This is wall lettuce, Mycelis muralis. It is not much noticed because it grow in cracks and corners of walls and other unloved places, but deserves more attention. I like it for it little yellow flowers and elegant stems which are often of a purple hue. Its deeply lobed leaves may, apparently, be eaten as salad.
Glimpsed from the train, a lamp post, round which wild clematis clambers, and to judge by the protruding tendrils, embraces energetically.
I have taken to making mayonnaise again. I used to think it a delicate operation (in fact, the fear of the liaison separating, when oil joins the egg-yoke base, far exceeds the likelihood of it happening. Beating egg yoke into vinegar, lemon juice and other flavourings takes barely a couple of minutes and whipping in a steady stream of oil, only a little longer. I used to use a food mixer but the old fashioned hand-held, bulb-shaped, wire beater is easier. And the smooth, creamy, savoury sauce, which results is a beautiful thing. Making it is one of those little creative acts, which round off a day.
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