Cod Lacey

About a fortnight ago, on a bright, warm and sunny day, we made it to Polesden Lacey, our first visit of the year, with the last visit, the festive visit, being noticed at reference 1.

The weather and the school holidays meant that Chessington World of Adventure was on the move, and their queue stretched back through the Malden Rushett crossroads, most of the way back to the motorway.

And following the sighting noticed at reference 2, we spotted plenty of cowslips in the verges along the way.

We decided against carrying our picnic to the summer shed at the back of the orchard, last noticed getting on for a year ago at reference 3, settling instead for a picnic in the old stable yard, quite near the car park.

Following the imperial doubts expressed at reference 4, no doubt about the crown imperials to be found not far beyond the stable block. I wonder how long it will take the Guardian to launch a campaign for changing the insensitive name of these plants: possibly irritating for those hailing from the subcontinent, by heritage if not by birth?

Closely followed by what we took to be a splendid specimen of a white honesty, some relation of the bank of regular honesty (Lunaria annua) growing at the back of our garden. A diagnostic that Google Images was happy to confirm with white-flowered honesty (Lunaria annua var.Alba).

More cowslips, in among the blue bells.

And I rather liked these blue flowers - quite often preferring the more modest flowers to the more showy ones - like, for example, camelias. Google Images is reasonably confident that it is navelwort (Omphalodes cappadocica var.Cherry Ingram).

Another member of the borage family which is causing me so much bother. Wikipedia more or less agrees at reference 6, but Bentham & Hooker has a more complicated story. I smell taxonomic controversy, perhaps now died down, just leaving a few echoes.

One of the various benches on which we took the sun on was at the side of the splendid croquet lawn. A game which I understand is very good for apparently demure young ladies to get off a spot of steam. Quite an aggressive game really and FIL was rather keen on it. The snap does not give much of the idea of the lawn, but it will serve as an aide memoire.

A clump of Camassias, going a lot stronger than the comparatively weedy ones in a pot on our back patio. Maybe they will come to something yet. Google Images not very confident about this one, with the majority vote going to the ribwort plantain, aka narrow leaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata), which is quite different.

Does better on a head shot snapped out of the original, again not completely sure, but with the majority vote going to Camassia leichtlinii var.Caerulea. I had not noticed the dark flower stems before, present at Polesden Lacey, but I am not sure about our patio.

The centrepiece of our picnic was a couple of the substantial Scotch eggs to be had from our Manor Green Road butcher. Better, bigger and dearer than the Sainsbury's offering.

All in all pleasant and relaxed visit.

Followed up by a visit to the nearby fishmonger, Fowlers, who was just closing. No entire lemon soles (as notice eighteen months ago at reference 5), but he did fish a couple of bits of cod out of an ice box for us. A little disappointing in the event, pushing out a lot of water when baked and ending a bit soggy. Perhaps we should have drained and then dried a bit in the oven before serving. Perhaps buying at the end of the fishmonger week not so clever.

PS 1: in parallel with this post, batch No.718 was on the go, coming to a successful conclusion just before 15:30 having started out at around 09:30, six hours previously. One loaf in the freezer, the other about to be cracked open. Probably to be taken with a spot of Poacher.

PS 2: while next door, the triffid aka aloe is on the way out. Last noticed at reference 7. Must take a proper look and have a go at working out whether the florets could be described as being in a helical formation. Doesn't look much like it from this snap, but should be clearer with the real thing.

Kitchen not yet put back in its box, although progress is being made.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/12/polesden.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/04/indecision.html.

Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/06/rose-festival.html.

Reference 4: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/04/tulips-at-hampton-court.html.

Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/11/autumn-lacey.html.

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

Reference 7: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/04/trolley-674.html.