This morning Jackie and I transported three blag bags of plastic plant pots to the Otter Nurseries recycling point, after which we continued on a forest drive.
Daffodils like these on a bank outside a fence on Church Lane are piercing the soil,
while pendulously arched snowdrops ascend another bank outside a garden at Pilley, alongside which
string of determined Shetland ponies make their way to their favourite foraging spot. We had not seen these four here before, which is why, when we reached Bull Hill, Jackie observed that they were a breakaway group from
the more usual occupants of the moorlands at the top.
This afternoon I watched the Six Nations rugby matches between France and Ireland, and between Scotland and Wales.
For dinner this evening Jackie provided moist cheese centred fish cakes; creamy mashed potatoes; a tasty melange of tomatoes, leeks, onions, and garlic; firm broccoli, carrots, and peas; with a piquant cheese sauce. The Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden, and I drank more of the Frappato-Syrah.
Anyone who wishes to see these or any in between will notice that the first has a header picture and the second does not.
For the first half dozen I was happy to find a suitable header and apply it. Even on these I kept coming across blocks of very faint pictures labelled “Unexpected content – attempt to recover block”. This was straightforward enough but needed to be attempted a block at a time.
There must be an answer to this, but I will need to seek one from James Peacock.
This evening we dined on flavoursome barbecue pork spare ribs, boiled new potatoes, tender green beans and peppers, with which Jackie drank Diet Coke and I drank
Passamano Frappato-Syrah 2021 which has a paper label.
John Barleycorn, fictional humorous personification of alcohol, first appearing about 1620. John Barleycorn was a figure in British and American folklore. British sources often refer to the character as Sir John Barleycorn, as in a 17th-century pamphlet, The Arraigning and Indicting of Sir John Barleycorn, Knight, and in a ballad found in The English Dancing Master (1651). The Scottish poet Robert Burns reworked folk material for his poem “John Barleycorn” (1787). (https://www.britannica.com/topic/John-Barleycorn)
“SINCE taking over a Cadnam pub, new landlord Hue Hars has made a host of changes – including the introduction of a fusion menu combining British classics and Indian favourites.”
“Hue (32) became licensee of the Sir John Barleycorn in Southampton Road in May [2022], and as well as jazzing up the menu he has given the pub a revamp and introduced live music nights.”
“I want the pub to be at the centre of the community and essentially a really fun place to be,” he said. “I want everyone to feel welcome here.”
“An Indian fusion menu is not what customers would necessarily expect in a 12th century tavern in the New Forest, but it’s gone down a real treat.”
“Before moving to Cadnam, Hue ran various restaurants in Southampton, including The Oxford Brasserie and Carnicero Steakhouse.”
“I’m originally from India, so to be cooking authentic dishes from my home country is really exciting.”
“As well as Barleycorn classics like beer-battered fish and chips, seafood linguine and honey and wholegrain mustard-glazed Hampshire ham, the menu features a host of Indian cuisine with a great vegetarian offering including curries made with chickpeas, okra and paneer.”
“Meat and fish options include Rajasthani lal mass, Malai king prawns, chicken makhani and lamb shank.” (https://www.advertiserandtimes.co.uk/lifestyle/new-forest-pub-revamp-sees-major-menu-change-9273809/)
This is where Jackie and I met Elizabeth and Danni for last night’s birthday meal with my sister.
From Chef Ram’s Specials Danni and I chose main meals of Railway on-the-Bone Lamb Curry; Elizabeth picked Lamb Shank; Jackie chose Palak Paneer. We shared Mixed Poppadoms, Mixed Veg Pakoras; Peshwari Naans, and Pilau Rice. Although the Barleycorn Pub Classics (English) were equally appetising, we had, of course, come for the Indian Chef’s cooking. We were not disappointed. This was cooking that would have graced any of our favourite Indian restaurants – utterly delicious. I drank London Pride Bitter; I haven’t registered what the ladies drank.
