The recent heavy rains have suddenly filled the drought-dried lake at Pilley. This prompted me to circumperambulate it on our forest drive this morning.
Fresh autumn leaves floated among rippling reflections or
broken limbs from their trees,
or lay visible on the shallow bed;
Mallards, glimpsed through overhanging lichen covered branches and their lingering foliage, have reclaimed their natural habitat.
Some of the leaves cluster among mini mushrooms between mossy or
exposed roots and bark flakes from fallen trees on the water-lapped banks.
This evening Jackie and I joined Shelly, Ron, Helen, and Bill at Fordingbridge for the latter couple’s church fundraising quiz night. Helen provided sandwiches, mince, pies, gala pie, crisps, salad and wine; Ron brought beer. We had a very enjoyable time with good natured competition, at which we came third.
On our journey home the steady rain accompanying our outward trip had developed into a deluge, in which the rhythmic whirring of our windscreen wipers could not clear the shield of raindrops that became twinkling stars above parallel columns of light stretched along the tarmac before the headlights of each oncoming vehicle, while our own beams illuminated the fanned curtains of spray thrown up by our wheels from pools across the road to rival the swollen lake seen this morning.
You make driving in the rain seem much more attractive than it really is.
Thanks very much, Tootlepedal. I wasn’t doing the driving. Jackie described it as a “bit of a white knuckle drive”
I have to wear special glasses to cope with the dazzle of night driving.
Beautiful words and pictures. Did the scenery, the competiton/friendship or the beverages inspire you this evening?
All but the scenery, which wasn’t visible, Pat. Thanks very much
😇😊🤓🤔
But… the big question is, just what is gala pie?
I await the answer to this also, lefelessons. Sounds rather interesting.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=gala+pie&source=hp&ei=VhuDY5y4NY_MgQabx6XwBg&iflsig=AJiK0e8AAAAAY4MpZuKaJ4lSJdDMxjXxKlb7fcHmKqMn&oq=gala+pie&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYADIICAAQgAQQsQMyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQ6DggAEI8BEOoCEIwDEOUCOg4ILhCPARDqAhCMAxDlAjoRCC4QgAQQsQMQgwEQxwEQ0QM6CwgAEIAEELEDEIMBOhQILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARDRAxDUAjoLCC4QgAQQsQMQ1AI6CAguELEDEIMBOgsILhCABBCxAxCDAToICAAQsQMQgwE6CAguEIAEELEDOgsILhCvARDHARCABDoLCC4QgAQQxwEQrwE6CAguEIMBELEDOhEILhCvARDHARDUAhCxAxCABFCPBVj2I2DXN2gBcAB4AIABWYgB_wOSAQE4mAEAoAEBsAEK&sclient=gws-wiz
Well, I never!
I was worried it would involve one of our lovely native birds, the galah. 🙂
🙂
Yvonne, it is a pork pie with a hardboiled egg cooked in its center…in case you didn’t see Derrick’s answer to me.
I had the same thought 🙂
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=gala+pie&source=hp&ei=VhuDY5y4NY_MgQabx6XwBg&iflsig=AJiK0e8AAAAAY4MpZuKaJ4lSJdDMxjXxKlb7fcHmKqMn&oq=gala+pie&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYADIICAAQgAQQsQMyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQ6DggAEI8BEOoCEIwDEOUCOg4ILhCPARDqAhCMAxDlAjoRCC4QgAQQsQMQgwEQxwEQ0QM6CwgAEIAEELEDEIMBOhQILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARDRAxDUAjoLCC4QgAQQsQMQ1AI6CAguELEDEIMBOgsILhCABBCxAxCDAToICAAQsQMQgwE6CAguEIAEELEDOgsILhCvARDHARCABDoLCC4QgAQQxwEQrwE6CAguEIMBELEDOhEILhCvARDHARDUAhCxAxCABFCPBVj2I2DXN2gBcAB4AIABWYgB_wOSAQE4mAEAoAEBsAEK&sclient=gws-wiz
It’s a pork pie with a hard boiled egg cooked in its center..Just in case you didn’t see Derrick’s answer to my question.
Thanks very much, Judy: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=gala+pie&source=hp&ei=VhuDY5y4NY_MgQabx6XwBg&iflsig=AJiK0e8AAAAAY4MpZuKaJ4lSJdDMxjXxKlb7fcHmKqMn&oq=gala+pie&gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAEYADIICAAQgAQQsQMyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQ6DggAEI8BEOoCEIwDEOUCOg4ILhCPARDqAhCMAxDlAjoRCC4QgAQQsQMQgwEQxwEQ0QM6CwgAEIAEELEDEIMBOhQILhCABBCxAxCDARDHARDRAxDUAjoLCC4QgAQQsQMQ1AI6CAguELEDEIMBOgsILhCABBCxAxCDAToICAAQsQMQgwE6CAguEIAEELEDOgsILhCvARDHARCABDoLCC4QgAQQxwEQrwE6CAguEIMBELEDOhEILhCvARDHARDUAhCxAxCABFCPBVj2I2DXN2gBcAB4AIABWYgB_wOSAQE4mAEAoAEBsAEK&sclient=gws-wiz
Aha! A pork pie with a hardboiled egg in the middle! How could I not have known? Every once in a while a British term escapes me in spite of English lit! Thanks for the definition.
