Hi Jim, Hilary, Nemo.
Oh dear. Three 'wrong turns' and all in the same direction. I blame the writer. But I'll take comfort from
Nemo's "both readings co-exist neatly together."
Nemo,
(cued by the title)
Is it possible that drey - the nest of a squirrel - is too easy to overlook? I wanted something that sounded like a typical (British) pub name. Perhaps it needs a rethink?
Hilary,
I actually thought the "discarded shells" were people, like "he's just a shell of his former self" - that sort of thing. Now I understand that they are nut shells.
They can be either, it's entirely up to you, or it could be a reference to (shotgun) shells.
RG.
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