My Under Gardener tasks this cooler, more cloudy, morning consisted of a little clearing to compost and a lot of rose decapitation.
Among the regular bloomers like the White Winchester Cathedral,
the prolific bright yellow Absolutely Fabulous, and the fulsome Lady Emma Hamilton a number of repeat performers are taking the stage.
Just Joey has risen from
the red carpet that continues to attract bustling bees.
The peachy velvet Schoolgirl graces the arbour
beneath which Gertrude Jekyll stretches from sleep, while
budding Deep Secret is currently keeping us in the dark.
This afternoon we drove to the less touristy east of the forest.
We had been promised a 30% chance of rain today. The nearest we got to that was a distant fall when driving along St Leonards Road.
The skies on the opposite side, across The Solent over the Isle of Wight, had no rain to drop.
The roof of the ancient St Leonard’s granary, which, as explained in https://derrickjknight.com/2016/08/04/salt-marshes/ once served Beaulieu Abbey, glows a rich rusty orange;
a pigeon surveys the scene from a ruined arch bearing similarly hued highlights.
Our mighty oaks do suffer in the heavy winds. Here, one huge limb has recently been wrenched off. The stump in the fourth picture has been a more distant casualty.
Further along a covey of juvenile pheasants were possibly discussing the approaching 1st of October when their shooting season starts.
This evening we dined on a rack of pork ribs in a rich barbecue sauce, mini spring rolls, Jackie’s tasty egg fried rice, and tender green beans, with which the Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden and I drank Trapiche Pure unoaked Argentinian Malbec 2019 – a birthday present from Helen and Bill.
A sneak peek at the rose garden, a socially distant tour in comfortable weather and a lavish dinner – who lives better than you, Derrick?!! ?
No-one, GP. 🙂 Thanks very much.
I thank you for a splendid variety of roses, Derrick. I have literally “Ahhh-ed” and “Ohhh-ed” over every photo.
I love the wide lake vistas dotted with sails, and, of course, the black and white photos of pheasant conference on the topic of upcoming hunting season.
Thank you very much, Dolly. The Solent is the narrow stretch of sea between the Isle of Wight and the mainland.
Sorry about that – I thought it was a lake. Thank you for explanation, Derrick.
How could you be expected to know 🙂
But I have made an assumption, and I don’t usually do that.
your rose garden has the most exquisite collection! and nice captures of pheasants. sorry about the blighted oaks but glad you’re enjoying some nice weather!
Thank you very much, Lola
Oh my! Why are there so many young pheasants together? I’ve never seen such a thing. Beautiful roses, bees, all of it.
I suspect being bred for the shoot. Thanks very much, Luanne.
Oh, those little guys. I want to come there and spring them into the wild :)!
Some will escape the slaughter. Thanks very much, Luanne.
That must’ve been quite a strong wind to have severed the huge limb of the oak tree.
Yes. Sometimes the gusts across the island are 100+ m.p.h. Thanks very much, Rosliene.
poor old pheasants… I wonder of they can get away somewhere quieter?
Thanks a lot, Geoff.
I love the blowsy peach roses, and the young pheasants pondering their fate.
Thank you very much, Sheree
I love the Isle of Wight landscape photos with the sailboats and whitecaps!
Thanks very much, Liz
You’re welcome, Derrick.
Beautiful mix of photographs, Derrick. The roses are looking beautiful.
Thank you very much, Jill.
A beautiful post — of spectacular roses, of the Solent, of broken trees, and of pheasants. I love the shot of the far-away rain storm, and of the broken trees — and of the pheasants too!
Thank you very much for these welcome comments, Janet.
Before flowers and descriptions. I like the sailboats, too. And those pheasants. I hope the find some place to hide come October. Perhaps that’s what they’re discussing.
Maybe they are wondering where they could watch The Great Escape. 🙂 Thanks very much, Merril.
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We have begun to see squashed pheasants on our roads so I hope that your pheasants don’t meet the same fate. The gross overproduction of tame birds to be peppered in the name of sport is an odd reflection on the famous self proclaimed British love of animals.
Your roses are looking well maintained.
Thank you very much for all this, Tootlepedal.
A treat to the eyes… all the pictures are so beautiful… ??
Thank you so much, Maniparna.
Stunning roses. For me they are the best plants.
Yes – me too. Thanks very much, Gary.
That is a gorgeous garden and lovely outing
Thank you very much, More.
