Trolley 745

Captured on my second circuit of the day. Or rather taken over from two older ladies who had finished loading their shopping into a car which had pulled in by T.K.Maxx. They seemed quite pleased to be relieved of them.

Returned them to the food hall and then continued around the Screwfix circuit, deciding against walking this one back to Sainsbury's. It was getting late and I had walked nearly far enough. Instead, I pushed it in behind a tree on the Longmead side of the Screwfix Passage. Maybe it would still be there on Monday, which would probably be my next opportunity to deal with it.

Home to read, I think in the Guardian, but I can't be sure as my level of donation to the Guardian does not give me search rights on their website, about how China and Russia are blocking everybody else on the relevant international body from extending and expanding the ban on hoovering up krill in parts of the Southern Ocean. China because they do a lot of the hoovering, Russia just to be awkward.

I have not engaged with the eco-arguments about leaving the krill - and leaving some of them for the seals, the whales and so on - but I was disappointed to read that the biggest player in the southern krill fishery is Norway. Norway is a very (gas) rich country and one might have thought that they could afford to set an example in such matters, without getting tangled up in the details of the arguments.

Since then I have been dipping in the October number of 'drinks business' of reference 2, acquired yesterday, from which I offer a few snippets. One of the those magazines which is a bit stinky because of all the inks they use for all the glossy pictures.

The boss of Ryanair is getting all solemn and serious about all the people getting onto his planes half cut and then wanting to drink more when they have found their seats. Which is amusing in that not so long ago he was explaining that when drink sales on a plane were a bit flat, the pilot would shake it up a bit, a wheeze which reliably promoted sales. He may have made the story up, or least embellished it, being another successful businessman with a big mouth, but it is a shift in point of view at the very least.

We get a piece about the organic champagne from House Drappier. I learn, inter alia, that spraying grapes against mildew - a serious grape pest - with a mixture of copper sulphate, lime and water counts as organic. Perhaps copper sulphate is an honest killer, just killing everything in sight, unlike the tricky organo-phosphates. House Drappier being people I only know about because of the visit to Circulo Populare noticed at reference 3.

While no less a luminary than Sir David Spiegelhalter has a pop at the health people for coming down on low level drinking. They have won the tobacco war and are winning the alcohol war - with levels of alcohol consumption seemingly falling steadily, particularly among the young - so there is no need for them to get all puritanical about it. One might think they just didn't like the idea of people enjoying themselves rather than contributing in some other way to GDP. 

And the Mumm champagne people - one of the Pernod-Ricard brands these days - have taken to shipping the stuff to New York in a new-build schooner, comparable in size to the Cutty Sark and capable of carrying around 1,000 tonnes. Which, given that the schooner is around 80m long is 12.5 tonnes to the metre, which sounds like rather a lot to me. Perhaps it is quite wide compared with the Cutty Sark. Mumm plan to send a cargo every month, maybe more as the TOWT fleet grows. One wonders how the freight charges compare with a container ship - presumably rather more. And what about the winter weather out in the North Atlantic? What about icebergs? See reference 8, from where the snap above is taken.

Then liquid yeast is the new thing in the drinks business. Maybe I could use it instead of dried in my bread making?

The people snapped above dominated the shopping part of the Bing response. And it does rather look as if its use is restricted to the drinks business. Maybe I shall pursue the matter further.

I learn that LeBlanq are 'a well regarded premier luxury cycling and culinary experience brand'. Teamed up with some gin people and the Kenny couple - Sir Jason and Dame Laura that is. LeBlanq are to be found at reference 4, from which I learn that they offer 'world class hospitality & expertly curated riding'. Is this really high end singles holidays? Whatever the case, one would not have thought that all that guzzling was quite the thing for a serious cyclist. Perhaps, provided that you burn the calories out, it doesn't really matter in what form you put them in...

And lastly, that if I were rich, I could assert my richness by paying perhaps £200,000 a case for a fancy wine. It seems that the Burgundy outfit DRC Romanée Conti are streets ahead of anyone else when it comes to fancy prices. To the point where you might count yourself lucky to find a whole case of the stuff for sale. Page 139 of the magazine. Or see references 6 and 7. If I go back to wine at all, I think I had better stick with Majestic.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/11/trolley-744.html.

Reference 2: https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/.

Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/10/champers.html.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Spiegelhalter. A serious statistician, with a finger in the government statistical pie.

Reference 5: https://www.leblanq.com/.

