power, contrasts, grilling

Lot's Road power station, where the electricity for the London underground used to be generated, photographed from the South side of The River Thames, beside St Mary's Church Battersea, where the poet William Blake was married.

In Sutherland Road which leads to The Grove, there are two houses almost facing each other, which have prolific lavender hedges in front of them. As I walk past the scent of the flowers is powerful,, quickly to be succeeded by the smell of curry from the Indian restaurant in Grove Hill Road.

This summer I have taken to making sausages with minced lamb and spices, a variation of kebabs, which are grilled on the barbecue. I have found that by pounding the meat with the spices (I use Moroccan spices, usually the blend known as harrisa) in a mortar, there is is no need to add an egg to hold the mixture together. The meat is then rolled into a sausage shape in cling-film and left in the fridge. Before grilling the film is removed and the meat placed on the grill. I believe that in the Balkans such "sausages" are known as "kebabcici" or something of the sort. The scent of the meat cooking is what must have pricked the nostrils of the old gods on Mount Olympus.