Trolleys 864 and 865

The circuit started with this interesting puddle towards the pond end of Manor Green Road. A place where water often collects after running down West Hill Avenue, but on this occasion, I think, Thames Water flavoured. Intriguing how quickly still, open water turns green. But not quite still as there was a soft gurgling in the drain by my feet, further evidence that Thames Water action was required.

Presumably a much bigger leak in litres a day than our leak, but it has only been visible for a few days, so perhaps the blue bump on their chart will not amount to as much as ours.

Which points to one of the pay-backs of their investment in smart meters: they now know a great deal more about leaks, in particular exactly where they are, which makes fixing them a realistic option. Maybe here lies the explanation of all the Thames Water action in our streets of recent months?

I wonder why one does not hear so much about gas leaks? Is it because a lot of the retail pipe work was put in in the 1970s when North Sea gas arrived and is, in consequence, a lot newer than the corresponding water pipes?

My first trolley, a medium small from the M&S food hall, was from one of the doorways into Hudson House on Station Approach.

Which picked up a slightly larger friend - medium rather than medium small - on its way down through Kokoro Passage. Pushed together without a problem.

While my second came from near the town end of the Kokoro Passage. Some of the litter went into a friendly bin well enough, but luckily it was market day and a dustcart was conveniently parked to take the box, probably in contravention of the relevant health and safety regulation: 'Danger of death from moving parts. No unauthorised person may deposit litter of any sort in this vehicle at any time'.

A little light shopping in Waitrose, after which I decided that it was too hot and muggy for a full circuit - it now being around 16:00 - so I opted for a quicker route home, via Court Recreation Ground. Hot enough that I took a break with some of my newly purchased tomato juice on the way. Very feeble of me.

For once in a while, called in TB for a spot of bottled Abbot (it never having been much of a warm beer house and is certainly not one now), which came in a very heavy, special glass. A satisfactory substitute for real bitter. 500ml of it at 5%, amounting to two units.

The right hand bar, the saloon bar of old, my haunt of old, had been cleared for dancing later, 'an all day soul party with BBQ food' - with what looked like a stand for a DJ set up in the front bay, behind the camera. But at least there were a few proper tables and chairs, rather than the high stools and high tables in the rather busier left hand bar. Lots of bars seem to favour them these days, perhaps because they work better with mixed sitting and standing when busy.

A modicum of the old van trade was back and there was also the odd builder back upstairs, doing something or other. Fully kitted out with a van full of gear from DeWalt.

Home to play with rhubarb, as previously noticed at reference 2.

PS 1: early yesterday morning, unusually for a piece in my part of the FT, I made very little of reference 3 and decided not to dig in. Although I did recall talking over beer about something which sounded vaguely similar - so maybe I will remember to get an update over the next one. In the meantime, I shall let it lie.

PS 2: prompted by stuff on Prime, I did Heyer on Waterloo (noticed at reference 4) and am now doing Arthur-Lévy on Napoléon (reference 5), with my copy of the book, ironically enough, published by the Paris branch of Nelson. With this prompted by reading that Napoleon's Josephine signed herself, at least in her early letters to him, 'Veuve Beauharnais', with the prefix on a par with 'Mlle' or 'Mme'. It was presumably proper at that time for ladies to be clear about their marital status - in a way that men found unnecessary. Practical at a time when being a widow with young children was not very clever - but I dare say that at least some women of today would find the practise demeaning. I wonder if the French still do it? My guess would be not.

Nelson was said to be at 189, rue Saint-Jacques, what appears to be an older building now occupied by a branch of the Marionnaud perfume chain of reference 6 - where all knowledge of this particular street is denied. Furthermore, confused by the '89' in the snap above, it took Bing maps - better than gmaps on street numbers - to pin the place down. There is an entrance to the left, but it it not clear whether it is flats or businesses above - quite possibly both in a city of apartment buildings like Paris.

I would put a building looking like this in London at around the end of the 19th century, so were Nelson an early tenant or were they kicked out to make way for a spot of redevelopment?

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/06/trolleys-862-and-863.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/06/rhubarb.html.

Reference 3: How Blackstone and its biggest rivals are drifting apart: The largest private equity group is sticking to a fee-based approach, while Apollo and KKR embrace insurance-powered models - Antoine Gara, Financial Times - 2025.

Reference 4: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/06/beans-with-polesden.html.

Reference 5: Napoléon intime - Arthur-Lévy - 1892. 

Reference 6: https://www.marionnaud.fr/.

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