Reference 6: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domaine_de_la_Roman%C3%A9e-Conti.

Reference 7: https://romanee-conti.fr/.

Reference 8: https://www.towt.eu/.

Group search key: trolleysk.

Fulmer and beyond

Having done Black Park at reference 1, we moved onto Fulmer and Gerrards Cross. Heading north from the Park, we thought to take in the church - without steeple or tower - marked by the orange spot bottom centre in the snap above. It turned out to be the not very old church attached to a not very old Brigettine convent.

Snapped above from Street View. With hindsight, it might have been interesting to pull in and ask if visiting the chapel was permitted, which my reading today of references 2 and 3 suggests might well have been, but we did not think of that at the time.

There is also the question of the missing Black Park Wellingtonia, which might have been just across the road, but we did not think of that either.

From there we worked our way back to Fulmer, the centre of which looked as if it might be in the grip of Team Heritage. The church was shut, but there was a very imposing tomb outside and I dare say, given a bit of time and effort, one could have deciphered some of the inscription. 

We failed that test too. The village hall, being mostly a play group, was open, which meant we could take a welcome comfort break. There were two public houses, one of which appeared to be a crime scene and the other of which was simply shut.

From the village hall we were able to see three good looking Wellingtonia, but we failed to get near enough to score them, the story seeming to be that they were in the grounds of Fulmer Place, a 19th country house, now flats. Apartments according to the estate agents. Gated, naturally. Orange spot just below the motorway left.

With Fulmer House to the east and Fulmer Hall to the west. The latter looks to have been  the big house of the village, then something to do with Bomber Command during the Second War, then offices and laboratories, then derelict. I dare say it is flats too now. Some good snaps at reference 4: how the mighty are fallen. Although it is also possible that there is some Internet confusion between the Place, the House and the Hall.

Next stop Gerrards Cross, starting with what appeared to be a hill fort south of the town. Orange spot upper left in the opening snap. We passed what appeared to be a couple of Wellingtonia on the way, but they were at places where it would have been awkward to stop, so not scored, and we pushed on into the very select housing estate to the east of the fort. A lot of very large houses, some of them a bit vulgar looking, but no access to the fort that we could find.

Investigation today tells me that the fort is called Bulstrode Camp and that there is access from the Camp Road of the very large houses.

On the day however, we pushed on into the town, to find an old style High Street, probably flourishing fifty years ago, but now rather run down. Lots of charity shops and other fringe undertakings.

A once grand, possibly old or oldish, building at the western end of the main drag. Appears to be something to do the the Effective Business Events and Travel to be found at reference 6. No idea what they actually do.

The local Wetherspoon's, possibly once a car showroom? But, unlike Epsom, they have still go their Majestic, which I miss. A useful place with a car park that was never full, now being rather slowly demolished. A demolition where, when it comes to brickwork, the men work off a platform. In my day, the topmen - as I think they were called - just stood on the wall coming down gently swinging their mattocks at the bricks below - the same model that I use for taking out the roots of shrubs and small trees. Plenty of mentions of same in this volume, but there is a decent snap at reference 7.

Investigation today says that it is not a Wetherspoon's at all, rather a member of the Oakman family, for which see reference 8 and 9. I have not dug further to see whether the Oakman family is itself part of some larger pubco. Nor have I found out what the building used to be. 

All in all, an outing with lots of loose ends.

And so back to Denham Grove, a few miles north of the orange spot top right, where our room was rather smaller than on the last occasion and where the Indian menu was off on Monday's as the chefs concerned had that day off. 

But they could manage an Indian take on the spring rolls we used to buy for a shilling or so from a Chinese restaurant in our students days. The Chinese version, as I recall, was a lot bigger and mainly full of bean sprouts. This version was full of some kind of veggie paste. Quite good.

But we then did pretty well with a regular beefburger and a veggies beefburger. I might say that the establishment is very good on presentation of their food - and the food itself is pretty good too. Plus Coronas for him - not the smoking sort which used to be widely available in the public houses of my youth and dispensed from brown tins a little bigger than a tin of beans. From Wills.

Something very like this tin turned up by Bing. The cigars used to come sealed in a clear plastic tube and were, as I recall, bit on the dry side. And while the cigars may well have approximated to the size called coronas in the trade, I suspect my brain had rather conflated Corona with Castella.

Denham Grove also ran to what appeared to be a wooden door key, despite it being electrical. Very ecological of them.

