Friday.

 

Been a pleasantly busy day again. Went to St. Mary's for our Friday coffee and croisant. The girl in charge of the coffee pot has developed the continental habit of going round the tables topping up the coffee cups - very civil of her, and indeed a very civilised habit. Nattered with friends for about an hour, then Ann had to go off to the Ansell Club to help provide a monthly hot lunch to the elderly of our town. Very popular it is, too. As I was leaving I was buttonholed by the lady who runs the card and new bookstall in St. Mary's. I should explain that one of my weekly duties now is running the newly organised second hand book stall. This is an idea we've pinched from Lavenham Church. Like them we get a good many tourists looking round the Church, and as there isn't much for tourists to do of an evening in rural Suffolk, they all buy second hand books to read. Lavenham has been raking it in, so we've climbed on the band wagon, and your blogger is (nominally at least) in charge. The problem is that the lady in charge of the new books and card stall was concerned that, as the money all goes into a huge, primitive medieval chest (via a slot cut in the lid) how would we know which money was for new books and which for second hand books? As the proceeds are all for the Church, I really didn't see that it matters. In the end it was decided that hers was to be in little envelopes (provided by the Church) and mine was to go in, unwrapped and in cash - which meant that I had to come home and type out a new notice, giving the relevant instructions to the book hungry tourists. I did this on the computer, and was, once again, astonished at what can be done on these machines.
I haven't yet told you what the above photo is, and I'm sure that Lori, at least, is anxiously waiting to know. Last Wednesday at Long Melford, I was given, by our friend Jill (who features on a photo on this blog, at lunch with us on Thursday 21st January) a brace of pheasants. Jill does not shoot, but regularly (together with her two cocker spaniels) goes beating for her local shoot, and is paid in kind. Most winters she gives us a few pheasants, bless her. These were shot last Saturday so are just nicely ripe (according to modern ideas - in the past I'd have hung them a day or so longer). Yesterday afternoon Ann casseroled a young hen pheasant in our slow cooker, and I had every intention of illustrating this evening's meal. However I forgot until we'd eaten it, so I took a photo of the half empty casserole dish, and what you are seeing is, in all probability, tomorrow's supper.
Goodnight all.