Tag: clocks

Quirky Cruets

Late this cooler but drier morning Jackie drove me to another pleasurable and progressive Chiropractic session with Eloise,

after which we brunched at The Quench in Station Road, New Milton.

Both sides of the internal picture have been cropped to respect privacy. Every customer was well behaved.

Here are normal daily menus and the very reasonably priced Festive Lunch one.

Various delicious looking cakes are displayed for purchase.

One shelf contains sandwiches ready to be turned to toasties.

Walls are decorated with such as framed railway posters from an earlier age; the establishment’s Covid Pandemic Business Hero Award; and an array of clocks set to display times from various locations throughout the world.

Ingredients for meals are sourced locally: the eggs are Fluffets, from a nearby couple who also supply Hockey’s Farm Shop – as can be seen the chef knows just how to fry them; the sausages, and quite likely the bacon, are from Danestream Farm Shop. Needless to say it was Jackie who enjoyed the fried eggs on granary, and I who tucked into the Naked Breakfast.

You may have noticed the two camel cruets at the corners of the laminated menu card. When Jackie asked if we could buy them the very friendly and informative owner said that they were not for sale, but could be exchanged for any equally quirky that customers would like to offer. These are a few examples of similar sets.

Because Jackie’s little camera makes a much better job of these interior close-ups than does mine she has produced all today’s pictures. Some might suggest that it is the photographer, not her tools.

This evening we all dined on Jackie’s pasta arrabbiata sprinkled with Parmesan cheese with which she drank Peroni, and I finished the Sicilian red wine.

Dials

ClockI drafted this post against the unfamiliar rhythmic, sonorous, ticking of a proper, analogue, wall clock that was more or less silenced by the various moves after leaving Sutherland Place in 2009. Martin Fairhurst of Dials Antique Clocks has done a grand job of restoring the timepiece to the condition it enjoyed when Michael bought it for Jessica and me about 35 years ago. Not new then, Mr Fairhurst tells me that the movement is American. I suspect that, should anyone other than Scooby, who is now rather hard of hearing, attempt to sleep in our sitting room, they may benefit from a set of ear plugs. You never know, it might help me to keep awake for an entire TV programme.

As I have shown previously, Dials lies at the foot of the exquisitely cobbled Quay Street in Lymington. Jackie drove me there this afternoon, but, it being Saturday, and market day, the car parks were full, so she had to park some distance away,

Lymington QuayThe QuayQuay Street 1

and I walked round The Quay and up the cobbled slope to the shop, which lies

Karina's

diagonally opposite Karina’s colourful miniature emporium.

The day was overcast and there had been some rain, but not on my promenade.

Clocks 2

Apart from the modern grandfather clock to the left of this browser,

Clocks 1Clocks 3

Dials is a treasure trove of attractive antiques,

Telescope and clocksTelescope, clocks, and visitors

including a centrally placed telescope.

Clock keys

No self respecting horologist would be without a box of intriguing keys.

Pub food in this country is streets ahead of that of my youth, which was either non existent or not much cop (the food, not my youth). Steak and ale pie is one of the staples. Good as this generally is, it cannot hold a candle to Jackie’s steak and mushroom pie in red wine that she served up this evening with roast potatoes and parsnips, cauliflower cheese, crisp carrots and Brussels sprouts, followed by Co-op laced profiteroles. I enjoyed making a start on Montemajone chianti classico 2011, given to me for Christmas by Helen and Bill.