“All Over In A Flash”

This morning’s sun shone blindingly bright in clear skies; the temperature was finger- tingling chilly. Because the meteorologists had predicted rain this afternoon we drove out early to Mudeford Quay.

I had never seen the normally tranquil harbour water as choppy as it was today.

The high tide surged back and forth over the shore line leaving bubbles clinging to driftwood;

gulls bobbed among the undulating surface oscillations,

occasionally taking to the air

and settling on the grass

until scattered by hastening motors.

Leaving a pair of brisk joggers to their exertions I walked over to the quayside with its

rougher seas and bouncing buoys.

A solitary jogger trotted past two women progressing at a gentler pace, while

an eager dog towed its owner along the pool sprinkled promenade.

From a safe distance an animated baby seated in a buggy was being shown

waves battering the sea wall.

Jackie photographed me

 photographing her. How’s that Pauline?

As we prepared to move on the Assistant Photographer showed me an image she had produced of

yacht masts and a bench, and related the story of the day.

Before my Chauffeuse had moved over to the quayside a young woman had emptied a carrier bag full of food onto the grass in front of Jackie’s car. Within seconds

a squabble of seagulls swooped seeking sustenance and set about each other scavenging insatiably.

It was all over in a flash.

At Avon the eponymous river had spread itself across the neighbouring fields,

encroaching upon calves’ feeding area.

We continued on to Hockey’s Farm shop for brunch, where we were disappointed to discover that the café was closed because a new floor was being laid.

The straggly-damp alpacas in the pasture might have appreciated their own new floor.

A thatcher’s pig has flown up onto the roof of the cottage repaired last summer.

The hair of a group of ponies at South Gorley may have been dry, but now it needed a good shampoo.

Others a little further on seemed to have had one already.

We returned to the excellent Café Aroma in Ringwood for our plentiful brunch, then travelled home facing oncoming driving sleet.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s watercress soup and rolls with which I finished the Costiere de Nimes.

 

 

 

82 comments

  1. That’s choppy! Had we set out to sail under these conditions, the boat would list so much as to “move sideways,” as my husband calls it.
    Please educate me, Derrick: what is that pig doing on the roof?

  2. A splendid photo narrative, Derrick. I enjoyed the dueling photographers. 🙂 And that pig is marvelous. What fun!
    The sea definitely looked choppy. I’m glad you got home safely in the sleet.

  3. Splendidly done you two – the photographers photographing 😀 Jackie’s photo of the gulls swooping on the food is wonderful – they are so quick and quarrelsome too. Siddy is terrified of them! I’m joining in with the floor replacement woes. My bathroom floor is about to be hauled up and replaced due to the hot water cylinder developing a slow leak – it does rather make life a little inconvenient…….

  4. The gulls are having a great, gaudy, glorious, gull-rific day! 😀

    I guess pigs are now flying! 😮 😛 ? Wonder what will happen next?!?! 😉

    Love the alpacas, calves, and ponies! They can all get a mud bath or make mud pipes to sell! 😉 That photo of the calf and it’s refection is lovely! 🙂

    So glad The Great Photographer took a photo of The Assistant Photographer taking a photo of him! 😀
    HUGS!!! and stay warm, dry, and clean! Ha! 😉

  5. I liked the flying pig. There are several things in the current political scene that bring that image to mind. The photograph of the photographer photographing the the photographer who was photographing the photographer was very modern art.

  6. I enjoyed your chilly outing today.

    Full of cold, I stayed home in front of the kitchen log burner listening to the dog snoring and watching the first snow of the year begin to fall. It was short-lived and very soon meltedl

  7. I love the thatched pig on the roof! Yes, those ponies need a good bathing after all the mud. Seems like you had some good photography weather before the sleet on the way home. our weather has been variable as well.

  8. As opposed to seeing our ever-growing homeless population covered in mud and trying their best to stay dry under tattered tents and tarps, after more than a week or rain over here, I find your muddy cows and ponies quite charming. We had a moment of sunshine yesterday, and it felt sooo gooood! Love the pig on the roof! Does that have any special meaning, or is it just for fun?

  9. Thatched animals seem to be making a comeback. All sorts of thatched cottages that were palin in my childhood are sprouting animals and birds now. It is a trend to be encouraged as it makes life more fun. 🙂

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