Petrified By Ponies

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This afternoon we visited Otter Nurseries in order to buy rambling roses to supplement the planting Jackie carried out this morning.

Jackie in discussion ablout companulas

The Head Gardener was soon into a discussion about campanulas with a another customer seeking information.

I wandered around the plentiful displays while Jackie selected Perennial Blush and Super Elfin ramblers. A bee flitted from lavender to lavender.

Walkers on road

As we parked for me to investigate the Heywood Mill stream, a family group wandered, chatting, down the road.

Stream

The stream itself was unhindered one side of the road bridge,

and bore the reflections of a fallen tree on the other.

Deer

As we drove away, I spotted a deer. This necessitated by driver screeching to a halt and , heart in mouth, reversing back along the narrow, winding, lane until I could poke my lens into the hedgerow. The creature did not hang around.

English bluebells lined the verges and

Bluebells in wood 1

carpeted woodlands.

Ponies - one pregnant

Tempted by the sight of two white ponies, one of which was very pregnant, we drove down an even narrower lane.

Horse and rider

Further on we encountered a horse and rider, requiring us to stop for them to edge on by.

Next came the penned-in horned sheep. One of these woolly animals was particularly inquisitive.

Ponies on road

There were so many ponies on the road near Pilley, that a young driverΒ was unable to move on. Jackie had to drive round her. She apologies, saying that she was petrified by the ponies. It was only when the horses thinned out a bit that she was able to get back into gear.

One of this group was a foal, still very wobbly on its legs.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s sublime cottage pie, served with carrots and Brussels sprouts. I finished the Vacqueyras. Jackie didn’t imbibe further as she had drunk her Hoegaarden on the patio beforehand.

65 comments

  1. After I view your pictures each day [and proceed to get a fit of jealousy], I read what you’ve had for dinner [and immediately go from jealous to hungry!] – I’m going to have start demanding that that Jackie go from Head Gardener to Recipe Queen!!! Has she ever thought to have her own food blog?

  2. You’ve made me spend an unproductive hour looking for an alternative meaning for “patient” where Jackie downed her Hoegaarden. Has the autocorrect changed it from “patio”? Is it a word of rare meaning understood mainly by crossword puzzle-setters?!

  3. Just stunning all of your photos Derrick.. The bluebell words have been gorgeous this year again.. The long horned sheep look ready for a hair cut.. πŸ™‚ Have a perfect week.. Sue πŸ™‚

    1. Thanks, Merril. We’d been looking for one of those. As I took the verge pictures, Jackie drove on seeking a place to park, and spotted that scene

  4. Oh, that picture of the family walking down the road. I would love to have such a shot of my own family – from behind – just being ourselves and enjoying nature and our time together. So lovely.

  5. Another great day in the New Forest. Loved the horned sheep. I think living with pony infested lanes could grow wearing after a while, cute as they are. πŸ™‚

  6. Thoroughly enjoy your pictures Derrick, that scenery is absolutely beautiful, living in countryside like that must be a daily pleasure, the serenity and peacefulness of a rural lifestyle must do wonders for the mind and body, you are very fortunate my friend.

  7. Would you believe that the War Office and I, dined on my superb cottage pie, served with steamed pumpkin and broccoli, washed down with a Jacobs Creek Merlot, last night?

    How could anyone be frightened by those gentle ponies?

  8. I had to chuckle but was also touched when Jackie screeched to a halt and had to reverse the car, so you could take your photo of the shy deer. Lovely way you both show your support of one another.

  9. Beautiful compositions. Better to be petrified by ponies, than to have your car mangled by moose. A Northern Ontario proverb. πŸ˜€

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