Pruning Service

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The landscape around Brockenhurst remained pretty waterlogged when we visited it this morning.

Even though the day was dull, trees were reflected in the pools.

Walking with ponies

A small group walked along a pitted track leading to a made-up road, enabling a couple of youngsters to ride ponies.

Most home owners in the New Forest, in order to stem equine invasion, keep their gates closed, and have cattle grids fitted. Not so one house for the sale at the end of this road.

A pair of donkeys had wandered in and set about an uninvited pruning service. Not, of course, until I had taken a few photographs, and after the animals stretched over the fence to set about next door’s shrubs, I knocked at both doors. Neither produced a response. I left the animals to it. The male, who appears in most of these images, wandered out and stood in the middle of the road. A woman from Hornchurch, who was down for the weekend was quite concerned for the creature’s safety. We had a very pleasant conversation in which I explained that the asses were not in danger as they had the right of way.

This afternoon I watched ITV’s coverage of the Six Nations rugby match between Italy and France in Rome; and of England’s game against Scotland at Twickenham.

This evening we dined on a rack of pork ribs with Jackie’s superb egg fried rice, green beans and sugar snaps with which I drank more of the bordeaux.

Our friend, Ginene Angel of https://foxandfinchantiques.com, has asked for the publication of our new fire at night.

Fire

Here it is Ginene.

54 comments

  1. The donkey photos are wonderful, Derrick. They made me smile.
    The room with the fire must be so cozy. It got cold here–a fire would have been nice last night.

  2. The donkey pictures are wonderful. And the fireplace is indeed fetching. Oh, I could spend some time in front of that blazing fire, reading a book, drinking wine, dozing, listening to that clock ticking away and not feeling rushed at all.

  3. More jolts to the noggin, I grew up not far from Hornchurch, and after the war went often to the wood at Elm Park to climb the great trees there. We didn’t have that many in Dagenham.

    The RAF had a station at Hornchurch, think it was Hurricanes, might have been Spitfires, during the war, and strangely the Luftwaffe left it alone, as far as I can recall it escaped bombing completely. Close to London too!

  4. By the bye, just love those donkeys, they’re real characters by the look of them. Would you believe that I cannot ever recall seeing one? Seen plenty of horses and cows, cats and dogs but ne’er a donkey 🙁

  5. Goodness, that fire never gets old. Thursday it was 70 degrees here – yesterday it snowed & they are talking a foot of snow on Tuesday. : ( I would love to have such a lovely thing as your fireplace to look forward to,

  6. Your fire is so homey. I love the way you captured the donkey faces. They are quite endearing and have different personalities. Of course I wouldn’t find them that endearing in my garden, but I do have a soft spot for them.

  7. Oh, thank you, Derrick for the evening view of the fireplace. I would like to use it for my screensaver in the shop. I will enjoy your new fireplace from afar.
    Ginene

  8. I can see you and Jackie sat by the fire in your rocking chairs, mulling over the days events, pleasantlty full of pork. Lucky sods.

  9. I see a possibility for an entrepreneur here. Using donkeys or goats, or perhaps even a small elephant for the really overgrown garden!

  10. The pruning is well done. My former home had one large tree. It was an umbrella. The people who bought the house cut off the tree’s most beautiful branch.They also replaced the cedar shingles with vinyl and my English cottage windows and stained glass windows with plain windows. They did not understood the house. Best regards.

  11. Chubby donkeys remind me of A.A. Milne’s character, Eeyore. So cute! 🙂
    The fireplace is gorgeous and this was well worth the time, energy and craftsmanship. I liked those men who took their shoes off and one (at least. . . Did both?) wore a tie.Lovely and glad you chose to show it to Ginene and the rest of us! 🙂

  12. Great opening shot Derrick, he is perfectly content on doing the trimming!! Love those landscape shots of the large tree structures and water reflections. Pretty fire – perfect for a cold Sunday afternoon.

  13. Your photos of the foraging donkies are great, Derrick! The reflections of the trees in the flooded areas are pretty, too

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