Festive Lacey

The festive season was inaugurated this year by a visit to the dressing up at Polseden Lacey, this year themed to a masquerade ball once held by the one-time owner, Mrs. Greville, in her London establishment.

Opted for both rollator and stick, this last in the neat holder provided on the side of the rollator. The only catch there being that the bottom half of the folder folds aways when you fold up the rollator. However, on this occasion, the main idea was to have something to sit on while BH inspected the dressing up, room by room.

There was a fair bit of mist about once one got out of the built up area, which was good because it meant that the low flying sun was hidden. The greater of the two evils.

On the way, we were treated to the sight of a First Line Recovery vehicle from our own Blenheim Road in action. A first, I think.

On arrival, we found that there had been work on the car park, including rather fierce calming strips, one of which is snapped above. I wondered whether the edges of the granite bricks would chip off in time. After puzzling today about the white splodge bottom centre, I remembered that I had elected to wear my light raincoat. Can't have been that cold.

I also associated to the memory that you don't get granite outcrops in the way of Dartmoor's tors in the tropics because the acid rain rots them away. Maybe tomorrow I will get around to looking at reference 7 to see if memory is defective. Maybe I will ask Gemini?

The restaurant was due to shut at 14:30 for a private function - perhaps a trusties' festive beano - but we did have time for BH to take a mince pie. This year the National Trust have elected to buy their mince pies in and while neither the wrapping nor the appearance of the pie inspired much confidence, it was actually a pretty good pie. Bells of Lazonby Ltd, Edenholme Bakery, Lazonby, Penrith, Cumbria. Also to be found at reference 2. I opted for a scone, not cheese, also entirely satisfactory.

A sample of the offering inside the house, mostly put together by the stage props company at reference 3. With the artistic director for this project being one Charlotte Lloyd Webber, presumably something to do the famous ones.

A sample of the books, which are not on offer. No idea if they were the ones left with the house to the National Trust, or whether they just bought them in by the cubic metre. Either way, we are not allowed to touch, never mind take a look inside. Rather a waste really, considering the volume of old books which must go for fuel or landfill these days.

A not very successful snap of one of the flashier costumes on offer. It struck me that if you were young and beautiful, there might be some point to it, it might be rather fun. But I was not so sure that this was a suitable game for those of middle years and beyond.

Some of the others. Perhaps I might get away with one of the ones at the back.

It was warm enough to sit in the sun on the way back to the car, during which we were joined by a very tame robin, perhaps more than one robin. Whatever the case, it was close and still enough for me to be reminded how delicately made small birds are. And then, much later on, I was to be surprised how cold it had got after sunset. Serious gloves needed.

More sitting in the stable yard while BH took a look at the shop. To be irritated by a couple of decent looking, middle aged women happily discussing the best way to avoid paying tax when they died. It did not appear to cross their minds that if they did not pay the tax, either the hospital (or whatever) would not be built or someone else would have to pay. Apart from being irritated, I was reminded, not for the first time, of a wise colleague who once observed that the thing to do was pay what was tax due without going to a lot of trouble to reduce the amount due. Let someone else worry about fairness and the rules.

Out to find that our car was locked, but that my keys were still in the ignition. Although I suppose, given the state and age of our car, I don't really need to worry about someone pinching it: there are plenty of much better offerings available. Then to pay a visit to Fowler the fishmonger of Grove Corner, Bookham. A fishmonger with parking spaces outside.

We thought about Dover sole, but they were quite big, falling to my mind between being enough for one and enough for two. We settled for a new-to-us brill which looked plenty big enough for two. Topped up with some crabs' legs, something we don't get very often: at the seaside, they used to be an economical way to buy crab, if you didn't mind the mess, but Mr. Fowler assured me that this was no longer the case.

So crab for lunch. Taken with the trusty ball pein hammer, last used in anger to knock open a festive chocolate orange, as noticed at reference 4. I think I probably had a snooze and then went for a walk at that point, leaving BH to do her stuff with the brill.

Out of the oven, still wrapped. Lemon omitted, as per instructions.

Unwrapped.

On the plate. The meat came off the large back bone easily enough. Served with rice and brussels sprouts. And the white wine from the Argentine, via Lidl, noticed at reference 5. With stewed plums to follow.

I thought the fish was somewhere between skate and Dover sole - although I had not been expecting the skate side of things. But I like both and the mixture seemed to work well enough. Poor man's turbot according to Mr. Fowler.

All very substantial and satisfactory. To be an occasional treat?

PS 1: the corresponding visit last year is to be found at reference 6. I see I made much the same remarks about the books on that occasion - so perhaps four or five times altogether.

PS 2: this morning, Bing finds the search key below while Google continues to fail, even when helped along by 'blogger' or 'blogspot'. Of course, Bing may have cheated by noticing prior activity in Edge to recover the search key. An exercise kicked off in September at reference 1.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/09/his-and-hers.html.

Reference 2: https://we-love-cake.co.uk/.

Reference 3: https://www.stagemanagementcompany.com/.

Reference 4: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/01/late-fowl.html.

Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/09/lidl.html.

Reference 6: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/12/polesden.html.

Reference 7: Are any granite landscapes distinctive of the humid tropics? Reconsidering multi-convex topographies - Piotr Migoń - 2009.

Test search key: jfvyjmhcwjw8jw73jsrwc46qxmjhlp.