obelisk – derrickjknight

More light rain overnight ceased early this morning. The day remained overcast and dry.

This afternoon my Chauffeuse drove me into the forest where I wandered around Hatchet Moor for a while. From the car park I walked down to one of the arms of the lake

and photographed two ponies and a foal on the far side. Jackie photographed me doing so and also produced this shot of a gull photobombing the scene.

I was able to walk over steeply undulating dry terrain, much of which would normally be filled with water. This gave me access to shrubbery festooned with

dog roses, and facilitated a closer look at

water lilies and swans.

Two foals were among an assorted group of ponies in a field at East End. One couldn’t be bothered to rise to its feet when I arrived. The other, recumbent in the grass beside its mother, did stir its stumps, nuzzled the mare, and made an unsuccessful attempt to acquire more nourishment before eventually settling for a good scratch.

The fact that Jackie was parked on the other side of the narrow adjacent lane probably averted a disaster. These two friendly boys, one carrying a small terrier, had been accompanied by a Labrador cross which shot past me, from beneath the stile beside which I stood, across the road. Another vehicle, coming down the hill, slowed in preparation for passing our Modus, otherwise it is difficult to see how the driver could have avoided a canine collision.

Back at home Jackie tidied the Wisteria Arbour and I emptied the refuse into the compost bin.

She also photographed the new obelisk she had inserted into the Dragon Bed to support the rampant Polish Spirit clematis.

Nugget, of course, put in an immediate appearance. The second picture presents “Where’s Nugget?” (80)

This evening we dined on Jackie’s tasty mixed grill casserole, creamy mashed potato; and carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli al dente, with which she drank Becks and I started on another bottle of the Carles.

This morning we drove to The First Gallery with the last of the prints for the exhibition,

and Jackie’s donation of labelled seedlings,

with which she has included explanatory notes.

On our journey via Beaulieu, cattle basked by the roadside at East Boldre.

Margery and Paul’s reception rooms resembled a frame-maker’s workshop, which, indeed they are at the moment. We are assured all will come right on the night. I commented that there was more work going into the mounting of my pictures than in the printing of them. Paul does make exceedingly good frames.

On our return trip, the cattle had been replaced by donkeys, but we had already seen some by the river at Beaulieu, playing host to parasitic jackdaws. It is very difficult to find somewhere to Park in Beaulieu, so, by the time we did so, the birds that had been fiercely stabbing the hides of the unflinching drowsy asses on which they were perched,

had moved off by the time I had walked back to the scene.

We have often wondered at the obelisk that we have noticed when walking down Lymington High Street,

therefore passing Monument Lane on the approach to this small town, we decided to investigate. There was barely any passing space along this muddy track which led us to:

Clicking on the images above and below

will provide enlarged information giving the story of

the monument.

The notice board explains the railing stumps around the obelisk. These are the residue of iron that was commandeered for World War 2 armaments. Buildings, including residential homes, throughout their lands lost their railings, never to be replaced. It is highly debatable how much of this material was ever actually used for the war effort.

Unsown trees have now grown to fill what was once open parkland,

and muddy, reflective, pools now surround its mound.

This evening we dined on roast duck, mashed potatoes, carrots, and Brussels sprouts followed by treacle tart and cream. Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I finished the madiran.

Tag: obelisk

Disaster Averted

Lymington’s National Hero