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Early on this grey, overcast, morning, Jackie drove us to Lymington and back to buy a birthday present.
Upon leaving the house I decided I had not published enough photographs of the front garden. I therefore focussed on these lilies flanking bronze fennel flowers;
fuchsia Sir Matt Busby suspended over the front porch;
orange nasturtiums potted in front of the garage door;
a purple clematis soaring both them;
white solanum adorning the trellis;
lobelia and petunias cascading over a hanging basket;
and this pink and blue lace cap hydrangea spreading across the right hand corner.
It being market day in Lymington I hoped to have further fun with the camera. No sooner had we emerged from the shop, which must be nameless at the moment, and I brought out the camera, than the rain came down and umbrellas went up. Nevertheless, I persisted, and photographed
a rail of Summery women’s tops;
an abundance of bulbous green and golden melons;
glistening nectarines;
metal bowls of oleaginous olives;
loaves of rustic Mediterranean bread;
the stall of a gentleman demonstrating veg cutters the colour of which made up for a lack of oranges;
and decorative sandals, the display of which now seemed somewhat optimistic.
Here are some of the umbrellas,
not forgetting the lady who had forgotten hers.
Reading glasses may now be obtained without prescription, and are cheaply available on market stalls.
Jackie has collections all over the house and garden. Naturally she inspected these specs,
and bought £5’s worth of what Becky calls her mother’s multi-ocular devices. The idea is that wearing two pairs gives you twice the strength of magnification. Four is overdoing it a bit.
This afternoon I watched the women’s Wimbledon tennis final on TV.
For this evening’s dinner, Jackie produced steak and onion pie, new potatoes, crispy breaded mushrooms, crunchy carrots, and fresh spring greens. We had drunk respectively Hoegaarden and Banks’s Amber bitter on the patio beforehand. I had some of mine left over to drink with the meal. Jackie hadn’t. But then, her bottles are smaller than mine.
Jackie and Studly would get along well. He has reading spectacles in every room of the house and in every car.
🙂 Thanks, Leslie
That lily and fennel combination is gorgeous. Mine at just about to burst into bloom. We had one day of rain. Now need a steady downpour. Very dry here.
Thanks a lot, Karen. I hope you get the rain
Your garden reminds me how English our Sydney gardens are. All the flowers are familiar, though ours are not always as expertly arranged. I also have glasses everywhere; if only I can find them when I need them…
Many thanks, Mary. You, Jackie, and many others. 🙂
My husband and I both need them. They always seem to be either all in his pile or all in mine. We rarely both can find a pair, no matter how many I buy. We should try piling them up upon our heads as Jackie so charmingly does.
🙂
Quadrocular devices on Jackie today. What an impish grin!
Many thanks, Susanne
Isn’t she the best?
🙂
I too, have glasses everywhere, and there are some days I can’t find a single pair. I suspect they’re having secret meetings down by the lake, plotting some sort of global overthrow! 😀
Many thanks, Widders. This seems to be quite a common practice
Send your overthrowing glasses over here to the US, please.
I’ll just toss ’em across the border. I’m in Canada 😀 … and I do understand the sentiment. 🙁
🙂
🙂
I’m with Jackie, since the appearance of affordable magnification spectacles on every store counter in the city I too have garnered a serious collection. I confess the gathering bug is mainly for their pretty coloured frames and the fact that I can have a pair on every possible surface just in case – though oddly I never have a pair on me to read what the magnification strength is at the time of purchase ……… Derrick, I should like to see a long shot of your house and garden looking chocolate box perfect in high summer – is that possible? Or would you be in danger of getting mown down by passing vehicles as you back across the road to get the perfect angle? (In which case I withdraw my request!)
Many thanks, Pauline. Will do
I agree – the big picture would help my mind a bit – putting everything in to perspective.
🙂
The more photos of Jackie I see, the more I love her. She’s got fun written all over her.
Very many thanks, Jodie
: )
Yes Derrick, a big picture would be good. And I just hate all those orange vegetable cutting devices.
