Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Grape grazing.


Some mornings the rising sun lets you know it's going to be a scorcher of a day.


'The Font' has found a recipe for roast chicken stuffed with peaches. Angus thinks this sounds sweet. 'The Font' wonders when Angus ever started to worry about things being sweet. Sophie is loaded into the back on the Volvo and dog and master head off in search of peaches. The back of the Volvo is hugely spacious in comparison with the VW. Kind of like flying in 1st Class rather than coach. Sophie is delighted. - she can pace while being driven. We detour to the bakers at the roundabout for a shared croissant. Everyone stands 2 metres apart - even the white van men.

Then onto the greengrocers. Angus puts on his special mask that has been designed for applying toxic chemicals. This gives him something of a Hannibal Lecter look. We're at the front door in time for opening at nine. Ahead of us a gentleman with elasticated waist trousers and a  lady with a toile patterned face mask. They both look at Angus with a degree of apprehension. This is what you'd expect if Hannibal Lecter joined your shopping queue. 


In and out in exactly three minutes. Hands washed with gel on entry, strict distancing and large plastic partitions between the check out counters. Angus  glares in a suitably Presbyterian way at a maskless woman who grazes in the grape aisle. She feels the grapes, then when she finds one to her liking she pops it in her mouth. Angus can't decide whether he's more aggrieved by the lack of the hygiene or the 'wasteage'. Another sign I've turned into my father. The 'signs' seem to be coming more frequently these days.


Back at The Rickety Old Farmhouse the peaches are delivered to the kitchen and Angus and Sophie head off for an hours walk in the rapidly warming but still fresh air. Today Sophie is lucky in finding a copious amount of fresh badger poo in the long grass. This seems to do her no harm whatsoever. We can only assume she has a cast iron stomach. This was not true of any male PON we ever owned.


In lockdown the BBC plays rerun upon rerun of Midsomer Murders. Foreigners must have a very unusual view of life in the UK. This seems to sum it up pretty well.
https://crimereads.com/your-guide-to-not-getting-murdered-in-a-quaint-english-village/


'The Font' chuckled away at the replies to this question over breakfast : https://twitter.com/manwhohasitall/status/1262345897767325696

11 comments:

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Perhaps it is only in lockdown that Angus has trawled for Midsomer... which has been on never-ending loop on ITV channels since forever... 'twas never a Beeb runner. (Unless it is presented differently to overseas audiences???) Morning all... YAM xx

Tigger's Mum said...

Ahhhh Mmmmm French peaches. Nowhere we have lived has peaches like that, acres of them just needing to be eaten.

Badger poo on the other hand - really?

WFT Nobby said...

Good to know that people with dogs are considered 'safe' in an English village.
I'll be interested to know how the chicken with peaches turns out. Cheers, Gail.

Angus said...

You are quite right. I got it mixed up with Morse. Sam plots but set in Oxford.

Angus said...

These peaches I fear may be the first of the season and correspondingly unripe.

Angus said...

No murderer would face a dog.

Coppa's girl said...

Loved the article on murders.
Yes, we watch Midsomer on ITV channels here. I've noticed that everything is being repeated ad nauseum, and I've stopped watching most programmes. Some of them date back to the 70's like "The Sweeney" etc. What we thought (back then) as exciting is now merely embarrassing! I enjoy "Escape to the Chateau", but am heartily glad that when we were house hunting in France, years ago, we were never persuaded to buy such a millstone!
Yesterday Inca and I went out for our first breakfast croissant since lockdown! She isn't fed at the table, but was delighted, later, to get the curly ends I'd saved for her!

Coppa's girl said...

The ones we have here could be used as cricket balls!

Angus said...

Agree on the chateau although the man who's restoring his pile seems to have turned the idea into a lucrative career. On reflection make that a very lucrative career.

Poppy Q said...

The peaches look delicious, but I don't fancy them in a chicken as it sounds like they would get all mushy. A nice fresh salsa to eat with the chicken would be nice. We get a lot of peacharines here now which I like.

Glad you got to share a croissant again. Just like old times.

Coppa's girl said...

Indeed, Dick does seem to be doing rather well! I wonder if all the others, who are currently taking part in the DIY programme, are hoping for similar financial success?