PS: a few hours later. Bing tells me that the 'Journeyman' was indeed a car showroom, but before becoming a bar-restaurant, did time as a Marks & Spencer 'Simply Food' store. The press release at reference 10 is more than ten years old, but I think that brand still exists. And the song of the same name contains the line 'No time for tea at Gerrards Cross'. Maybe twice.

To be found at reference 11. But despite the group being popular in those far off days when I had a nodding acquaintance with such things, the song rings no bells now, although the general tenor of it does. Perhaps some member of the group had some connection with Gerrards Cross. Maybe owned one of the big houses? Maybe went to school there?

Ironic that such a bucolic image should get attached to a building which was an Art Deco garage from the 1930's, a time when horses on farms were fast disappearing. In the middle of a fancy housing estate where some of the inhabitants might well have played farm at some point, but who were unlikely to have ever had to make their living at it. The same applying to all those mostly middle class students - myself included - who beat time to the music of the band concerned.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/11/black-park.html.

Reference 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgettines.

Reference 3: http://www.bridgettineguesthouse.co.uk/site/index.html.

Reference 4: https://www.28dayslater.co.uk/threads/abandoned-fulmer-hall-buckinghamshire.128675/.

Reference 5: https://www.gerrardscross.gov.uk/our-community/heritage-locations/. '... The most notable archaeological monument is the Iron Age hillfort of Bulstrode Camp, a scheduled monument located 400 metres west of Gerrards Cross Common. The hillfort is the largest of its type in Buckinghamshire. It was formerly situated in the Bulstrode estate, however in the twentieth century its ramparts were surrounded by the building of Camp Road...'.

Reference 6: https://effectivebusiness.com/. 'FROM THE SHARD TO THE HIMALAYAS, WE HELP YOUR BRAND CONNECT AND COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR TEAMS AND YOUR CUSTOMERS'.

Reference 7: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/09/compost-bin-first-day.html.

Reference 8: https://www.thejourneymangx.co.uk/.

Reference 9: https://www.oakmaninns.co.uk/.

Reference 10: https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/media/press-releases/ms-simply-food-store-uk-international-expansion-plans-unveiled.

Reference 11: https://youtu.be/yif0jxUwn5U.

Trolley 744

Having dealt with trolley 743, I headed towards East Street with my shopping, intending to head directly for the Screwfix passage. In the even there was a now rare Sainsbury's trolley at the corner of East Street, and after some indecision decided to take it home. At least it would serve as a shopping trolley for part of the distance.

On the way a loudly tweeting tree, presumably sparrows again, but I could not see any birds. All very tiresome. Zoom today reveals just the one bird like blob, so perhaps most of them are in the firethorn lower left.

On the way back, I took a break on the wall at the junction of Blenheim Road and Longmead Road, the first time for a while. Also a good example of the brain's - largely unconscious - decision process at work. But more of that in due course.

Home to finish off the second go at featherblade, the first go having been noticed at reference 2. But things are getting out of order, so more of that in due course too.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/11/trolleys-742-and-743.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/10/a-new-cut.html.

Group search key: trolleysk.

Black Park

In the margins of a short visit to Harefield Hospital about ten days ago, we paid a rather longer visit to the oddly named Black Park Country Park - although I grant that Black Country Park - or perhaps Blackie Country Park - would not be that clever either. We arrived there after a run of about an hour from Epsom, having cut back from the M40.

It turned out to be a large place with a large car park, surprisingly busy for late Monday morning, which one might have thought was a working day. Memory on this point was a bit wobbly, but gmail confirms that I paid £5.35 to park with my telephone. Getting the hang of things!

There not being a very satisfactory map of the place to hand, the next step was to download the Ordnance Survey app onto my telephone. Which I managed without fuss and I was pleased to find quite a decent mapping application. Even better when I got the hang of the compass provided. No need to download chunks of maps from my laptop any more. And I was covered by my pre-existing, very moderately priced subscription with the Survey.

The attraction was a large mixed wood with lots of autumn colours, a wood which also contained, inter alia, a lot of very tall pine trees, including the ones above snapped to the east across the lake. Maybe the Pinewood Studios, more or less in the middle of the map above, took the name from them.

One of the walks.

We were told that there was an avenue of Wellingtonia at the northern end of the park and we made a rather half hearted effort to find it - it was getting rather near the time for our picnic. But we did find this fine coastal redwood as a consolation prize.

In the margins of said picnic we also tweeted a nuthatch - all credit to BH for spotting it in the first instance - the first such for a while. Although checking, not so long as I had thought, just over six months. See reference 1.

