Near house bound

But not so housebound that I could not manage a short circuit on Wednesday to inspect the water board hole in Station Approach, last noticed a few days previously at reference 1. All present and correct, with no watermen and no watervans. Although, at least, the leak appeared to have been stopped. Maybe they have to wait for the hole to dry out a bit before backfilling it.

The fungus at the top of Stones Road.

Sadly, the wall art in the Screwfix passage has now attracted the attentions of competing wall artists. No honour among these particular thieves.

A different sort of wall art at Pound Lane. Which made me nostalgic for the bad old days when schools were run at arm's length by local education authorities and did not need to go in for this sort of crude advertising. When schools could focus on children and did not have to worry themselves about footfall in the way of a shop or a visitor attraction. Or who the next  corporate chief operating officer (CUCKOO for short) was going to be.

And the following day, I was able to inspect the Screwfix whitebeam towards the end of a short circuit through town. 

A dreary day and both town in general and market in particular were very quiet.

Plus a rare trolley from Sainsbury's in the Longmead stream. Maybe I will take the grappling iron down on Sunday in case it is still there.

Later on I was able to inspect the all-weather football pitch at Court Recreation Ground, now seemingly finished, apart from some loose planks, about the size of scaffold boards, around the perimeter. Holding down the fake grass while it settles in? Or the glue matures?

Then this morning, thoughts turned to culling excess stuff. With this rather old jigsaw running it very close indeed; it very nearly made it to burial in the brick compost heap.

It survived on the grounds that it was not a regular puzzle, with the pieces neatly arranged in a rectangular grid in the way of today's puzzles. 

As it turns out, inspection of reference 2 reveals that the pieces are arranged in a rectangular grid after all, but the grid is rather more wavy than is common nowadays. Furthermore, it is not the case that every side of the essentially quadrilateral piece is either a prong or a hole: there is rather more variation to it than that. Plus, I now know where the missing piece is, should I ever come to do the puzzle again.

Next stop was to break out the old timber at the back of the garage. Were there any more of the signs of worm mentioned at reference 3. Nil return, with the timber starting to go back by the time I snapped the gap. At least I have been reminded of all the heritage junk held in that part of the garage. Much more likely to come in for something if one knows it is there.

Very little mess behind the timber, and certainly no mummified rat, as at reference 4. I wonder now whether it is as long as five years since I last took a look.

Out to inspect the bushes out back in the bright morning sunlight, noticing in particular the bamboo second left, which has done very well in the hole left by the oleaster. Noticed quite extensively at the time, at reference 5.

Fine show of firethorn berries. Maybe the redwings will pay us a visit this year. With small white, spherical fruits below, probably snowberries, not really visible in this snap, against the sun. Not great in zoom on the laptop.

Plus immature neighbourly figs top left, between the dark and the light. Zoomed and snipped here from a slightly different angle.

I also thought to take a look at the strange grass by the other side of the house. Still there, but not come on enough to be worth asking Google Images what it is again. Last time I asked him, I think he moved on from the Brachypodium sylvaticum of reference 6.

I then actually left the premises, thinking that it was time to give the bicycle a spin, not having been on it this year, possibly not since I left hospital near two years ago, as noticed at reference 7. I have kept up on the Bullingdons, which was just as well, as it turned out than having a short spin this morning was not a problem. I even remembered about the joys of life, on a fine morning, on the open road. It was only round the estate, but a Bullingdon in London is not the same at all as far as that goes.

By way of preparation, the tyres were pumped up and chain oiled. I should have tightened up the back brake, but didn't. Notice the neat hole left by the Thames waterman by the front wheel.

I associate to Richard Church's father who was much more of a 'joys of the open road' man than I ever was. Incorrigible in fact. For which see reference 8.

Proceedings closed with a second, miniature edition of the stew noticed at reference 9. Just to keep us going until the more serious meal with Toby to come. Magic potions in their usual container to the left.

PS 1: the third reading, hot from my email. It is clearly that time of year again! One day we will get there...

PS 2: Toby used to be known as TJ's, one of various incarnations the place has been through in the thirty years we have known it. One result of which is that, when trying to recall the name, I sometimes arrive at T K Maxx.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/10/water-hole.html.

Reference 2: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2018/10/jigsaw-10-series-3.html.

Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/10/shut-knife.html.

Reference 4: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/04/housekeeping.html.

Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/search?q=oleaster.

Reference 6: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/08/booting-up.html.

Reference 7: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2023/12/exit-portal.html.

Reference 8: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/08/church-one.html.

Reference 9: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/10/worcester-park.html.