Thursday 2 July 2009

Thursday.

Ruth, Freja, Tuva, and Ann, in Downham Market. We set out at 10.30a.m. and motored to Downham Market, where we met Great Gran and Mick at the Castle Hotel for lunch. Lunch was as good as usual there, and the staff as helpful as they invariably are. Ann and I both had poached salmon on a bed of spinach - which is a mixture of tastes that always works well. Great Gran had steak and kidney pie - the staff, at Great Gran's request, had carefully taken all the kidney from her portion of pie, evidently feeling that at a hundred one is entitled to one's foibles. We had the dining room entirely to ourselves, which I suppose is a little worrying from the point of view of the hotel.
On our way home stopped at a reconstituted Iceni village, which turned out to be somewhere between a total washout and a dead loss - historically it was an insult to the intelligence. However, nearby we found the remains of a Saxon church. It claimed to be 7th century - whatever (as the youngsters say) it was a lovely, early little church - will try and put up a picture of it tomorrow - bedtime now - Tuva and Freja have just trotted down to my workshop to say goodnight. So - goodnight to all.
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8 comments:

Crowbard said...

Downham has kept their clock well; it looks as bright and fresh as when I was a sproglet with cycle-clips!
Do I detect a sniff of mother's ruin in the ladies expressions? Or was it just a very bright day perhaps?

Pat said...

Four smart girls! Love the frilly socks.

Unknown said...

Hi Pi. Thought frilly socks might be a spoonerism for silly frocks, but looking at the photo see that it can't be; and anyway I can see the frilly socks worn by Freja. Will pass your compliment on. Cheers, Mike.

Unknown said...

Hi Carl. Certainly not - it was barely noon. I've enlarged the photo and see what you mean, though. I think the problem was that I was asking them to look directly into the sun in order to include the clock, which has been functioning well there since 1878. I don't much like High Victoriana, generally speaking it's florid and over confident, but you have to admire Victorian engineering, it's got every right to be over confident.
You won't believe it but the WV word is amshovel, which sounds the epitome of Victorian engineering.

Crowbard said...

My apologies to the ladies, but I was not aware of the time of day, having been so overcome with nostalgia at the view of Downham clock that I omitted to observe the hour upon it.
You're absolutely right Mike, if ever ham needed shovelling you can bet your sweet frilly socks the victorians would have invented a totally reliable, steam-powered, hickory-shafted, steel-bladed, 'amshovel of the first water that would still be fit for purpose after hundreds of years of ceaseless ham shovelling. And according to the v-word, if you come across such a machine and want it firing up, I'm thichap.

Crowbard said...

PS
I think 12:32 is slightly later than 'barely noon'!!!

Unknown said...

Ah, but you've been deceived by the town clock into using British summer time. So I stand by tradional 'God's time' as 'barely noon'.

Crowbard said...

I used to think British Summer Time & Daylight Saving was a Methodist invention, and if God dares to dispute with them, they would at least allow that preventing an hours drinking was a good thing to do... It's enough to turn a bloke Catholic!