The Race Was On

On this further dully overcast and windy morning we virtually finished the front garden pruning.

I photographed a few hanging baskets in the rest of this area, involving bacopas, lobelias, diascia, begonias, petunias, pelargoniums, and gladiolus. These have all regenerated well after the recent heavy winds.

Here are the bags of woody clippings which we will need to take to the recycling centre. Unfortunately we now have to register our vehicle and make an appointment to dump this material.

On my way through the garden I photographed more views which are each identified in the gallery. The second-flush kniphofia in the last picture is proliferating.

The first apples Jackie picked polished up nicely.

This afternoon we visited Mudeford harbour where, now the area has been left to the locals, I was able to wander across the green and photograph a sailboarder whizzing among moored boats;

gulls, including a preener;

and a low-flying murmuration of starlings for whom the race was on for dropped morsels of food.

As is her wont, Jackie photographed the photographer against the backdrop of his subject.

This evening we dined on lamb chops in mint and rosemary gravy; boiled new potatoes; crunchy carrots and broccoli; and swede and carrot mash, with which Jackie drank Beck’s and I drank more of the Malbec.

71 comments

  1. Perfect sailing weather, small to medium chop, and winds probably somewhere around 15 – 20 mph. Oh how I want to be on water under sails!
    Your garden is re-taking its former shape, Derrick; hard work is paying off.

  2. Looked like a perfect day to go sailing
    The front yard should stay neat for you now that winter is coming, right?
    Um… lamb chops, it’s been a long time. I’m going to have to see what I can find.

  3. Such a great collection of photos today, Derrick. The apples are too pretty to eat. I bet they’re delicious. I must say, there are many men out there who would kill for your head of hair, Derrick!

  4. Dragon, apples, birds, flowers, waves, and Derrick! Oh, my! šŸ˜‰ šŸ˜€
    Wonderful photos! Such great action shots…especially of the birds! And the garden looks lovely after all of you and Jackie’s hard work! šŸ™‚
    Tonight we are fixing salmon and a salad with a million veggies in it…yes, I counted. šŸ˜‰ šŸ˜€
    The gull-preener looks like he/she is checking to see if their deodorant is still working. šŸ˜‰
    HUGS!!! šŸ™‚

  5. I am so glad you are able claim back your area. on my rare brief outings the cyclists have been a nuisance. Two abreast is just not on!

  6. Oh Derrick, your evening meal is almost an exact replica of what enjoy for dinner last night, except I drank a couple of beers, “Coronita’s”

  7. Yay for the regenerating basket flowers, gorgeous apples, and the DRAGON. I must get a dragon for my yard! Until then, I’ll just have to make so with skinks and geckos.

  8. your front yard is ready for the winter! šŸ™‚ those apples look delicious! Jackie did a great job in taking pictures of The Photographer in action! what a perfect day for sailing!

  9. The garden looks shipshape and smart. I wonder why I never noticed that dragon before! Request to Head Gardener: More dragons please! You are being chronicled rather well!

  10. Your opening bird photo is amazing! I never can get good shots of birds in flight. You aced it with this one. And yes.. the apples are great, too, but not as tricky as birds!!!

  11. Your opening photo of the birds in flight give a great sense of the rush to get things accomplished. I LOVE that photo and immediately wished I could fly. My guy just looked at your post here also, and he articulated that same wish.
    Also, we both love lamb chops, but haven’t had them in quite some time (expensive and more difficult to find). But he grills them to perfection, and I place a dollop of mint sauce on top. šŸ™‚

  12. I enjoyed all the photos, Derrick. All looks lovely in the garden. Does Jackie have any advice on begonias? I am rehabilitating two of them that were being thrown away at another place.

    Seems like it was cool and windy on the water there. One of these days I will be able to visit the coast again here.

    1. Assuming they are garden variety, are they fibrous rooted or corms? Don’t over water – that would rot corms. They will bloom in quite a lot of shade. Thanks very much, Lavinia.

  13. Iā€™m intrigued with your garden waste system, the packing and transporting of all those prunings must take a lot of effort. Iā€™m going to hug my big green wheelie bin that the council magically empties in the wee hours.

  14. I often wonder how many hours per day that Jackie–and you–spend gardening. Whew! But lovely results šŸ™‚ I like the begonias. I have exactly one blossom that sits in a decorative watering can on my balcony railing. Not much sunshine in the back…too many trees!

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