For much of the morning and the first half hour of a sweltering afternoon Jackie continued weeding the Brick Path, taking her own
before
and after photographs;
meanwhile I filled several trug-loads of dead-headed roses and weeds pulled up from the beds along the way.
Afterwards I printed another batch of A4 prints of him at work for Nick, who finished his work today.
Early this evening Jackie and I took a drive into the forest.
There seemed to be three options for photography when we arrived at Hatchet Pond: a man throwing sticks into the lake for his dogs to splash after, crows pecking in the grass, and, as a last resort my lens might reach a few groups on the far bank. As I disembarked from the Modus the man and his dogs walked away, and the rooks flew off.
Fortunately, a young lady aimed a judicious kick on the far side.
On Furzey Lane, a young foal, looking enviously at his mother’s tail, the switching of which he tried to emulate with no effect, did his best to dislodge the flies which pestered him, with ineffective kicks and waggling of his abbreviated little brush.
Along Lodge Lane a colourful pheasant strutted in the verge grasses, and inquisitive field horses displayed their fly protection gear.
This evening we all dined on Jackie’s pasta bolognese with fresh salad. The Culinary Queen and Ian drank Hoegaarden, Becky drank Zesty, and I finished the Côtes du Rhône.
Foals and Pheasants, beautiful!
Thank you very much, John
Welcome!
That foal stands so straight and proud. Nick certainly did a lot of work in a sort period of time – a real pro.
Jackie you’ve done a great job on the garden!!
Thank you very much from us both, GP
I love the fly protection gear
Thank you very much, Sheree
What a precious little foal! They can’t swat flies too well with those little tails.
SO cute though! I never really noticed the difference in the adult’s and foal’s tails until Derrick pointed it out just now.
Thank you very much, Lavinia
Wonderful pictures in this post, Derrick. Jackie is to be applauded for her diligence in weeding the joints in the pavers. What a chore that is! A cute blaze faced foal and a striking portrait of the pheasant round out the gallery today. Thanks for sharing!
Much appreciated by us both, Maj
Great job, Jackie on the stone paths! That is tedious work. I just finished weeding between our brick pavers in the front and back so I know her pain 😉
Thank you very much from us both, Barbara.
The path looks great Derrick. Lots of hard work went into that.
Thanks a lot, John
The paths look beautiful, Jackie! 🙂 Great job! 🙂
The pleasant pheasant is handsome! The young foal is a beauty! 🙂
Oh, those pesky flies! 😮 🪰 🙁 Wish we could shoo them all away from the equines! YAY for fly protection gear! 🙂
(((HUGS))) ❤️ 🙂
Thanks very much from us both, Carolyn X
Poor horses! Do they ever go into the water to get the flies off them?
I have never seen them do so, John. Thanks very much
The Brick Path looks very inviting in its weed-free state! That’s a very pretty foal and a very handsome pheasant.
Thank you very much, Liz
You’re welcome, Derrick.
Great work on the path, Jackie! What a difference that makes.
The foal and its Mama are precious. I never realized their tails were so short until you pointed it out.
Thank you very much from us both, Jodie
<3
Jackie did a wonderful job with the garden path!
I love the header photo, and the pheasant is quite striking, too.
(BTW, it looks like all the legal papers for my mom’s estate have finally been filed.)
Thank you very much from us both, Merril. Good news about your Mom’s estate.
You’re welcome, and thank you. It obviously was not a priority for the lawyers. 😏
I read your title three times before I realized it concerned flies, not files. Thank goodness — as bad as the flies are for the horses, I fear if the problem had been files, you’d have been the one to deal with them.
I’m pleased it wasn’t files, Linda. Thanks very much
Ah, how the young envy the old folks (ie, parents) and yet the parents envy the young, even with smaller tails. 🙂 Incredible photos, Derrick. May the flies go away.
Thanks very much, Pam
At least the horses in the fields have some protection from the dreadful summer flies, and I imagine an equine fly repellent sprayed on by a thoughtful owner.
Thanks very much, Sue
You both did well to spend so much time outside.
Thanks very much, Tootlepedal
Jackie, you’ve done a great job on the brick pathway. Beautiful foal photos, Derrick.
Thank you very much from us both, Chrissy
That is such a fine path. So much hard work
Thank very much, Gary
Beautiful options for photography 😉
Thanks very much, Ribana
I’m glad the foal knows to hang out around mom’s tail. It’s a good thing the three across the pond seem to be smiling, letting us know the kick is all in fun, and no assistance is needed.
Thanks very much, JoAnna
That little foal is so cute, but darn those flies! Impressive before and after. Lots going on at your house, inside and out.
Thank you so much, Laurie
Fabulous photos of the Foal, and I filed the one of ” Foal beside mother’s tail” Derrick
Thanks very much, Ivor.
The before and after pictures of the Brick Path bespeak of assiduous enterprise. Flies are a real menace to the equine population. Hopefully, the young foal would soon have a prominent, hairy tail.
Thanks very much, Uma. He will, indeed
Wow – that brick path came out amazing !!
Thanks very much, Yvette
You have captured some interesting scenes for this post. Over time I have come to realise that the fly problem is probably a lot worse in your area than where I live – and we regard them as being pesky 🙂
Pesky works for us, too. Thanks very much, Anne
Lovely journal.
Thank you very much, Rupali
How big is a trug? I don’t think we use that term here. Is it a wheel barrow or a basket, or …?
It bis a basket, varying in size – traditionally wickerwork – now often plastic. Used for carrying crops by hand. Thanks very much, Yvonne
Wow! A lot of work went into that path and it looks lovely. I feel sorry for that foal having to endure the flies.
Thank you very much, Eugi
Lovely photos of the foal and mother, i.e. the mother’s back side.
Love the horse with its foal and the pheasant! The horses look really healthy!
Thank you very much, Dwight
You are welcome!
Good job, Jackie! The walk’s appearance is greatly improved. And, {{{Derrick}}}, that is a gorgeous young foal!
Thank you very much from us both, Jan. How is your hand now?
Happy Father’s Day, Derrick. My hand is getting stronger and my fingers a little more flexible every day. Thanks for your good wishes.
Thanks again, Jan
Flies and gnats are miserable
I kept flicking my ponytail to no avail. 🕊️🐎🐎🐎
Thanks very much, Pat 🙂
The horses are gorgeous!
Thanks very much, Aletta
Such beautiful horses, Derrick. Also a lovely garden path. I cannot imagine the work that went into laying it. I laid six stepping stones in our front lawn one year. That took me the better part of a day and was exhausting. (And then Dan came home and had to take them out and redo them so they were even. 😂)
Thank you very much, AnneMarie. Actually most of the paths were already there, if overgrown, when we arrived
They look like they have been a part of the gardens for a long time. Just beautiful!