I was up well before the Lark this morning. The dogs were walked. The van packed up. I was standing outside a proper butchers in Barnard Castle waiting for them to open at seven o’clock.
I wasn’t as sharp as usual this morning and neither is this picture, dumb cluck that I am, I only took the one. Don’t give William Peat’s butchers more than a quick glance or you’ll be away to the opticians.
This is how butchers shops in this country are now………….I used to like these shops with sawdust on the floor, those big steel rails on the ceiling. The large ‘S’ shaped hooks supporting half and full carcasses. Somehow one felt more in touch with ones dinner. Not to mention the fact that I could tell old from young and well hung from short hung. Beef used to get the slightly high, black bits and it tasted the better for it. A quick wipe with a wet rag and It was away to the oven. This is so sterile that it’s little wonder folk drop like flies if they come within a yard of bacteria……………………..Not William Peat’s fault…………….it’s those Safety Elves again. Try buying a kidney that has not been inspected. I can tell myself………….if they look a bit odd…………chuck it away or give it a noisy neighbour. Not a nosey one. The soft flabby kidneys usually whiff a bit.
Meat for the busy executive?………….it really is a wonderful display of raw marinade meats and kebabs. A grand shop. I don’t buy this stuff. It looks as if the butcher has thrown up on it or worse…………Horses for Courses!
Just in case you thought the butcher had given me free meat…………I’ll include one for the vegetarians. Not all this shop sells is edible but as the saying goes ‘ Suck it and see!’ Anything is good enough for Vogans!
Grace at GRAMMIES RAMBLINGS . Accused me of suffering from A.D.D. She has not posted since Irene struck and despite her questioning my sanity I hope she is okay. I meant fine. Okay is a nasty Americanism but better spelt as I have than written OK! I spent years listening for hurricane warnings on Radio France they call them Ourangan……..a lovely word for a vicious storm. See! I just get side tracked. Nothing wrong with that!
I did say yesterday that I’d pay a visit to an Abbey. I can!.. Remember What I Said!
This is what remains of Egglestone Abbey. The sarcophagus………(by gum that took some spelling)………in the foreground was the last resting place of Sir Ralph Bowes of Streatlam……….he was placed in here in 1482. I presume he was dead. No telling in those days! No sign of his remains either. All about cadavers today! Or about France. Cadaver is a French word only they spell it wrong. Cadavre they say but they are, ‘The Ones’, for rolling ‘Rs’.
I know where I’m going with this……………………………………
You may be getting a wee bit bored but these are French windows…………..not the sliding ones! Who am I writing for? These have no tracery between the mullions. Cunning blighters are the French. This was built in 1195 by, if I get this right or wrong spell chucker will not come up with better, Premonstratensian canins. Bugger! I spelt canons wrong. These Canons came from Premontre in France. The order of Premonstratenia was only founded a few years earlier in 1121 by St. Norbet. Obviously a mover and shaker of the time. Pity he can’t be reincarnated.
Finally this is a view up the tower. The wee triangular jutting out bit is what remains of the spiral staircase. Most abbeys have a tower. To get nearer to God? No to spot the locals coming and pinching back what these Sons of the Lord had pinched in the first place. I do love what they left though or what Henry VIII left. He wasn’t all bad.
It’s a bit thought provoking. Looters get locked up but fat cats get away with their heinous behaviour that caused so much more damage. Soldiers die for peanuts. Bankers get a bonus. Leaders should be removed from the hoi polloi but not by this much. Come on Dithery David start acting like your biblical namesake.
Worry not, I won’t, I got both sausages and big words into this post. Have a great weekend.
PS…………..I’ll take a snap of the sausages tomorrow. Promise.
what a smattering of subjects today! I'm glad you explained about your butcher shop front shot. I thought I was experiencing eye problems! the stuff about leaders, I think you in the UK and we in the USA agree!
ReplyDeletepleasant weekend is wished for you
Hi Adrian...well this is great timing to be able to see the honorable mention of me in your post ( that may be an overstatement)!!!
ReplyDeleteYes I am still alive !!