Youre welcome
Absolutely Fabulous is appropriately named, and like Liz, I really liked the pictures of the solent, with the sailboats and whitecaps.
Thank you very much, Lisa. We call whitecaps white horses.
I can see how that would come about.
Wow. Those roses. Especially the yellow and tangerine colored ones. Beautiful.
Thank you very much, Judy.
Good luck, pheasants!
They’ll need it. Maybe shoots will be banned because of Corvid. 🙂
One can hope!
Weather makes some things more interesting, like the old granary roof and the arch. Not so good for trees though. I hope the oak will be okay. We are approaching the season for high winds and broken tree limbs here on the Carolina coast. If only the dead limbs would break off, it would be better.
Someone will eventually come along and tidy the tree, sawing up its limbs. Some of those in the forest have very shallow roots and succumb during prolonged raining wind – they just topple over. Thanks very much, JoAnna.
That is a brilliant population of roses. Their special names gives them a unique character. Thinking of pheasants, that is a life-changing fate awaiting them.
It is indeed, Uma. Some do survive. Thanks very much.
I love that peachy velvet Schoolgirl ? Gorgeous!
Thank you very much, Ribana
I had to smile Derrick, with your little piece about a covey of juvenile pheasants discussing the approaching 1st of October when their shooting season starts…..!!
🙂 Thanks very much, Ivor.
WOW! Those roses are so eye-catching 🙂
Thank you very much, Arlene
Love your beautiful roses and their names! 🙂 I just had to look up Just Joey and found this…”Just Joey is an apricot blend hybrid tea rose cultivar, bred by Roger Pawsey and named in honor of his wife, Joey. The plant was introduced into the United Kingdom by Cants of Colchester rose growers in 1972. ‘Just Joey’ was inducted into the Rose Hall of Fame as “World’s Favourite Rose” in 1994.” 🙂
Love the juvenile pheasants photos. Oh, my, on what they are discussing! 😮
Maybe they should wear chicken costumes for the next few months! 😛 HA! 😀
Love the layers of nature, and colours, in your Isle of Wight landscape photos! 🙂
Trees sure go through some harsh times in life….and yet they still strive to thrive! When life throws harshness at us, we should think of the trees and be comforted and encouraged.
(((HUGS))) to you and Jackie! And all of your family! I was thinking of your Mum today! 🙂
Thanks very much, Carolyn, especially for clarifying the sex of Joey, and the chicken costumes idea. 🙂 X
A short life for the pheasants. 🙂
Indeed. Thanks very much, Sherry.
Someday, post-Covid of course, I’m going to pop over and see this infinitely spectacular garden in person! (Did I just invite myself for a garden tour? Ha!)
Sorry to see the oaks being dismembered by the winds. I have a large oak in my yard that is completely and sadly dead. It perished this spring. I fear with the upcoming hurricane it may topple or drop big branches, too. I don’t know about there, but here it takes many weeks, months to get on the schedule for tree work. Especially during hurricane season.
I especially love the bee on the carpet rose photo.
Invitation much welcomed. Thanks very much, Cheryl
Such beautiful roses and a lovely afternoon out. 🙂
Thanks very much, Nikki
The roses are beautiful Derrick and Jackie!
So many pheasants! We’re these juveniles recently released for October, or were they local hatchings? Has Eric the Pheasant been busy? 🙂
Loved your comment about Eric, Lavinia. 🙂 I suspect they have been bred in readiness. Thanks very much from us both.
“Decapitation” sounds so brutal when applied to your beautiful rose heads, Derrick. 😯 I especially love the pigeon on the arch photo. That poor oak does looked somewhat agonised, judging by the face I see in the torn off bit. 🙁 I’m sure those juvenile pheasants aren’t looking forward to October 1st. Your evening feast sounds fit for a king and queen. 🙂
Thank you very much, Sylvia, for all these comments.
Oh these baby pheasants, they are so fun to watch. Fantastic images, Derrick!
Thank you so much, Inese.
All the pictures are beautiful, especially the flowers’. But somehow, I can’t get the pigeon out of my mind. A refreshing post!
Thanks very much, Introverted.
Could that be a phlock of pheasants?
I’m sure it could, Lindsey. 🙂 Thanks very much.
These past months have warped my time sense a bit; I know that. Still, it startled me to see your title. For just a second, I suddenly wasn’t sure what month it was. Surely we couldn’t be in October already! I laughed about that the whole day.
Sorry about that, Linda. 🙂 Thanks a lot.