This afternoon, under SueW’s guidance, I recovered pictures to the following posts:
On another frosty-blue-sky morning lacking cloud cover to lift the temperature, Jackie and I made a trip to Otter Nurseries to buy her
customary annual pot of primroses to grace the kitchen table until it is warm enough to let them loose in the garden; then continued into the forest for a short drive.
Just outside Sway we noticed what seemed like a frisky altercation between two of a
group of ponies on a stretch of moorland cleared of gorse.
On second thoughts they might have been spooked by flying debris
churned out by the tractor engaged in clearing an abundant growth.
We are accustomed to seeing the effects of controlled burning on the gorse, but this is the first time we have seen a tractor used in the process.
By the time Martin’s half-day’s work was done he had most of the sleepers in place and left the area as tidy as always.
This afternoon, following the advice of SueW, I recovered pictures for the following posts:
This evening we dined at The Sir John Barleycorn pub in Cadnam. The venue warrants much more than my customary coda, and it is now too late for concentration, so I will feature the event tomorrow.
When I wandered around the garden early this chilly morning I watched the overnight frost dripping from the touch of the sun making its slow climb into the branches above and listened to the rhythmic patter as it beat a tattoo on the leaves below.
Sugar-frost remained in the unshaded beds and bejewelled foliage reached by the rising sun.
Camellias and irises reticulata are beginning to bloom.
Although she does not yet have balanced coordination to stand without support Ellie has the strength to do so with it, as she attempts to turn her multiple choice toy into a teething ring while running her tongue over her first burgeoning gnasher. Her mother stands poised in case of slippage.
Beginning early this morning,
and with the aid of his saw horse,
Martin spent much of the day fixing sleepers around the perimeter of the new patio paving. Each piece is measured meticulously and levelled with the aid of a spirit level.
After lunch I completed the recovery, made possible by the help of SueW, of the pictures to the following posts:
This evening we all dined on toothsome roast beef; crisp Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes; firm Brussels sprouts; crunchy carrots; tender runner beans, and tasty gravy, with which Jackie drank more of the Grüner Veltliner, I drank more of the Syrah, and Flo and Dillon drank fruit juice cordial. Ellie chewed at and sucked on a piece of carrot and screwed up her face in lachrymal complaint when this was removed.
After lunch today Jackie drove us all to Hockey’s Farm Shop where we left the young family to explore while we took a short drive in the near vicinity.
A veritable herd of donkeys in the road outside the shop were engaged in their favourite leisurely game of disruption of the traffic. One attempted to join me in the passenger seat when I returned to the car. The greens at Ibsley, although the waters had receded somewhat, continued to offer
waterlogged reflections of trees above,
and a paddling pool for ponies,
one of whom was in sight of cousins casting shadows on the other side of the road.
Two gentlemen sat atop Rockford Sandpit;
their voices reached me at the bottom, whence I photographed the scene
and its surrounding woodland.
From Ellingham Drove, where we spotted one of our many sightings of roe deer in the shade, we drove to the main road where we filled up with petrol and returned to Hockey’s to collect the others.
Later, following the advice of SueW, I recovered the pictures from the following posts:
This evening we all dined on more of Jackie’s tasty pasta Bolognese, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank Valle Central Reserva Privada Syrah, 2021.
This evening we all dined on Jackie’s pasta Bolognese with piquant cauliflower cheese on the side. She drank more of the Grüner Veltliner and I finished the Shiraz.
This evening we all dined on Jackie’s chicken stewp, supplemented by turkey, duck, and ham, with which she drank more of the Grüner Veltliner and Drank more of the Shiraz.
The sixth tale in the first Decade of Honoré de Balzac’s scurrilous set is, in The Folio Society’s edition illustrated by
Mervyn Peake, entitled The Constable of France’s Wife.
In the author’s witty, humorous, robust prose packed with wordplay and innuendo, we have a story of seduction, deceit, and mistaken identity, which somewhat backfires on the perpetrators.
The High Constable’s Wife is the title translation given by the publishers of Gustave Doré’s earlier pictures;
