“I Wouldn’t Start From Here”

Early this morning I read in the car while Jackie bought vegetables at Ferndene Farm Shop and birthday presents for Ivy at New Milton. We then drove on to Burley where I settled on a bench to watch the world go by. My sojourn was to be brief.

As I left the car park I noticed that a decaying stump I had last photographed Before Covid had been servicing the ecology of the site.

I walked through The Queen’s Head car park where I attracted a foal which tagged me into the roadway where I had difficulty shifting it.

Its parents slept in charge of the infant as they sought refuge against the pub walls.

A group of cyclists, amused at my unwanted attendant passed another pony on the road.

Others wandered along the High Street of Burley as, lens at the ready, I stationed myself on an unoccupied bench.

Soon, 87 year old Sylvia joined me and asked us – Jackie had joined me by then – whether we knew where the bus went to from here. Resisting one of the jokes about “I wouldn’t start from here”, we learned that she wanted to go to New Milton and had boarded a bus to an unknown destination which turned out to have been here. She had been hoping to arrive at the New Milton Tesco’s from her home at Highcliffe. Given that we lived a mile from there we had no choice but to cut short my people watching and transport her there. Which we did.

I was to become relieved that my photography session had been so brief, because I spent six hours this afternoon carrying out a first cull of the photographs Jackie and I produced between us, when I cut the numbers from 300+ to 207. I barely had the energy then to start on the Burley set.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s wholesome sausages in red wine, boiled potatoes, firm carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I started on a bottle of Patrick Chodot 2019 that Flo, knowing it was a favourite, had given me for my birthday.

62 comments

  1. Culling photographs is a difficult task – especially ones featuring such a special occasion as a wedding! Good luck with that and I hope you don’t get too cross-eyed. I always enjoy your street scenes.

  2. Good people watching pictures. Your new admirer has wonderful legs and look like she strutting on the catwalk. Good luck with the wedding pictures.

  3. I love the shot of the foal, and I was amused by your people watching photos (that hand out the window is so funny). Good luck with the photo culling.

  4. I’d say you had plenty of opportunity for people-watching! The ponies in the first photo of eleven looked as though they were marching in a parade that no one told them had been cancelled.

    1. Yes. Fortunately Jackie and I took some similar pictures and my next cull will be to select the best regardless of the photographer. Thanks very much, Tootlepedal

  5. I enjoyed your people watching even though it was cut short. Although culling photos takes a lot of time, I’ve belatedly found that it’s best do it regularly rather leaving it until the job is too big.

  6. How nice that you helped Sylvia!
    Your people-watchin’-photos are so great!
    Wowza on those finger nails! 😮
    Your foal with shadow photo is so sweet!
    (((HUGS))) 🙂

  7. I enjoy people watching and taking the odd photo when I think the subject isn’t aware.
    Sorting through images is such an arduous task, it’s those final decisions that take the time.

  8. It seems a different kind of day, but I still got my ponies – thanks, Derrick!
    Jackie, how do you fix those sausages? pan fry?

  9. You have my sympathy re: the photo culling. As I mentioned in my comment to you on my blog, I’m having to devote who knows how much time — days, no doubt — to transferring photos from my previous server to WordPress. It’s a slow process, but one that needs to be completed sooner rather than later.

    I hadn’t realized how hot it was over there just now until I read about it on a news site I follow. Staying inside for any reason seems a good idea.

  10. Must have been a little nerve-wracking to be followed by that foal. I suppose it must be somewhat savy about vehicles, but still. Nice of you to give that woman a ride.

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