Around Hatchet Pond

Early this morning we transported an old office chair, an old radiator, some rusty artefacts and some CDs to the Efford recycling centre. They took the chair into the reuse shop but not the large collection of CD films which went straight into a container bin because “no-one wants those any more”.

We then drove on to the moorland section of Hatchet Pond around which I walked with my camera.

Someone had taken a bite out of a large mushroom beside a freshly budding gorse bush;

further golden fungus consorted with lime coloured lichen scaling the fractured stump of a dead tree.

Pearly dewdrops twinkled on the grasses.

We wondered whether the burgeoning blackberry blossom was early or late.

Autumn leaves floated above reflections of branches which had shed them;

mallards paddled over others.

A child had probably limped home on one boot.

Dogs accompanied their people on either side of the main stretch,

and an image-conscious coot checked over its appearance from the bank.

Thinking that it must be of a similar quality to MacDonalds, I have always been prejudiced against KFC. For tonight’s dinner I was persuaded that this fast food was more tasty than the former. We therefore dined on it and I was converted. Jackie and Flo both drank Diet Pepsi, while I finished the Cabernet Sauvignon.

72 comments

  1. Lovely pictures. I used to try KFC about once every 5 years. For me it was always too salty and too greasy, but I do like their sides. Hope the British version of KFC is better.

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    1. Dear Pat, our granddaughter, lived in Kentucky for some years, she assures us that the British version is better. I have always liked this fast food, but like you I haven’t eaten it for at least 5 years, I still like it. J.

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  4. Today’s photos are lovely, Derrick! We have the Coot here too and in big numbers. I avoid KFC, it never agrees with me and is too greasy. MacDonalds or Mcdonald’s, it still isn’t as good as a home-cooked meal by Jackie! ❤️

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  5. I grinned at the person’s comment about “no one” wanting CDs any more. I’ve kept all of mine. When the great EMP arrives and no one can stream music any more, my portable CD player and CDs will keep me entertained.

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  6. The image of the leaves floating on the clear reflections of their branches of origin is most striking, Derrick. We appreciate how you have to look twice to really get the proper perspective.

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  9. I have never tried KFC. Its food always looks revolting in the advertisements for it. I am glad that it tastes better than it looks. Lovely pictures again today.

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  10. That blackberry blossom cluster is interesting, and beautiful. I saw that with a couple of apple trees in early autumn, a single cluster of blossoms on the tree right next to fruit! My favorite photos from your outing are the white fungus portrait and old fractured tree stump colonized by different species.

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  11. When you say CD film, do you actually mean DVD movies? Because there is a market for those. Some are worth a few pennies, others a pound or more. My brother left me a heap, and I took some to a shop that gave me enough money to go buy a nice pair of boots on special.
    If you put your location into this link, you will find your nearest store:
    https://uk.webuy.com/site/store/

    As for KFC (formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken), the first store in Australia opened just down the road from us in 1969. Quite the hit. Our first foray into fast food beyond fish and chips and Aussie hamburgers (which are still the best). When my mum was later living alone, and I overseas, my brother used to take her a meal every week and she loved it. Its eleven secret herbs and spices recipe is not so secret anymore. I should try making a home-made version. But I don’t buy it now. It has become a little greasy and I am always fearful of how it has been cooked. Sometimes I find it pinky raw near the bone. But if you have the local outlet that cooks it to perfection – then I would eat it too!

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    1. Thank you very much, Gwen. I did, of course, mean DVDs – the name of which I had forgotten. I’m afraid they got thrown in the skip.
      I was surprised I liked KFC which I understand has dropped the full name in order not to draw attention to the Fried.

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  15. The stump is like a canvas – beautiful patterns of fungus and lichen. I also like the reflections on the pond. Crafty people make things out of old CDs.

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    1. Thank you very much, JoAnna. That was, of course, your stump. I was disappointed that they hadn’t been wanted (in fact they were DVDs – often only watched once

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  17. You have outdone yourself today with both images and prose. I have thoroughly enjoyed looking at these attractive photographs.

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  20. I, too, have a weakness for KFC. The mushroom photo is exquisite—the light, the framing, the focus. Sad that nobody wants those movies. But when technology changes…

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  23. Such beautiful photos. I particularly like the colors in the first one.
    I haven’t eaten anything from McDonalds or KFC in decades. I wasn’t a fan even when I did eat meat. 😏

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  24. I still have boxes of music CDs and DVDs and Joshua continues to buy DVDs.
    I love KFC occasionally as a Saturday night takeaway.
    I don’t mind the McDonald’s chicken burger but I’m not a fan of the beef.
    I remember the first time I ate at a McDonald’s, I was horrified that I wasn’t given a plate and a knife and fork!

    Victoria and Simon agree about the quality of KFC over here compared to the US, we have a healthier version without losing the flavour. We also have better quality chicken given our food standard laws are much stricter than the US.

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