November 2024 – derrickjknight

Dump Trip And Forest Drive

This morning we transported eight bags of garden refuse, a rusted sack barrow, and two lidless dustbins surplus to our requirements, to Efford Recycling Centre.

The blue-sky-bright sunshine belied the acute chill in the air as we took a forest drive towards the end of the afternoon.

The postbox outside the eponymously named cottage on Wootton Road sports an Armistice memorial.

Autumn colour lingers along Holmsley Passage where the stream ripples across the larger ford;

along the Bisterne Close woodland fallen leaves and mossy trunks were lit by late shafts of sunlight,

and a bay pony cropped and chewed holly leaves impervious to prickles in her leather-lined jaws.

We were just in time for sunset at Barton on Sea’s Marine Drive East,

where cloud colour was muted when looking east.

This evening we dined on breaded scampi, chips, onion rings, and peas.

Today’s Culling Involving Doctor Who

This is the survivor from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/15/a-chance-meeting/

and two from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/18/a-medicinal-infusion/

These are from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/19/goose-fat/

Oh, and there was this, too,

and this from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/20/doctor-who/

I spent much of the afternoon reading more of Elizabeth Goudge’s ‘The Heart of the Family’.

This evening we dined on well cooked pork belly chops perked up with Batt’s BBQ peppery seasoning; boiled new potatoes; flavoursome Brussels sprouts; crunchy carrots; tender runner beans and cabbage, with which I finished the Malbec.

Like Mother Like Daughter

Whilst enjoying a break in the rain of a steadily wet day, we transported 16 bags of garden clippings and a broken metal shelf to Efford Recycling Centre early this morning.

When I printed the picture of Jackie drawn by Flo many years ago which appeared on https://derrickjknight.com/2024/11/11/a-phenomenal-drawing/ I did so on some of my late brother Chris’s paper which Frances gave me after he died ten years ago. It was the only one I possessed of the requisite size, 6″ x 4”. Perhaps it was too old because it rapidly discoloured. Jackie bought me some fresh stock and

I printed a new one today. Becky has confirmed that, because of where they were living at the time, she can be certain that our granddaughter was between 4 years 8 months and 5 years 8 months when she made the drawing. She would have been able to write the title herself before she attended school.

This portrait greeted Jackie when she returned from the bar after purchasing the noodles. Flo regarded looking at a model as cheating.

The picture may be worth comparing with Becky’s own

‘Troll in a Storm’ painted when she herself was 6. As far as I remember there is a good drawing of a fish on the back. Like Mother like Daughter.

After drafting this, I continued with Elizabeth Goudge.

This evening we enjoyed another chicken jalfrezi and savoury rice meal with the addition of a plain paratha. The Culinary Queen insists on freezing the rest of the huge potful, so it won’t be repeated tomorrow. I drank more of the Malbec.

The First Camellias

Today the last few of our roses including the pink climber; the light pink Generous Gardener reaching the top of the lopped cypress; pink Festive Jewel and yellow Absolutely Fabulous in the Rose Garden; the Westbrook Arbour red carpet roses representing the three thriving examples of these, cheerfully welcomed

the first of our Camellias.

During the last two days I have returned to making good progress with “The Heart of The Family” by Elizabeth Goodge.

This evening we enjoyed further helpings of Jackie’s flavoursome, aromatic, and colourful chicken jalfrezi and savoury rice meal, with which I drank vino Argentino Bebida Nacional Mendoza Malbec 2022.

Culling And Chicken Jalfrezi

On another post-BCG vaccine procedure rest day I carried out more iMac photos culling.

Here are three survivors from https://derrickjknight.com/2012/08/02/reminiscing-with-don/

These from a trip to https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/10/kelsey-park taken in October 1967.

and these from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/12/you-know-what-youve-got/

and from the following day: https://derrickjknight.com/2013/11/13/panettone-and-jam-pudding/

This evening we dined on Jackie’s authentic chicken jalfrezi and savoury rice. Pictures can go some way to showing the red-brown sauce with a turmeric-yellow base, but cannot convey the delicious aromas carried into the kitchen by this wonderful meal, with which I finished the merlot.

