Two frosts

After a mild winter, two frosts, maybe the last of the season?

On day one, an air frost, not getting down from the extension roof to the back lawn. This snap from 06:50. The wheelbarrow sat next to the micro-ponds being evidence of BH clearing dead leaves from them.

On day two, much the same again. This one from 06:23. I had managed to empty the wheelbarrow in the interval.

Busy the next day, in the first instance with batch No.773 - which, I might say, turned out very well. Getting quite consistent. The first loaf will be knocked off, with banana, very shortly.

Followed by a spot of saucisson stew. Butter, black pepper, garlic, onion, celery, tomato, left-over potato and saucisson, in that order. Served with tubes and white cabbage.

Quite by accident, the tubes were of the quick cook variety - boil for 5 minutes rather than the usual 10 or more. I think that this meant that the walls of the tubes were very thin, and rather feeble in the mouth. I prefer the regular sort. That apart, the stew did very well.

Later on, out to collect a trolley from Hookfield, No.1149, built in March last year. With what I take to the be lodge for what was once Hookfield Park (house) behind, with its distinctive eaves. For which see reference 1: I would never have thought that it was more than five years ago that I looked into it. 

Furthermore, looking at the maps at reference 1, not at all clear this morning what the relationship between the little house above and the big house was. Although I still think that there was one: the little house is not a regular suburban build from between the wars.

Lots of spray paint and lots of cones, but no sign of action by water men. And in the days to come, it all seemed to melt away without there ever having been any serious action. All very odd.

A curious bit of trim in the market place. Possibly noticed before, but it seemed new enough on this occasion: a dormer window - the small dark triangle, above the down pipe and hopper more or less in the middle of the snap above - rather blocked off by the bit of pretentious trim added later.

Not being sure about the term 'hopper' in this context, I asked Gemini this morning, but he does not offer anything else. Bing turns up hoppers at both ends of down pipes, so perhaps the term is correct, but of slightly wider application than I at first had in mind.

Home to open the first loaf of aforementioned batch, taking it with both butter and cheese, separately, naturally. Would not want the overload of double dairy in the mouth. With a last tea of the day, fluid restrictions notwithstanding.

Note the distinctive finish of the bottom of the loaf, a product of greasing the tin with butter and then dusting it with white flour. Rather good when as fresh as it was on this occasion.

PS 1: the Texas Mesquite Grill of Cypress, TX 77429, makes rather a lot of use of the image above, which arrived in my mail this morning. Maybe I should suggest that they change it from time to time?

On the clue 'tx 77429', gmaps takes me more or less straight there, but in satellite view and this particular place is not highlighted until you zoom in.

But what is the blurring to the immediate left of the restaurant all about? Some minor hiccup in the system?

PS 2: I have just learned from reference 2, that it not just heating and transport which burns up a lot of fossil fuel (a lot of it presently stuck n the Persian Gulf), but also food. Furthermore, the Gulf states have used their wealth to diversify into the feedstock and fertilizer business. Maybe the era of cheap food is drawing to a close?

I also learn about an important place called Jebel Ali Port of reference 3. Which gmaps shows me as being right next to that billionaires' playground built over the sea.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/12/wellingtonia-19.html.

Reference 2: The coming global food crisis: Hunger and even famine are foreseeable consequences of the war on Iran. Now the world must act to shield the poorest from effects that will continue long after the fighting stops - Adam Hanieh, Financial Times - 2026.

Reference 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_of_Jebel_Ali.

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