A Tale Of Two Houses

This morning’s chiropractic session with Eloise was pleasurably smooth, my next session again being in five day’s time.

We celebrated by lunching at Otter Nurseries https://www.ottergardencentres.com/our-centres/lymington/

This is a very popular local outlet and source of perfect plants and a good variety of gifts.

For lunch I enjoyed a steak and ale pie meal, while

Jackie was very pleased with her macaroni cheese.

The jug of thick meaty gravy glimpsed at the back of the first pie picture provided a welcome sauce, as this excellent quality meal, new to their menu, suffered somewhat from having been cooked earlier and rather dried when reheated. The chips, however, were perfectly fresh, and this might be considered a quibbling complaint in the circumstances, especially at a total cost for the two meals of £24.90.

There were no complaints from Jackie about her tasty macaroni cheese with garlic bread, fresh coleslaw and plentiful salad.

The service is well organised, friendly and efficient, with a long queue of customers enabled to wait at their chosen tables where they are brought their meals as soon as they are ready.

We would certainly visit again and perhaps select our courses with a mind to my points made above.

Afterwards, on this dry, overcast, and consequently rather warmer, day, we took a short forest drive, during which I focussed on two buildings in Pilley.

The first was the former village shop and post house which has been refurbished as a rather good looking dwelling house, appreciated by the pigeon on the roof.

The next is the apparently derelict relic which seems somehow holding itself up in order for an elderly gentleman to sell eggs from the plastic chair peeping round the corner. Could he be resident, we always wonder?

Afterwards I dozed through Lucy Worsley’s Romanov series, waking up to the Revolution.

Later, we all dined on Becky’s tuna pasta (the others) or sardines pickled in chilli (me) with plentiful fresh salad and a few prawns from yesterday. I drank more of the Shiraz and Jackie drank more of the Spanish rosado.

84 comments

    1. We do think that an elderly man does live on the site – round the back. Thanks very much, GP

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  5. I’m glad that you are getting out and about again, Derrick! The food looks so delicious, I wish I could stop by for a meal. Be well!

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  6. Ahhh, a good chiropractor visit helps so much. I felt my own back twitch in delight. What delish meals! And then photos of your environment. So different from an urban environment, and so much more lovely. What? You don’t like tuna pasta???

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    1. Not that I didn’t like the pasta – more that Becky knew I would like sardines in chilli. Thanks very much, Pam

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  7. I can’t think of any place around here where you can buy plants and also have a lovely meal.
    Quite a contrast in the houses!
    I’m glad you’re feeling well enough to be out and about now, Derrick.

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  9. YAY for getting out and about! Your meals look yummy (in photo). Jackie’s salad looks especially inviting! That pigeon on the roof seems to be welcoming you!
    Amazing photos! Quite the difference in the houses/buildings. The derelict relic has such character and textures…oh, if walls could talk!!!
    Your one sentence description of your nap made me grin. 🙂
    (((HUGS))) to all! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
    PS…your latter meal made me think of a fave quote from one of my fave poets/writers:
    “Bullfighting can be an art. Boxing can be an art. Loving can be an art. Opening a can of sardines can be an art.” – Charles Bukowski 🙂

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  10. Do I detect from other comments that you’ve not been well, Derrick? I hope all is tickety boo now? As for the customary excellently illustrated and spun yarn (as it were), I merely observe that it is unwise to wake up to a revolution, if it can possibly be avoided.

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    1. Thanks very much, Mike 🙂 Yes, I have always had neck and shoulder pain from a rugby injury of more than 60 years ago. Recently it has sent me to a chiropractor who is doing a good job. Then I got a lingering cold virus which made the neck excruciating. Getting better.

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  17. Congratulations on a pleasurably smooth chiropractic session! Those old buildings have character. I’m glad this one is still useful.

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  18. The food would toll heavily upon a common Indian’s wallet. The two houses are interesting, especially the fallen one. I wonder about the egg seller.

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  20. I’m so glad the session with Eloise went well. And I’m pleased you felt well enough to have a photo session.
    What a substantial lunch. Thank you for being so descriptive. 🙂

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  26. It’s good to know you are feeling better, Derrick, and the food looks delicious. Derelict houses are fascinating and I am curious about their history.

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  28. Happy to hear the treatments are going well.
    Those are some huge portions!
    I love taking pictures of dilapidated barns/houses like that. So many things to focus on.

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  33. Looks like you had an interesting and varied outing, Derrick. I think I would order Jackie’s mac and cheese – especially because it came with cole slaw and salad! As for the falling down shed – if it still works, then use it!

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  34. So glad you are feeling better! That lunch was definitely a good deal. I do wonder about the man in the rundown house. His chickens, his eggs, and his need to make some money.

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  35. Yes, unfortunately re-heating food may cause such issues which may be acceptable at home but less welcomed in a restaurant, luckily the sauce helped 🙂 Interesting houses 🙂

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