Petes Pix 2022

Fish on Friday, and chicken on Saturday with home made baked beans. Not usual fish or chicken but supermarket substitutions. With them Friday 17th April 2019 Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc Private Bin (New Zealand, Marlborough) Their basic savvie, and deliciously grassy and gooseberry. Just what a Marlborough savvie should be Saturday 18th April 2013 Beeslaar Pinotage (South Africa, Stellenbosch) This is the second vintage of Kanonkop winemaker Abrie Beeslaar’s own venture, and my last. It’s made from the top two rows of the vineyard used up to now for Kanonkop’s TWS Exhibition Pinotage. I paid £35 for it in 2017, later that year TWS had it for half the price in a pack of Platter 5 star wines. Current vintage now costs £45 upwards. Sunday 19th April Aperitif 2013 Camel Valley Classic Cuvee Brut (England,  Cornwall) Bought several at the winery, lovely fizz from the classic varieties. Main Course, Roast Lamb shoulder, roast parsnip, and potatoes, steamed cauliflower, broccoli, carrots.

Another walk under blue skies at Jersey Farm Woodland Park. There were swathes of cowslips in flower.

We decided to order fish’n’chips to be delivered on Friday from Jersey Farm, Fish, Chips & Kebabs   via Deliveroo (which somehow scrambled my house number to a neighbours, so I had to dash out and intercept the deliverer’s moped.) Anyway, I couldn’t fault my large haddock, nor Joan her cod and each came with a huge amount of chips. With it we enjoyed 2019 Ara Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand, Marlborough)  Saturday 2015 Kanonkop Pinotage The Society’s Exhibition (South Africa, Stellenbosch) Sunday Aperitif N.V. Codorníu Cava Selección Raventós Brut (Spain, Cava) Roast Chicken, roast parsnip & potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli spears, carrots 2000 Cleavage Creek Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Secret Reserve (California, Napa Valley) The great news is that at 20 years it wasn’t too old. Lively red, browning a little, lively fruit, showing maturation but a lovely drink.  .   A bit about Cleavage Creek. It was owned by Jeff and Barbara Connor. Jeff told me “Barb’s grandmother is a brea

A shortish walk today - the Four Pub walk, via King William Iv, Ancient Briton, Cricketers and Jolly Sailor and an imaginary drink in each. Interesting that the only one that isn't named after royalty should no longer be a pub... The cherry trees along Sandridge Road were in flower. Took a diversion, down beside the railway though this  and down to Beech Bottom Dyke which was covered in bluebells. Shame the camera doesn't capture their iridescence.

Longish walk in glorious sun and warmth along the footpath over Batchwood Golf Course. Lockdown means no golfers so it's safe to walk, and the bluebells are out in dappled shade of the woods.

Twelfth day of lockdown was sunny so we had a walk down to and around Jersey Farm Woodland Park.