pumpkinstrokemarrow

Started off by practising not hitting the kerbs to the ramps in the multi-storey car park. Something which the BH is much better at than I am - more practise going shopping possibly - and something which I cannot manage in the car park near the Rose Theatre in Kingston at all. The kerbs to the ramps there seem to be designed to be hit by my back wheels. I blame the shape of the front of our C-max which means that one cannot see the front corners of the car, so making it harder to judge one's turns. The ramps in Sutton were much easier than those in Kingston, there being more room to swing into them. But I still managed to hit one of the two I had to negotiate on the way in. I forget my score on the way out.

From there proceeded to an inspection of the middle sized ASDA, which, we thought, used to be a middle sized Tesco. 24 proper check outs and maybe half a dozen DIY. Distinguished for me by two things. First, access to the first floor car park (not the one that we were in) was obtained via moving walkways, whacking great long things, rather than escalators. What quirk of the geometry of the site meant that walkways were a better option than escalators? They take up a lot more space. Second, this large retail shed was very honest about it. The place was just a large shed with air conditioning. No pretence, in the way of the last Tesco house style but one, of being a barn, a large cottage or anything else. I rather liked it - although we did not actually buy anything so we did not like it that much.

Attempted to get into the large church at the railway station end of the High Street. The church with a large and impressive tower and which, on closer inspection, turns out to occupy a whole block. A regular ecclesiastical complex, operated by the Methodists. But firmly shut. Next door was another large church, this one operated by the Baptists. And just up the road the St Nicholas church for which the shopping centre was named, operated by the CofE. One supposes that Sutton existed before shopping was invented and that there has been a St Nicholas church on the site for some centuries, possibly even 10 of them, but the current church appears to be a evangelical revival job from the last century. Not to be confused with the various churches found by Mr G. devoted to Sutton St Nicholas, whoever he or she was.

But we did manage to get into the library, presumably the headquarters library of the Sutton Library Service. Impressive place, arranged on various floors. Introductory on the ground floor, together with a cafe. Children on the first floor, media (including lots of sheet music and scores) on the second and the library proper on the third. Much grander and better stocked place than Epsom Library - but then I suppose Surrey does not have a headquarters library in quite the way that Sutton would. A more dispersed, suburban even rural operation. Better stock including books by a dead historian called Tony Judt of whom I had only just heard and a copy of 'Pale Horse' of which I just seen a television adaptation. Furthermore, it transpired that I was allowed to be a member even though I neither lived nor worked in the borough. I suppose, as befits a shopping centre, shopping in the borough was sufficient qualification. So I now have the form. I learned later that it may well be that membership of Sutton Library would give me honorary membership of most, if not all, other London libraries, some of which specialise and are very good. Maybe I shall fill the form up and see. Had I happened to be carrying both a utility bill and a biro I could have joined up on the spot and removed at most two of books mentioned above without further ado. Ticket sent on in the post, later.

I should add before closing on this topic that the Polish grocery was, indeed still there. But we did not buy anything there either.

A day or so later to All Saints' at Esher to hear the Ripieno choir, mainly doing a long-dead Spaniard called Victoria. Church itself was completed in 1939. Exterior in a light Italianate style, interior with plain arched aisles, a plain arched chancel, all painted white, but with a plainish pitched roof to the nave. Plainish because it was painted yellow and had some beams and whathaveyou tricked out in some other colour. Overall effect, very good despite some cracking in the chancel arches. It seems that this bit of Esher - Weston Green - although decently provided with old houses - had had to make do without local praying until 1939 when a local lady - Mary Rees I think - but not the FRS mathematician at Liverpool University - badgered the bishop into setting up a new parish. Presumably she paid for the buildings.

Choir good, material mainly Victoria and ecclesiastical. Properly ecclesiastical and calm in tone, an opportunity for people to celebrate their common humanity before God. Not the show-off (and put-off) stuff practised in places like King's College at Cambridge. Bit of Byrd & Banchieri thrown in. We shall go to their next concert.

But one wonders how long middle sized, semi-professional choirs like this will last, the members being mostly but not exclusively middle aged and older. (Slightly more women than men, maybe 25 in all. Plus conductor). The days of choir being an important social opportunity for young people long being gone. On wonders also about the wisdom of calling a choir 'ripieno' which I believe to be a musical term meaning filler. What you put in to fill up the gaps between the solos.

Choir supported by sackbutt and cornetts. The first of these turning out to be a sort of primitive oboe and the second small trombones. Presumably cornets and trumpets were trombones before they invented valves. Although one might have thought that sliding tubes were as hard to make in a smithy as valves. Sackbutts and cornetts augmented their living by performing at the Globe, so it may well be that I have heard them before.

All in all, a stroke of good luck. Never heard of them before and just happened to chance across an advertisement for the concert in the cafe at Nonsuch Park (of conker fame. See November 3rd.).