A well deserved day off taking my friends Virginia and Bill around the Forest. They are over, or should that be under, from New Zealand, and it felt like a reunion even though we have never met before. Virginia has been reading this blog for a number of years...and it turns out that Bill is a law lecturer and knows some of the lecturers that I had at Manchester University over 30 years ago.
We visited Boldre church which is very light and inviting...
...and Hatchet pond where the donkeys are always pleased to see you.
Lunch at Buckler's Hard with some history thrown in...Henry VIII launched his ships from here and the New Forest inclosures were the source of all the timber.
A red deer stag en route...
...and we bumped into Robert Maton marking pony tails, who despite probably not wanting to be a tourist attraction was quite pleased when I distracted a pony in his trailer that was intent on kicking another one.
Finally Tracey spotted my ponies in the distance above Howen Bottom and so with my best yell I called them across and rewarded them with David's secret stash of cereal bars.
