Saturday, November 28, 2020

The Old Bell


I finally got motivated to take a little photo walk yesterday -- not far, just down through Kilburn. I've never been to this pub, and although it looks a little rough around the edges, I'm reliably informed that it's a pretty good place. Unfortunately it's closed now, as all pubs are.

Supposedly when we emerge in a few days from this second lockdown, we'll be in Tier 2 of the government's categories for coronavirus control. Restaurants and pubs that serve meals will reopen, but pubs and bars that don't will stay closed. There are also rules about households mixing but Dave and I have basically suspended all socializing, so no worries there.

Anyway, it was fun to get out and walk around.


I feel like this person might not understand what fascism means. Isn't it right-wing by definition? I think they're talking about authoritarian communism. So many "-isms."

Last night we had our Thanksgiving dinner -- duck a l'orange, with potato and spinach and homemade pumpkin pie. I am thankful that Dave knows how to cook! (And also for our dishwasher.)

26 comments:

Frances said...

The duck sounds nice, but you can keep the spinach! I have bought a pre cooked meal of duck in plum sauce for Sunday! (Never had pumpkin pie...that also sounds a bit yuk!!)

Moving with Mitchell said...

Our dishwasher is so small, our dinner plates don't even fit. To replace it with a larger dishwasher would require a complete rebuild of that side of the kitchen. So, we have a dishwasher for storage and me to wash dishes! Still, I'm thankful SG knows hot to cook! Walks have been a life saver for me this year.

e said...

How is Dave feeling?

Yorkshire Pudding said...

I very much doubt that the pilgrim fathers and their bedraggled entourage had duck a l'orange when they arrived on the shores of Massachusetts.

Susan said...

Now, that's my kind of Thanksgiving dinner! You are so right - far to many 'isms' and no one really understands what they are talking about. We are bracing ourselves for the aftermath of a holiday where too many people decided not to give a damn.

Ursula said...

You are right, "fascism" was originally (still is) defined as hard core right wing. Either you toe the line or ELSE. However, since some of the other (say, for sake of argument, "left" wing) isms can be pretty prescriptive too, and intolerant of more lenient views, that poster does have a point.

As to tiers and households mixing, and shops open, but in order to have a drink you have to have a "substantial" meal in a pub/restaurant and then be turfed out once you cleared the last morsel on your plate - I am bemused and confused. Shops are open but don't go there. Shop to save the economy but don't shop. I am not stupid but I don't get it. What has all the makings of annoying me is the lingo used: We are ALLOWED . . . "Allowed"? Come again? It's language I wouldn't employ with a child, never mind adults. And anyway, WHO is policing all this hot air? Presumably police forces who are "allowed" to mix in order to keep those disallowed under control. The whole thing is beyond a joke. In the meantime there are countries like Yemen where war rages; poverty, malnutrition, disease of such proportion that the Corona Virus largely goes unnoticed. And we think WE have problems.

Greetings to Olga. What's Corona to her? As long as she has got Steve to try and wrestle that red thingy off her (in order to throw it again) what does she care the world going to pot? Oh to be a dog!

U

Steve Reed said...

Oh, no, pumpkin pie is amazing. Trust me on this. Find a recipe and try it, with whipped cream on top!

Steve Reed said...

Our dishwasher is also a bit on the small side, but it sounds like it's bigger than yours. If the two of us are home all day, getting that day's dishes to fit can be a challenge. Nothing like the ridiculously big ones in the states!

Steve Reed said...

He's fine. Hasn't mentioned his tooth at all!

Steve Reed said...

Their loss!

Steve Reed said...

Yeah, that's a risk here too, with Christmas approaching. Ugh!

Steve Reed said...

I agree that the Tier plan is a little ridiculous. What is a "substantial" meal, for example? And it pretty much works on the honor system, doesn't it? Unless you have a really flagrant violation, like a house party with hundreds of people and cranking music -- THEN the police might show up.

Ms. Moon said...

Sounds like a most satisfying Thanksgiving dinner.
It is hard to understand how eating in an enclosed space is less dangerous than drinking in one, isn't it? And who feels the need to risk their life to go eat in a restaurant? Of course there's the economic factor but why should restauranteurs be allowed to make money while pub owners are not? None of this makes any sense at all but doing something is better than doing nothing which is what has happened here and it appears to me that the entire US will be dead by this time next year.
Not feeling very cheerful about any of it today.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a lovely Thanksgiving dinner.
My step-daughter gave us a quart of pureed pumpkin yesterday, and I'm thinking about making something other than a pie. Maybe some spicy curry pumpkin sauce.

Red said...

Many of the loud mouthed loons have no idea what they're talking about. Many of the wild eyed protesters have not finished high school .

Sharon said...

My first response got lost to the blogger server so here goes again. That is a very elegant sounding Thanksgiving dinner you had. I didn't realize until a few days ago that your current lockdown included all the major stores. My friend Mo posted a photo on Instagram of Oxford Street with no people on it. An amazing sight to see.

ellen abbott said...

Marc's no gourmet cook but her has gotten better over the years. that whole left-wing fascism is just the way Trump and the far right responded to the rightly pointing out of the far right tendency to authoritarianism and fascism. this is what they do...whatever they are doing, they accuse the left of doing and being.

Margaret said...

Glad that Dave is better. That sounds like a gourmet meal. I wish we would do lock down the right way here, although our governor is trying to be smart. (and getting lots of push back for it!) The people that rant about fascism/communism/socialism often go silent when you ask them for a definition.

John Going Gently said...

Pumpkin pie.........PLEASE SEND ME his recipe

Catalyst said...

OMG! Duck a l'orange! Judy made her mother's pumpkin pie with her own additions this year. Pumpkin pie is one of my favorites but I declared this one the best I've ever tasted. Dave might have some competition.

Sue said...

Our dishwasher holds "Tupperware" and assorted plastic storage containers on top and all my baking pans on the bottom. It works great! It's quite old and I would be afraid to run it in case the drains are all dry-rotted.

Ellen D. said...

Amazing that Dave was able to prepare such a fancy meal while recovering from root canal! Wow! I am very impressed!

The Bug said...

That sounds like a lovely meal! I wonder if the thinking is that people drinking without eating will be more reckless than people who have a meal while drinking? Not that I AGREE, mind you...

Anonymous said...

The 'no to left wing fascism' seems like it was written by someone from the alt-right.

Linda Sue said...

left wing fascists, that made me say "WHUT?"
Dave cooks amazing meals- keep him barefoot and in the kitchen!

Alphie Soup said...

Left wing fascism. Says it all about the person who wrote those words...
The word that might be better suited is totalitarianism. However it's not the catchy word that fascism is and might just go straight over the heads of those readers the writer wants to impress.
Alphie