Tag: ponies on the road

Left To The Reader’s Imagination

After shopping at Tesco Jackie and I took a short forest drive.

It was not our normal equine herd that came steadily clopping along the tarmac, some swifter-thudding to catch up on the verge of the otherwise silent St Leonard’s Road beneath the late morning pearl-grey empyrean pall draped overhead.

This was a longer string and, like the taxi driver edging past, clearly on a mission. Soon after the bend ahead of the cab a quintuple convoy of cars approached from the opposite direction. I was tempted once more to disembark to see what the drivers would make of what lay ahead of them – not that much, though – I thought I would leave it to the reader’s imagination.

Dillon and Flo spent another lengthy time weeding and pruning in the garden this afternoon.

This evening we all dined on Jackie’s wholesome cottage pie; crunchy carrots ; and firm broccoli, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank San Vincente Reserva Chianti 2019.

Ruby And Arthur Reed

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE. THOSE IN CLUSTERS ACCESS GALLERIES THAT CAN BE VIEWED FULL SIZE.

After a leisurely morning and a lunch of plentiful salad and cold meats left over from yesterday, Jackie, Ian, Becky, Matthew and I drove to the Beachcomber at Barton on Sea for coffee.

Silhouetted couple 1

The cafe was very full and the day mild enough for people to remain outside, either in the garden

Couple on bench

or seated on the clifftop within sight of the Isle of Wight.

Groups and dogs on beach 2
Groups on beach 1
Groups and dogs on beach 3
Groups and dogs on beach 1
Boy and dogs on beach
Groups and dogs on beach 4

More energetic groups, boys, and dogs exercised along the shore.

After coffee the others took Scooby further along the clifftop, whilst Jackie and I went driveabout.

Ponies on road

Ponies in the forest kept a low profile until they took it into their heads to hold up traffic on the approach to Beaulieu,

Swan on silt
Swan and gulls on silt

where a few swans and gulls remained on the river even though the tide was out.

Hythe marina
Yacht and reflection

Eventually we found ourselves at Hythe Marina Village, a waterside leisure development from 1986, where a weak wintry sun allowed for clear reflections on the still waters.

Sand spit

Skirting a protruding sandy spit,

Red Jet speedboat

a Red Jet boat sped across Southampton Water,

Hythe Pier railway

where I enjoyed an outside view of Hythe Pier Railway on which Jackie and I had ridden on 4th January 2015.

Boats going through lock 1
Boats going through lock 2

The Marina has to be approached from this water by means of a lock. Two vessels used this facility while we were there today.

Lifeboat Ruby and Arthur Reed
Rust on hull 1
Rust on hull 2
Ruby and Arthur Reed

On display on the quayside lies the R.N.L.B. lifeboat ‘Ruby and Arthur Reed’, the story of  which is told by Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RNLB_Ruby_and_Arthur_Reed_(ON_990)

This evening we dined on Jackie’s excellent chicken curry and spicy basmati rice, with which I drank more of the merlot. I didn’t keep tabs on the others’ beverages.