derrickjknight

An Exceptional Year For Magpies

Knowing that we were in for a cool day of continuing rain we took an early forest trip before the showers had begun, therefore before a planned visit to the new Antiques Emporium behind Redcliffe Garden Centre.

Outside Brockenhurst we stopped to watch ponies and foals.

We are accustomed to seeing crows pecking about among the pony droppings, but magpies foraging there is unusual;

one foal, young enough to bear the vestiges of the umbilical cord wondered what the black and white bird was doing perched upon it. Accompanying adults ignored it. It has been an exceptional year for these birds – we even have one nesting in or near to our garden which could be one reason why we have fewer small birds this year. In our Newark Lindum House magpies would come one year and there would be no small birds. The next year the predators would be gone and eggs had a chance to hatch.

Our timing was good. Drizzle began as we turned towards Redcliffe Garden Centre and had begun beating a tattoo on the roof.

It is a fairly long trek through the Garden Centre,

beyond Warman’s Architectural Antiques Area,

to the Emporium, which looks like a resurgence of

(Dammit, I published too early so I am continuing with this addition)

the now defunct Molly’s Den, featured in https://derrickjknight.com/2014/08/22/her-very-own-seaside/

Jackie can be seen studying the contents of some of these antiques cubicles.

On my way round I met a man walking with a stick. Having by now found the unaided walk a real struggle I mentioned that I was regretting having left mine in the car. He said he had done the same thing and bought one here. I decided that it was better to put up with the pain of perambulation than paying for a prop I wouldn’t use again.

This evening we will dine on a roast lamb meal which is already tickling my nostrils.

I Remained In The Car

This morning first Max then Nick of Peacock Computers took remote access to my computer to resolve some issues with the landline phone.

Later on this cooler and greyer afternoon we drove to Milford Pharmacy for repeat prescriptions then to New Milton for a repair to Jackie’s specs at Boots.

A hold-up in traffic caused by the centre traffic lights returning to red

enabled me to focus on Station Road shops and shoppers.

Like us, a motor cyclist waited for his turn to travel on.

Around the corner a cyclist in Ashley Common Road risked entangling her dress.

Regular readers who recognise how narrow, winding, and potholed is Holmsley Passage will understand how difficult it was to negotiate a family car surrounded by children and mother while father knelt changing a punctured tyre. It seemed unkind to photograph the very tempting scene, but one little boy on one side was called to the other in order for Jackie to risk the car’s undercarriage while spanning a deep dip between nibbled tarmac and undergrowth.

I settled for a shot of the bracken and heather moorland.

The paucity of ponies noticed on our trip suggested that they may know something we don’t. It was certainly rather gloomy when we

met these ponies on the verge just outside Burley. One creature seemed to be sheltering behind a car, while the other two had no need for the head to tail protection from flies.

It will possibly be apparent that in the interests of taking it easy I remained in the car throughout.

This evening we dined on Ferndene Farm Shop pork and chives sausages; flavoursome Portobello mushrooms; creamy mashed potatoes; firm carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli; tender spring greens, and meaty gravy.

Garden News

Although still a little unsteady I have largely recovered from yesterday’s swimming head. I was therefore able to help Jackie load more refuse bags into the car and transport them to the Efford Recycling Centre.

I then attended to administration on which I hadn’t been able to concentrate the day before.

After lunch I wandered around the garden which had freshened up after much overnight rain. I have photographed flowers in situ, some still bejewelled by raindrops and two with bees.

The gallery images bear the titles of the main flowers in each picture.

By dinner time I was fully recovered. Our meal consisted of fat-free Ferndene pork and chive sausages; creamy mashed potatoes; carrots, cauliflower, and cabbage all well cooked, with meaty gravy.

Swimming

My head has been swimming all day. Now just a headache. I hope to sleep it off.

Fly Whisk Technique

I spent the morning completing my reading of The Nibelunglied.

On a warm, sunny, afternoon we took a forest drive on which ponies were out in force.

On the road outside Brockenhurst I disembarked to visit ponies on the verge.

One indulged in a scratch, while another pair, taking advantage of the

shade of trees practiced the fly whisk head to tail technique.

When I stood a bit close for their comfort, they crossed to the other side of the road, testing the patience of drivers, but not cyclists who can skirt round them.

This year’s foals are growing into their gangly legs.

On the way into Burley another cyclist rounded ponies on the road.

On our return home I published

The Nibelungenlied

This evening we dined on second helpings of Jackie’s cottage pie, fresh carrots, cauliflower, broccoli stems, and green beans with which I drank more of the Malbec.

The Nibelungenlied

This is Part One of Book Two of The Legends of The Ring. This section of the volume deals with The Ring Legends of Germany – the work of an Austrian poet composed around 1200-1204 and thus the earliest in this collection of Ring legend literature. Collected and published from 1755 onwards, the work, translated in prose by A.T. Hatto transposes the Icelandic sagas to mediaeval court life setting telling a tale of conspiracy, murder, and heroic ruin. Thus we learn about feudal kingship, honourable jousting and chivalrous knighthood peopled with a parade of splendour, female beauty, and magnificent fighting men. “And now far and wide and in great number the good knights began a most noble sport: you could see many there whose youthful hearts fired them with great zest, all fine, gallant knights beneath their shields! Magnificent women and bevies of lovely girls adorned in all their finery sat in the windows watching the pastime of all those fearless men, till the king and his friends took the field.”

