Handsome old house glimpsed across a village green at Ash Street (unfortunate name) in the wilds of Suffolk.
It's been a hectic weekend. Friday started with our usual cafe church visit, followed almost immediately by the funeral of a friend of ours, Tricia, in the same church at midday. I'd prepared (sartorially) for this slightly awkward quick change from social to funereal, by going to church in flannels and a dark blazer, and a black tie in my pocket, so that a change of ties rendered me suitably dressed for the occasion. It was a sad funeral, in that, though she was in her eighties, Trish had retained a very good sharp mind (I regularly tried to help her with crosswords - she favoured the Saturday Telegraph's General knowledge one, and usually completed it). She had a short illness, and we'd visited her briefly on the afternoon of the night she died. Her daughter 'phoned Ann a day or so before the funeral to ask us to the lunch held in the garden of her home after the service. Twenty or so of her family and friends attended - we didn't stay long though, I always think post funeral gets together should be mainly family.
On Friday evening friends Hilary and Eileen came to supper. We gave them cold meats, salad, and new potatoes boiled with sprigs of garden mint, followed by rhubarb and ginger crumble with custard and/or cream, folowed by a cheese board and coffee. We then spent the rest of the evening playing two excellent games of scrabble. Hilary and Ann drew the first game, and Eileen won the second, both very close games.
On Saturday morning we motored over to Semer where I reinstalled the pendulum on a modern long case clock, which I'd been mending. I don't really like doing up modern clocks (I am after all an ANTIQUARIAN horologist - which refers, or should do, to the clocks being antique, rather than to the horologist being antique), but as I rather liked the lady owner of this clock, I'd agreed to do it up for her. Went well.
On Saturday afternoon I went to scrabble club and played the usual three games we manage to fit into two hours. The third game was a draw between Joice and meself. A draw is fairly unusual at scrabble, but that's two draws in two days. Ann met me outside the club at just after 4p.m. See our next thrrrrrrilling (sorry, just being ironic) instalment.
4 comments:
That is indeed a handsome picture, Mike. I'm not sure I follow your comment on the place-name though; unless your linking it with Combust. I think ash was a commonly used road-mending material for centuries, an abundant commodity which required regular disposal, ideal for filling ruts, pot-holes and puddles.
Dr. Foster would have been glad of a well placed cartload of ash, I'm sure!
Yes, I think you're probably right about the derivation of the place name. I just think it's an ugly name (ash tip, ash can, etc. redolent of industrial waste) for a pretty place.
P.s. It might help if I learn to think of it as having once had an avenue of ash trees along its main street.
P.P.S. Although that won't work, as there isn't a street of any sort. It's more an area than a village, so even the street part of the name is inexplicable.
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