Clamouring For His Close-up

When I began my perambulation round the garden this morning Jackie observed that I was photographing similar subjects to her. She had taken her walk even earlier.

We therefore each produced a gallery in changing light.

This is Jackie’s set. The galleried images each bear identifying titles, some with further descriptions. Click on any image to access them. Each may be viewed full size by clicking on the boxes beneath them. Further enlargement may then be achieved.

Here are my offerings. Please don’t miss what I think is a meadow brown butterfly – see Tootlepedal’s comment below – it’s a Small Heath.

Our HSL chairs were delivered today. We are both more comfortable and, for the first time in my life I have a high enough seat, enabling me once more, post surgery, to rise without the use of my arms.

Afterwards, Jackie carried out more weeding and planting; I cleared refuse to the compost,

and Nugget clamoured for his close-up.

This evening we dined on Tesco finest Pesto & Parmigiano reggiano breaded chicken perfectly heated by the Culinary Queen who served it with buttered Jersey Royal potatoes; roasted chestnut mushrooms; firm flavoursome carrots; and tender runner beans, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Cotes du Rhone.

99 comments

  1. Nugget is going grey! But he’s still so handsome 🙂 A perfectly captured shot of the butterfly Derrick – she too was posing for her closeup. And the garden looks just amazing – not a corner left untended!

  2. Some great shots of Nugget – no problem finding him in these. He seems to be wearing a lacy shawl in the last. My favourite flower combination today is the erigeron and the verbena bonariensis. And the borage…! What a wonderfully curious flower that is.

  3. Congratulation on the new chairs, Derrick! I laughed at Pauline’s comment about nugget going gray. That photograph is fantastic! That would make a great jigsaw puzzle.

  4. Here, looking out of my window, dawn is sliding through, and the morning light is grey. I’m appreciating appreciating your bright and colourful photos Derrick….

  5. I was going to go with the dalias (yours and Jackie’s) as my favorites, until I saw the Meadow Brown butterfly on verbena bonarensis. It’s good to see Mr. Nugget in fine fettle in his close-ups.

  6. I do love those photos of Nugget, but I especially liked the Meadow Brown’s photo. That’s a different kind of verbena; I don’t think we have it. I’ll have to do a search. The sheer variety in your garden’s overwhelming; what a pleasure it must be!

  7. You have both gleaned the riches of what is rightly termed as the golden light in photographic parlance. The changing light has given depth to the photographs in full focus. Those shot in close focus have very pleasing bokeh.

  8. I very much enjoyed the rick textures in these photos, especially the Allium Mood Dance seed heads, the fennel, and expressive Nugget. He looks so intelligent.

  9. A beautiful set of photos from both of you, Derrick and Jackie! Such a lovely garden space, and of course little Nugget! I hope he is getting enough worms for himself these days. How is Nugget Jr.?

  10. Absolutely lovely. I loved the closeups of Nugget too.

    New chairs and high seats! Sounds perfect. I swear my sofas are getting lower!

  11. Meadow Browns are becoming very rare as far as i know. Something to do with the excessive flooding of agricultural land in recent years apparently. The excess water drowns the caterpillars and /or chrysalises.

  12. OH! We had a gloomy rainy day…we needed the rain…but, so lovely to see the light and colours in your garden! Thank you, Jackie and Derrick! 🙂
    So very good to see Mr. Nugget! When you see him again, give him our love! <3
    YAY for the new chairs! Wonderful! 🙂
    Nice to see Florence and some owls…and keeping watch in the garden. 🙂
    (((HUGS))) 🙂

  13. Congratulations on the comfy new chairs. 😀 … when we used to visit the rellies (before Covid-19) I had them well-trained never to offer me a seat wherein my bum ended up closer to the floor than my knees. 🙂
    Nugget is looking rather dashing, in a going-grey-around-the-temples-distinguished-gentleman, kind of way. 🙂

  14. What stunning photography! Your garden is so captivating. Touring it with you is a perfect way to end a very full July 4th here in Montana. And your Nugget is quite the character, isn’t he? Seems he loves being photographed. I love seeing him! Thanks, Derrick & Jackie. <3 Have a peaceful Sunday. <3

  15. Magnificent garden gallery by you two. You must spend hours pruning and preening it. Well, bravo! I also enjoyed your little Nugget. I don’t think we have anything Nuggets here. At first I thought it was a tiny Robin. I had a Robin near by for weeks and he’d sing his heart out every morning and evening. The perfect start to my day, but he/she seems to have relocated or found a less rainy locale. We’ve had just an obscene amount of rain here as of late. Good for gardens I suppose but not to much for golfers, ha! Cheers xK

    1. Thank you very much, Kelly. Nugget is a robin – much smaller than yours, and known here as the gardener’s friend. Strangely enough for us, we haven’t really had enough rain. X

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