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Feeling considerably brighter today, I began by tackling two weeks administration. This involved settling bills, correspondence, and collecting a delivery that required a signature.
Jackie drove us to Lymington to retrieve the package from the sorting office. Almost across the other side of the High Street is situated Peacock Computer Systems where we took my HP laptop for a diagnosis. The charger has been plugged in but the device doesn’t charge up. The diagnosis is that it needs a battery transplant and is on the waiting list for a replacement.
After this we travelled back to Old Milton where we purchased a new dehumidifier to replace the old one which was crying in pain. It seemed sensible to detach it from its power source and buy an new one. We found one in The Home Appliance Centre, took it home, and went on a drive round the forest, where,
the sun-streaked tarmac came hurtling towards us as Jackie drove between the trees.
There are many streams in the forest. The one that demanded my attention today was at Furze Hill near Fordingbridge.
The dappled sunlight increased its beauty;
the clear blue sky rippled in the breeze-stirred shallows;
the browns of pebbles and bed of the stream discoloured the impression of the clear water above them,
blending with reflections of sky and greenery to produce pleasing abstract paintings.
We have had such a dry year that the water was quite shallow,
yet the scene was quite magical.
Sometimes serendipity plays a part in a blog post. So it was today. I had not realised the significance of this one of all the streams in the forest, until, further along the road, we came across this sign: 
Naturally I had to investigate. A barking dog alerted the people who lived behind the poster to my presence. There ensued a conversation about a five year battle by http://friendsoflatchmore.org to prevent the filling in of a large stretch of land above Latchmore Brook. Apparently this will change the course of the water and cover an important archeological site. Otters which frequent the local stream will, it is believed, be driven away by pollution.
The views of these who wish to carry out the infill may be found at http://www.hlsnewforest.org.uk/info/100/latchmore
We drove on to Latchmore and eventually lunched at the Hyde-Out cafe at Hyde, before a gentle trundle home. Many people were eating outside. At one point, a little boy aged about six made an impressive entrance and demanded: “Where’s the cake?”.
Before dinner, despite the paucity of clouds, we drove down to Barton on Sea to admire the pastel shades of the skyline at sunset.
The moon and walkers aided this composition.
We then dined on fish fingers, chips, and baked beans, followed by ice cream. Good nursery convalescence food.
