A rose by any other name

I know it's another flower but so what? I think it's nice. It's the rose which grows round the front door (yes, seriously) and I've been hacking it back so that the postie can get to the letterbox. When we were growing up there was a big old house on Dickenson Road. The garden was overgrown and we told lurid tales of the people we imagined might live there. None of the scouts would go in the garden, even for a dare. Now I don't live in a big house but I'm slightly nervous of going in the front garden....

For full details check out my special Google map. Anthony Burgess domiciled a character in "Any Old Iron" (from memory) in a house on Dickenson Road

We few, we happy few

This is to get everyone in the mood for the football.

Love this song

From Lear

"Come on, sir; here's the place: stand still. How fearful
And dizzy 'tis, to cast one's eyes so low!
The crows and choughs that wing the midway air
Show scarce so gross as beetles: half way down
Hangs one that gathers samphire, dreadful trade!"

(King Lear, Act IV, scene VI)

This is rock samphire; the plant Shakespeare was describing when Lear referred to the dangers in collecting it. It was collected to supplement the diet and is now seen as a delicacy. Check out this blog for a wonderful recipe with a mouthwatering photo of samphire, scallops and black pudding. The samphire in this photo is just coming into flower and I took the shot at Samphire Hoe which nestles in the shadow of Shakespeare Cliff - the Hoe was built using spoil from the Channel Tunnel excavations. Marsh Samphire is eaten now rather than this stuff.