In Their Element

Although steady rain returned this afternoon, this morning’s weather was bright and sunny, so we, wisely as it turned out, paid attention to the forecast and took a forest drive.

Tanners Lane, down which, as so often, we encountered ponies on our way to the beach has been impossible to negotiate during the tourist season. What with that and Covid we have not visited this for six months or so.

This barrier log is one means residents employ of deterring parking across their entrances or on their verges.

A solitary trio of walkers enjoyed the beach, so close to the Isle of Wight.

The incoming tide whisked foam bubbles which, like outsize frogspawn clusters, clung to floating seaweed binding the moistened rocks.

After having been dry for several months the pool outside St Leonards Grange, thanks to three days of almost continual rain, is now full again, and most of the members of the local equine tribe are back in their element enjoying weed soup, while one

favoured drier fodder on a bank beneath a spreading oak.

This evening we dined at The Lamb Inn at Nomansland, approaching which Jackie photographed me; also her main course of an excellent beef burger and mine of an equally good steak and ale pie with roasted carrots and parsnips. Each was served with a bucket of chips. Our respective desserts were perfect moist chocolate fudge cake and Bakewell tart of similar quality, each with ice cream. My wife drank Carlsberg and I drank Doom Bar.

56 comments

  1. Wonderful photographs, as usual. I particularly like seeing your seaweeds, so different from ours! The horses look very happy with the puddles now dampening their foods!

  2. Seaweed soup? I was thinking more that it might be dessert. 🙂

    I don’t think your garden will need a watering for a couple of days. We could do with a downpour here.

  3. Seaweed soup? I was thinking more that it might be dessert. 🙂

    I don’t think your garden will need a watering for a couple of days. We could do with a downpour here.

  4. Deep in Ponyland, I enjoyed the images of the species I know better, the trio and the photographer crossing the street to Lambs Inn in Nomansland.

  5. You are blessed to live with such with beautiful diversity and the vision to capture it with your camera. I love the reflecting ponies and the bubbly seaweed.

  6. Fantastic photos Derrik, as always. Love the horses just ambling around and the sea pictures with bubbles are excellent.

  7. Love your photo of the little family of three! What precious moments captured on film! 🙂
    Love the motion of the water, the bubbles, and all of the reflection photos! Stunningly beautiful! 🙂
    Jackie: Great photo of Mr. K heading to The Lamb Inn! 🙂 Your meals look and sound yummy yum!!! 🙂
    When it’s raining do the horses and ponies get a break from the flies?!?!
    Like the equine, those times of being in our element are wonderful!!!
    HUGS!!! 🙂

  8. delightful photos as always especially the horses, Derrick! that must be a lot of rain! your burger looks good and the chocolate fudge cake is something i cannot resist! 🙂 🙂

  9. I’m loving the ponies coming back. They certainly now have their choice of food!
    Those chips of yours, we call steak fries, I like them better than the skinny ones. They have more flavor, IMO.

  10. It looks like you had a beautiful day after all the rain. I love the photos of the ponies with reflections (as you might suspect I would). ? Enjoying their weed soup.

  11. I have appreciated both black and whites, especially the flowing outline of the Isle of Wight across the leaden expanse of water and the texture of the dry fodder consumed by the horse. The entire set of reflection photos is fabulous. It looks like you have used your brief respite from the rains in the most enjoyable manner, Derrick.

  12. I loves scenes from the forest drives! Your area looks solidly into autumn. The shore is also beautiful. We have not seen our own coastline, about 2 hrs from here to Newport, since the pandemic hit.

  13. I’m not a fan of French fries either, much prefer chunky chips.

    Those ponies look so content keeping the hedgerows in check.

  14. Your description of your evening meal has made my mouth water and my tummy rumble. ? Beautiful photos of the ponies, especially the reflective ones. That’s quite a deluge you’ve had.

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