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Exercising Her Priority


Soon after lunch today we set out on a forest drive.

A pair of ponies with their foals occupied corner of the bank of Beaulieu River. One rose to its feet and trotted off for a feed.

On our way into Brockenhurst several cattle stretched above a fence to crop garden shrubs; while a photographer examined her mobile phone to investigate the pictures she had produced of two ponies at the crossroads by the bank.

More ponies with their offspring wandered over the moorland at South Weirs. The last of my pictures in this set is of the prone foal lifting its head when startled by the sudden cough of a passing cyclist; Jackie’s are the last five images including the suckling foal and the last image of the pony exercising her right to priority over oncoming vehicles.

When driving home through Lyndhurst Jackie parked the car and photographed donkeys attracting attention on the opposite pavement.

A cow guided her calf across the road outside The Rising Sun, while

around the corner in Tiptoe Road, another mare and foal grazed on the verges.

This evening we dined on roast breast of lamb; boiled new potatoes; firm carrots; and tender green beans with which I finished the Cahors.

A Rapid Price Increase

A few days ago Becky had spotted a brand new unworn jacket in the Oakhaven Hospice window. She decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up, but wasn’t sure whether it would fit her husband or her father.

We both tried it on. On my birthday yesterday I discovered that I was the lucky one, for it was parcelled up as one of my presents.

It had, however rapidly increased in price.

Since this was another day of incessant rain I spent the afternoon reading a book I should be able to feature tomorrow.

This evening we finished our Royal Takeaway meal from yesterday, with which I drank more of the Cahors.

Peering Animals

I opened a few collected presents for my 82nd birthday this morning, one of which was a bottle of Calvet Cahors Malbec 2021 from Helen and Bill which I opened to accompany the Royal Indian takeaway meal which Jackie collected for our dinner this evening.

This afternoon Shelley and Ron visited bearing more welcome gifts, after which Jackie and I took a forest drive.

The Portmore goats peered at us through their wooden fence;

I photographed the landscape through metal railings at East Boldre

where storm clouds gathered over the fields.

Canada geese and goslings with a few mallards occupied Hatchet Pond.

Back at East Boldre posts and wire along the verges fenced off the woodland beside

field horses peering through their protective fly masks.

The gates to their pasturage threw shadows across the roadside.

At Stockley Enclosure

For what it is worth we voted in the General Election at Milford on Sea Polling Station, although it rather seems as if our crosses won’t make any significant difference to the expected outcome. Nevertheless we decided to do our duty, after which we took a forest drive.

Attracted by a string of ponies on the moorland, we stopped off at

Stockley Enclosure near Brockenhurst, where a sawn trunk spoke to a nearby post alongside a barrier used by one pony as a scratching aid before stepping over to join the others. Behind the derelict trunk blackberry brambles soared aloft.

The verdant verges led to sunlit woodland along Brockenhurst Road.

Roadworks at the crossroads on Southampton Road leading into Lymington held us up enough for me to focus on

a plentiful cascade of hypericum draping a garden fence.

This evening, in order to continue watching the men’s Wimbledon tennis match between Jack Draper and Cameron Norrie, we enjoyed, in bowls on our knees in front of the TV, second helpings of last night’s sausages in red wine meal, with which I drank another glass of the Malbec.

Where’s The Wagtail?

On this morning’s forest drive I was happy to disembark for photography, and, incidentally, to feel how much cooler the weather was than the average for the time of year.

Field horses, like this one along St Leonard’s Road, are now being equipped with fly protection masks for ears and eyes.

Beyond the flourishing hedgerows the grasses are now becoming parched because of the recent lack of rain.

The pair of frisky foals we have now watched developing since their first weeks have grown a good deal. They gambolled among their herd along Furzey Lane.

Another group had collected their usual avian acolyte. Can you spot the wagtail in either of these two images?

Late this afternoon Elizabeth visited and we had an enjoyable discussion. She did not stay for dinner when the rest of us all dined on the plentiful leftovers from last night’s King’s House takeaway meal, with which I finished the Fleurie.

I Didn’t Leave The Car

On a grey overcast morning, after Jackie shopped at Nisa Local in Stopples Lane, we took a forest drive on which I remained in the car while producing pictures of the journey. This was the first time I had left the house since my operation on 25th.