The powerful prose narrative lacks the beauty of the Icelandic poetry of Book one, although it presents the tale in considerably more detail. It is subject to repetition and frequent pointers to disasters to come. On the same page we have “And indeed, in days to come, Hagen gashed many a shield and helmet.” and “But King Etzel’s queen parted many such pairs in sorrow, in days to come.” Later we are told that “yet the time would come when they grew so hostile towards him that they had no recourse but to slay him”.

As the final inevitable slaughter nears we have a true reflection of one of the harsh realities of war: ‘Alas for my brother who has just been killed here! What harrowing news reaches me incessantly. I shall always mourn for the noble Rüdiger, too – this vast loss and pain affect both sides.’ An early plea for forgiveness and reconciliation.

These illustrations by Simon Brett are relevant to this section of the work.

Drinks On Patio

After a momentous yesterday this was one for resting. I spent much of it almost finishing The Nibelungenlied, which I will review tomorrow.

This evening the weather was so temperate that for the first time this year we enjoyed our evening drinks on the patio.

Jackie produced this first gallery;

I produced this one.

We then dined on Jackie’s wholesome cottage pie with firm carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, with which I finished my Uco Valley Malbec 2023.

BCG

We spent another very hot morning in cooling air conditioning – in the car to and from Southampton Hospital, and in the hospital for my post procedure follow up. We normally need to allow two hours for the hospital trip – today it took an unheard of 46 minutes. This meant we were very early and our wait was two hours.

The news was good. The tumour has not gone away completely but neither has it gone anywhere else. It is serious and needs to be removed. What has proved successful is the BCG vaccine which eradicated TB in this country years ago. This is intended to reduce the chance of the cancer returning and progressing. Taking that option I will receive weekly installations for 6 weeks followed by shorter maintenance treatments at 3-6 monthly intervals for up to three years. I will need another cystoscopy first. These will all necessitate insertion by plastic tube following the same route as before which won’t be pleasant; there will also be some irritation of the bladder which will most likely increase micturition urgency.

We celebrated this evening by dining at Rokali’s where the welcome, efficiency of service, and exemplary cooking, were as always. My main meal was duck jalfrezi; Jackie chose paneer shashlik; we shared sag rice and plain paratha. Even the paratha is fried in ghee. I drank Kingfisher and Jackie drank diet cola.

Rusty Water

On another energy-sapping hot and humid day with a threat of thunderstorms that did not arrive it was not until mid-afternoon that, if only to benefit from the Hyundai’s air conditioning, we ventured out on a short forest drive.

Before then I had read more of The Nibelungenlied.

Vita Heathcote, born in Lymington, is a 22 year old athlete representing Great Britain, partnering 39 year old Chris Grube, starting on Saturday 3rd August at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the 470 Mixed Dinghy class.

Our anonymous yarn postbox decorator wishes her well on Pilley Street.

Pilley’s lake has reacted to our recent intense weather by turning such shallow water that currently remains a swirling rusty red.

For the scientifically minded https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/red-alga has a detailed analysis of the red algae that cause this phenomenon.

Almost the only ponies emerging from the shelter of the forest trees we saw today were those

vying for position at the East End crossroads bus shelter. Note the salt stains on the flanks of the solitary animal.

This evening, from tables in front of the TV we dined on breaded chicken, chips, peas, and baked beans while watching the Olympic Women’s all round Gymnastic finals, then Andy Murray and Dan Evans’s quarter final tennis doubles match against Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz.

88 Degrees Fahrenheit

We began the day leaving Martin in the garden while we shopped at Tesco for general stores.

It was probably hotter than this title today, and, apart from spending the day staggering up and down the garden plying him with drinks I reflected that in my not so distant youth I would have done as Martin did and worked all day. Now I was completely washed out.

This led me to search my archives for a reference to the Bolton marathon. Inserting the temperature in this title I came up with https://derrickjknight.com/2012/08/11/a-welsh-interlude/. The said race is only part of a post inspired by a hot day in France.

The Bolton course is described, the hottest one of my three events at it being the one mentioned in addition to my diversion in honour of my grandmother. On the train down from London I had met a young man of 18 proudly claiming to run a fast race. I warned him, especially in the heat, to take it steady. He wouldn’t listen. I passed him at the 5 mile point. He was walking and wringing wet. I doubt that he finished the course.

Today I have no choice. It wasn’t until 5.30 p.m. that I could face going outside to admire Martin’s work,

some of which was further clearance of the Rose Garden paths. It was no cooler in the evening.

In the meantime I began reading “The Nibelungenlied”, Part One of Book Two of Legends of the Ring.

This evening we dined on pork chops in mustard sauce scattered with almonds; pigs in blankets frozen since Christmas; boiled new potatoes; firm carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli; and meaty gravy, with which I finished the Tempranillo.