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In ‘The Scent Of A Squirrel’, I described the aroma of dead rodents. A similar, very mild smell has, over a day or two, emanated from our dressing room. Last night, Jackie discovered a leaking radiator therein. Let us hope that dirty dripping onto the ancient carpet beneath it is the cause of the strange pong.

Our nostrils definitely preferred the perfume of the paint Aaron applied to our landing woodwork this morning.

Some of you may know that Jackie and I breakfast on a 12 cup (4 mug) cafetiere of coffee each morning. After a good thirty years, this container is showing signs of wear. We have been searching unsuccessfully for one for a while. Whilst Christmas shopping in Lyndhurst Jackie had noticed a shop where they were on sale. On this damp, overcast, afternoon with temperatures in double figures centigrade, she drove us there to buy one.

New Forest Centre

Considered the ‘Capital of The New Forest’, Lyndhurst boasts the Visitor Centre alongside its car park, which leads into

High Street

the High Street, where the approaching family managed to shepherd their children

Meridien Modena Classiche

across the traffic island on the corner facing what was my local NatWest Bank branch when we lived in Minstead. It is now an adjunct to

Meridien Modena

Meridien Modena where you can buy a Maserati among other luxury cars. Lyndhurst, you see, is rather upmarket.

The Mailman's Arms

The car showrooms extend alongside The Mailman’s Arms,

The Stag Hotel

itself next to The Stag Hotel, also visible in the High Street shot.

Almost every establishment on this high street caters for the thriving tourist trade, although

Shaw Trust

 Shaw Trust is one of several charity shops.

Sweet shop

There is a sweetshop with its goodies in modern plastic jars, the glass versions of which will be familiar to my contemporaries.

The Old Apothecary and Goose Green

The Old Apothecary was probably once a pharmacy, but Goose Green, situated on the road to Emery Down, has, as far as I know, nothing to do with the decisive battle of the 1982 Falklands War.

Pages of Lyndhurst 1

Pages of Lyndhurst 2

Pages of Lyndhurst inside 1

The Entrance to Pages of Lyndhurst suggests that there would be much more than coffee on sale in this Aladdin’s cave. And, indeed, that is where Jackie found the cafetiere.

Pages of Lyndhurst inside 2

They even boast a car showroom to rival Meridien Modena.

Onomatopoeia and Marina's Sandwich Bar

Next door to Marina’s Sandwich Shop lies Onomatopoeia, though why an outlet not in the audio business would choose such a name escapes me.

Jackie outside Christopher Stephens

The young ladies outside Pages were aiming for Christopher Stephens jeweller’s in the side window of which Jackie was inspecting further brooches similar to the one we bought there for Becky.

Served with fresh vegetables, the second half of Jackie’s superb steak and mushroom pie was enjoyed for our dinner tonight. I finished the chianti and Jackie drank Hoegaarden.

54 comments

  1. I was wondering if a cafetière was the same thing as what we call a French press, so I googled it. It is indeed. And while I was at it I learned several other names for it…cafetteria stantuffo, plunger pot, press pot, as well as the Brand names Melior or Bodum. No matter what it’s called, it makes great coffee!

    1. I THINK here we call it a plunger (not to be confused with the thing of the same name used to dislodge gunk in drain pipes). Re the Shaw Trust shop – how much is that doggie in the window? (The one with the waggly tail).

  2. Bout time they built that bypass. They were talking about it when we moved there and still they wait. Bloody verderers…! At least I expect they have a finger in the decision…

  3. 12 cups of coffee – alright you guys, that’s what we drink each day, love it! Lyndhurst is a beautiful village – wonderful walk around with you.

  4. What charming shops. I’m glad you found your cafeteire and even happier that Cynthia took the time to look it up, as I had a notion it was a percolator, which folks called a caffettiera.

    I was flummoxed a few years ago when I heard people speaking of “French presses”. Those were just plain coffee press pots when I was a child, nothing French about them. (This reminds me of when I gave an English friend the family recipe for zucchini bread and, after I described the vegetable, she said, “I wonder if I could substitute a corgette.” Our mutual friend, a Canadian, laughed at us because we didn’t know we were talking about the same thing.)

  5. I can see why this village is thick with tourists. It looks like what I imagine a quintessentially English town should look like. I have a 1.5 cup French press/cafetiere made by Bodum. It is a double hulled stainless steel number that makes the BEST coffee and it stays hot forever. I can see why you had to go searching. One simply cannot survive w/out this vital item if you’re a coffee drinker.

  6. My parents had a percolstor, my ex had a french press, and I have had for years, a drip coffee pot! I pour cold water in and then it heats up and drips over coffee grounds. My Mom has always drunk 5 to 7 cups of coffee a day. I drink about 4 cups over the course of a day, Derrick. Lovely scenery and the shops are really interesting and unique. Smiles, Robin ♡

  7. I feel like I got a little glimpse into an entirely different corner of the world reading your post… All from my cozy share on a snowy night. Thanks for making my world a little bigger (or smaller, depending on how you look at it.). Cheers, Derrick! 🙂

  8. What a lovely set of shops. Especially the sweet shops. I’m impressed you drink so much coffee. Thanks for spotting my error on my last post. I’ve changed it. Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂

  9. Goose Green, wherever it is and however strereotypically ‘Rural-brand’ it sounds, almost certainly refers to a pasture grazed by geese. Most placenames are utilitarian. There’ll almost certainly be one round Lyndhurst, even if it’s such a localized name it’s not on a map.

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