Coming Back To Life

For the last 48 hours I have experienced, along with the usual post-BCG installation procedure discomfort at Southampton General Hospital, the anticipated flu-like symptoms. By late afternoon I was coming back to life and able to tackle picture library culling.

This set is from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/11/trish/

From https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/12/to-sir-with-love/ I have retained these two images.

More and more I find a museum visit will contain samples from my childhood, as in https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/17/the-workhouse/.

These are from https://derrickjknight.com/2015/01/27/monochrome-portraits/

Here are the survivors from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/25/twixt-cup-and-lip/

This evening we dined on succulent lemon chicken; boiled new potatoes; firm broccoli; crunchy carrots; and tender green beans, with which I drank more of the Merlot opened about three days ago.

Culling And Not Culling

This morning I underwent the 5th of my BCG vaccine installation procedures at Southampton General Hospital. The usual after effects made it impossible to concentrate on much but I attempted certain amount of culling of photographs, whilst retaining some.

This picture of Matthew and Becky from about 1979 appears in https://derrickjknight.com/2013/06/30/covent-garden-gerard-street/

These are from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/09/11/marevna

And these from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/09/13/the-chiropractors-could-come-in-useful/

I couldn’t face deleting any images from https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/09/bound-for-western-australia/

I could only pick at the scrambled egg on toast Jackie provided for my dinner.

A Workroom Behind The Shed

After having cleared the footpath through the Cryptomeria Bed, Martin has now paved the area behind and alongside the garden shed that Jackie had spent some days tidying and levelling, thus providing her with a good working space without tripping over rubbish and requiring mud removal from her shoes. A couple of days ago she disturbed a wasps nest beneath this soil and set about it with a long-handled blunt instrument and effective herbicide. So incensed was one of her enemies that it lodged itself beneath her right spectacles frame leaving enough venom over her cheekbone to produce a very nasty hard lump down that side of her face. It is not so visible now.

The Head Gardener has completed her refurbishment of the planting in front of the garage door trellis with the addition of a basket hanging from the porch roof.

I added pictures of token roses in the form of New Dawn and Festive Jewel.

I didn’t manage much culling today, but this picture, my first entry into digital photography, appears in https://derrickjknight.com/2012/06/24/choosing-a-camera/

This is the header from https://derrickjknight.com/2012/06/28/dinner-with-the-mayor-2/

In January 1965 I was working in a building that no longer exists on the east end of Westminster Bridge, well able to watch the lengthy queues waiting to view Sir Winston Churchill’s lying in state lined up along the embankment and bridges from 27th to 30th which appear in https://derrickjknight.com/2015/01/24/1000-days/

Having perforce, at least until my cancer treatments are completed, to resort to more medium curries, I enjoyed my first ever king prawn biriani while Jackie chose her favourite ponir shashlik at Rokali’s restaurant this evening. The food and service was as excellent as ever. I drank Kingfisher and Jackie drank Diet Coke.

Controlled Burning 2

I carried out a little picture culling this morning.

These images from Les Landes in August 2008 were featured in https://derrickjknight.com/2012/06/04/the-gite-from-hell/

This picture from May 2009 is the header for https://derrickjknight.com/2012/06/21/raincoat-or-umbrella/

These are from John and Stephanie’s wedding: https://derrickjknight.com/2013/10/06/a-wedding/

This afternoon we took a forest drive.

Controlled burning of gorse was underway along Forest Road.

