The Lurker

mainly prosaic sightings of robins and starlings, crows and magpies on my walk back through College Farm and Foots Cray Meadows, along with mallards, coots, moorhens in the river and lake. I did see a couple of Tufted Ducks, a first for me, and a swan earlier in the week, and a woodpecker staying low, its head just poking out of the long grass. Lots of song from other birds that stayed hidden. and parakeets!

Oh well, rain in the sprint shootout put out any fires...and gave us a bit of twist. Sky were just bigging uo Hamilton's lap when Norris' was reinstated!

I for one knew nothing of water meadows (as opposed to flood plains and flood meadows) even though I suspect I lived opposite one in Northampton (although the narrow header stream was also used for mills - the area I lived in was a crazy derivation of something like the "south mill on the river"). The wikipedia page is quite interesting, as is this historic England pamphlet: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/conserving-historic-water-meadows/heag176-conserving-water-meadows/ and this one too but you have to download it: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/iha-water-meadows/heag237-water-meadows/ I was also looking to see if the meadows along the Cray had their origins as water meadows but I think Capability Brown and numerous paper mills long ago covered any traces.

I got hailed on when walking home after dropping the car off for Mrs Lurker to use on the afternoon school run. I didn't see but think I heard the skylarks so maybe they will manage to nest in among the sheep and cows. at least there is now less risk of a dog disturbing them. Speaking of cars, mine is "Portimao blue". It's surprisingly good at hiding the dirt. It too has a lane change control that actually steers you back into the lane if you have not indicated. This is irritating if you have to move around an obstacle on a normal road (like a parked car), or a bus stop, where indicating might be confused with wanting to turn right. I could turn it off but have chosen not to. Thus it is a BMW that has working indicators....

There’s one who hovers near the small wine section in our local Waitrose. He shuffles nearer if you pick up a bottle to read the back label.

Or has the Awl detected too much forbidden info and decided that Enough is Enough?

Which reminds me I must go to the one area in this part of the Boring Borough where I have seen and heard skylarks. It was on a farm which had been used for gravel extraction in the 70’s but which had been left as scrubland since. However last year the farmer fenced off his land apart from the footpath through the middle and now has cattle on one side and sheep on the other. I fear the skylarks may not stay long there this year.

One positive for Jamie Oliver recipes is that they tend to work; not all TV chef recipes do - the Hairy Bikers ones need more adaptation. And if you’re not too worried about total authenticity but want something tasty, then they’re handy . Better still, a lot are freely available online from his website so no need to buy his books!

Not quite our garden but one of the local parks - the Glades, Lamorbey. I think this is an Egyptian Goose and chicks this morning

this looks a good idea. https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/south-africa-the-franschhoek-wine-tram/ When global warming has taken hold, will we have winetram lines through the wine country of the Kentish weald (miraculously re-utilising the track bed of the Hawkhurst branch)? OK so the latter part of that is very unlikely....

Best wishes to Dave Hunt

Not just Christianity either- the Romans did it too, and some strands of Islam too. And I am sure there are other examples too.

I have been busy at work and no real time to post here; but I did manage to find time to go to Akoko, a Michelin starred West African restaurant. i have never really had West African cuisine and I doubt you could say this was typical of Nigeria and Senegal but a lot if it was delicious- a real spicy theme running through it. not cheap but definitely fancy, hete ate the first two courses of the seven or eight from the tasting menu; on the left was some kind of fermented rice with chicken skin and on the right an oyster in a spicy soup The wine was from Crete- another first

Parakeets investigate the bird feeder this morning:

I always use self service because it is generally miles quicker- there’s always someone who wants to painfully count out cash - I mean, who uses that these days? slightly tongue in cheek of course because my main shop is delivered to the door by Ocado and I use supermarkets for odds and ends.

Nearly the end of a busy week workwise. Waiting for confirmation from my boss that an e-mail I need to send to someone telling them why we'll be withholding tax on a large payment to them is OK to go. She's an hour ahead of me so I may have to wait a while - I suspect her gin & tonic was looking more tempting than my e-mail ;) When I was walking back to the house earlier, I noticed Grandma to the two little girls next door was backing out and pulling into the drive. What I didn't notice (and neither did she) until I got closer was that she'd taken out the corner of their wall. Her daughter-in-law appeared to be trying not to laugh - "It's only a wall"! Her son was not so pleased when he got back later. No-one hurt (apart from pride) and I am not sure the car was too damaged either. ION new next door neighbours (on the other side) are having an extension. we got the planning permission notice on Wednesday and two letters from different firms of solicitors offering us their Party Wall Agreement services. One says that the costs are "usually" paid by the person having the extension. But I do need to be pro-active or should I expect the next door neighbours and their architect/builder to be already doing this? Neighbours are so new that "good morning" is all I have said to them, on the one occasion I have actually seen them!

Spade = sword or spear IIRC. But you probably knew that anyway!

but on the plus side I saw some good photos that I would not otherwise have seen!

I hadn't realised Casey Jones was a TF brand. A visit to the one in Charing Cross was a treat to my self on days when I used to come up to town as a teenager to spend birthday cash etc at places like Virgin records or Games Workshop....!

Having followed the link to the Vicarage website I must say it reminds me of Sissinghurst.

Well I must say iD’s meal looks superb. not sure what I am doing up still but at least I can report I managed to mow the lawn earlier.

Greetings all from a cool and grey corner of the Boring Borough. Work extremely busy at present- a potential deal is on the table and this has led to literally 100’s of questions that need answering yesterday. I was dealing with #500 earlier. But they come out faster than we can answer the previous ones! as for nuts, all good for me but we avoid a lot of Eastern meals because Younger Lurker is allergic to peanuts. Shame for him because he likes a lot of spice.

That reminds me of the “Goodness Gracious Me” sketch where the Indians go for a European, are rude to the waiter and order the blandest item on the menu…. Very sharply observed.

(Some) Sidcup line Cannon Street trains still go via Lewisham so use the crossover. Some Sidcup line Charing Cross trains go that way too but use the Tanners Hill Flydown. There are also Victoria (or Blackfriars) trains from the Bexleyheath line that use the crossing in the other direction

When I was a student I caught German measles (not for the first time). Apparently it was such a typical case that they asked if they could take a photo so that student doctors could practice identifying it. Apologies to any former Leeds student doctor who has had that experience..... As the doctor told me, "that's a Theakston's Old Peculiar strain, not your regular Tetley's pishwater".