Much Neighing In The Woodland

This morning I watched the Channel 4 broadcast of the third day’s play of the second Test match between India and England in Chennai.

Today the temperature was a little warmer than of late; the weather just as gloomy yet less wet. After lunch we took a drive into the forest.

A pair of equestriennes wended their way along a pony track bordering Holmsley Passage.

At the crossroads leading the Passage to Bisterne Close, I clambered with camera among woodland with it’s bright, mossy, roots; lichen-coated branches; reflective pools and puddles on the tarmac.

There was much neighing from ponies on the move in the claggy woodland alongside the Close

which bears its own reflecting winterbourne pool.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s flavoursome chicken tikka, plain parathas, and plentiful fresh salad, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank Agramont Garnacha 2019, a smooth red wine.

72 comments

  1. Hi Derrick – I’m so curious about all the ponies that live free where you are. They seem so gentle – what a wonderful treat to have them around you. I can’t imagine that here – the largest animals we have (that I can see) are deer and an occasional bear (never seen one and prefer not to!). Another wonderful excursion for you.

    1. Thanks very much, Barbara. All the ponies are owned by commoners who have ancient grazing rights, The animals roam free throughout the year. Most are gentle, but they can bite. There is an annual roundup for health checks, branding, and tail clipping.

    2. I grew up where Derrick is now and when I was about thirteen, there was a story of a pony being offered some food by a tourist – what we called a grockle, which may be a Cornish expression. The ‘gentle’ pony of Derrick’s description bared his razor sharp gnashers and went for the man’s hand. Said hand was swiftly withdrawn but the pony didn’t stop and his teeth were embedded in the wing of the man’s car. Now trapped the pony were berserk, understandably and the Ford Cortina suffered such damage as to be undriveable. Probably apocryphal but it worked to stop some tourists offering food to wild animals. Mind you, the only creature I’ve been chased by is a New Forest pig and they are scary!!

      1. Oh my! Yes, although we live in a semi rural area and there are a lot of horseback riders, the horses never roam free. I’ve been up close to horses a few times and their size is intimidating, so I don’t think I’d ever offer a treat to a free-roaming horse. I can’t imagine being chased by a pig – that would be scary indeed! I have been chased by a dog and that’s enough for me.

        1. It was on the golf course t Burley.. Derrick will know where, during the acorn eating season of pannage and was hit on the rump by a low flying three iron. It thought I was the cause!!

  2. Your photographs of reflections are always pleasing. This time I had a close look at the moss-covered toes of the trees … they look like bright woollen socks standing out as they do among the leaves 🙂

  3. Beautiful moss, lichen, and reflecting pools photos, Derrick! 🙂 Especially love how the moss clothes whatever it touches. 🙂
    Always love seeing the ponies! 🙂 They are a bright spot in the gloom. 🙂
    (((HUGS))) 🙂
    PS…”To neigh or not to neigh. That is equestrian.” 😀

  4. You can always tell the readers who’ve never confronted one of those four legged hearth rugs in the flesh. They think they’re cute. Frankly (as you know well) I think they are dangerous at both ends and, to steal a line from an Elbow song ‘only good for glue’! They do photograph well, mind you!!
    As for the cricket…. *shudders…

  5. An enjoyable trek into the winter-wet woodlands! Those trees with their mossy toes reaching for the pools look almost Entish. 🙂 I enjoyed seeing the ponies again, too. Your forest area has a unique magic to it.

  6. A wonderful collection of reflections, moss and ponies. I especially enjoy seeing the ponies in the woods. Thank you for sharing them with us.

  7. Everything with you looks as wet as it does here. I wish Mother Nature would hurry up with that wand she waves for Spring to start. Or perhaps it’s Sucellus, the God of the Gauls, who had a mighty hammer which he banged on the ground and all the plants and trees would start to grow.

  8. So lovely to see these ”green’ pics. It reminds me that Spring is around the corner. Here, the view outside is all white… in fact, it’s snowing right now! As beautiful as this ‘white’ world looks… I’m longing for weather where I can go out for my walks!

Leave a Reply