“The Forestry Commission undertakes this activity now, which aims to regenerate the heather and gorse whilst hindering invading scrub, by setting fire to the heathland. Using fire to improve the heathland may sound counter-intuitive but the burning actually encourages new growth, which is beneficial to a variety of flora and fauna, as well as providing food for the commonable livestock. It also plays an important role in reducing the risk of wildfires in the summer months that can burn out of control and have a devastating effect on vegetation and wildlife. Heathland wildfires are particularly dangerous because they can burn below ground causing long-lasting damage to the peat and the mineral soil underneath.

“Practice of controlled burning
The law permits controlled burning each year from the first working day in November until the last working day of March. However, in practice it generally starts in early February because the worst of the winter weather is over, there are no birds nesting or animals producing young, the vegetation is still quite dry and the damp ground offers protection to the peaty soil. The process is strictly controlled and only a small percentage of the heathland is burned each year (on average 400 hectares) and only then in rotation, which traditionally is once every generation (about 25 years). A firebreak is first established around the area to be burned, which is made by using a cutting machine. Visitors to the Forest often have mistaken these safety margins in the heath for tracks or footpaths. The firebreaks are used to prevent the spread of flames to other parts of the heathland. Only skilled and experienced staff are permitted to undertake controlled burning of the heathland. In times past however, the commoners often operated their own unofficial controlled burning effort because they felt that the Forestry Commission programme was ineffective or did not cover the areas of heathland they wanted rejuvenated for their animals. Happily today the programme is better coordinated and many of the Forest organisations, including the Verderers, are consulted prior to any burning programme to ensure their cooperation.

“Benefits of controlled burning
But not everyone is in favour of the controlled burning and some argue that it actually has a detrimental effect on the heathland by reducing the nutrients in the soil. Nevertheless it is a practice that is still widely used, particularly on grouse moors in northern England, to encourage new growth. It also has one additional benefit that no other type of heathland management, including cutting or swiping, can provide and that is the reduction of ticks and the risk of Lymes Disease. A traditional benefit of controlled burning, but one not practised today, was the harvesting by the commoners of the ‘blackjacks’, the burnt holly and gorse stems, to sell as firewood. What you might see today however, during the periods of controlled burning, are ponies sporting blackened criss-cross markings over their flanks and hindquarters. This is a sure sign that they have been picking their way through the blackjacks and have become striped by the charcoal stalks of the holly and gorse stems as they pass by them. These haphazard markings can give them the appearance of very odd-looking zebras.” (newforestcommoner.co.uk)

Ponies cropped the verges outside Burley.

While I unsuccessfully struggled to photograph a herd of deer in a field off Crow Lane with the low sun blinding me, a string of stags took off, crossed the side road, and leapt the fence beside us. I still couldn’t see much because my eyes remained dazzled, but I managed these two shots.

Around North Gorley we enjoyed some autumn colour, a horse drawn cart and a solitary Gloucester Old Spot sow, sensibly sticking to the

verge as, much to the amusement of oncoming car passengers, donkeys dominated the road.

This evening we dined on chicken Kiev, Southern fried chicken, and Jackie’s savoury rice with which I drank Reserva Privada Chilean Merlot 2022.

A Phenomenal Drawing

This morning we transported 17 bags of garden refuse to Efford Recycling Centre.

Later, I diverted myself from my photograph culling task by focussing

on a drawing made by Flo on the back of a noodle bar paper place mat when, believe it or not, Jackie is pretty certain our granddaughter was aged about four. Compare this with Jackie’s passport photograph from about 2010. Knowing what Florence has always been capable of, I can well believe it.

Compare this with Jackie’s passport photograph from about 2010. https://derrickjknight.com/2013/09/30/a-challenging-mood/ is the post explaining why I photographed

the image slipping out of its frame.

Unfortunately the original drawing was lost when I had to evict squatters from the house in September 2014. I printed this copy, framed it and placed it on the wall beneath Flo’s

drawing of me.

Back to culling:

My drawing of daughter Louisa and this portrait of her paternal great great grandmother both feature in https://derrickjknight.com/2013/09/01/time-to-go/