Wonderful watery pics
Thank you very much, Sheree
😎
Very beautiful reflections, Derrick. Ron has the right idea, beer me! 😎🍻
Thank you very much, John
Love the reflections & congratulations on the lake restoration.
Thank you very much, Cindy
Your mushroom photos always fascinate me … and your final photo will go into my ‘Derrick File’
Thanks very much, Ivor.
The pleasure is always mine
Ghostly pictures and what sounds like a scary ride back home after a fun night out. Glad you made it home safely.
Thank you so much, Laurie. Actually there were very few cars out on the way back
Love how you bring some elegance to the downpours!
Much appreciated, Val
I love the dark images of rainy day reflections on water. You have captured some very artistic ones, too! Your vivid and magical description of rain on the windshield as a delightful ending to your post.
Thank you very much, Lavinia
So many wonderful ways to see water! Picture # 5 is my favorite with the leaves on moss a close second. Cute mushrooms. 🙂
Thank you very much, JoAnna
Beautiful reflections, Derrick!
Thank you very much, Jill
Blessed be the rain!
Indeed. Thanks very much, Rosaliene
I think mum used to make Gala pie. Is it eggs and gammon.
Yes, Gary. Thanks very much
Are the ponds regaining their normal pool elevations with all your recent deluges? Hope so, and the reflection shots are again most enjoyable to appreciate. Normally mushrooms do not inspire the adjective “cute”. The ones you have captured, do, however deserve that term.
They are, Maj. Thank you very much
A heady beginning in the upside-down watery world of reflections and ending with the beautiful description of the rain on your way home in an upright watery world! It is a very long time since my windscreen wipers have had to battle so ineffectually. My mother used to make gala pie – I haven’t heard of one for a long time.
Thank you so much, Anne
Wonderful photos of reflections of the trees on that newly fallen water!
Thank you so much, Janet
Your photos remind me of a few specific paintings by several painters…Monet, Mato Gereci, William Merritt Chase are a few that immediately come to my mind. Once again, nature creates and you capture! Such artistry, Derrick! 🙂
(((HUGS))) 🙂
PS…circumperambulate…what a great word! 🙂
And your description of the journey home is poetic! 🙂
Thank you so much, Carolyn X
Five beautiful photographs of reflections in the water, and number five one of the loveliest you have ever taken in my opinion.
Thank you very much, John
The reflections in the lake are beautiful, and how lovely to have lake full again.
Despite the almost continuous rain during the past weeks the reservoirs here are still too low for the time of year. Yorkshire Water is cautious and the hosepipe ban remains in place.
I’m glad you had had a good evening.
Thank you so much, Sue. I hope you get the ban lifted soon
Wonderful reflection shots.
Thank you very much, Rupali
I’m lost in a world of gala pie. We haven’t had any since before lockdown when we stopped doing our own shopping, as I don’t trust the pickers that pack our groceries to select good pieces. As a result of your blog I am going to buy a whole pie fro Christmas.
The watery reflections are great, but gala pie drove them from my mind . . .
Excellent news, Quercus. Thanks very much
No problem. Gala pie should be available on NHS in my view. The world always seems better with a slice on your plate, though it has to have a good piece of egg in it.
Oh my! You certainly waxed poetic as you circumperambulated The forest today! You were definitely on a roll!!
Thank you so much, Jan
It’s good to see so much water back on the land, Derrick. I especially enjoyed your third photo, with its ‘bare bones’ reflections.
Thank you very much, Linda
I particularly like the reflection studies with their gray, black, and muted green color palette.
Thank you very much, Liz
You’re welcome, Derrick.
Beautiful reflections, Derrick. You captured them well.
Thank you very much, Eugi
You’re welcome, Derrick.
A truly beautiful set of water photos. I love number 3, and my favourite is 7, with the oak leaves visible beneath the water. Your perspective is so often new and interesting to me, and that is how the scenes of your home can be familiar, but always a reason to come back.
Thank you for these lovely comments, Crystal
I can feel the dampness in the air when I see these photos. Nice to take with me when go out into the hot dry air this morning.
Thank you very much, Chrissy
I love the reflections on the water Derrick!
Thanks very much, Aletta
Great post Derrick, a really good read.
Thanks very much, Andrew
Gorgeous photos and ten points for circumperambulate, which WP thinks is an error. Your quiz night sounds fun, but the ride home sounds scary, even though you describe it in your best nineteenth-century novelist voice (if they had cars).
Thank you so much, Merril. I invented that word some years ago. It wasn’t even in the full OED
I hope they’re rectified that situation.
Googling gives much use, including, on the first page, my earlier post 🙂
Well done! 🙂
Marvelous reflection photos with a mysterious feeling.
Thank you very much, Dolly
My pleasure, Derrick.
I like the word circumperambulate😊 Beautiful photos as usual Derrick.
Thank you very much, Lakshmi
Water, water and more water but beautiful photos!
Thank you very much, Ribana