We bade Melody a fond farewell this morning after she’d given us six delicious figs from her tree. She intimated that we could nibble them on the way home but we had other plans.
Last night Sophie had given us warmed figs with mascapone for dessert and this was the perfect excuse to repeat it for ourselves. I added crushed hazelnuts but otherwise it was the same…and delicious.
The trip home was a lot easier given we didn’t have to go through Bath. Mind you we did have the usual blockage at Stonehenge though nowhere near as bad as it used to be when the access road was open. As we slowly drive by, we noted the continuously moving circle of tourists behind the velvet rope, admiring the ancient stones.
Sue had an appointment today so we’d organised for her to drop the girls off at the house safe in the knowledge that they’d only be alone for about an hour at the most. Mind you, the way they greeted us you’d think it had been a couple of months. Though, to be fair, they show the same level of enthusiasm when I return from a walk to the shop down the road and that’s about ten minutes.
There wasn’t a lot of time to bask in the puppy boisterousness as I had to go shopping. It was a glorious day to walk through the park which doesn’t explain why everyone I saw looked so miserable. Maybe it’s because people really hate having to go to the park on a Sunday. That’s what it looked like.
Starbucks was packed, as you’d expect at midday especially as it was Heritage Open Days this weekend. Not that it stopped everyone looking miserable…apart from Chantelle, Sue and Freya that is. Which reminds me, it’s Freya’s last day on Thursday as she’s moving to Brighton full time. I’ll miss her appearances during non-term time.
The misery continued in Waitrose where people who shouldn’t go shopping insist on doing so when supermarkets are most crowded with other people who also shouldn’t. They get in the way, grumble and generally have no idea what they’re doing.
They are also quite dismissive of the check-out staff, something I go to great lengths to make up for. I like to think I bring a bit of joy to dilute the ugly Sunday misery. It doesn’t cost anything to be pleasant rather than just nothing. Also, they should take their earplugs out.
Loaded with shopping I trudged home to Mirinda who was busy coding. I suggested stopping for some charcuterie which she happily agreed to. I then presented some of the goodies purchased at the deli yesterday morning. The French goat’s cheese in particular was superb. And it only cost 70p!
A little later we took the girls for a walk to Crondall. It was the perfect day to wander beside the fields, watching birds, being pushed along by the strong gusts. Sometimes you really need a bit of a breeze to blow away the cobwebs.
The photo above makes it look quite dull but, actually, the sun was going down and kept disappearing behind the clouds. When it reappeared, the fields were saturated with glorious late afternoon streaming sunlight. Particularly when we were passing the yellow rape.
As we reached the field margin bushes, we realised what a treasure trove of blackberries there was all around. We’ve noticed that this year’s crops in the park have been juicy and sweet but the brambles have been almost picked clean. It would appear that few people pick them at Crondall. We tried to rectify that situation. Mirinda said it was a shame we didn’t bring a bucket.
It was then back home to lamb chops followed by fresh figs. A perfect end to a lovely weekend.
