Back Inside The Lamb

Yesterday evening we met Elizabeth and Danni inside The Lamb Inn at Nomansland for our first permitted meal together since the months long Covid lockdown.

Jackie’s photograph of Danni arriving shows that masks had to be worn on entry and walking about, but could be removed while seated.

Three of us chose chicken, ham, and leek pie meals. Jackie was the exception who selected a burger meal. Danni, who produced the last two pictures in this gallery, my sister, and I drank a very good Mendoza Malbec, while Jackie drank Amstel. Actually, Danni’s wine was a chaser for her Diet Coke. For dessert Jackie chose strawberry sundae; Danni, lemon meringue pie; and I summer fruits pudding. Elizabeth finished with decaffeinated coffee. The fare was all very good, and the service attentive an efficient.

Our niece’s shot of Jackie and me includes a pony on the green outside.

I guess I must have been perusing the menu in these two photographs Jackie took of Elizabeth and me. These pictures were all produced early in the evening. The pub filled up a bit afterwards.

This afternoon I scanned six more of Charles Keeping’s illustrations to “Nicholas Nickleby”.

‘The small unfortunate was looking on with a singed head and a frightened face’

An example of the artist’s double page spread is ‘Nicholas found the four Miss Kenwigses on their form of audience, and the baby in a dwarf porter’s chair’

‘A short, bustling, over-dressed female, full of importance, presented herself’

‘The young lady, then and there kissed the old lord’. Note the hands in this one.

‘The easy insolence of their manner towards herself brought the blood tingling to Kate’s face’

‘Miss La Creevey found Mrs Nickleby in tears, and Ralph just concluding his statement of his nephew’s misdemeanours’

Later this afternoon Jackie felt the need to buy an owl, so we visited Shallowmead Nurseries, where she was recognised as “the owl lady”, to do just that.

Passing the crochet decorated post box, now sporting a rainbow hope, on Pilley Hill, we proceeded to

record this week’s views from one side to the other of Pilley’s receding lake. The first shot shows the spread of the water crowfoots, and the second the increased reflected foliage.

The dried detritus indicates that I was still able to walk across from one side to the other.

I enjoyed a pleasant conversation with people living in the corner house the reflection of which I have often photographed over the years. While I was being informed that a few days ago a small pool had been dry,

Jackie pictured a “shark” in occupation.

A small group of ponies at East Boldre wandered along the road in order to take a drink from a stream flanking soggy terrain.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s succulent beef pie; creamy mashed potatoes; firm carrots and cauliflower; spicy ratatouille; and meaty gravy, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of our Malbec.

77 comments

  2. A great set of photos, Derrick, I’m with Jackie. Burger and fries, please! The food looks delicious. I like your post boxes more than our huge boxes. 🇬🇧❤️

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  3. It’s so lovely to see life being as it should, socially, again!
    – Two pies in one day… what a way to celebrate!
    Let’s hope the ‘soggy terrain’ gets a chance to dry out now. 🙂

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  4. It looks like you had a delightful time at the Lamb! I like the pony outside the window, too.
    We’ve not yet eaten indoors yet, except at our daughter’s, but we’re making plans to get together with friends.
    I liked the “shark.” 😀

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  5. It looks like a marvelous meal out! My husband and I will be fully vaccinated in just a few days and I CANNOT WAIT to go out to eat again! 🙂 🙂

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  8. Oh gosh, I should’ve waited to read your post after I ate dinner. Everything looks delicious! I’m glad you all had such a good time. The pictures are terrific!

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  14. I’m so glad you enjoyed the first meal out in a while.
    I met up with two of my daughters at a local hotel to enjoy waiter service and a breakfast of all we could eat!

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  15. The food at the Lamb looks delicious! We, too, are back to eating in restaurants — masks and distanced if indoors, but many now have outdoor space as well. It’s become a newfound treat again! Love the shark — and the pond photos, too!

