This morning I almost completed my draft of tomorrow’s scheduled post.
This afternoon Jackie drove me to Rans Wood where I walked for 35 minutes. The wood lies at the end of Furzey Lodge which is a continuation of Furzey Lane near Beaulieu.
First we needed to negotiate our way through the narrow lodge lane which was blocked by a group of self-appointed equine guardians including a foal.
Passing a landscape viewed from the entrance to the car park I reproduced a number of woodland scenes.
Watching cyclists struggling up the slope I descended gave me an idea of the effort I would require on the ascent, but in the event it wasn’t too arduous.
Some bicyclists paused to chat with walkers, as did
this mother forced to carry her daughter’s stick. I told her I had only yesterday been debating (with Jackie) whether or not it was only boys who needed sticks with which to bash and poke things. Apparently not.
Other pedestrians caught my eye along the way;
it was the gleeful sounds of children which led me to one friendly family group with whom I chatted before they set off back up the path.
A dry ditch runs alongside the slope. Without this diversion I would not have seen the dregs of the stream that it would no doubt feed in wetter periods.
In addition to those happy cries, subdued chirping of birds, the faint thuds of early acorns thumping the turf, and the gentle soughing of the wind in the trees produced a potential symphony requiring a more competent musician than I to compose.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s spicy pasta arrabbiata with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Montepulciano.
The B&W’s of the trees are really interesting, with a touch of creepy in some. Oh yes, girls often need sticks!
Thank you so m much, Maj.
Derrick, you post texts are poetical every day – how do you do that?
My favorite woodland image is the archway created by the foliage.
Thank you very much, GP. I like that one, too. I suppose I am conscious of how the words will sound.
I agree with you, GP. Derrick has a gift with word painting!
Thank you so much, Yvonne
I see that I am not the only one admiring your black and white photos, Derrick. They are especially riveting today, interspersed with the colored ones.
Thanks very much, Dolly. Most encouraging.
My pleasure, Derrick.
What a wonderful walk — I would really enjoy wandering through that forest!
I’m sure, Janet. Thanks very much.
While I always enjoy your photographs, I particularly like the leaves caught in a spider web. I am also pleased that you managed to complete a fairly lengthy walk in such a beautiful and cheerful environment.
Thank you so much, Anne.
That was a successful outing Derrick! I also find on many days, the enjoyment of a longish walk is enhanced by the cheerful meetings and greetings of fellow wanderers. Not so yesterday when our outing was accompanied by a violent nor’wester that almost blew myself and dog over the edge of the cliff. That was exhilarating!
I’ll bet it was, Pauline. 🙂 Thanks very much.
Ooh please be careful Pauline!!
I was Jackie – I allowed myself to be blown back to the car and set off for home 😀
Jackie laughs and says “Jolly good”
Darn tootin’! Sounds like a lovely outing.
Thanks a lot, Laurie. That’s a new expression for me. 🙂
Lots of beautiful pictures.
Thanks very much, Mrs W.
Your welcome.
Loving those moody monochrome shots
Thanks very much, Sheree
‘soughing’… lovely word – very lyrical
Thanks very much, Geoff. I’m pleased.
Some very atmospheric pictures Derrick, very nice. Thanks for taking us on an interesting venture.
And thank you very much, Agnes
As a child, this girl lived over the road from woodland, it was our playground all of us in our little gang, boys and girls managed to find and carry sticks.
I was in the car park when this little girl arrived with her stick, she was worried that her stick would not fit in the family’s little car, and asked her parents what could they do if her stick was too long? I think I could guess the answer to that!
Love how everything must be taken home! Thank you, Jackie.
Jackie was pleased when I read this to her – she added “where they will instantly forget about it and you are stuck with this thing”.
Outside the back door!
🙂
They would let one end stick out of a window!
🙂
A splendid playground. We had to go a little further for our woodland but lived within walking distance of Wimbledon Common. Thanks very much, Sue.
We moved when I was right, but my brother and I soon found another woodland just five minutes away. Thank you, Derrick
I hope that the little girl put the stick down before she started cycling again. Cycling with a stick in your hand is a recipe for disaster.