Aren't you glad I am back to torment you lol !
All is ok~~okay~~,and fine..thanks for your concern..( I think)
High winds,and heavy rain no electric power for days and loss of Internet even after power was restored the Internet has been up then down!!
Many people still without power!!
I see you haven't sought treatment for your disorder yet....that's okay (AKA fine)...I rather enjoy your rattling on from one thing to another!!
Seriously enjoyed this post. Love the meat market story lol...and your use of big words is very impressive !
The tower shot did make me a little nauseous..but it was great..
Wonderful to be back where I can get a good laugh...thanks lol !!
Grace
Ps...do you know what's with Keith (aka Hairy)?
Well, you knocked me over with your witticism. Great pictures. Thank you, I should have known better about the Buzzard, yes, she was feeling better.
ReplyDeleteA great post Adrian I also remember well the sawdust on the floor... lovely memories.
ReplyDeleteThe deli pic is fantasic...photoshop? I love seeing B and W images + colour.. a lovely image.
I was also worried about Grace so it's great to see her comment on this post...
A diatribe on gourmet comestibles interwoven with incongruous history and governmental misconjecture.....or in other words........bangers and mishmash!
ReplyDeleteAn excellent , funny and interesting post Adrian. oh yeh, great images too! owe kaye. [;o)
Sawdust was the best part of butcher shops. Made me smile with memories.
ReplyDeleteLoved your abbey visit. Wonderful pics and information. Nothing at all like that here in the states. Perhaps in a few more centuries..
Have a great weekend!
Bangers and Mishmash ~ enjoyed the excellent comment by the Herald! ;)
ReplyDeleteAdrian, I thought you had mastered a 3D image in the first photo and nearly ran off to see if I could locate some red and blue glasses.
Now as far as the sarcophagus goes, there seems to be a bit of a dilemma... if indeed Sir Ralph Bowes was plonked within in 1482 he may not have been dead. According to a website I found:
Many internet sites, including Stirnet, give Sir Ralph's birthdate as 1 September 1468, and his date of death as 3 July 1482. This makes no
sense - he died at the age of 14, after fathering five children with his wife Margery Conyers, heiress of South Cowton, Yorkshire?
Meanwhile, his wife Margery is given a death date of 12 August 1532.
....if his birthdate is correct, he just celebrated his 543rd! No wonder there's nothing left ;)
Thanks for the variety of photos, which give me the incentive to dig a little deeper.
Norma, sorry about that picture.
ReplyDeleteGrace, good to see you back. Keith has gone away I think.......I don't know where and couldn't raise him on his phone....I hope he's okay.
Bob, I wasn't sure about the Buzzard as it could be a young one.
Andrew, yes it's Photoshop.......I like colour popped images.
Trevor, there is not a day goes by when I don't question my sanity.
Laura, I've been meaning to go to this Abbey for a couple of years. A grand place and free.
Glo, I pulled this information from English Heritage. I'll have another look. Thanks for the information.
Adrian, Adrian. When will you pull yourself into the 20th never mind the 21st century. Sawdust? Next you'll be wanting the spit to go with it. Oh. No. That was in bars wasn't it. When I came to the Hebrides the Creagorry Inn in Benbecula still had sawdust on the floor. You just can't spit onto a carpet.
ReplyDeleteYour comment on the butcher's made me recall the time we were given a brace of pheasant. "Don't forget to hang it" said the donor. "For how long" said I (remembering my grammar). "Until the maggots drop out of the bum" came the reply. I became a vegetarian.
Love the photos and the words as usual.
Carry on with this campaigning zeal though and you'll be wanting salt bins moved in a post or two.
Graham, I can remember sawdust in butchers but not in pubs. I don't eat High Game. I just skin and draw them saves a lot of messing about. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing to see what a country butcher has got to do to keep up with the ... err ... chain supermarket around the corner. Need to visit Egglestone Abbey sometime and ... keep my words simple in this comment.
ReplyDeleteJay, I suspect they rely to a great extent on pub and restaurant trade. Egglestone is not the best but it is free. The bridge is well worth a look.
ReplyDelete