Pony Tracks

On another dank day I worked in the morning on one of Jackie’s treasures.

This tiny 5cm x 7cm print of Flo as a baby was made by Becky in about 1997. It seemed in need of a certain amount of refurbishment.

I scanned it,

freshened it up a bit, and made a print of 5in x 7in. The original remains displayed on its stand. Our granddaughter is grasping “Wat”, a toy rat given by Alda.

Had it really been a late afternoon in autumn when we took a drive into the forest the light would have been so much brighter that the oppressive leaden gloom we experienced.

I disembarked from just outside Burley where I communed with

three ponies as they wandered backwards and forwards across the road and into the landscape, rich in heather and gorse. Already the bracken was acquiring tints of burnished gold normally associated with September. Cattle were also to be seen in the murky distance. I found the ponies’ well- trodden tracks quite helpful as I traversed the lumpy terrain.

A little nearer the village we passed a mare and foal foraging on the verge. Naturally Jackie parked where she could and I walked back with my camera.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s spicy lamb jalfrezi and tasty savoury rice with which she drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Saint Emilion. I was also treated to what we must now call the Culinary Queen’s chilli bhaji, the purpose of which is to perk up my portion. The rice was fried in the same oil as had been the bhaji. For Jackie this was unfortunate – not so for me.

89 comments

  1. Amazing improvement to the old photo Derrick! Sorry summer seems to have deserted you. I’m sure it’ll be back.

  2. Beautiful photo! So glad you were able to touch it up.

    One of my brothers has been scanning early photos of ancestors and their siblings to share with the extended family. For a few relatives, the digital versions are absolute treasures because their own were lost to the elements and accidents.

    1. Thanks very much, Jean. That is one of the great pleasures of the technology we now have. I have scanned thousands of slides, negatives, and old prints.

  3. It is wonderful that you can rescue the old photos – especially the ‘freshening up’ bit. Lovely ponies. It’s stopped raining here today – well, so far at least.

  4. Wow! Wow! Wow! You gave beautiful new life to that sweet photo! A treasure, indeed! πŸ™‚

    Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Your equine photos are wonderful!

    And, Oh, Oh, Oh…at precious foal! πŸ™‚

    Pony tracks look like THE place to be to capture photos of the beautiful and serene flora and fauna. (I spotted the cows moo-ving in the murky distance! πŸ™‚ )

    So, by frying the rice in the same oil, it made the rice spicy?!?
    I’ve never fried rice…I’ll have to try that. I’ve boiled it, wok-ed it, steamed it, used a rice cooker, etc. πŸ™‚
    Oh, is “frying” it just wok-king it?

    (((HUGS))) <3 πŸ™‚
    PS…I love that the stuffed animal rat was called "Wat". πŸ˜€

  5. Great work on the old photo. Is “Wat” still around in someone’s remembrances? The photo gallery named “Ponies in Landscape” caught my eye. The right hand pony has a very odd coloration pattern: Looks like it stuck its head into a bucket of brown color. Coupled with the jet black mane, tail and leggings this is a very interesting look.

  6. It is rare when we have better weather than you so I send you modified sympathy for your poor weather today. I liked the heather and gorse shot very much among the usual excellent animal studies.

  7. great job on the old photo, Derrick! fantastic shots on those beautiful ponies. they seem to be friendly and some are not camera shy at all. πŸ™‚

  8. I am continuously enthralled by the ‘left to nature’ look of the place. Too often people are tempted to improve on nature.

  9. Your last few photos of the mare and foal, beautifully summed up your lovely post Derrick…”nature, nurture, heaven and home”…..

  10. That’s a great restoration job. I reckon the β€˜oppressive leaden gloom’ wouldn’t dampen the spirits of the ponies. That last mare has a fascinating biological livery.

  11. When a work is done like that, and more so in photographs because at times it all starts feeling overwhelming; details and corrections here and there, you must have felt complete once it had completed. Beautiful photographs.

  12. It’s great you can refresh the old photos. Great photos of the ponies– I love that little foal–but the heather and gorse are lovely, too.
    The spicy rice sounds delicious. ?

  13. The baby photo came out great ! Can I ask what App or Photo software you incorporate in these projects? Our weather seems to be mirroring yours. We continue to have epic rains, punctuated by 1 or 2 sunny days before the rain returns again. The silver lining being that forest fires, usually scoraging the north, are well at hand so far. Your drives are like being on Pony Safari, ha! I’m still wrapping my head around how they just wander. If I were a pony, I’d like to live there too.

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