Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Surrey priorities
Following my report on cycle path repairs of February 23rd, the Surrey roads people have seen fit to pour even more resources into Horton Lane and are now having chunks of the nearly new carriageway proper resurfaced. As far as I could see there were cracks which I dare say would get worse over time, but hardly cracks to get in a stew about. The condition of nearby Longmead Road was much worse. I wonder whether the difference was that Longmead Road serves commercial people and the inhabitants of a notorious estate, unlike Horton Lane which mainly serves people who live in nice houses which are not now owned by housing associations and which have never been council houses? Or is it one of those finance nonsenses whereby the man from the ministry which looks after Longmead Road has done his budget for this year while the chap from the ministry which looks after Horton Lane had a bit of dosh to clear at year end?
I can also report that the Horton Lane repairs were graced by the presence of a lycra looney on a bicycle who saw no need to pay any attention to the traffic lights controlling the movement of traffic through the repairs.
Yesterday we escaped south to visit the tomb of John de Waltone, the son in law of Odo de Dammartin (perhaps descended from a companion of the conqueror who hailed from Dammartin-en-Goële), embedded in the base of an outside wall of the church at Walton on the Hill. Not clear how much of what we could see dated from the time of his decease in the 13th century. We also came across a very old lead font, from the same sort of time. An elaborate affair which looked as if it had had a troubled life, having been reduced in size at some point, a reduction which did serious damage to the decorations. There were also a few of the grave boards which we had first come across at Mickelham last October. And the roof was odd in that it contained some dormers; not something I recall seeing in a church roof before.
Took refreshment in the Fox & Hounds, once a village pub now an eatery. We happened to be armed with a whole lot of vouchers which meant that we could have two courses for £5 or three courses for £10 - a rather odd price structure. But even at £10 good value, only marred by the Greene King IPA being rather past its best. I suppose trouble is that the sort of retired folk like ourselves who mostly keep the place going do not drink enough of the stuff for it to be kept in good condition. Far too keen on the Pinot Grigiot.
Regulation shiny white plates of various shapes and sizes, all decorated with large zigzags of chocolate drizzle prior to adding whatever meal one was having. See http://www.thefoxandhounds.net/.
# posted by Jim @ 8:20 AM 