Some days later, I found talk of an avenue of Wellingtonia at somewhere called the Langley Park Arboretum and got it into my head that this was something to do with Langley Corner, near the northern end of the country park. But the map (from Scotland) above does not show the sort of estate where one must expect to find such. Although it does have a house called Heatherden middle right, which looks to be where the studios now are. A supposition which is confirmed at reference 6.

I now think that panning down the Scottish maps gives the answer. There is another country park to the south of the one we were visiting, on the other side of the Uxbridge Road, the A412, once the land attached to the house still called Langley Park at reference 2. The house survives as a Marriott hotel at reference 3 in the middle of the country park, which includes an arboretum, mapped at reference 4.

Perhaps Langley Corner was once, a long time ago, the northwestern extremity of the Langley estate.

Clearly lots to investigate and enjoy next time. Maybe two lots of Wellingtonia. In the meantime, the snap above, taken from reference 5, will have to do. 

PS: judging by reference 3, I think the Marriott hotel is a bit too rich for our stomachs. We will stick with Denham Grove for now.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/02/tweet_28.html. 

Reference 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langley_Park,_Buckinghamshire.

Reference 3: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/loniv-the-langley-a-luxury-collection-hotel-buckinghamshire/overview/.

Reference 4: https://countryparks.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/media/2778/map-langley-park-colour-map-named-areas-tw-20210721.pdf.

Reference 5: https://www.redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/slough.htm.

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

Trolleys 742 and 743

An M&S trolley from the Kokoro Passage. From there to M&S and from there to Waitrose to stock up on red grapefruit, the pause on same having lasted less than 24 hours. Notwithstanding, I do think that that particular fad is winding down now and that before too long I will be back on oranges for breakfast.

A couple of items from Smiths and then out to another M&S trolley, a small one this time, by the eastern exit to the Ashley Centre. A centre which was not fully let, but which looks to be heading in the right direction: centre management have been pretty successful over the thirty years that we have known it and there have not been that many empty spaces - although the loss of Dickens & Jones was a bit of a blow.

Rituals appears to be in the business of perfume, toiletries, candles and assorted fancy goods. Including advent calendars, snapped above and online at reference 2. Not exactly a butcher or a baker, but a shop.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/11/trolley-741.html.

Reference 2: https://www.rituals.com/en-nl/home.

Group search key: trolleysk.

A proper concert

Nearly a fortnight ago now to a proper concert at the Wigmore Hall, Haydn Op.64 No.3 and Beethoven Op.132, given by the Doric String Quartet of reference 1, last heard a little more than a year ago at the event noticed at reference 2.

Both wind and rain were scheduled to appear later in the day, and there was some rain in the air when we left the house a little before 09:00. After some discussion over breakfast, we had settled for rainwear without umbrellas. I snoozed on the train.

Opposite us on the tube we had a rather stout father, not very English looking, with two boys, all terribly expensively dressed. The elder boy, a little plump, looked very spoilt. And the three of them seemed oddly out of place among the much more casual style of their fellow travellers. What were they doing all dressed up so early on a Sunday morning?

We also had quite a lot of American Football fans, all dressed up and heading for the 14:00 match at Wembley. New England Patriots versus Jacksonville Jaguars. I assume that this was a respectable match, if not the equivalent of their Premier League. I don't suppose they do overseas and in any case this sort of thing must cost the teams involved a great deal. What with their travel, their accommodation, their entourage and all their other baggage. All of which has to be recovered in the ticket prices. I was amused that these fans were out bright and early to make sure they had time to take on a few beverages before the match. Just like our football fans.

At least one fan with his son made it to Olle & Steen, where we took cardamon buns with our coffees. It would have been easy to be a bit messy and we should have taken a knife and fork too.

On the way in by the back entrance, I noticed this poster, not for the first time. Fancy being a lady called Jelly. Or rather, Jelly d'Arányi, a violinist and a musical eminence in London between the two wars. See reference 6. In those days the Wigmore, at least on this occasion, could roll out a Bösendorfer piano. Something which I have never seen there and which I have only ever seen at the Holy Trinity Church in Sloane Square. Unscored for technical reasons.

The Hall was nearly full. One chap had thought to put his Brompton in the cloakroom. I hoped he waited a bit before trying to get it back afterwards. And the nicely arranged flowers, with a dull red lead, were a bit lost against the brown background. The florist must have forgotten the context of the order. And, very unusually, the lady right in front of us was sewing something fairly small right through the proceedings. I thought embroidery, BH thought darning a sock, but whatever it was it was only just off my eyeline, which was tiresome. Various other types of fidgeting in range too.

