Bacon rite

Back to St. Luke's the day after the visit noticed at reference 1, the patchiness of their programme meaning that I went two day's running.

Mozart K464 and Haydn Op.76 No.2, given to us by Quatuor Voce, a quartet seemingly heard just once before, more than five years ago and noticed at reference 2. An occasion when we visited the Caffé Caldesi afterwards, a place we have not used much of late.

A bright and sunny morning, so being 15 minutes early for my train meant that I could sit in the sun at the country end of the town platform for a bit. All very pleasant.

Bullingdon'd across town to Roscoe Street and from thence to the Market Restaurant, where it was good to have one of their proper bacon sandwiches on crusty white. Not a hint of goo or salad and a sensible ratio of bacon to bread, that is to say not too much of the former. Plus a black coffee - the first time I have ordered a coffee in all the years I have been visiting the place, probably more than ten now.

For entertainment, I had a young man sitting outside, transferring what was left of his full-on breakfast - or perhaps brunch - into a doggie box. I wondered what proportion of the profit the box and the sturdy bag to put it in were taking.

And as a pendant to the Asian lady of the day before, we had an African lady in a colourful ankle length dress. Plus ornaments. Her turban was maybe a foot high which what looked like some of her hair sticking out of the top. All very fetching in the bright, mid-morning sunlight.

And while we are on ornaments, a chap sitting in front of me, not much hair on top, was sporting nifty looking earrings, possibly a higher grade version of those turned up by Google above. Bing was no help at all.

Four computers for the music, a leg to the cello, a violin switch for the second half and no encore. These details apart a very good concert. And, on this occasion at least, Haydn after Mozart was the right way around. I pondered more about the matter raised at reference 1, the question of to what extent (if at all) one's musical experience was improved by being able to talk about it.

Picked up a second Bullington to carry me back to the Aldwych. Two pedestrians stepped out in front of me, while one pedestrian stepped out in front of a bus. Looked like a city type who should have known better.

For once, stopped at the butcher in Theobalds Road, a place I have passed often enough, but never made it inside before, taking some of the white puddings noticed at reference 3. A slightly odd place, with the main man wearing the sort of leather apron which would not have been out of place in an abattoir, but there was some decent looking meat, along with a good supply of bacon, sausages and such like.

I had intended to take a snack at Delaunay's at the Aldwych, but I mistook their location, thinking that they should have been in the place where there was a shiny new hotel, on the Aldwych island, rather than at the bottom of Drury Lane. Given that I go up Drury Lane often enough on my way to the cheese shop, you might think that I would have known. With the result that I wound up in a wine bar called Plume instead.

A little warm, as it had caught the afternoon sun, but the service was pleasant and the wine fine. But the salt beef with lentils at £12 was adequate rather than good. I suppose I should have known better from my experiences at Selfridges 'Brass Rail' than to expect decent salt beef for that sort of money. Plus the presentation was fussy. Plus too much vinegar as I recall.

From there over the bridge to Waterloo to find that the sun had brought the cycle rickshaws out - causing some annoyance to me on account of the noise that they were making and causing some annoyance to motorists on account of the amount of space that they took up. Then back up the ramp to find it rather infested with private enterprise, although I did manage to take the pole position. Perhaps our newly re-elected mayor will find some time in his busy schedule to do something about the private enterprise.

Not the sort of crane that I noticed at reference 3 - in fact, not a crane at all. Rather a Litelift 20.20 from the new-to-me Italian machinery people at reference 5.

Just caught the 15:24 out of Waterloo, having the bad luck to sit near some sharp-suited scheduling person - possibly domestic heating and plumbing - busily scheduling on his telephone most of the way to Epsom. Very bad manners to my mind. But the carriage was too crowded with people, bicycles and prams for a move to be on the cards.

A serious articulated lorry pulling into Waitrose just as I pulled into Wetherspoon's to notice the fake at reference 6. Also to be struck by an older lady who was a shorter version of a well known correspondent. Height apart and from the right angle, the spitting image. Most disconcerting.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/05/bacon-lite.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/10/grappa.html.

Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/05/trolley-688.html.

Reference 4: https://www.plumewinebar.com/.

Reference 5: https://www.hinowa.com/en.

Reference 6: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/05/fake-177.html.

Reference 7: https://www.quatuorvoce.com/.