Nisa is fundamentally a refurbished subsidiary of the previous Coop shop. It is no longer a cooperative but happy to sell produce of the Coop. I’m sure there is some logical process to this.

Apart from having removed the useful hole in the wall cash machine, and changing the frontage, the outlet looks pretty similar to me, although as I said I remained in the vehicle while a gentleman leant on the railings while he enjoyed a phone conversation.

A determined cyclist made his way up the steeply undulating Holmsley Passage.

Further down we passed a large rambling wild rose and a damp moorland landscape bearing cotton grass.

From my passenger seat I enjoyed the sight of splendid magnolia blooms in someone’s garden; wild woodbine, rowan berries, and bramble blossom; and a five barred gate to an upland field.

Ponies, foals, and cattle had begun to gather sheltering along Forest Road, causing chaos by hindering the traffic.

The powerfully heady scent of privet rising above the hedgerow along Beckley Common Road permeated the air around and within our car.

This evening we all dined on King’s House Chinese takeaway fare, the portions providing second helpings for tomorrow.

Health Status

What happened at Southampton General Hospital on Tuesday 25th was rather more than a biopsy, because a bladder cancer tumour was removed. The process was very smooth and didn’t last more than an hour. Care and attention during several hours recovery time involved a nurse beside my side full time monitoring progress. I was in fact kept in for two nights which was most apposite because a very painful blood clot developed and was dealt with immediately by attendant urologists. For the next two days care was irreproachable, given by teams of knowledgable professionals from all over the world. This made me realise that the NHS really could not function without its immigrants. Apart from the occasional difficulties with accents communication with me and with each other was very clear and patient.

It was, of course, very difficult to sleep in such a noisy environment when we were constantly woken for checks – but that is life in hospital.

The next stage is to be a discussion of the team with the pathologist to establish how far and how deep the tumour had extended and what else, if anything needs to be done. I will be given another appointment in 3-4 weeks.

Ian joined us this afternoon when we all continued a mixture of each doing our own things and enjoying convivial conversation.

This evening we all dined on Jackie’s wholesome cottage pie; very tasty Brussels sprouts; crunchy carrots; firm broccoli and cauliflower.

Clocking In

I am home after a successful hospital procedure, still a bit dopy for posting. More details to follow when up to it.

Shove Off

This afternoon we visited Ober Water at Puttles Bridge.

I employed the walking stick that Elizabeth gave me a few years ago, otherwise I would now have found too many trip hazards from the

exposed tree roots from which the soil has been washed into the river over many years.

Along Rhinefield Road we encountered many ponies with foals.

The first picture in this gallery shows a parent on the right taking objection to foal canoodling with hers and buffeting it to encourage it to shove off, which it did, seeking the security of its mother who led her offspring to the safer side of the road.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s spicy chicken jalfrezi; mushroom rice; vegetable samosas and parathas.

Gorley Hill

This afternoon we drove to the north of the forest.

Anna Lane is just one of the lanes we negotiate on our trips, so narrow that traffic spans the centre leaving it free of wheels and therefore grass-covered soil untouched in the middle. When you meet an oncoming vehicle one has to end up on the verge.

From the road up to Gorley Common we looked down on

deer which today didn’t sniff a scent of us;

can you spot this baby hiding behind its mother?

The Common, with its distant view is all that remains of

“Gorley Hill … the site of a former Iron Age promontory hillfort located in Hampshire in the United Kingdom.

The fort once occupied the southwestern corner of Gorley Common on Gorley Hill, a gravel-capped spur that points southwest into the Avon valley next to the hamlet of North Gorley, between the towns of Fordingbridge and Ringwood. The earthworks were destroyed in the 1950s and ’60s when the common’s new owners carried out large-scale gravel extraction works, effectively “scalping” the hill. The tall linear earthen banks present on the hill are a relic of the quarrying process and not prehistoric in origin.[1]The site is now grass, with some gorse and silver birch. The area is now owned and managed by Hampshire County Council.

Heywood Sumner carried out some excavation at the site which was published in his 1917 book Ancient Earthworks of the New Forest.[2]“

This evening we dined on Jackie’s authentic chicken jalfrezi and mushroom rice, with which I finished the Alentejano.