Jackie is a hoot! She sure looks devious in the shot before the one where she’s wearing all of the glasses. 🙂 The flowers are stunning!
Thanks so much, Jill
The Clematis are impressive.
Many thanks, Cindy
Blue lace cap hydrangea—even the name sounds luscious! My favorite shrub! Derrick, I wish I knew your secret for producing vivid, unforgettable color. You have it down pat.
Thank you so much, Diane. Having spent 55 years with film, I turned digital simply for the blog 5 years ago. The camera is a great help
Love the variety of brollies .. and Jackie’s smile 😊
Thanks very much, Val
Todays story-line made me smile, travelling from beautiful flowers, to multi-coloured umbrellas and ending in a smiling spectacle……
Thanks a lot, Ivor. Fine summary
Beautiful. Great shots as usual.
Thanks very much, Arlene
It is cruel to single out one flower for praise but the bunch of fuchsia Sir Matt Busby is charming. Your camera has done adequate justice to the market. The mystery of the ‘multi-ocular device’ left me similing.
Many thanks, Uma
The lady with the makeshift rain bonnet has a distinct look of our Queen I rather think …. 👑
🙂 many thanks, Osyth. A nice description
I agree with Osyth. My first thought when I saw the photograph was that it was Her Majesty incognito, on her way back from Tescos by the look of it.
🙂 Thanks a lot, John
A gorgeous array of individual ,more distinctive in their simplicity, flowers!! 🌸
I absolutely savored this post with my first cup of coffee, Derrick. (7:23 am on Sunday)
The humor of umbrellas and summer blouses, most having umbrellas, but one poor woman, not made me smile.
But the person who had me chuckling, as my Mom in her younger years did the same as your Jackie: “multi- ocular devices!” 🙂 🙂
We have had dollar reading glasses for over ten years, so I used to buy black plaid frames, red, and sparkly pairs for my Mom! 🤓 🤗
Thanks very much, Robin. We probably have had those reading glasses for as long, but I, fortunately have never needed them.
Do you not need reading glasses, Derrick? When I am deadheading my plants, I think of you & often wonder if you use your reading glasses to deadhead. I seem to have trouble recognizing if a piece of plant is an old flower, spent and going to seed, or a new bud just getting ready to bloom. I thought m y reading glasses might help.
I’m sure they would, Jodie. Having been short sighted since 18 I had a cataract op in my left eye when I was about 50. This was the result of a cricket ball in the eye at 14. Thereafter my sight has improved with age, and I now only wear specs for TV. I never use any for photography, which is lucky.
Ah, lucky, indeed (excepting that cataract operation – yuck). I’ve had a terrible time getting used to reading glasses. They make me dizzy when I look up and everything looks weird.
When I was in a life drawing group a few years ago, I needed specs to see the model, but not to see the paper. You will know how important it is to see the textures you are working on. I solved the problem with varifocals – for distance on the one hand and plain glass on the other. I had to get used to that but it didn’t take long.
Varifocals – I will need to look into them. I can practically drive without my far away glasses and I can practically see up close without my reading glasses – but when I am trying to do both (far away and close) it becomes a mess if I have any glasses on.
Good luck with them, Jodie
The good life all the way around. Enjoy your posts.
Many thanks, Brodie’s Mum
Every flower holds its own beauty, but I especially love the fuchsia Sir Matt Busby.
To spend a day in your garden would be the best birthday present I could receive 🙂
The relationship you and your wife enjoy is a blessing that overflows in the plants around you <3
Very many thanks, Rosaliene
Color and texture and weather–a winning combo! And you changed the font or is it me?
I did change the font some weeks back, Cynthia. Thanks a lot
Beautiful pictures but I like the multi-ocular shot the best–4 pairs at once is a record!
Even for Jackie, it is 🙂 Many thanks, Kerry
Beautiful front gardens, Derrick and Jackie!
I keep reading glasses all over the house and in the cars, too. 🙂
Thanks very much, Lavinia. The stocks of reading glasses would seem to be quite common among bloggers 🙂