Brick time

Another day, another Ewell Village anti-clockwise. Not really raining when I set off, but it was damp and it could easily have rained again, so I took a proper umbrella - although it didn't rain again until rather later in the day. And it had rained enough in the night for our three small ponds to become one again, the first time for a few weeks. Plenty of water running back down the path towards the house.

I passed on trolleys on this occasion, but went on to to admire the brash new exterior of what was Wilko, reopened that very day (Friday) as a B&M. With the new 'B&M' sign looking a bit out of place stuck up over the scars in the stonework left by the 'Wilko' sign. I wonder now what prompted Wilko to go in for all the stone - or at least stone effect - on the front of its new store. Did the heritage people get at them or was that just their house style? All that added expense?

No queue outside, but the shop looked busy enough inside and a number of B&M carrier bags were to be seen in the vicinity. And there was a laden trolley, just outside: possibly a Wanzl trolley, but if it was, it was from the lower half of their range. But, as BH pointed out, people usually don't go to this sort of shop for the sort of big shop that is still common enough in Sainsbury's. They don't need serious trolleys.

And another Sunbelt vehicle in the vicinity of the 'Rifleman' at the start of East Street. A US hire outfit I had first come across when they were building the new Lidl HQ at the top of Jubilee Way, and which now seems to be spreading its wings. See references 2 and 3.

Going up East Street, some clumps of purple dead nettles in flower. Some dandelions. At least one blue alkanet and one white alkanet. Although checking with Google - Bing not much help - there does not seem to be anything likely in the genus Alkanna, where the blue alkanet lives. So no such plant. Next time I pass, I shall have to photograph it and ask Google Images.

Then, much further on, just before hanging left into Longmead Road, I came across a nearly new, frogged brick. Now I collect bricks in a desultory sort of way, their coming in useful in various ways in the garden. But the interest here was more in how much of a struggle it would be to carry it home. My memory was that it would start out easy enough, but would become quite heavy and tiresome after a few hundred yards.

Looking at the map, it was between 2 and 3 kilometres from brick to home. And in the event, the right hand, thumb in frog, got tired enough to want a change about half way. And after that, one changed every few hundred metres. But it was not as bad as I had remembered - bearing in mind that, as bricks go, it was not very heavy, perhaps half the weight of one of the bricks I use on my garden brick walks. Furthermore, having the frog gave one an easy grip. Not as easy as holding a bag, but a good deal easier than holding a plain brick. And thinking about how exactly the weight was transferred from brick to arm helped to take one's mind off the complaining hand.

In any event, now added to the small collection by the leylandii out back.

PS: maybe I will remember to check how long it takes Street View to catch up with B&M.

References

Reference 1: https://www.bmstores.co.uk/.

Reference 2: https://www.sunbeltrentals.co.uk/.

Reference 3: https://www.sunbeltrentals.com/. 'There are no Sunbelt Rentals stores near your location, so delivery charges may be significantly higher'.