My plan this morning was to walk along Bisterne Close for half an hour after which Jackie, having dropped me at one end, would follow and pick me up. In gloomy morning light and light drizzle we set off.
The War Memorial in Everton Road, Hordle, had been prepared for tomorrow’s Armistice Day.
The commemorative bench bears stylised pale red poppies and pure white doves of peace.
More poppies grace fences and
freshly mown grass.
By the time we reached Holmsley Passage the drizzle had increased to light rain which
gave ponies a somewhat more than bedraggled look.
Soon the rain had developed deluge dimensions. My readers will know by now that I don’t know when to give up, so we continued to
Bisterne Close.
Listening to the increasingly tympanic pattering of raindrops drumming onto the trees, dripping off the leaves, and thudding onto the shoulders of my porous allegedly damp-proof raincoat; peering through specs lacking windscreen wipers, through which I couldn’t clearly see my viewfinder I captured what woodland scenes I could.
Autumn leaves, above
or below, glistened with precipitation.
I resisted the temptation to ask a horse chomping hay for the loan of its cheerful rug.
Here, as on much of the forest terrain, pools were appearing.
Autumn leaves submerged beneath the water where raindrops floated on muddy surfaces until bursting into spiralling increasing circles. I stuffed my specs into my pocket and attempted to employ my dampened eyelashes to provide clear vision.
Fallen trees and their branches, both recent
and longer-lying, settled into their task of maintaining the ancient forest ecology.
while others, now dead, did their bit while still standing.
Some trees sent tentacles in search of rooting soil.
Such bracken as had not yet gathered a fully autumnal appearance was turning nicely.
Well fed birds have not yet been tempted to strip the hollies of their berries.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s spicy pork paprika, savoury vegetable rice, and tender runner beans with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Cotes du Rhone.
What lovely Autumn scenery. Thanks for sharing
Thanks very much, msw.
Horrible weather today! Thanks for the nicer photos.
🙂 Thanks very much, Alex.
Yes Derrick,”Lest We Forget”
Indeed. Thanks very much, Ivor.
Beautiful woodland scenes with such a rich colour palette. Hope you’ve now dried out?
Thanks very much, Sheree. Dried out now 🙂
Stunning photos, Derrick–and wonderful descriptive prose, too. I can’t pick a favorite photo–I just kept saying to my self– this one, no this one. 🙂
🙂 That’s what I like to see, Merril. Many thanks.
🙂
Love the leaves!
Thanks very much, Viv.
The new bench and the poppy decorations (etc) are so heart-touching and beautiful. Yes, we must remember.
All stunning photos, Derrick! Love the rain, puddles, leaves, trees, raincoated-horse, newly-showered pony, etc! Your words are so descriptive and wonderful you got my senses involved…and I feel like I am there taking it all in!
Stay safe!
Stay dry, if you can!
HUGS to you and Jackie!!! 🙂
TWEETS to Nugget and Muggle!!! 🙂
Thanks very much, Carolyn. Especially insightful comments – as so often, Dry here today. X
Please, please send us some rain.
I wish I could, Peggy. Thanks very much.
You did well to brave the weather, which is something I’ve backed away from lately. Your photos, full of beautiful autumnal tones were worth a little damp,
Thanks very much, Sue. I think you have more rain than we do.
Ah, the things we do for our art 🙂 Fabulous capture of the rain splashes into the water and the moss and lichen covered old trees – that green is so beautiful! The cloud gave up it’s rain at last – and it’s also here today too.
I loved those rain drop circles and the green covered trees, as well, Pauline. Glad you are getting rain, too.
Sadly we don’t need the rain – it’s sunshine we are looking forward to down here Jodie. But, you know, the climate is changing, the weather patterns are different and nobody can be really sure what to expect any more.
Indeed. We consider ourselves very fortunate.
🙂
Oh, Pauline – we just went through an odd late summer/early fall drought – so rain is only good in my head. Of course, with the wacky weather, you might have a different outlook. Wishing sunshine for you!
Me, too.
Thanks very much, Pauline. I hope you dry out soon.
The tree after “maintaining the ancient forest ecology” looks positively jubilant: like a football player after making a goal.
So it does, Jodie. Thanks very much.
: )
You did very well to produce so many fine images in such miserable weather.
Thanks very much, Tootlepedal.
Gorgeous photos, Derrick.
Thanks very much, Jill.
I never see the poppies without remembering a certain teacher, and how pleased she would be that I still remember, “In Flanders Fields.” There’s more than a poem that needs remembering.
