Yesterday Jackie put in more work perfecting the Rose Garden clearance. The path leading to the white seat had been weeded by Flo.
When she noticed the bag of recycling material outside our front door ripped open this morning with its contents distributed round the garden, Jackie wondered what had done this. After she cleared it up and stepped out the back the answer became clear.
Badgers had returned. The Waterboy arrangement, the corner pots on the patio edge of the Pond Bed, and the stumpery had been wrecked. Before I photographed the damage The Head Gardener had righted the second two sites although she had missed the ornamental mouse trampled into the patio gravel, and the earth was still strewn across the Brick Path. In the process Jackie had disturbed a wasp’s nest, one resident of which stung her.
Later in the morning Dillon, straight off the plane, arrived with Flo and Becky who had collected him on arrival soon after 7.00 a.m. None of the three had slept during the night, so the young couple went straight to bed and Becky rested on our sofa for a while before setting off back to Southbourne. She later texted to let us know she had arrived home safely.
I scanned 14 of our granddaughter’s colourful drawings before Jackie and I lunched at
The Rising Sun. The allegedly Light Bites we enjoyed were
a Ploughman’s Lunch for me and tuna salad for Mrs Knight.
The photograph of the pub above was taken from the cracked and hoof-pitted-concrete-moulded terrain of Wootton Common opposite.
The extra large photograph albums I ordered for the wedding photographs arrived this morning.
New Forest Cycling Club had gathered by the stream at Wootton Car Park. As we arrived they trooped off down the road
and left the increasingly shallow shingle bed to other visitors.
This evening we dined on Red Chilli’s excellent takeaway fare with which Jackie and Dillon drank Hoegaarden, Flo drank water, and I drank Chassaux Rasteau 2019.
Between the Badger visit and the wasp sting, plus the guests, very appropriate of you to take Mrs
Knight out to lunch. Gorgeous pictures.
Good lad.
Absolutely
Thank you so much, Pat
Between the Badger visit and the wasp sting, plus the guests, very appropriate of you to take Mrs
Knight out to lunch. Gorgeous pictures.
Good lad.
Badgers and wasps – my goodness.
Thanks very much, Jodie
xo
Sorry to see the Badgers had been wrecking your garden Derrick… Thank goodness we only get hedgehogs! š
Great work by the head gardener lol… and just the ticket for a pub lunch…. Looks like everyone on their bikes and in the water were having fun…
Enjoy your week Derrick š
Thank you so much, Sue
A “stream of cyclists” is certaily a lot kinder than my own collective noun for them, ” a roadblock”.
Good one! Thank you for the laughs! š
Thanks a lot, John.
Dillon arrived!!!! YAY!!!! š I’m so glad!!! š
Sorry to hear about the badgers and the wasp sting. š Poor Jackie! š So nice that you two got to have lunch out. š
(((HUGS))) ā¤ļø
PS…a stream of cyclists…is official?! Ha! It made me laugh! š
Thanks very much. I’m pleased you liked the collective noun, Carolyn X
Oh, no, those badgers sure did a lot of damage!
Thanks very much, Liz
You’re welcome, Derrick.
I hope that Jackie is okay after the wasp sting! Great photos as always, and, why would a badger mess with a bag of soil? I would be trapping them and releasing them several miles away.
Thanks a lot, John. The badgers didn’t return last night. Jackie’s arm is swollen and itchy but she is recovering
Sorry Derrick but if you’re not going to have your permit to remain in the Forest revoked, you do need to call the pubs by their correct name. Not the Rising Sun but the Japanese Pub please…
I thought of your Dad’s name for it as I wrote this post. Thanks a lot, Geoff
Naughty Badgers. I don’t think I have ever seen a badger neither in a zoo or in any one of the documentary films I’ve watch. I must google them later after physiotherapy… take my mind of the after affects.
I do hope Jackie is OK after her nasty wasp sting.
We have very few real pubs in Australia, especially with such age and character. We have seen a few on some of the dusty road trips out west. Sydney has a few but always to crowded to enter.
Enjoy your family and I do hope the weather is not so extreme as it has been.
Thanks very much, Chrissy. Cooler now, but no rain this month. I’ve only seen one live badger and was surprised at how fast it could run. Jackie’s arm is swollen and itchy.
Take care with that arm.
A very eventful day. You certainly earned those “light” plouman’s lunches.
