The Sound Of Tearing Grass

Humid, leaden, weather continued today, although there was no threat of rain. After a dozy morning I attempted to join Jackie in the garden. I bagged up one set of refuse before realising that this was far too optimistic following the night that had just sapped my energy. The Head Gardener finished her planting, then metamorphosed into my Chauffeuse and drove me into the forest.

We began with our photo report on Pilley Lake which the recent rains have filled a little. The second image shows that foxgloves and brambles still fill the foreground;

sections of road barriers suggest recent works of some sort; and the little pool that had been bone dry a couple of weeks ago now reflects Quarry Cottage on the corner.

The Hatchet Moor section of Hatchet Pond was populated by a pair of swans and their cygnets who circled the surface, weaving through the prolific water lily beds. The last of the avian pictures with lilies was produced by Jackie. We were not the only photographers on an outing.

The only sound in evidence on such a still day was the ponies’ teeth tearing at the grass at East Boldre, in an operation so delicate as to refrain from uprooting the sward.

Like the lake at Pilley, many of the ditches are filling up with rainwater which reflects ponies crossing at East Boldre. Unfortunately I missed a shot of the foal leaping, but he did well.

Although not a football fan I did watch the Euro 2020 championship match between England and Germany. It is, after all, mandatory.

This evening we dined on our second helpings of Red Chilli takeaway with which we both drank Kingfisher.

80 comments

    1. Thank you very much Meowscha. The ponies are wild, but owned by commoners who have ancient pasturage rights. They have right of way on the roads of The New Forest. Once a year they are rounded up, rebranded, and given a health check.

      1. That’s so cool. We have some wild horses here in Arizona but you don’t get to see them very often. I’ve seen them twice in my 18 years here.

  1. More wonderful photos, Derrick! I can hear the grass being torn. It’s kind of funny how we say Carryout, and you say Takeaway. Little differences!

  2. your crap night was probably pre match nerves for the Anglo German stressfest… I couldn’t watch so listened while I gardened. Now that we’ve won, my superstitious nature means I will have to garden for the rest of the tournament, at least until we’re knocked out…

    1. Thanks very much, Dolly. Actually the swans are our white ones, whose cygnets are brown until fully grown – hence Hans Andersen’s Ugly Duckling. As far as I know black ones are indigenous to Australia.

  3. I have missed seeing this beautiful blog of gorgeous nature and reading about your adventures. I am still sick with a cold and family emergencies. But I needed to get on wp to find some joy. And your lovely photos do just that.
    So beautiful.

  4. “The Sound of Tearing Grass” is a great title for a blog post! I could also see it as the title of a novel. The photo of the swan couple swimming in tandem is so perfect, one would think they’d posted for it.

  5. Lovely photos, Derrick. I loved the swan family and the close-ups of the munching ponies. I am glad you had a restful day and I hope you don’t have a recurrence of the pressure-headache anytime soon.

    1. Thanks very much, Clare. NHS advice is to take painkillers with you when thunder is in the air. Although I prefer not to use them, for this I will make an exception 🙂

  6. The reflection of the house in the newly-filled swale is delightful. I especially liked the photo of the paired swans. Such symmetry always does delight the eye!

    1. Thank you so much, Linda. Swale is a new word for me, despite having a valley in Yorkshire called Swaledale which gives its name to a breed of sheep 🙂

  7. The fauna of the area is wonderful — I love the swans on the lake, and the “sound of tearing grass” is perfect — the ponies do seem to be munching in unison! Hoping you continue to feel better as the days go forward!

  8. So many wonderful photos in this post! I like the pool reflecting the cottage and the swans and lily pads. And I love the ponies munching grass with the yellow flowers. Great title and focus on the stillness allowing us to imagine he sound of tearing grass. I hope you get good rest and feel refreshed and well.

  9. Beautiful photographs as usual, Derrick. The sound of pony’s teeth tearing delicately at the grass conveys a sense of tranquility and tenderness. It is also symbolic of the fine balance Nature has in its representatives.

  10. That was a lovely forest drive, even on a grey, humid day, Derrick and Jackie. I like the grey horse. The color pattern is what I believe is called a flea-bitten grey, the flea-bitten designation coming from the freckles of color in coat.

    1. We think that is why the horse we saw a while back is called Foxglove. (The field shared with Twinkle became waterlogged so they were moved). Thanks very much, Lavinia.

  11. Good to see, you went for a little drive…and managed to snap some photos.

    Here, I’ve not even stepped out of the driveway as the wind chill and the “polar blast” isn’t done with us just yet! Last night the temps in my fair city were colder than some places in the south where the 0 – 3 temps usually be. It was only 3 degrees Celsius when I finally lifted my head from the pillows this morning/7am. Of course there was a frost and then later the sun came out – and so I put on the washer, some of it got nearly dry. But the temperature still wasn’t nice enough to wander away from the “ranch” – maybe tomorrow.

  12. I wonder if those New Forest swans had 10 or so cygnets early on, and lost most of them, or whether they laid just two eggs. It seems to be different around here, with some pairs having up to 12 cygnets and losing only one or two.

  13. I told you to take it easy!! But I appreciate the effort of getting the pony shots – they’re all terrific!!

  14. I am glad you were able to get out after you and Jackie have laboured for so long in the garden – we have all benefited from your lens!

  15. On I do love seeIng the ponies, they look very well.

    I say Takeaway too, but I have a friend who always says it’s our Takeout Night. It sounds as though she’s about to take out the bins!

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