Canine Paralympics

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Today’s most recently bloomed clematis climbs over the arch spanning the Shady Path.

This afternoon Jackie drove me out to the forest.

Strong sunlight cast long or dappled shadows across the freshly resurfaced Holmsley Passage,

and warmed the wayside woodland.

Dog on walker

A disabled dog eagerly propelled its tailored cart, clearly training for the canine Paralympics.

Bees' nest

Bees had taken up residence in the modern house, alongside its dead wisteria, beside the

footpath that was once a railway line, now a route for walkers and cyclists.

It being the start of the grockle season, many others kept to the roads.

Horse riders

On Charles Lane outside Burley, Jackie needed to stop the car beside a passing area, so three riders could squeeze their horses past us. The last one waved their thanks and they cantered on their way.

House in pink

This house, in an imposing position on a bend, looked pretty in pink.

The story of MacPenny’s garden nursery is told in my post ‘Cock Of The Walk’, of 3rd June 2013. This was our next destination.

MacPenny's plants

Masses of rows of flowers, shrubs, and trees are for sale in the huge nursery area,

MacPenny's pots

where pots, compost, and other materials are also available in profusion.

But it was the mature, stunning, NGS Garden, with its wonderful display of rhododendrons and azaleas that we came for today.

We also liked the candelabra primulas.

This evening the four of us dined on Jackie’s sublime sausage casserole, caramelised sweet potato, creamy mashed potato, crunchy carrots, and spring greens. Ian drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Bordeaux.

46 comments

  1. I have to admit, I needed to look up ‘grockle season’ and this is what I found…
    Tourist – annoying visitor, who disrupts the lives of residents.
    Here in south FL, we call them all snowbirds!!

  2. I learnt something new this morning as I stopped to look up ‘grockle’ 🙂 Love the chocolate box ‘pretty in pink’ house, but the disabled dog running was my highlight!

  3. I also had to look up grockle. 🙂
    Stunning photos, Derrick. I mean they always are, but these were really lovely. Maybe it’s the spring light.

    1. That is sad, I suppose Dad thought she had enough plants! Never understood that myself, always room for another.

  4. I love to see it when people enable disabled dogs to walk and enjoy life.
    As a Devon boy, I know all about grockles (if you don’t, you probably are one). Having spent time on the other side of the border, I am equally comfortable with the term emmet, although somewhat ambivalent in the pixie/pisky debate.

    1. I had to look up ‘grockle’ and ’emmet’. Emmet comes up as ‘ant’. I guess tourists could be like ants at a picnic! 🙂

      1. I never asked where it came from, but your idea sounds good to me – except that the average tourist is far less purposeful than the average ant!

  5. Lovely, all of it.
    I was really amused at the idea of a car having to pull over to allow horses to overtake!
    In spite of elder daughter keeping horses, I have never actually ridden in the New Forest and would simply love to do so.

  6. The winding curved road and “dappled” shadows were lovely on the Holmsley Passage.
    I enjoyed the cheerful dog with his cart aiding him to travel quickly.
    I liked the gardens of MacPenney’s nursery and especially love the orange-red flowering bush. I could not tell if it is an azalea, but think it could be a rhododendron, too. Silly me! 🙂

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