However, generally speaking, the music was good enough to blot all that out. In fact, an excellent concert. No encore after the Beethoven, which is proper to my mind. The only downer was that I thought that I knew these late quartets pretty well, but not well enough to recognise the Lydian third movement for what it was. It was very good, but I was cross not to have been able to put its name to it. See references 4 and 5.

Out to an economical meal at the 'Place to Eat' near the top of John Lewis. In my case beef bagel plus Caesar salad, for BH just the salad. I was pleased to see that they had left nearly all the dressing off the salad: in some places it comes drenched in mayo, not to mention balsamic, which I do not care for at all. All very satisfactory.

The economy of lunch was rather spoiled by my discovering that I had lost the little plastic wallet containing my senior rail pass, my senior bus pass and my Travelcard at some point - something which had fallen out of my pocket onto Wigmore Street before. I went back to John Lewis from Oxford Circus. No luck at the cafeteria. Eventually made my way to lost property up on the fifth floor, where they were as helpful as they could be, suggesting that I ring back in a couple of days or so just in case. In the event, the Wigmore Hall phoned me in a day or so, as it had been handed in there. Total loss maybe £20, but much more important was getting it back and not having the rigmarole of organising replacements. Thinking about storage arrangements going forward.

Amused by hoardings at Oxford Circus tube station extolling the merits of having a retail outlet in the concourse area. Merits which were not so compelling that there were not a number of vacancies. I suppose that there is turnover, but still and all. One might think a prime spot.

But then, I have read that we English are rather odd in thinking that travel hubs need to be equipped with huge numbers of shops and other outlets. Other countries stick to travel and a modest amount of refreshment, this last being welcome when one is likely to be waiting around for a bit.

References

Reference 1: https://doricstringquartet.com/.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/09/death-and-maiden-not.html.

Reference 3: https://help.wembleystadium.com/support/home. 'There are different policies in place regarding the purchase of alcohol during each and every event at Wembley Stadium. As a general rule the sale and consumption of alcohol is permitted at concerts. It is also permitted at Rugby League events and other sporting events like American Football'.

Reference 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No._15_(Beethoven).

Reference 5: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/12/belcea.html. 'Point Counter Point' now honourably buried in the large compost heap so not available on this occasion.

Reference 6: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jelly_d%27Ar%C3%A1nyi.

Trolley 741

An M&S trolley tucked into the side of the hair operation tucked into the front of T.K.Maxx. Another trolley which I failed to fit properly into its stack.

Odd how the tins that one finds in trolleys are often half full. Maybe they were never paid for in the first place. Fortunately, there are plenty of suitable places to empty them.

Another oddity was the way that this fairly new street food vendor had a wheel lock on each side of his van. As it turned out, my guess that the van was going to be left there overnight was right. Not altogether sure that I approve of such vans taking up residence in this way. But they seem to be popular, so maybe I will come around.

A late afternoon view of the Hook Road car park, which I read recently is due to be redeveloped, with car parking charges in no way recovering the cost of running the place. Which I have a soft spot for, first because I like the two-tone red brick. Second, because I bought my Britannia Atlas from a car boot sale here one Sunday, years ago now. A good, middle of the road atlas and I can claim acquaintance - maybe twenty five years ago now - with the chap who did the handsome double page spread for Spain. Opened up there today to study the basin of the river Ebro.

Finally on the market! The repurposed block of garages at the Epsom end of Hook Road, with the repurposing having gone on for years and years. Not on the not-very-good Bernard Marcus website yesterday evening, but I popped into their shop on the High Street this morning to be told that it soon would be, at £800,000, which seemed a bit strong. I asked about a survey, thinking that perhaps, in all the circumstances, the vendor might have supplied one, but the young lady told me that was not the policy. Survey down to me. And that the repurposing had all been done very properly, not DIY at all. Full quota of building certificates.

I shall take a look at their website again in few days.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/11/trolley-740.html.

Group search key: trolleysk.

Trolley 740

Captured yesterday afternoon, après skate, on Station Approach. For a change, a large trolley from Waitrose. But a trolley which I failed to fit into the one on the top of the stack at the entrance to the store. Couldn't see what was wrong and as far as I could see it was the same model and size as the one in front.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/10/trolley-739.html.

Group search key: trolleysk.