After their meal last night everyone came back here and we enjoyed a pleasant continuation of the birthday celebration, including Flo’s firm and moist mango flavoured cake.
While the others slept in this morning Jackie and I took a trip into the forest. As it was another warm and sunny day beneath a clear cerulean sky featuring clustered cotton cloud we experienced an influx of visitors enjoying the last rays of summer.
This meant a gentler pace gained along our lanes and thoroughfares:
we followed cyclists along Undershore, so sinuous as to make passing dangerous;
horse riders ambling oblivious along Furzey Lane;
and slow moving traffic, their progress halted by ponies on various roads – all part of New Forest retirement life.
The clipped tails of some of the ponies betrayed their recent attendance at Drift annual roundups and health checks.
Dozing donkeys basked in shade on the verges of Pilley Street
alongside the former telephone box book exchange attached to the village shop that has now moved to the new Community Hall.
The aforementioned horse riders on Furzey Lane travelled beneath
horse chestnuts soon to bounce on the tarmac
and maple seeds preparing to execute rocking helicopter descents.
This afternoon I watched the rugby World Cup matches between Portugal and Georgia, and between England and Chile.
Becky and Ian returned home before dinner this evening, which consisted of Red Chilli takeaway fare. My choice was prawn pathia, enjoyed with Becky’s doggy bag prawns and coconut rice from yesterday’s Thai meal. Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2020.
Sounds like the best kind of bucolic day. Also sounds like you are feeling better. The phone booth turned library is wonderful!
The donkeys are so cute as they doze in the summer sun! We have those little helicopter seeds here too, they were fun when we were kids. the new library is a great use of the old phone box, we have those too but they are usually on a pole as far as I know.
About the helicopter seeds – we used to peel the fat edge apart and stick them on our noses. I had forgotten that until I read your comment.
That’s fun, I’m glad I brought a nice memory back for you! ❤️????????????????????????
I’m pleased to have brought it back
Thanks very much, John
You are welcome. ☺️
It’s nice that the ponies get health checks and are then released. I will remember those dozing donkeys next time I have trouble sleeping. Moist mango flavoured cake sounds wonderful!
Thank you very much, JoAnna
Your donkey photos are just precious today, Derrick. Such sweet faces.
That phone booth library is wonderful!
Thank you very much, Jodie
Those donkeys are so darn photogenic! And I love the way “animals rule” around your area. The old telephone booth is fab. American telephone booths were always pretty dull, so you never even hear people saying they miss them.
Cheers,
Julie
Thanks very much, Julie
Looks like a busy day in the forest.
Thank you very much, Andy
You’re welcome
Your post really made me feel good. Bikes, horses, donkeys, nature and NO electronics! Life doesn’t get any better than this, thank you for sharing it!
Much appreciated, Diane
Your dozing donkey photos have brightened my day Derrick
Thank you very much, Ivor
I love the dappled portion of your forest drive.
Thanks very much, Liz
You’re welcome, Derrick.
The telephone box book exchange is such a great idea. I am glad to see it so full of books.
Thanks very much, Bridget
I, too, love the phone-booth library as well as your description of the slow pace through the forest.
Thank you very much, Laurie
The dozing donkeys are so special Derrick and I love the idea of the books in the old phone booths.
Thank you very much, Aletta
The telephone box with the books is beautiful. Thank you for taking me along with all the photos ????
Much appreciated, Lakshmi
Beautiful last summer rays and days!
Delightful dozing donkeys! 🙂
(((HUGS))) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much, Carolyn X
good to see you out and about – enjoy
summer popped up here last week but this weekend it’s dipped back to winter a little, and the clocks sprung forward this morning…
Thanks very much, Catherine
Everybody seems to be waiting for the first blasts of cold air that heralds the onset of winter.
Thanks very much, John
What a beautiful day it was in the forest today. Soft warm sunshine and glorious colours. Ponies coats are taking on gorgeous autumn changes too. Love the donkeys that are always outside our house in Pilley. Let’s hope we still have more lovely days to come. Thanks Derrick for the lovely pics
Much appreciated, Julie. It was lovely, indeed
Donkeys – yah!
Thanks very much, Sheree
I have not come across a mango flavoured cake before – it sounds delicious. Apart from the animals, which I always enjoy seeing, I love the little library!
Thank you so much, Anne
Your “clustered cotton cloud” and sinuous lane descriptions sounds like you are feeling much better. I’m glad you could enjoy the rest of the party.
“Furzey Lane” sounds like it should be in a Charles Dickens’ novel. I liked the cyclists on Undershore–like they were riding through a shadowed tunnel–and the sleepy donkeys.
Thank you very much, Merril. You understand my health’s effect on my prose
You’re welcome, Derrick. It’s more difficult to be creative when you’re not feeling well.
Your header photo is glorious, and the donkies are so cute. Delightful photos, Derrick.
Thank you very much, Pat
Most welcome, Derrick.
Oh my! Your muse was alert today! “… cerulean sky featuring clustered cotton cloud” – beautiful! And the photos of those donkeys – ah, perfect! I wanna pet their noses.
Thank you so much, Jan
Your posting pictures of the horse chestnuts reminds me of when I played conkers with the boys in Kensington Gardens. I learned from one of them if you heated them up carefully in the oven you could make them rock hard and extremely hard to break. You needed to drill the hole first though for the string. I often won ????
It is still raining.
Thanks very much, Sherry. We loved playing conkers, too
Those donkeys seem to be soaking up the last warm rays! New Forest looks beautiful and peaceful.
A little rain last night. Colder and wetter weather here forecast this week.
Thanks very much, Lavinia
I am envious of the sweet chestnuts. I used to like buying roasted chestnuts from the street vendors when I worked in London.
I remember that, too, Tootlepedal. Thank you very much
We had an enormous horse chestnut tree when I was a kid. Seeing that photo I can remember exactly how the outside prickly part contrasted with the smooth nut.
Thank you very much, Elizabeth. I like to prompt memories
You frequently do.
How did I miss this one? Lovely images today.
I’m glad you’re feeling better.
Thanks very much, Sue
A beautiful day!
Thanks very much, Ribana