containing long reference numbers which do not appear above. Not sure what value they are supposed to add. Perhaps they are more intended for people who do apps on their telephones.
A wet start to the day, so I thought perhaps go to London Bridge. As it turned out delayed, so I settled for Waterloo, being entertained by the drumming of the rain on the thin canopy roof, possibly rolled aluminium, while I waited. Rain more or less stopped by the time I got to Waterloo, so pulled one of the few Bullingdons remaining on the ramp and pedalled off to Borough.
New to me young lady served me at the cheese shop, managing just about the right weight, but it two rather unequal pieces. But I did learn that she once used to live in Surbiton and she had a nice smile, probably more important in retail than any ability with the cheese wire.
Pulled a second Bullingdon and managed to lose the superhighway in the vicinity of Elephant & Castle and had to loop around the Imperial War Museum to the north, rather than slipping between Elephant & Castle and the Museum, as I should have. But this meant I was able to admire the pair of large naval guns outside the front entrance. I also just missed some kind of an incident, with half a dozen response vehicles parked up by a bus stop outside the museum, with one chap being patched up in the bus shelter. No idea what it was all about and I did not like to stop to find out.
Back on route, I was puzzled by large numbers of boys, say 12-15 sort of age, playing football on Clapham Common West, in white shirts and long trousers. Around 13:00 but there seemed to be too many of them for it to be something unorganised. Don't the schools that use the Common as a playing field bother with changing for games?
Two traffic violations on exit from the Common, both on slip roads intended for buses and cycles, but with neither set of lights budging in my favour for what seemed like ages. Maybe they need a bus to trigger them. Eventually pedalled on through.
Thought about taking refreshment at Soif, but decided against, mainly because I didn't like their bread very much. Not a patch on the Trafalgar Square stuff. Surprised to find at reference 1 that it was near four months since I did visit them, fully intending to take BH on the strength of that visit.
Opted for a bacon and egg roll from the Northcote instead, passing this failed temperance billiard room on the way. First, wondered about what it was that had been built on the roof. Second, wondered how decent the place was in its temperance days. The few billiard rooms that I have known have been rather dodgy places, more so than the average public house.
Egg and bacon roll slightly better than last time in that the roll, while not a proper soft bap and was still from the same stable as last time, was a bit softer and you could fold pieces of it over one's bacon or egg.
On exit, I wondered whether I would still be able to get up Battersea Rise. Seeing a young chap standing on his pedals, something I have not done for years, I thought probably not. It turning out that the Northcote was in a bit of a dip, with the road rising on both sides. The other side looked interesting, I thought, getting in a bit of a muddle with my geography, maybe an outpost of the Victorian pile, now a school, which one passes on one's way into Clapham Junction from the south, bottom left in the snap above.
The possibly interesting building turned out to be St. Mark's church, firmly closed to visitors. Which was a pity as, judging from the exterior, the interior might have been interesting.
Then there was this east end shed, different brick from the church proper, so probably not part of the same building campaign. Some sort of ancillary parish function? A small school?
This part of the church yard looked inactive. Is there a brave developer prepared to take on massed ranks of graves and heritage folk, with a cut of the take going to church funds? Perhaps turning into some kind of public green space would be better.
Just down from the church, a house I have yet to visit. Perhaps passing up on both Soif and the Northcote on the next occasion?
And a slightly odd collection of houses on the other side of the road. Didn't manage to get the whole row of them in the one shot.
And so to Clapham junction where a sharp shower necessitated deployment of the sturdy folding umbrella, still the one bought from the Hudson Bay Trading Company in Ottawa High Street, aka Rideau. The shop still exists, and while it might be Ottawa's iconic department store, it is now hiding under an underpass.
Similar noises from the Clapham Junction roof as there had been from the Epsom roof earlier. Similar, but not identical, so presumably covered with a different sort of panel.
Passed on both the Falcon and Wetherspoon's, but thought to try the Earl Beatty at Motspur Park for a change. Changed trains there to find it completely enveloped in scaffolding. Arrived at Epsom, passed on both the Marquis and Wetherspoon's (again), opting for the Cricketers on the pond. Taking in a few trolleys on the way, as noticed at reference 2 and 3. At the Cricketers, I found the barman being rated by the manageress for supplying coffee with all the trimmings (or top dressings, to borrow an agricultural phrase) to someone who had only paid for a regular coffee.
A house which, unlike Hall & Woodhouse houses, still took cash. The manageress thought her clients might object to card only. Presumably worried that card is more visible to the taxman. Which it might well be in theory, but I doubt if it is in practise.
A house with slatted blinds. All very functional, but they do inhibit the deployment of fancy& attractive curtains, of which there is still quite a selection to be had from suitable shops. I suppose in public houses, the décor people make up for the consequent lack of colour and visual interest by buying in suitable bric à brac. Wouldn't have done for a tenant's wife in the olden days, ladies who might have taken an interest in such matters, but then you don't get many of them these days.
PS: and who, under seventy and without professional interest, would have a clue who Earl Beatty was?
References
Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/06/cheese.html.
Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/10/trolley-537.html.
Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/10/trolley-536.html.
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