After lunch today Jackie and I drove to Helen and Bill’s home in Fordingbridge to deliver my sister-in-law’s birthday present. They were not home so we emulated an on-line-shopping courier and left it wrapped up in the porch.
Such is the difference between country and city dwelling that the soldiers left guarding the premises opposite have stood unmolested for months now.
Jackie photographed me photographing them and a coloured one for herself.
I converted mine to black and white.
Periodically our journey was punctuated by cawing crescendos from a plethora of raucous rookeries, like this one around the corner, where canoodling couples indulged in nest-building frenzies.
Smaller songbirds’ sweeter symphonic trilling offered a pleasant alternative in the woodland of Hale Purlieu where still shaggy ponies in their winter wear cropped the grass.
I wandered past the ponies and looked down on the woodland hill slopes before retracing my steps.
Suddenly barking, a yelp, and cries of “leave”, shattered the peace as a pack of humans, let off the leash by their assorted canines, trailed from the trees to their waiting cars.
Foaming water roared from the mill race, entering the fast flowing, lapping, tinkling, rippling, varicoloured surface of the River Avon via the Woodgreen bridge.
Such was the variety of sounds stirring this early spring day.
This evening we dined on Red Chilli’s excellent Indian takeaway with which I finished the Syrah.
Good to see my ponies out and about and it doesn’t appear they are bothered by flies.
Far too cold for flies, GP. Thank you very much
“Periodically our journey was punctuated by cawing crescendos from a plethora of raucous rookeries, like this one around the corner, where canoodling couples indulged in nest-building frenzies.” Very descriptive Derrick, you were on a roll.
That is a vividly fun and vivacious sentence isn’t it!!! 🙂
That was the sentence that made me laugh and think “Derrick is having way too much with his alliteration.” ????
🙂
He loves his alliteration
🙂 Thanks very much, Sheree
Great photos, Derrick, the ponies are cute and I like that bridge over the River Avon. ❤️????????❤️
Thanks a lot, John
Looks like Spring is coming…enjoyed your descriptions of the “nature”
Thank you very much, Catherine
Terrific photos. Gotta love those devoted soldiers! And the narration was particularly piquant on this one!
Thank you very much, Ed. I hoped you would appreciate the narration.
Fabulous photo of the bird nests in the lacy crowns of the trees.
Your word play was on FIRE today. Bravo, sir!
Thank you very much, Jodie. We needed Fire from somewhere 🙂
Oh – you are brilliant! Bravo!
🙂
Gorgeous photos, Derrick! Love the nest-builders! And the soldiers! 🙂
HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! on the “pack of humans let off the leash by their assorted canines”!
Cooper laughed loudly! 😉 😛 ????
Powerful creative descriptive text today, Good Sir!!! 🙂
(((HUGS))) ❤️
Thank you so much, both Carolyn and Coops. X
Wonderful photos, as always, and entertaining descriptions.
Thank you very much, Merril
Looks like Spring is about to…………!
Shhh, John. Thanks a lot
I love the role of sound in this post, in particular “Foaming water roared from the mill race, entering the fast flowing, lapping, tinkling, rippling, varicoloured surface of the River Avon via the Woodgreen bridge.” I also like how the leaves in header photo look like birds.
Thank you very much, Liz. Well spotted as ever.
You’re welcome, Derrick. 🙂
Wonderful pictures and lovely alliterative descriptions. Waxing quite poetic today, Derrick
Thank you very much, Pat
Hitchcock would be delighted with your bird pictures. 🙂
Thanks very much, Bridget 🙂
The nesting birds were certainly very busy Derrick… I saved a photo in my ‘Derrick File’ …
I’m pleased. Ivor. Thank you very much
I like those moorland views a lot. It is good to see you back out and about.
Thanks very much, Tootlepedal. Your sort of views
Great photos, Derrick! I’m happy you had some good Indian food.
Thank you very much, Jill
Great photos of the water, Derrick. And I love your poetic descriptions as well!
Thank you very much, Diane
What a wonderful world of shaggy ponies, canoodling couples, happy dogs, and the soldiers are only toys – (if only that were the case everywhere.)
Thank you very much, JoAnna. A good point about the soldiers
Dramatic black and white photos, such vivid description of the place????
Thank you very much, Arlene
A happyread as always and even more delightful is you spotting and highlighting the role of those soldiers. I love it that they have been soldiering on there for some time!
Thank you very much, Anne
Those ponies are sure woolly after the winter! The little soldiers – do you know who put them up there on the fence? They are an interesting find!
We don’t know anyone other than Helen and Bill in that street. I imagine those who live in that house have children, Lavinia. Thank you very much
We had little soldiers like those as children.
I’m glad you managed to get out and about again.
I always enjoy seeing seeing the horses with their shaggy winter coats; another few weeks and the April flush will give them a little more grass to eat.
Love those little soldiers, I’m assuming they are super glued in place.
Thank you very much, Sue. That is a good point about superglue.
Another good day Derrick.
Thanks a lot, Andrew
A beautiful day.
Thank you very much, Andy
You’re welcome.
You have a wonderful way of weaving words, Derrick.
“Periodically our journey was punctuated by cawing crescendos from a plethora of raucous rookeries, like this one around the corner, where canoodling couples indulged in nest-building frenzies.”
Thank you very much, Eugi
Most welcome, Derrick.
An interesting post! I love the little soldiers on the fence posts. I never saw that before.
Thanks very much, Dwight
You are welcome!
I think one of those soldiers is about to toss a grenade. Best watch out next time you’re there.
The mention of Fordingbridge caught my attention. Doing family history for a friend and one of her ancestors was born there in 1817. Then married and died in Bristol. His wife was born Old Cleeve, Somerset. Sometimes a bit hard to keep track of the changing names of the counties and their borders, but that the first was Hampshire, and the second Gloucester or Gloucestershire seems consistent. He was an illiterate basketmaker who went on to employ people, so no slouch.
I wonder what made them both move? Maybe a burgeoning call for basketmakers in Clifton and Bristol?
Thanks very much, Gwen. You do so well with the genealogy
It’s part practice, part persistence, and part intuition 🙂