Lymington Lockdown Relaxed

Although Jackie remembers one birthday on which it snowed, most of her birthdays, like today, have lived up to the epithet ‘flaming June’. She drove me into Lymington, left me there for an agreed 90 minutes, visited a garden centre, then returned to pick me up.

There I purchased a birthday card (of a pop-up owl she had the pleasure of making up herself) and a vase as the first celebratory tokens. I then walked down the length of the High Street and back up clicking away.

Individual captions can be found with each image when accessing the gallery by clicking on any one.

Regular readers will have noticed the absence of Aaron and his crew who have been very busy. This afternoon he came to carry away a vast backlog of garden refuse and to arrange to make regular visits again.

When we told him the story of the recent attempt to wreck the flower bed by being tossed into it he expressed suitable guilt at having left us for a while. This was, of course, all in good spirit. The return is a great relief.

We enjoyed a pleasant couple of hours this afternoon with Helen and Bill, who visited with presents.

This evening we met Becky and Ian at Lal Quilla, where we dined for the first time for months. It was a very pleasant surprise for Jackie, and involved more presents and delightful conversation. After poppadom starters my main course was Taba Shaslick Jalfrezi. We shared onion bahjis, mushroom and pilau rice, and plain paratha. Kingfisher and Diet Coke were the chosen beverages.

103 comments

  1. Happy birthday to Jackie! Wishing her a wonderful year ahead.

    Some of your photo captions made me laugh. “Mobile Legs” and “Hat and Jacket,” indeed.

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    1. Thanks very much from us both, Jodie. I took a couple more shots of the lady with the phone and legs because I thought the gentleman had walked across and spoiled the pic. In fact he made it 🙂

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  5. Gosh, Lymington does indeed look busy and very ‘relaxed’!
    I am glad that the weather was not so, and kept to seasonal conventions with a lovely hot, sunny day for Jackie’s birthday. Happy birthday, Jackie – a fellow Gemini! 🙂

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  7. A happy birthday to Jackie —
    This is a wonderful study in humanity — it’s good to see the people acting somewhat normally after the lockdown!

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  10. Happy Birthday, Jackie! It looks like life is returning to normal in your part of the world. Lots of people are out on the street and very few are wearing masks. Our day is coming soon this month.

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  12. Happy Birthday, Jackie!
    What a beautiful day! I’m so glad you were birth-ed! 🙂 You add beauty, joy, kindness, goodness, ETC., to the world! And your bright brilliant smile always makes me smile! 🙂
    Birthday-HUGS!!!
    ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? <3
    PS…I will do something today to celebrate YOU! 🙂

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  17. Happy birthday, Jackie, and well done, Derrick. It’s nice pulling together surprises and not easy to do when you live with the person. It sounds like a lovely day.

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    1. Thanks you so much from us both, Alys. Becky and Ian were getting out of their car when we arrived in the car park. They had to crouch down behind it to hide until we had moved on 🙂

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  18. I haven’t seen a Noddy car before.
    Someone should tell that mother that walking across the road while looking at phone is not a good example to her son.
    Love the hat and jacket.
    I love people watching. So many good ideas for a story. 😉 IS that Indian food at Lal Quilla?

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    1. It is Indian food – from Bangladesh. I also noticed the boy having to look carefully at the steep kerb. I was so pleased to have got the hat and jacket in focus with such a snap shot

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  21. Happy Birthday to Jackie! Here is wishing many happy returns of the flaming, special days to her. The streets are chock full of people enjoying life and you have had a field day doing street photography.

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  22. After clicking through all of your colourful Lymington street photos, my button click finger definitely hovered on the ice-cream photos the longest Derrick .. … and Happy Birthday to Jackie .. ?

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  23. I loved the ice-cream eaters and the guitar playing, but best of all was knowing that you and Jackie were able to get out with friends for a proper celebration of her birthday. Best wishes for good health and much more fun in the coming year!

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    1. Thank you very much, Linda. We are regulars at Lal Quilla, but haven’t been able to go there for months. The staff all wear masks, so we sometimes didn’t recognise them.

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  24. This is a busy week birthday-wise.. I have four here and two friends elsewhere who have birthdays this week. I ordered three birthday cakes to pick up tomorrow and have a fourth birthday dinner for my friend at my house on Sunday. Hope Jackie had a happy one.

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    1. Thanks a lot, Judy. Face masks are not compulsory in the open. Many of those in the pictures are carrying masks for when they enter shops. We are, however meant to keep social distance which, as you can see, is quite impossible. I wore a mask throughout my walk, except for a few minutes sitting on a bench. A woman without a mask stood over me and asked me to explain the parking system. I’ve had two jabs, but still follow precautions.

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  26. What a beautiful day for a birthday – my good wishes to Jackie for a splendid year ahead. I loved some of your captions!

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  27. Happy birthday to Jackie! ???
    Glad to see people are enjoying a normal day ? I see very little face masks, not required anymore?
    Stay always safe!

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    1. Thanks very much from us both, Ribana. Face masks are not compulsory in the open. Many of those in the pictures are carrying masks for when they enter shops. We are, however meant to keep social distance which, as you can see, is quite impossible. I wore a mask throughout my walk, except for a few minutes sitting on a bench. A woman without a mask stood over me and asked me to explain the parking system. I’ve had two jabs, but still follow precautions.

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  35. Happy Birthday, Jackie! It sounds like a delightful day.
    It looks like everything is pretty much back to normal in your part of the world.

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  37. Happy birthday to Jackie, and many more in good health and happiness!
    Lovely photos of thriving street life, including a street musician; what a pleasant place to visit, Derrick.

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  38. Belated birthday wishes to Jackie.
    I love your street photos. I’ve been gathering some of those too.
    I was going to ask about Aaron, I had noticed his absence. I’m delighted he is back.

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  39. Belated birthday wishes Jackie
    Interesting local shopping shots – are masks mandatory or just some preferring to wear them – like your Union Jack mask, plenty of interesting ones here
    Garden refuse removal, all the better to see your flowers
    The weather looked nice and warm, must be summer

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    1. Thanks very much, Catherine. We went from winter to summer almost overnight. Masks are mandatory in shops but not outside, however, because social distancing is not possible on a crowded high street it made sense to wear them. Thanks a lot from us both.

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