Island In The Sun

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

This morning’s sunshine lasted long enough

to draw me into pruning the rose garden. By the time I had finished the skies had clouded over and rain begun.

Window boxes

Between showers Jackie was able to plant primulas into the large window boxes on the front wall.

Camellia 1

More camellias are in full bloom, and

Daffodils and ferns

all the beds are clamouring for our attention,

Mudflats

but we abandoned them in favour of a drive to Tanner’s Lane beach,

Boat on mudflats

where the usual boat was moored on the mudflats.

Yacht

A solitary yacht sailed alongside the Isle of Wight,

Ferry boat and The Needles

as a ferry boat threaded its way past The Needles.

At low tide seaweed clung to rocks and breakwaters.

Trees and breakwaters

Further along the coastline gnarled trees were coming into bud,

Cloudscape

as rain-laden skies loomed over the sunlit landscape.

Egrets were among the birds feeding on the shore.

Egret in flight

One rewarded my numerous efforts to catch it in flight.

Having left Tanner’s Lane and begun to drive along Sowley Lane it seemed as if we were on the floor of a school dance from my teens. In the undergrowth on one side of the lane were assembled a bouquet of hen pheasants.

Pheasants 1

The less fragrant cocks patrolled the opposite side.

Plucking up courage, they paraded a bit,

Pheasants 2

then slipped through the barrier to join the ladies.

Crane at sunset

Just before sunset at Milford on Sea a crane silhouetted against the skies was a reminder that the beach huts destroyed in gales a couple of years ago are being rebuilt.

We hastened to Barton on Sea and waited for a pair of figures to make their way along the clifftop so that I could include them in my shot. Following their progress I was to discover that the gentleman was pointing a camera away from the west, and photographing the Isle of Wight.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2DjyPoyCcE&w=560&h=315]

Truly an Island in the Sun.

Tree and holiday homes

The tree in the grounds of the holiday homes park has grown as directed by the sea breezes.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s spicy chilli con carne, savoury rice, and salad. She drank Hoegaarden, and I finished the Carmenère.

60 comments

  1. Wonderful photos, Derrick. To me, the gnarled trees almost looked like an action photo of trees falling domino-like. I guess it’s the angle of the photo. 🙂
    I laughed at your comparison of the male and female birds at opposite sides of the road to students at a school dance.

  2. “all the beds are clamouring for our attention,” I know that feeling very well. Impressive that you were able to NOT heed the call & were able to go out and capture some amazing photos.

  3. What great pictures, Derrick. It is still too early for flowers here – I love primulas and camellias. The egret in flight is gorgeous as are the silhouettes in the sunset. I love your tours!

  4. Those primulas are cute! The rain following the supple sun, the gnarled trees coming into buds, two men on the clifftop shooting the Isle of Wight, trees growing up as guided by the breeze… Those are all brooding pauses in the poem of existence.

  5. Can’t decide which I love better: your garden or sea pics ; ) This time I’ll opt for garden- primulas in the baskets are so lovely and we had snow in the morning 😉

  6. Your landscapes always invite me to look more closely (those cloudy yet sunlit skies)–but, well– the flowers! At last, a few more there than here, and such beauty opening to sunlight and we who read your blog. I anticipate many more plant and floral topics to come. (I loved Harry Belafonte as a kid…an important contributor to music, Caribbean especially, of course.)

  7. Great photos of the pheasants! The red feather details on the male were unique. I love the way the ducks on the stream by my apartment and crows up in the trees on campus are making racket in early morning hours. 🙂

          1. Yes, but I wondered if male pheasants in Ohio, USA have this same marking. I did find out they have red “cheeks.” There’s white “ring necked pheasants” which are beautiful!

Leave a Reply