Friday, January 06, 2012
Soup trials
Had two rounds of cabbage soup recently, as a result of which I can report a new soupoid. I normally make cabbage soup by simmering four ounces of pearl barley with twelve ounces of diced pork tenderloin and some sliced celery sticks for an hour or so, then adding lots of white cabbage sliced sauerkraut wise for the last five minutes. First round made in this way went down very well. Come the second round however, neither fresh nor frozen tenderloin to hand, and so I thought I would try making the soup with some cold cooked pork that we had instead, adding it at the end rather than the beginning, together with some mushrooms by way of compensation. And I am happy to report that the second round was entirely OK, even though the broth did not quite have the body it should have and the texture of the pork was not quite right. But an entirely satisfactory substitute in an emergency.
Perhaps as a result of soup deviance, for once in a while I did the Christchurch Road-Horton Lane-West Ewell-Longmead Road-Manor Green Road circuit anti-clockwise this morning rather than clockwise, and adding in the East Street leg for good measure. This circuit is far and away my most common walk and clockwise is far and away my most common direction, so I shall ponder further on what may have prompted and/or triggered this change. Will it happen again in the near future?
That apart, the only unusual note was some people loitering with what looked like intent on a piece of rough ground between Horton Land and Christchurch Road, one of them wearing a hi-vis. Were they a pride of dealers simply trying to fix up the next deal or were they a clutch of surveyors simply eyeing up a bit of old hospital land with a view to a spot of infill? Something which I had understood to be off-limits under the terms of the dissolution of the asylums, but will probably become on-limits as part of the drive to promote affordable housing. At least the cause is a bit more worthy that that of the chain saw volunteers, if equally intrusive visually.
Perhaps as a result of soup deviance, for once in a while I did the Christchurch Road-Horton Lane-West Ewell-Longmead Road-Manor Green Road circuit anti-clockwise this morning rather than clockwise, and adding in the East Street leg for good measure. This circuit is far and away my most common walk and clockwise is far and away my most common direction, so I shall ponder further on what may have prompted and/or triggered this change. Will it happen again in the near future?
That apart, the only unusual note was some people loitering with what looked like intent on a piece of rough ground between Horton Land and Christchurch Road, one of them wearing a hi-vis. Were they a pride of dealers simply trying to fix up the next deal or were they a clutch of surveyors simply eyeing up a bit of old hospital land with a view to a spot of infill? Something which I had understood to be off-limits under the terms of the dissolution of the asylums, but will probably become on-limits as part of the drive to promote affordable housing. At least the cause is a bit more worthy that that of the chain saw volunteers, if equally intrusive visually.
# posted by Jim @ 3:49 AM 