Thanks very much, Judy
Those Badgers did leave a mess Derrick ā¦ is there an anti-badger process
We know male urine works, Ivor. Cheers
You had quite a busy day! I hope Jackie is not suffering from the wasp sting.
Quite substantial light bites.
If the water dries up more, what will the group of cyclists be called? ?
Thanks very much, Merril. I had thought Jackie was OK now, but her arm is swollen and itchy. A wadi of cyclists?
Oh, poor Jackie! I hope that doesn’t go on too long.
Good one, Derrick! ?
To be badgered by badgers and stung by a wasp seems most unfair, I hope that the light bite made up for the sting. And how nice to see so many cyclists in one place.
Thank you very much, Tootlepedal.
Good news that Dillon and Flo are reunited. Bad news about the wasp attack and badger vandalism. Hope Jackie is ok. Wasp stings can be brutal.
Thanks very much, Maj. Jackie is OK now
I hope the Jackie and the Waterboy are okay. He looks a bit shaken up.
Thanks very much, JoAnna. Jackie has reassembled the Waterboy, but can’t remember exactly how it was.
Eek! I hope Jackie is okay. Wasp stings are painful. Sorry about the badger. We need a bunch of āNuggetsā to chase him away.
Thanks very much, Jill. Jackie is OK now
There’s only one solution to the mess. You need to badger those badgers until they give up and leave! (And take those wasps with them!)
Thanks very much, Linda. Fortunately we know that the best deterrent is male urine š
It’s only 6:30 a.m. and I’ve already learned something!
š
I am sorry to hear Jackie got stung trying to clean up after the bad boy badgers. Rick and I have each accidentally disturbed wasp nests and got stung working on things around here.
Thank you very much for the solidarity, Lavinia. Nasty little things – and the stumpers has been built for insects š
Glad Dillon could join you! That’s quite a bevy of bikers. And what a pesky badger.
Thank you so much, Laurie
After such excitement, it must have been good to lunch out!
Indeed. Thanks very much, Anne
A wasp sting! Poor Jacky. More work for you both thanks to the pesky badgers. I never realised they visited gardens.
I’m glad Dillon has finally arrived, Florence must be delighted.
Thank you very much, Sue. Florence is glowing
I hope Jackie is okay after that wasp bite!
I still say you should charge admission to the garden. With visitors going through, the badgers might think twice before coming by.
Ugh – bad badgers. With us itās squirrels. And the occasional raccoon. And chipmunks digging holes in lawns. Gotta love nature.
I’m glad Flo is reunited with her husband! I hope Mrs Knight is ok from the wasp sting…Thise badgers are really naughty!
Thanks very much, Ribana. Jackie’s arm is still swollen. But the badgers have not returned. Perhaps the wasps saw them off
Not very nice of those badgers to make such a mess and poor Jackie and her stinging wasp experience. When we lived in Florida, the raccoons would mess up our shrubs and invade our screened-in porch.
Flo and Dillon compared them to racoons, Eugi. Thank you very much
Most welcome, Derrick.
Lunch looks wonderful. The cyclists were off to a great start, it’s wonderful when so many participate.
Thanks very much, Bridget
Hi Derrick, I’ve never seen a badger. I didn’t realise they were so naughty. Does the common look like that because of the heatwave and lack of rain?
Yes, that is the consequence of the weather, Robbie. I’ve only seen one live badger. They are very strong wreckers. Thanks very much
After that lunch you dined in the evening?
A small amount, Andrew. Thanks a lot
Those badgers cause quite the commotion in one night. I hope they won’t be too difficult to chase away.
Male urine does the trick, Annemarie. Thanks very much
Great pictures of the bikers and garden. The food looks scrumptious!
Thanks very much, Dwight
You are welcome!
Do badgers routinely visit and cause damage?
The last time was two or three years ago. They have not been bak this time. Maybe a wasp stung one. Thanks very much, Dolly
You are most welcome, Derrick. Is there any protection from them?
Male urine š
You are serious, aren’t you?
Yes. It works
Amazing.
seeing your garden again, magic – but badgers and wasps not so nice – never seen a badger here in NZ! As for nature on your outing, I suppose you could call cyclists “nature” but you had a great day anyway.
Thank you so much, Catherine
The cyclists and others are enjoying themselves.
Thank you very much, Lakshmi