See Jackie’s comment, Tootlepedal. Thanks a lot.
I was clicking through your photos from the woodlands scenes Derrick, and I was fascinated by your intriguing photo of ‘Leaves caught in web’….
I’m pleased by your response to that photo – I adjusted my position to catch the light to its best effect. Thanks very much, Ivor.
My pleasure Derrick, it definitely caught my eye
The highlight of today’s post is this sentence: “I told her I had only yesterday been debating (with Jackie) whether or not it was only boys who needed sticks with which to bash and poke things.” A delightful turn of phrase!
I laughed at that too, Liz! 🙂
🙂
🙂
I’m pleased, Liz. Thank you very much.
You covered a lot of territory today, Derrick. I laughed about the stick poking! I’m curious about Jackie’s dish pasta arrabbiata…I bet it’s yummy.
It is – a favourite meal. Thanks very much, Jill
I can see why.
The pasta sauce has chillies in it, basically beef tomatoes and chillies a sort of spicy bolognese.
Sounds delicious…thanks, Jackie.
It must be so peaceful and fun to go out and see the beautiful nature scenery.
Nice photos Derrick. Hope you and Jackie are well.
See? Girls can have stick-to-it-tiveness as much as boys! Delightful post, Derrick. It’s especially pleasing to see parents and children out together.
I’m pleased you liked it, Linda. Thanks very much.
The wood looks hypnotic as ever. Some of those tree portraits and the cobwebbed trunks are fantastic, sending me down the memory lane when each weird looking tree invited me to clamber over itself and my escapades were recorded on my trousers in no uncertain terms by irremovale scripts of the cobwebs. No wonder the folks are drawn to the woods for rest and relaxation.
As for girls also needing sticks, I can assure with a certain confidence that they do!
Thanks very much, Uma. My mother made my first pair of long trousers and I ripped them climbing a tree on the first day. As or the sticks – that was my view, too 🙂
I still like sticks and have a collection, though they are more like staffs. I don’t usually bash things, though recently I got very mad and bashed some big sticks with other sticks. I had forgotten that. But I now remember that I hurt my arms. Most of my sticks are for walking. Those are nice looking ponies and woodlands. And I really like the web with leaves.
Thank you so much, JoAnna. I like to prompt memories
I enjoyed the photos from your day, Derrick and Jackie! I can see hints of leaves yellowing in the trees there. Along with falling acorns, a sure sign autumn is not far off now.
Thank you very much from us both, Lavinia
Beautiful photos, Derrick!
As a girl, I was a tomboy…keeping up with my three brothers…often outshining them. 😉
(My four sisters were girly-girls, not me. 🙂 )
Sticks, yes.
Rocks, yes…often in my pants pockets.
But the girly side of me had to sit and enjoy the wildflowers for a bit while my brothers trudged on ahead. Then I’d run to catch up.
(((HUGS))) 🙂
Nicely rounded, Carolyn X Thanks very much
And, a lovely pasta dish with a nice wine to end another good day of rambling.
Thanks very much, Yvonne
I like to collect sticks. I have a box of them in the shed. It keeps me out of mischief…
https://apetcher.wordpress.com/2012/12/16/another-driftwood-boat/#jp-carousel-12119
Marvellous, Andrew. Thanks very much.
what a lovely walk, Derrick. you took beautiful photos especially the b/w ones. pasta arrabbiata sounds delicious!
Thank you very much, Lola
Wonderful captures and the vertical tree shot is great.
Thanks very much, Rupali
Girls definitely need sticks, too–though my girls would probably have collected them, named them, and made them into the stick family. 😏 Your photos are beautiful, but so is your prose. I was struck by your penultimate paragraph.
Thank you so much, Merril. I really appreciate your opinion
A good walkabout and pictures to show us–a pretty area.
Funny about sticks–my husband has an absolute addiction to them, picks them up all the time. He owns a couple of very nice staffs but no, it has to be yet another stick! Could write a whole post about his collections…
Well, there you go, Cynthia…. 🙂
Nature’s symphonies are usually the best. I find the black and white photography quite dramatic. The lack of colour adds a lot of intensity to the landscapes.
Many thanks, Geetha
Welcome Derrick