Still Confined To The Passenger Seat

As we sat in a queue at the Brockenhurst level crossing this morning I photographed the dry grasses alongside.

We were on our way to Streets, the shop which has everything. Jackie took this location photograph, whilst I

focussed on the windows when we parked outside it.

My more able bodied Chauffeuse also photographed the fungus decorating the oak tree shown above because that required a disembarkation.

Jackie was able to buy wasp foam and wasp powder; and surgical spirit, which may flummox our American readers as it did most of the staff of Streets until one said “isn’t that what they call rubbing alcohol?” “Yes”, replied Jackie who had begun by Googling “rubbing alcohol”, which had been what Dillon had requested.

Our now sparse open tracts of land, normally occupied by grazing ponies, are left empty, except for this one on the edge of Beachern Wood which hosts

just one mare and foal perhaps taking a chance on being able later to

squeeze among the others already clustered for shelter among the trees.

Others, like these in The Coppice at Brockenhurst, find individual shade.

Beside Beachern Wood ancient banks of high hedgerows enjoy diffused light.

On our way towards Wilverley a determined troop of ponies advanced, perhaps in search of their own refuge.

This afternoon I read another couple of chapters of Naipaul.

We dined this evening on Jackie’s well-filled beef pie; crisp fried potatoes; firm carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli, with meaty gravy. The Culinary Queen drank Hoegarden; I drank more of the Bordeaux; Flo and Dillon drank water.

62 comments

  1. I really feel for the ponies. We are enjoying a rare taste of September
    Days of wine and butterflies
    Hope you are on the mend soon. Great pictures. Glad Jackie is doing well.

  2. Having experienced such a drought for well over six years, I empathize completely with the situation you are currently experiencing.

  3. I wondered at first if you were an American but when I saw the landscape with grilled meadow , I understood quicly this drought told me you were below an European climate, in England , in the ponies land !
    My oldest daughter Carole owns 7 horses . recently she sent to me a photo o f some of her horses . They pulled the dry grass from the pasture . This next winter will be hard .
    What confirmed me, Derrick, you are an English man is you love the wine of Bordeaux ! 🙂
    In friendship
    Michel

  4. “surgical spirit” Oh, Derrick, thanks for sharing the answer because I would have never got that one correct on the first try.

  5. Even your from your confinement your photos are spectacular!
    Great photos from both of you in this post!
    The ponies look like they are having a convention. 😉 I’m so glad they can find some shade. I feel so sorry for animals when it’s hot and dry. 🙁
    Your header photo is a fave! A good one to caption. 😉
    How are you feeling today?
    (((HUGS))) ❤️ 🙂

  6. I love shops like ‘Streets’ they’re far more interesting than the larger DIY stores, and they always have a wonderful unique aroma.

  7. The heat is certainly tough to get through for everyone. I feel sorry for the animals because they don’t know what’s going on.

  8. Beautiful photos–I love the header and the black and white ponies. I’m sorry about the continued drought, and also your leg.
    Is Streets an American store? Stores that “have everything” are so much fun. We don’t seem to have many of them anymore.

  9. I’m sorry your leg is taking its own sweet time to recover. I came to this after seeing CNN’s overhead comparison of the UK looking lush in May and parched in large areas now (‘A nation used to cloud and relentless rain…’). It looked shocking, especially as some of the worst areas are used for farming.

  10. That fungus is wild – it looks like a brain. lol Tell Jackie thanks for the pictures. Hoping you are feeling a little better every day, my friend. Have you ever tried rub on lidocaine? We can get it without a prescription here and it’s a topical thing you apply. I used it when I wrenched my neck a few years back and it was magical.

  11. Really, my heart aches looking at the eyes of the horses! Such spectacular photography. The fungus in the bark of the oak tree, is so neat! Do you like Naipal’s work? I have read a few of his books, connecting with the Trinidad influence. I have ordered his book Among The Believers. Hope it will be a good read.

  12. Green grass is becoming a distant memory! I can’t wait for the thunderstorms we’re supposed to be getting tomorrow, hopefully it will then get cooler.

    I hope your leg is better soon. Take care.

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