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It wasn’t until early evening that the clarity of the dawn skies was to be repeated today.
Jackie discovered that the Big Beast had dug its way under her reinforced log last night, further trampled the cyclamen, and knocked over the obelisk. Undeterred, she put back the loose soil and buried more, lower, stakes around the wooden peg.
Elizabeth came for lunch which consisted of cold meats and salads. After this she and I photographed bugs on the diamond jubilee tulips. The first is mine with my Canon EOS 5D;
the next two with my Canon SX700;
and finally, Elizabeth’s with her i-Phone, by which time the bugs had fled.
Later, we took a drive to the north of the forest.
On Flexford Lane in Sway, we needed to wait on the verge for a horse and rider with a cycling escort, followed by a white van, to pass.
The gorse-covered hills below Abbot’s Well at Frogham glowed in the evening light.
Jackie and Elizabeth turned and spotted me photographing them as they stood in the car park.
The colourfully attired gentleman beside them obligingly took his own camera into the landscape, thus providing a foil to my photographs.
As we left, a pony drank from a reflective pool.
As we approached the Cadnam roundabout near the end of Roger Penny Way, we noticed a flock of sheep blocking a turning to our left. As soon as she could Jackie turned around so we could see what was happening. The woolly animals were steadfastly making their way past our car to the aforementioned major road,
where they caused a total standstill.
Looking back down the lane we saw what seemed like the final stragglers,
who picked up speed and galloped in panic after the main group.
In fact they were not the last. Two more had been left behind. We hoped they found their friends.
Further along this lane a very small sow snuffling against a wall, became excited by our presence, perhaps hoping for a chat.
Around the next bend a couple of ducks had taken possession of a watery verge.
One was an Indian runner. We didn’t recognise the other.
Finally, a collection of chickens scampered from the verge when we stopped beside them.
This evening the three of us dined on Jackie’s splendid chilli con carne, savoury rice, and green beans. The ladies drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Malbec.
Oh the pigs and the rooster are delightful!
Many thanks, Leslie
The photos of the gorse-covered hills are incredible Thank you for sharing Derrick. 🙂
The gorse covered hills and the light are beautiful Derrick – and all the animals! My favourite is the little sow – she is a real cutie!
Many thanks, Pauline. We think she is a Gloucester Old Spot, but she is so small that I wasn’t confident in saying so.
What a wonderland of animals and plants, Derrick. Your part of the world is a daily paradise through your lens.
Very many thanks, Jodie.
: )
I am reminded of a committee meeting in Animal Farm. Now I’ll be chanting “four legs good, two legs bad” all day. Of course, that discrimates against the ducks and chickens. Might have to re-read how George Orwell dealt with that.
Nice one, Gwen. Thanks very much
A most enjoyable jaunt Derrick. Thanks for sharing again.
Many thanks, Frank
What a delightful post; all those wonderful animals roaming and running carefree, what a joy it must be to drive around the New Forest.
I Just had to re-blog this one, hope that’s in order 🙂
It is my pleasure, Brian. Thank you very much
Many thanks, Brian. It certainly is
Reblogged this on LordBeariOfBow and commented:
This is a lovely post I’m sure you’ll all agree. One of Derricks best and I had to share. 🙂
Very many thanks, Brian
Wonderful, Derrick–right from the very first photo. The gorse-covered hills are beautiful, and I love the parade of animals!
Very many thanks, Merril
Great photos – what a variety of livestock!
I’m intrigued by the mystery beast…
Many thanks, Quercus
Excellent sequence. A farmland tale of whimsy & wonder waiting to unfold. Will the Chinese runner be allowed to remain in the country ? 🙂
Thanks a lot, Joseph. If he got on a plane he’d be dragged off it.
😀
Oh my word, your roads are like a Noah’s Ark round-up, Derrick. I LOVE the gorse covered hills.
Very many thanks, Jill
I like your article, very inspiring and thank you for your post
Thanks, Jual
Brian,
I received these to-day, Good Friday, and thought how appropriate they were for Easter.
Happy Easter to you and your readers.
Neill.
Thanks, Neill. Acctually, I’m Derrick 🙂
My vote goes to the iPhone of course though I may not be able to capture the other images as you had done. Bravo.
Many thanks, Mary. Elizabeth did very well with the i-Phone.
I agree, it is a lovely post! Creative and fearless photography, and such interesting commentary!
Thanks very much, Diane. We are contemporaries. I’m following you.
Thank you! I’ve answered you on my blog. Yes, we are contemporaries.
My kind of day.
Thanks a lot, Pied Type
Lovely photos! Thanks for sharing.
I savoured today’s offering at your blog on the Pixel. The moment I closed in on the first shot with the ‘Old Post House’ mark I was told there were 46 images in all. I duly proceeded to watch those one after the other, through the panorama of hills flourishing with horse, and roads with sheep and cars. Those macros look great, I am yet to turn on my computer with the largish Dell display and enjoy them in detail, Canon 5 D is a capable equipment. I loved the black duck –the guy looks cool– and the shot where the horse-rider is followed by the bicyclist who is being followed by a van in the narrow road.
Your commentaries are an inseperable part of the experience, so I read ‘Baa’ scrolling down vertically too.
Inspired by your sojourns, I have resumed my morning walks of late, though I go to the same place over and over. I am accompanied by my wife in our escapades, and we quite enjoy the antics of peacocks trying to woo the females of their species. Sadly, photography is prohibited there, ostentatiously for security reasons, because of the ‘circuit houses’ for judges and other such dignitaries of governance, sprinkled about a Raj era building whose collonaded entrance is flanked by two smallish canons on each side.
PS: Typing in a sliver offered by WP Android app is fraught with risks of misspellings and solecism, not to speak of the weird choices of the thing called ‘autocorrect’. Forgive the errors.
In such a comment, Uma, you are permitted as many errors as you like – but I only see the horse :). Thanks very much. I find the better I know a place the better the photographs.
Just as I feared, ‘gorse’ was replaced with ‘horse’, although you do have a horse in there somewhere.
You could always count on a horse 🙂
That was quite the menagerie! 😀
Thanks very much, Widders.
That’s a lovely picture of the horse drinking at the reflective pool.
Thanks a lot, John. We were driving away when I spotted that. I got Jackie to stop, reverse, and open my window 🙂
My goodness! Along with the beautiful scenery it’s a wonderful world of animals where you live. Such a treat to read your blog and look at the pictures.
I’m so pleased, Laurie. Thanks ever so
What an adventurous scenic drive ?
Many thanks, MSW
Beautiful flower images, Derrick! Love the macros shots, did you use the macro lens.
Fun driving you had, kinda of challenging. 🙂
I did use a macro lens, Amy. Got to keep up with you 🙂 Thanks very much.
I couldn’t stop smiling through this whole series of shots Derrick – loved everyone of them. The sheep are the coolest, happily using the road – why get their feet wet?!
Lovely comment, Mary. Many thanks
Happiness is a drive through your neighborhood…Gorse-covered hills so lush and bright; the van, cyclist and youth on the horse gave me pause–that your roads must routinely accommodate so many–not to mention ducks and sheep and ponies and so on and on!
Many thanks, Cynthia
You live in such an idyllic spot!
We do. Thanks, Elizabeth
I liked the sheep, hogs and rooster, Derrick. The horse in the reflective pool and golden gorse photographs pleased my eyes very much! 🙂 🙂
Thanks very much, Robin