Wednesday 16 August 2023

Black pudding and more

Getting on for a fortnight ago now, a visit to Covent Garden to stock up on cheese, an excuse to pay another visit to Daquise (of reference 1) of South Kensington. Last visited in the middle of April, a visit which was noticed at reference 3.

An overcast day, a bit threatening despite being quite warm, so I opted for raincoat, serious red cardigan and the folding umbrella.

Some train bother at Epsom Station, bother which seemed to affect Southern Trains but not Southwestern Trains. The chap in the ticket office seemed resigned rather than upset about the proposed closure of ticket offices, taking the view that there was not much he could do about it, so there was no point in getting in a state about it. The sort of relaxed approach to life which does not sit comfortably with the rushing around all the time trying to score more money, the enterprise approach to life favoured by so many others. Or perhaps thrust upon so many others by the mostly zero-hours opportunities on offer to them.

Bullingdon'd to Drury Lane and from thence to the cheese shop, where I had the exchange resulting in the post about Eccles at reference 2. Also the snap above of the near completed cobbles, in contrast with that offered at reference 4 taken around six weeks previously. Bearing in mind that the snap above was taken near Seven Dials looking east, while the earlier snap was taken near Neal Street looking west. With Neal's Yard Dairy being just about visible in both.

How many years will it be before the cobbles need attending to again? Bard talks of centuries and offers various factors affecting longevity and various tips for maintenance. Quite a good effort. So maybe no more action this century?

To Moor Street for the second Bullingdon of the day and off to Kensington. Trafalgar Square. The Mall. Constitution Hill - which last really was a hill, the first time that I have noticed. Hyde Park Corner. South Carriage Drive. Exhibition Road. Noting that in Battersea Park, not to appear to be aping their posh neighbour, they do Carriage Drives North, East, South and West. Natural History Museum as busy as ever, and the stand outside was full. As was the next one. But I was OK outside the Daquise, where I was a little early, so I took off for a stroll. Lots of cafés and restaurants, but nothing in the way of public houses. Presumably not what the tourists of today want. Or perhaps they sit too long over their drinks, which does not pay.

An oddly small and ancient car in Onslow Square. A Nissan Figaro number H712 XWW, revealed to be a little over thirty years old by the Car Check people. I would have guessed much older from its small size, from the days when Minis were mini. There is also a rather long list of faults and comments arising from MOT tests, some of which mention corrosion.

There was also a very closed church, which might have been interesting inside: I was expecting the latest thing in late Victorian gothic revival. St. Pauls, a member of the HTB family of churches, otherwise Holy Trinity Brompton, to be found at reference 5. The church authorities tried to flog it off for redevelopment at one point but that got blocked by residents - presumably concerned rather than faithful - and eventually it was taken over by people that go in for replanting churches. Which I take to mean a group of stalwarts moving into a dead church and trying to breathe some life into it.

Not particularly grand in this image.

Nor this one either, taken looking the other way, so I would have been disappointed had I got in. Computer screen over the altar indeed.

Things were looking up a little way along the street, where we had a very fine sun lounge. Grander than the usual offering in Epsom. I wondered what happened underneath. Billiard room? Smoking den?

Getting nearer to South Kensington tube again, a bearded beggar with a white plastic cup, hoping for a few coppers. I wondered how many he got, considering that lots of people that I know no longer carry same - and are hardly likely to offer him a tenner. Although I did think afterwards it might have been interesting to see how he reacted - if at all - if one had dropped a folded tenner into his cup, without making any fuss or bother about it.

And so to Bute Street which appeared to have lost its French Connection and become a street of tourist eateries. With, oddly, a fishmonger in the middle, a member of the Moxon family of reference 6. First thought was that there must be a lot of people with money in Kensington, given that fishmongers are pretty thin on the ground in Surrey, where one might have thought that money was to be found. But then, I see that they have a branch in Clapham South, so maybe I ought to take a look, perhaps in the margins of a visit to Soif of Battersea Rise.

A quick beverage at the Zetland Arms, taken outside. Lots of interesting passers by. A place first noticed, around 15 years ago now, when it was still a proper boozer, at reference 9.

And so to the Daquise, where they could not manage the Polish wine that I had tried on the last occasion and had to settle for French.

A producer - search key Les Montachins Gitton Sancerre - with a big Internet footprint but a very small website (at reference 7), but it did run to the odd arty picture, which was proper as this is more or less mandatory. Sample above. Wine taken with black pudding followed by veal meat balls and mash. Which, mindful of the yellow sauce of the last occasion, I took with the sauce on the side. Plum tart, described as plum cake. Washed down with a couple of shots of plum brandy. All very good, and no-one fussed about our taking our time.

Out to clock the long reigning quack next door, one Dr. Margery Blackie, homeopathic physician, resident from 1929 to 1980. Quite a large house in quite a smart area, so either there was family money or she was good at it. Blue plaque left, Daquise centre, Bullingdons right. She did time as physician to the late Queen Elizabeth, which leaves me a bit uncertain as to what being a homeopath amounts to. Maybe I shall have to delve deeper into reference 8.

A quick peek in South Kensington Books, on the other side of Daquise, a place which would be worth a longer look, and then onto the tube station. Lots of old iron, not forgetting the yellow wooden trim, visible top left - although it was not clear from where the front of the trim might be visible, given that there was no platform opposite. 

And a mysterious door. Perhaps leading to some arcane railwaymen's ritual, only known to the elders of ASLEF. The train was very crowded and, for once, I don't think that I was offered a seat. 

On the other hand, I was able to examine some elaborate decorations at Gloucester Road. I remember old roundels of much more modest dimensions than those turned up by Google above, never mind the work of Monster Chetwynd, an artist turned up by Bing. Have to go back for another look.

Changed at Wimbledon and again at Raynes Park where I managed a couple of pick-me-ups, one for him (lower left) and one for her (upper right). In mine, for some reason, I turned up a bit about Osbert Sitwell giving rather nasty notice of a valedictory concert in a book (Laughter in the Next Room) which I knew from a previous visit to the very same platform library. Oddly, I am taking an interest in the rest of the book, despite knowing nothing of Elgar's work.

Back at Epsom a quick turn around Waitrose where I fell for two sorts of fish, some Bastides (without truffles or any other nonsense of that sort) and some newspapers. Fish which I might say cost more per kilo than the quite decent looking forerib of beef offered on the next counter. But, for reasons which I now forget, it was not the right day to be buying beef, however decent looking.

Plus a large bag for 69p or so to put it all in. Plus a supply of the usually reliable lemon sherbets from the nearby sweet shop. Where by reliable I mean a reasonable supply of sherbet, more or less missing from some brands. Where the customer before me was a lady buying several kilos of sweets, mixed - apparently to grace the tables at an upcoming wedding.

Proceedings wound up with a spot of impromptu bread pudding.

References

Reference 1: https://daquise.co.uk/.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/08/eccles.html.

Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/04/cheese-with-rabbit.html. The last occasion.

Reference 4: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/06/after-windrush.html. Cobbles in progress.

Reference 5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Paul%27s,_Onslow_Square.

Reference 6: https://www.moxonsfreshfish.com/our-shops/.

Reference 7: https://gittonblog.wpcomstaging.com/en-gb/la-famille-gitton-english-3/.

Reference 8: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margery_Blackie.

Reference 9: https://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/2007/09/francophile-alert.html.

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