Sunny Periods

As the early morning sunshine made way for the later gloom I assisted the Head Gardener in some tidying of the garden whilst also

recording the current state of affairs. Along with various views I photographed dahlias, fuchsias, clematises, roses, nicotiana, leaves of Weeping Birch and Virginia creeper, asters, a bee, and begonias. Clicking on any image will access the gallery which provides individual titles and aids enlargement.

Later this afternoon because we were promised sunny periods we went in search of some, finding one bestowing its charms on Ibsley where

an assortment of pigs frenziedly competing for mast rocketed along the leaf-dappled verges and to and fro across the roads grunting, snuffling, occasionally squealing in isolated panic and frantically dashing about, perplexing the be-rugged field horses and amusing visiting drivers.

The forded stream is now reasonably full,

and the surrounding landscapes rich in autumn colour.

A solitary pony at Appleslade sported.a caramel coat.

This evening we dined on succulent roast chicken; crisp Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes, the sweeter variety being softer centred; herby sage and onion stuffing; tender cabbage and firm Brussels sprouts, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Médoc.

80 comments

  1. Beautiful groups of photos. I particularly liked the landscape photos, and the one you have as the header because of the contrast in colors and the composition. The photos of Jackie with the cut flowers are also great. ?
    And those spotted pigs are so cute!

  2. The spotted pig in your first photograph appears to have rings in its snout – or am I seeing things? Your photographs are a delight to look at.

  3. It’s quite a thrill to spot a few Australian natives as I strolled through. By the way, one doesn’t access the clickable gallery unless one goes first to ‘visit site’. It can’t be seen when looking via ‘reader’.
    But I certainly stopped dead when I saw the brown landscapes. As you can imagine it was “The Return of the Native” all over again.

  4. Beautiful flowers! I like the curtain of red Virginia creeper. Ours doesn’t get that red here in North Carolina. A lot of it stays green, with some red and yellow. I enjoyed the dappled pigs in dappled light and leaves.

  5. love your garden, it seem to ramble for miles and miles along pathways…now I see Autumn arriving within it as well.
    as for the porkers, that’s amazing as the other animals that “graze/race” along your byways…

  6. your header photo is an spectacular autumnal landscape, Derrick! it is beautiful! and so are Jackie’s cuttings!
    the porkers are cute 🙂 🙂

  7. The garden is looking absolutely gorgeous. I’ll bet those cut flowers are now looking beautiful in a vase, I might grow some flowers next year just so that I can cut a few and bring the garden inside. I love seeing the pigs too and your supper sounds delicious, so pleased you didn’t have pork chops!

  8. Your photos of the flowers, and the garden, are so beautiful! I love gazing at the colors, the details, the textures…and ’tis fun to spot a bee, or an owl, or a dragon, etc. 🙂
    Love the photo of the horse, in his royal red robe, watching the pigs at play. 🙂 The pigs look snazzy with their “jewelry”! 😉 😀
    Love the layers of color and nature in your landscape photos! Oh, those clouds are impressive! 🙂
    Jackie, your smile is beautiful and it is contagious! You always make me smile! 🙂
    HUGS to you both!!! 🙂

  9. Thanks to your gardening chronicles, I can now appreciate the variance between Fuchsia Garden News and Fuchsia Delta’s Sarah. Jackie looks like the Empress of her crops! The Virginia Creeper is a very colourful manifestation of botanical beauty of Nature.
    Your description of pigs is astute. Together with the pictures, I had no trouble imagining them scooting around and squealing.

  10. Bedankt voor uw lieve gastvrijheid in uw prachtige tuin …
    Maar, die boeren, hè … Zijn ze niet bang voor hun vee? Alles loopt daar maar vrij rond over de autowegen; koeien, paarden, ezeltjes, kippen en varkens en dan moeten ze `s-avonds hun vee zoeken. “We zijn minstens 10 schapen kwijt! Al het vee moet de stal in: er zit omweer in de lucht …” Zoeken, zoeken en zoeken … “De haan is hem gevlogen! Verdomme! Hij moet wel voor kuikens zorgen, Weer een nieuwe haan kopen. De buren vreten de hanen op!”
    Rara Amsterdamse begrijpt er niets van … Nee, maar u heeft mooie hobby’s: fotograferen en tuinieren … Wat wil een mens nog meer. Ik teken ervoor … * http://www.friedabblog.wordpress.com * Amsterdam, 11-10-2020, 15.20 uur …

  11. The views of autumn in your area are very beautiful, Derrick and Jackie. Your flowers look radiant! I always enjoy the scenes from the forest, and it is good to see the pigs again. Life is good!

  12. The dahlias are magnificent. My mother grew them in her garden in damp Prince Rupert on the north coast of Canada and they were always glorious. I guess they thrive in cool, damp weather? I noticed a lot more in Ottawa this year, too, massive things with blooms the size of dinner plates. We had a hot, dry July but a wet August. I wonder if that contributed to their vibrant colour and size?

Leave a Reply