Rippling Reflections

Dark, brooding, precipitating skies were occasionally brightened today by suddenly, briefly, escaping sunshine. The opposite was also true, on the trip we took into a waterlogged forest after purchasing three bags of compost at Ferndene Farm Shop.

I left the car when Jackie parked on the verge of the Thorney Hill end of Burley Road. My intention was to take a shot from the top of the hill of the waterlogged landscape stretching out below. A pair of siren mallards called me from a winterbourne lake some way down. Before I reached them the ducks had disappeared; dark indigo clouds loured overhead; pattering raindrops washed my hair; my woollen jacket took on the aroma of wet sheep; and I craved automatic wipers for my blurry specs.

As Magnus Magnusson on TV’s ‘Mastermind’ would have said, I thought, “I’ve started so I’ll finish”. I was wet, anyway. I failed to photograph the downhill expanse, but

I did capture raindrops sending ripples over the surface of the downhill running streams and the reflective pools that had been created by the recent days’ and last night’s storms. The forest fauna, more sensible than I, kept well under cover somewhere.

This afternoon Jackie planted a vast number of seedlings into nursery pots in the greenhouse and together we carried the

rusted Ace Reclaim bench to the concrete patio where it will provide a platform for larger planters.

This evening we dined on tangy lemon chicken; moist chilli-spiced ratatouille; tender green beans; and boiled new potatoes, with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Recital.

68 comments

  1. my hero.. out in the downpour so we could appreciate the wet soggy landscape.. bravo.. loved the pictures..had a giggle at the comment about trying to see when its raining on one’s glasses.. thank goodness I don’t have to deal with that anymore.. your supper sounds delish!

  2. I’m enjoying a “Light and Stormy” (Ginger beer, Bacardi, and lime) as I catch up on your adventures. Broom (aka gorse?) in the photos – is so cheerful. Memories of Vancouver Island childhood.

  3. Your header shot is lovely.
    All that wet – let’s hope the weather remembers it is May soon, and let’s the sun return!
    What a great idea wipers on specs would be – especially when wearing a mask and they get all fogged up!

  4. Our weather is just like yours today, except we don’t have any breaks of sunshine. I’d hoped to be out and about with my camera today, but I won’t take it out in ‘real’ rain. A little drizzle is one thing, but we’re getting the beginning of a week’s worth of showers and thunderstorms. No work, AND no camera-wandering? I may have to clean house!

    1. Mary Tang, a blogger who can’t physically do it any more, once sent Jackie a mug captioned “Gardening forever – Housework whenever”. Commiserations, Linda

  5. You’d have thought Hampshire would drain better, seeing as it’s right on the edge. I’m amazed by how much water you have laying about. It looks quite hazardous in places.

  6. I hope you didn’t catch a chill out in all that rain today. What rain you must have had recently! The photos are very atmospheric and so strange being totally void of animals!

  7. It all looks very wet, at least to a person like me who lives in a semi-arid climate! We actually have had drizzle most of today, which will help the grasses grow — they’ll then dry out and lead to more fires. We began fire season over the weekend, with a 1000 acre fire that can’t be fought with water drops because of a low inversion layer! Fire season has truly begun here!

  8. Our intrepid photographer risks life and limb to bring us delightful photographs of the results of many precipitating skies. The reflections are lovely and your pictures bring home to me fresh damp smells and deep breaths of newly washed air. Sheer bliss!

  9. Hi D – that rusty bench will make a great planter base – good idea and nice recycle
    also – like that Mastermind line ““I’ve started so I’ll finish”

  10. That is what one might call ‘damp’.

    You sound like a concert pianist with your last phrase: ” I finished the Recital”.

  11. Your Yorkshire comment made me smile.

    Those damp images are beautiful, I’m sorry you managed to get wet but I think it was worth it.

    At the moment my little patch of Yorkshire is dry albeit wet underfoot, but according to the forecast heavy rain is expected. Dark clouds are looming and I plan to leave the house very soon before the downpour begins,

    it would have been Graham’s 76th birthday today, so a cemetery visit is called for, and although it would be atmospheric I think I’d rather visit before the heavens open!

  12. That landscape must be holding back a few million gallons of water. I love that garden seat, incidentally, it looks really old.

  13. You know how to make even a rainy-gloomy-sky day look beautiful! Wonderful photos! And I can hear the symphony of the rain in concert with the rippling-water! 🙂
    (((HUGS))) 🙂

  14. The header photo is a classic. That must have been a very satisfying outing. The watery landscapes are all very pleasing to behold.

  15. Such a wonderfully descriptive narrative, Derrick. Love all of your photos too. That rusty bench will soon spring to life with lots of colourful blooms, I’m sure.

  16. I enjoyed the photos! Rainy days have their own special beauty. It is mostly cloudy here today while the aerial wanderers contemplate raining on us. It is much needed here.

  17. “Siren mallards” made me laugh. I’m glad they led you to being drenched and not dashed on the rocks–and those waterlogged reflections are beautiful.

  18. These are beautiful photos. The shots that most people wouldn’t bother to take. I’m glad you did. Sometimes I think the gloomy days produce the best photos.

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