“I’ll Have A Copy Of That”

Despite yesterday’s rain the Head Gardener drove to Otter Nurseries clutching vouchers for special offers of seven different items. One of these was for 10 fifty litre bags of compost. The helpful staff had stuffed these all into the Modus. Unfortunately they did not offer to unload them at this end. That was my task this morning. I piled them up beside the shed, then staggered inside for a sit down.

Today had dawned as dry, bright, and sunny as yesterday was wet and dreary.

Jackie entered the garden in order to photograph Eric the pheasant. He immediately scarpered, so she cast her camera lens onto the plants.

These cranesbill geranium leaves bear a slight dusting of last night’s light frost.

 

One of Eric’s little games is to decapitate daffodils. He missed those in these three pictures.

Fallen camellia blooms enhance the third composition. Others remain on the shrubs.

 

 

New clematis shoots cling to the weathered iron gazebo, preparing to supersede

winter-flowering Cirrhosa Freckles;

These blue pansies will soon be supplanted by their pot-sharing tulips.

Pink hyacinths,

magenta cyclamens.

two-tone comfrey,

and cream hellebores brighten beds.

Spring is the season for nest-building and incubating eggs. It is prime poaching period for predatory magpies.

On the lookout for potential prey one of these plumed pests perches atop a blighted oak on the other side of Christchurch Road.

Later this afternoon Jackie drove us into the forest.

On Shirley Holms Shetland ponies grazed in the soggy landscape

which was waterlogged in parts, a number of reflective pools having been recently created

on the wooded side, the drier sections of which were littered by fallen branches,

beech nuts,

and their leaves.

On my way back to the car I photographed an equestrienne approaching us.

As she drew near she smilingly exclaimed “I’ll have a copy of that”.

“What’s your address?” I enquired.

“I’ll take it off your blog” she replied. It was only then that I realised that the beaming face beneath the unfamiliar helmet was that of Anne of Kitchen Makers.

So I felt the need to produce a close-up of her astride her splendid steed.

Beside Church Lane at Boldre lay a recently uprooted tree in a field occupied by

horses wearing rugs to protect them from the overnight temperatures currently slipping below freezing.

Daffodils surrounded the Church of St John the Baptist, in the graveyard of which

a photographer shepherded his subjects.

A gaggle of geese now occupied Pilley lake;

Hatchet Heath harbours more than its normal quota of ponds;

and swans smoothly glide on the slopes of East Boldre.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s juicy chicken jalfrezi and savoury rice with plain parathas accompanied by Hoegaarden in the case of the Culinary Queen and the last of the Cabernet Sauvignon in mine.

 

 

 

 

81 comments

  1. I’m reading this in the reader as you suggested it works for the ‘like’ ability. Now if I could just access all the comments and replies that have been unavailable to me for the past few days on my own home page life would indeed be back to normal! Thanks for your suggestion πŸ™‚ I just have to say I’m rather fond of Eric – naughty as he is – it seems he has particular preferences for how the garden should look and doesn’t hesitate to share those preferences. I hope Nugget and his missus are doing just as well as Eric is. I’ve probably missed some updates.

  2. Enjoyed the photos and the sprouting clematis is like hope
    – I also have a hyacinth (one) in bloom – it was in a pot last spring with spent daffodils and misc – end of season clearance and so I put all of them in the ground – only the hyacinth survived as of now

  3. I love the story of “I’ll have a copy of that”! My favorite of this group of photos was the peach and white daffodil–until I came to the predatory magpie.

  4. Removing all those compost bags from the car was a rather extreme work-out, Derrick! I loved seeing the horse well-wrapped in its rugs and all the spring flowers in your garden and on your travels.

  5. How nice to meet an appreciative reader. Your picture convey the dampness of the recent weather very well and Jackie has done the garden justice.

    1. Thank you Mr T! not my intention to do the garden but the pheasant was not cooperating.

  6. It looks like Spring is busy pushing Old Man Winter further north. Still bit cold, but so beautiful as the season turns!

    So Eric likes daffodils? πŸ™‚

  7. What an abundance of beautiful photos! I especially like the daffodils at the church and the splendid steed shot. That was al lot of unloading you did. Sounds like a job to do a little at a time in between rests.

  8. What a wonderful day! And you captured it beautifully in your photos! πŸ™‚
    The photos of the church are lovely!
    Eric eats daffodils?!? Oh, my! πŸ™‚ I guess the Guardian Owl doesn’t intimidate him!
    How wonderful to take a photo of a friend and share it with her!
    HUGS!!! πŸ™‚

  9. Pheasants are not known for their brains, and if Eric has a lot of white in his plumage, that is a sign of in-breeding, which adds an extra level of stupidity. My guess, therefore, is that he thinks that your daffodils are rivals who have ventured onto his territory.

  10. Miss Anne will be quite pleased with her portrait picture, Derrick!! You certainly did a fine job!!
    You and Jackie certainly know how to fill a day and I’m thankful you take us all along for the ride!

  11. So beautiful when you see the first blossom after winter.
    And the photo of the daffodils and the Church of St John the Baptist is really great. An excellent composition.

  12. I’m sure you were pleased to get out and about after the rain. I hope your friend is pleased with her portrait–her horse is beautiful. I particularly liked the graveyard shot with the weathered church in the background, but there were so many beautiful photos!

  13. What a fun story about the horse and rider! And, yes, beautiful horse. Also, the bench with the flowers is a keeper. Also really liked the daffodils and the church. You outdid yourself with this post’s photos.

  14. You must be so looking forward to the tulips. Do you know what colour they are? Love the freckly Cirrhosa. So pretty. Anne’s steed is really magnificent. How fortuitous that she happened to cross your path. πŸ™‚

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