Last night’s sky was so clear that the Harvest moon lit up the whole garden. I photographed it before I turned on my laptop to listen to the last rites of the second Test match between England and Pakistan.
The pink climber clinging to the trellis in the front garden is just one indication that winter is being delayed. Another is the lack of autumn colour we noticed as we drove around the forest this afternoon.
These sunlit trees on
Hyde Lane, despite the
less than green bracken photographed by Jackie, cling to their viridescent hues.
Much of the moorland bracken, among which ponies pasture, is as we could expect by now. Note that the tail on the last picture in this gallery shows that the bay has received its annual clip at The Drift.
Other ponies, gathered by the flowing ford at Ibsley, promptly left when they realised I was going to focus on them.
There were in fact other wet roads through which vehicles splashed, sometimes forcing others, like us, to wait for them.
So, why mention pannage mast? This is the general term for acorns and the like which pigs are loosed to guzzle up to prevent ponies from eating nuts which are poisonous to them. Some of my readers look forward to this season as do we. We speculate that the reason for the absence of porcine presence since the first few days of September could be linked with the lack of acorns. Maybe they will come later.
This evening we repeated last night’s meal with fresh ingredients. I drank another glass of viña San Juan.
It doesn’t appear the ponies are bothered by flies?
No. It is probably not consistently warm enough for them. Thanks very much, GP
Gorgeous photos. Thanks for the pannage porcine prognosis. Dinner sounds felt.
Thanks very much, Pat
Beautiful ponies! The creek at Ibsley can rise to six feet? That’s a serious flood zone, Derrick.
I’ve never seen any more than 2 feet. Those guide posts must just be a standard issue. Thanks very much, John
I see, you’re welcome. 🤙🏻
The harvest moon lit up our bedroom last night. I didn’t know what was going on!
Thanks very much Liz
You’re welcome, Derrick.
Thanks for adding your explanation to pannage mast. I was about to Google it. 🙂
Much appreciated, Chrissy
The moon was so bright here, too! Gorgeous photos.
Apparently oaks have cycles. The years with lots of acorns are called mast years. (I just looked this up.) A couple of years ago here, acorns seemed to be dropping constantly. Not so much this year.
Interesting, Merril. Thank you very much
I’ve been enjoying the moon, too. It AND the skies have been putting on quite the impressive “shows” lately. 🙂
All beautiful photos today, Jackie and Derrick!
I especially love the sun and shadows at play and the bracken.
(((HUGS))) ❤️❤️
Thank you very much fro each of us, Carolyn XX
Beautiful shots of the moon, Derrick! We were too overcast to see it 🙁 The ponies seem to be enjoying the day 🙂
Thank you very much, Rosaliene
Beautiful images Derrick… Wishing you a peaceful weekend xx <3
Thank you very much, Sue XX
We don’t seem to have many acorns this year, but we don’t have pigs anyway. Your pink climber picture was delightful.
Thank you very much, Tootlepedal
What a magnificent moon. It was covered by a thin cloud last night so not very comparable.
Thanks very much, John
I always enjoy seeing the pigs, but I missed a detail. I knew they were out to eat the acorns and such, but I thought it was solely for the benefit of the pigs. I didn’t realize that the horses could be harmed by them. That doubles the benefit of the pigs banqueting away.
Thank you very much, Linda. Have a look at Lavinia’s informative link
I hope to see the Gloucester Old Spots again this year.
The ponies are looking a little furrier these days. I found an interesting article on oaks and horses.
https://vet.tufts.edu/news-events/news/truth-about-acorn-toxicity-and-horses
That is a very good article, Lavinia. Thank you very much
Hi, Derrick – I love a Harvest Moon and it lighting up your garden is the icing on the cake. It sounds absolutely lovely!
Thank you so much, Donna
I love to imagine your whole garden lit up by moonlight! Pannage is a good thing for pigs – letting them enjoy life free and naturally for a while.
Thanks very much, JoAnna
Our warmer weather comes … then plunges to the depths of winter … then makes an appearance. Perhaps your autumn is doinf the same.
The same variations but not really winter. Thanks very much, Anne
We’re always a bit cooler here in the north and autumn has begun. This week though, we’ve had a few warmer days with temperatures at 12°C
Thanks very much, Sue
Lovely images, Derrick. Even I managed to take a couple of moon shots yesterday evening and this morning otherwise it was cloudy and rainy here.
Thanks very much, Rupali
Lovely photos, Derrick, especially of the moon. We were able to see the harvest moon too. It was very bright and looked like a precious gem dangling in the sky.
Thank you very much, Eugi
You’re welcome, Derrick.
In Maine, there are on and off years for acorns. On years are called mast years. Perhaps the same is true for you?
You must be right, Laurie. Thanks very much
Lovely pony shots, Derrick. Why are there no acorns?
A number of readers have suggested that oaks alternate productive and non-productive years. Thanks very much, Robbie
A Beautiful moon photo!
Thank you very much, Byung
What a lovely moon.
I like how I learn something new from you almost every time you write. Thank you.
Much appreciated, Mimi
🙂😊
Who ate all the acorns?
A number of readers have spoken of oaks having good and bad acorn years. Thanks very much, Sheree
I did not know that, thanks
Neither did I
Love the sunlight through the trees Derrick, our October here has been beautiful on the whole with that golden October sun. Gorgeous photos all.
Thank you very much, Agnes