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  16. Sounds like a great day all round. Derrick, you look like you had a little too much of the Mendoza Malbec in the second last photo at the dinner table. I like the shark in the pond. 🙂

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  17. Charles Keepings double page spread is indeed very cute … ‘Nicholas found the four Miss Kenwigses on their form of audience, and the baby in a dwarf porter’s chair’

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  19. You, Jackie, and Elizabeth look like you were having such a good time at The Lamb Inn! I can see that the trees by Pilley’s receding lake are more leafed-out than last week. I’m looking forward to seeing the changes as the seasons go by.

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  21. It’s nice to see you two enjoying a meal out in the bigger world with a view of a pony even. Those illustrations are very expressive. It is fun to see the changes at Pilley’s lake.

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  22. Look at the copious waves of joy the minuscule banquet at Lamb’s Inn has unfurled! The classy wine is a fitting ingredient of the proceedings. Charles Keeping never fails to entertain. The project scape wears a very moody and pleasing look.

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  23. I wonder what pubs will do with the one armed bandits. I doubt if they’ve got much cash inside them to pay out at the moment.

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  24. HA! A shark! 😀 Great photo, Jackie!
    YAY for a meal out…a pie-filled day…your meal out looks delicious…and what beautiful meal companions! You are one lucky man!
    OOH!!! A new owl?!?! This gets me very excited and very smiley! 🙂 🦉 ‘Tis a wonderful thing to be an owl lady! 🙂
    (((HUGS))) 🙂

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  25. Notes for today: 1. there is no pony at the well – 2. the ladies as illustrated in the book are all exquisitely pretty whilst the old men are unbelievably ugly (isn’t life cruel!) 3. Ralph Boldrewood was the author of “Robbery Under Arms” Is there a Boldre Wood? I forget what #4 was going to be.

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    1. I was disappointed that the pony didn’t come trotting down for a drink. I think you may not have looked too closely at some of the ladies in the book. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bolderwood+new+forest&source=hp&ei=nTSmYJWFFKWflwT4jpWIAw&iflsig=AINFCbYAAAAAYKZCrcYr7Z7jaEWCiUv_7aZ-7gnpWYhL&gs_ssp=eJzj4tTP1TdIKq8oMDJg9BJNys9JSS0qz89PUchLLVdIyy9KLS4BAMKfC-A&oq=Boldrewood&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYBDILCC4QxwEQrwEQkwIyAggAMgIIADICCAAyBAguEAoyAggAMgIIADICCAAyAggAMgIIADoICAAQsQMQgwE6CwguELEDEMcBEKMCOgUIABCxAzoOCC4QsQMQxwEQowIQkwI6BQguELEDOggILhDHARCvAToICC4QsQMQgwE6AgguOggILhCxAxCTAjoOCC4QsQMQgwEQxwEQrwE6BQguEJMCOgQIABAKUMYRWIcqYNBeaABwAHgAgAFviAGaB5IBAzcuM5gBAKABAaoBB2d3cy13aXo&sclient=gws-wiz

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      1. My reference to Boldrewood was made because of your spelling of East Boldre. And I only really looked at the girl who was planting the kiss on the old fellow.

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  26. So much fun seeing you in photos…having so much fun. I know that feeling – just met two writing friends at the Colonial Inn (an old old hotel/restaurant with a delightful front porch for dining) and we grabbed each other and hugged for long minutes. Here, also, we wore our masks to the table, then were able to rip them off.
    What good food you all enjoy. And being of “English blood” I’ve never met a pot pie I didn’t like.

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  27. A beautiful day in the forest, Derrick and Jackie, and so nice to have a meal out!

    I like the “shark” fin in the pond. Good catch, Jackie! 🙂

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  28. Wonderful….. Oh the forgotten Joys of Eating Out… lol….
    Loved your happy smiles….. And more of the story and engravings…. And you never disappoint us with your beautiful nature photos Derrick….
    Have a wonderful weekend…. Hopefully the weather is set to improve Next week… Enjoy… <3

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  30. Jackie’s shark is wonderful, although I’ll confess that I saw it first as a sundial. There are sundial shells on our beaches, so perhaps this was a sundial shark! All of your meals look marvelous. I’m a great fan of lemon, so that pie would have been my selection,for sure.

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  31. So glad you were able to go out and dine at a restaurant again. The meal looks yummy! We had lemon pie for dessert last night, too … at a friend’s house. <3

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