Rainy rainy it’s nice to look at but after a day the rain can seem rather depressing. That Forrest is something amazing wow those trees remind me of suspense novels.
I love the post.
How are you?
Thank you very much, More. Legs survived yesterday well.
That’s great Derrick
Now that is a deluge of woodland photographs. It is hard to pin a favourite. I empathise with your frustration at fumbling with your spectacles and admire your perseverance. You have inspired this lazy fool enough to engage in some enterprise worth its name. Thank you, Derrick.
Very many thanks, Uma. Get cracking then 🙂
Such great photo learning and brrrr – laughing at the ask of a loan of the hire rug….
Thanks very much, Yvette 🙂
That’s a lovely post, Derrick, showing how it got gradually wetter and wetter. I also enjoyed the war memorial where the location of death was added to the name. I’ve never seen that done before and it’s a really original idea.
Thanks very much, John. That struck us as well.
A pictorial equivalent of an ‘Ode to Autumn’
Thanks very much, Andrew.
You made a damp day look very beautiful! 😊 You take some very good pictures Derrick. What camera do you use? I love the commemorative bench, what a lovely design!
Thanks very much, Vintage. It is a Canon EOS 5D Mark 2. Yesterday’s lens was a Sigma 105. Sigmas, I find, let in more light – and I don’t know enough to take the camera off automatic 🙂
Ah yes, Canon is a great make! I had a little point and shoot camera from Canon many years ago… even that was good. Auto settings are very easy to use… I did that too for a few months on my Sony A6000 just to get used to the camera. I could have happily stayed on auto, but I forced myself to try a few other settings. Do you have an aperture priority setting? That’s what I mainly use now. It’s a very easy setting to use. I like f5.6 for close up images and f14.00 for distance shots on bright days. It’s the only thing I have to set, the shutter speed is auto on that setting. Give it a try if you can, you might like the f stop choice. I found f14 has allowed me to get a better quality image on distance shots. But even if you stay on auto… you are doing very well! 😊
Thank you very much, Vintage. My camera was second – hand so I had to find and download a manual which I haven’t looked it. Perhaps I’ll have a go eventually.
Beautiful pictures, along with a well-crafted narrative. Thanks for sharing your photos.
Thank you very much, John
You even manage to attain lovely pictures in the rain. I couldn’t find anything of interest in our rain yesterday. I don’t have the “photographer’s eye” as you do.
Many thanks, GP. As a diary I like to make use of what we’ve got – but then that is my attitude to life 🙂
Excellent series.
The plastic poppies are cool.
Thanks very much, Rabirius
Thanks for sharing your autumnal walk with us. Wonderful photos. We had a sprinkling of snow yesterday!
Thanks very much, Nikki
Your forest photos, heroically taken despite adverse weather condition, are fantastic, Derrick
Very many thanks, Dolly.
Very welcome, Derrick
Vibrant, autumnal images . So grateful we escaped serious flooding here in Lancashire, this time. But so sorry that others did not.
Indeed. As I posted this one I felt for those in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Thanks very much, Libre.
Derrick I so much enjoyed all your most beautiful photos of autumn trees, leaves and puddles.
Thanks very much, Agnes.
Beautiful and peaceful autumn scenes. Love the winding road with fall colors on both sides.
Wonderful drippy, splashy photos, Derrick!
Thanks very much, Clare
I appreciate your eye for rich and earthy details like the things that grow on tree trunks, the raindrops in water and a shaggy pony.
Thank you very much, JoAnna.
All glasses ought to have wipers, built-in! 😀 … the raindrops in puddles shots are a treat. 🙂
Thanks very much, Widders 🙂
Many thanks for taking us along with you on your rainy day where we could enjoy from our cozy homes — the raindrop photos are especially wonderful 🙂
Thank you very much, de-AL.
Rain has its beauty too and your pictures show it 🙂
Many thanks, Ribana 🙂
Those are very beautiful and artistic photos from your day, Derrick. Grey wet weather does have its own beauty, but it is also nice to return to a warm, dry house and good hot food.
Thanks very much, Lavinia. You are so right about the return 🙂
Gorgeous autumn photos.
Thanks very much, Lindsey.
Some of the more fun pictures of nature “devotions” you have posted…or, as I see it, anyway! Would love a long mosey there.
Thank you very much, Cynthia.
For not being able to see very well, you got some very artistic shots on your soggy ramble. I was startled to see in the fourth water pool photo a skeleton hand on the left and Merlin holding a long staff on the right!
Nicely observed, Liz. Thank you very much.
My pleasure!