pumpkinstrokemarrow

I have had various reasons to be envious of Cambridge in the course of a visit over the last couple of days.

First, their urban gardens sport chaffinches, something which rarely if ever visits our own, suburban garden. What is special about Romsey Town on the eastern fringes of the town proper? Furthermore, a pub on the fringes of said Romsey Town sported a log fire. Not one of those swank affairs you get in warming pan pubs out in the country; just a perfectly sensible log fire in a perfectly sensible grate.

Second, the winter aconites in the avenue leading from King's College out to Queen's Road are well out. A lot more out than those in Hampton Court were a week or so ago and a lot lot more out than those planted in our back garden last November or so and illustrated on 13th December. In fact, ours were nowhere to be seen last time I looked. Their snowdrops not doing badly either.

Third, one of the central parks boasts a world heritage public convenience, illustrated. Not something that the Borough of Epsom & Ewell would even aspire to. But then it has to be admitted that the standard of modern building in Cambridge is quite high. They boast quite a number of quite decent modern buildings. Certainly a much higher hit rate than Epsom.

Back home, Amazon, in its usually efficient way, has delivered to my door a set of Schubert piano sonatas played by Wilhelm Kempf and I can now get down to some serious listening.