Mole

This afternoon to inspect the Mole at Leatherhead. It was still flowing fast and debris was lodged in trees and bushes maybe six feet above the current water level. It must have been a scary sight a week or two ago - despite the view left being very rural & bucolic today, this last despite it being maybe just a mile or so from the M25.

We also saw a kingfisher, the first for a while, and a heron. We were told that kingfishers were quite often sighted there.

Our last sighting was at Claremont, recorded on September 17th 2012 in the other place.

Home to a warming winter soup, loosely based on a recipe from 'The Diary Book of Family Cookery', from the Milk Marketing Board (late lamented?) and boasting a foreword by HRH The Duchess of Kent. Take one large onion and chop. Place in a large saucepan on a middling heat with a knob of butter. Simmer for a bit. Take half a dozen middling leeks and, assuming they are clean, slice them up crossways  into 3mm slices. Add the leaks to the simmering onions, replace lid and simmer the whole lot for a while. Add two or three pints of water, e-numbers in the form of a Knorr Chicken Stock Pot, bring back to the boil and simmer some more. Chop the gammon left over from the construction, earlier in the day, of the luncheon quiche lorraine and add that. Add a good whack of cold mashed potato. Simmer the whole lot for a little while longer and then serve with wholemeal bread.

Spend the evening watching 'Malwarebytes' (http://www.malwarebytes.org/), suggested as a prophylactic by the helpful BT help desk, clocking up 75 unwanted bits and bobs on the PC.

PS: 'bucolic' above sounded well, but on rereading not at all sure that I actually knew what the word meant. On checking, 'of or pertaining to herdsmen or shepherds; pastoral', from the Greek via the Latin. So not that far off, given that the green to the right of the view above is used for grazing. Not sure by whom though as there were no inhabitants to be seen yesterday, perhaps having been moved on account of the floods.