psmv5: Italian job

We visited the restaurant called 'Il Capriccio' in Ewell Village many years ago, and while I don't remember anything wrong with it, we did not go back. But the place has survived, the outside appearance never seems to have changed and last week, one Saturday lunchtime, we thought it was time to give it another go. Snapped above from Street View and to be found at reference 1.

Not so many years ago we would have walked, but on this occasion we drove to the car park at Bourne Hall, which gave me an opportunity to visit the library there and BH an opportunity to visit the Christmas craft fair.

In the café area outside the entrance to the library there was also an art exhibition, with the drawing snapped above catching my eye, although not to the extent of buying it. Perhaps a mistake, as I can think of at least one person who might have liked it. The work of one Diane Lawrence, exhibiting under the flag of the Bourne Hall Art Club. The website at least of this last (reference 2), operating under the flag of Cass Art, a new to me supplier of artists' materials, to be found at reference 3.

In the library proper, I parted with £1 for a copy of reference 4, once the property of one Susan Rennie, and I learned that the library was quite happy to take in suitable books whose owners no longer needed them. While from the book I thought I might learn something about how the likes of Gemini can probably dilate about music without being able to listen to it. In the sense that I might be able to read and understand the words, but without being properly grounded in either the music which was the subject of the words or the jargon of the trade. From where I associate to the phenomenon whereby precocious children can sometimes say things which are true about complicated things without having had any experience of the things in question. But I have not yet got very far with this particular one.

Beyond finding that the first musical quote that I try, from Schubert's D.959, is given a bar number. And while some of YouTube versions on offer have a running score - as well as advertisements - the bar numbers seemed to have been struck out - which means that it would take me a while to find it. Maybe going to the printed score first to get the rough position and then use the slide bar under YouTube. I guess a musician would just sit down at his piano and play it for himself. While I don't suppose there is enough demand to justify producing an electronic version of the text in which you could click here to hear, in the manner of Wikipedia.

Out for BH to pose under the coastal redwood across the road, once scored at reference 5 as a Wellingtonia in error. I think I did publish an erratum later, without going so far as to rework the numbers or anything like that.

What used to be an outpost of Ewell Castle School looked a bit forlorn, even for a Saturday. And the sign has gone missing. Have they pulled out?

As far as I can make out by search it is or was the home of Ewell Castle Nursery and Pre Preparatory School, but is not listed as a part of the school proper. Further investigation needed. But will it follow?

Pushed through the village to take an apéritif at the Ewell Tap Room, now in the premises which were operated by a foodie fair operator, possibly the same people. I had assumed that the offering would include warm beer, but this was not to be. Only cold fizzy. I took something called 'Midway' while BH took something soft and fizzy from Frobishers.

Midway turns out to be from a Chicago brewer called Goose Island, to be found at reference 7. Nothing to do with the Pacific Island, rather midway to an IPA whatever that might mean. Part of the AB InBev family. Nothing wrong with the beer, but I don't suppose I will go looking for it. Ambience pleasant enough, but too far away for me to develop a habit.

While Frobishers comes from the Sowton Industrial Estate of Exeter, giving a connection for BH. Just by junction 30 on the M5. A young company, founded back in 1969. Back in the days when Exeter had a lot more public houses than it does now.

Into the restaurant, where we started with a 2021 Barolo 'Boschi dei Signori', which I eventually ran down to reference 11. Very satisfactory.

BH passed, sticking with bread and olives, but I went for the sardines. As it turned out, good and a good portion.

Followed, for a change, by skate, also rather good. With the potatoes being swapped out for a rather larger portion of chips and the vegetables for a portion of interesting spinach. BH was sitting diagonally across from me, hence the white space. But she didn't take the skate, salmon neither as it was absent from the menu, settling for lasagne. A dish, like tiramisu, which varies a fair bit from place to place. This one was good.

As was the white bread, which tasted a lot better than it looked.

Wrapped up with a light and fluffy tiramisu. Plus what seemed like a hefty shot of grappa. BH stuck with her usual Earl Grey.

Busy enough to give the place a bit of life and I expect that we will not be leaving it so long for our next visit.

Out to notice, for the first time, despite having walked the High Street what is probably hundreds of times, Savage, also of Sutton & Belmont. Presumably a more recent fascia board has recently fallen off.

Google turns up reference 12, from which I learn that Savage was into fish.

A good bed of carex pendula on the way back into Bourne Hall. Being a sedge, I dare say it likes being near the water, although ours seems to do well enough. Perhaps it gets enough water during the often sodden winter, before the trees suck up all the water.

Another ivy with large leaves. Perhaps it is time to see if Gemini has any news about why the occasional ivy has such big leaves.

With proceedings closing with this interesting van. A Sutton based operation, presumably with a stall at the craft fair. See reference 13.

Where I was pleased to read that they do not think it proper to put both cream and jam in a Victoria sponge. Very proper of them. I like raspberry jam, so if I come across it for sale, I shall try some. Maybe even do a mail order job.

References

Reference 1: https://www.ilcapriccioristorante.co.uk/.

Reference 2: https://community.saa.co.uk/art-clubs/w-pittman-6e7f0900de53908c26e0a4140608d00319/.

Reference 3: https://www.cassart.co.uk/.

Reference 4: On music: His collected essays - Alfred Brendel - 2001, 2007. A fat paperback of some 400 pages. Plenty of musical examples.

Reference 5: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/06/wellingtonia-7.html.

Reference 6: https://www.ewelltap.co.uk/.

Reference 7: https://gooseisland.eu/beer/midway-session-ipa.

Reference 8: https://www.ab-inbev.com/. A Belgian flavoured conglomerate also known as Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Reference 9: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AB_InBev.

Reference 10: https://frobishers.com/.

Reference 11: https://www.bosiovini.it/it/.