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Today was another featuring sunny intervals in cloudy skies. I began with a stroll round the garden where the latest opening rhododendron is progressing well.
Becky and Ian having stayed over, we all lunched at the Beachcomber in Barton on Sea.
The Solent’s waves were choppy; the Isle of Wight and The Needles were swathed in haze;
crows struggled against the blustery wind on the clifftop, and airborne alongside gulls.
This afternoon we took a trip to New Milton where Ian and I visited a solicitor for an executorship matter, while the ladies went shopping. Afterwards I sat on a bench in the Skate Park while Ian hunted for the shoppers.
Black- headed gulls scavenged on the grass against the backdrop of the distant mural;
a couple of young lads experimented with skateboards, until school was out when others joined them on bicycles.
This evening, before Becky and Ian returned home, we all dined on Jackie’s splendid beef pie, crunchy carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli, and creamy mashed potato. Becky and I drank more of the Malbec, Jackie drank Hoegaarden, and Ian, Peroni.
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I never tire of your garden.
That’s lovely, Leslie
Isn’t it wonderful? ๐
Very much so!
Thank you both
Lovely garden photos, Derrick.
Many thanks, Jane
The meal sounded wonderful. Lovely photos
Thanks very much, Andrew
The garden is looking superb!! Quite took my breath away <3
That’s lovely, Pauline. Many thanks X
What a beautiful day to photo your garden. Everything looks stunning. I really love those tulips!
Thanks very much, Jill. The advantage of it being our garden is that I can wait for the best light on a changeable day
What a lovely day. Your garden is beautiful, and so are the sea photos, but I really like the crows. ๐
Thanks very much, Merril. I hope your busy week has gone well
Thank you, Derrick. ๐
Always gorgeous photos!
Thanks very much, Lynn
Thanks to the post:
I was a flower in your garden,
I was crow in the blustery wind,
I was a black-headed gull against a mural,
I was a lad who swirled on his bicycle
as I twirl on my bed, stricken by flu.
Get well soon, our friend, Uma – from us both
Thanks a ton.
Derrick sahib, you have really confined the bounties of NATURE in your wonderful photos. A real treat to the eyes. Regards
Very many thanks, my friend, Harbans
My pleasure. Regards
Sounds like a very good day.
It was, thanks very much, Laurie
Great garden pictures. I came home today to find my lovely tulips battered by the wind. They didn’t last long!
What a shame, Andrew. We have been lucky, then. Many thanks
We live in a windy spot opposite an open field! Need more appropriate planting!
A beautiful garden and a day on the shore are hard to beat. ๐
So true, Lavinia. Many thanks
I was a skateboarder back in my youth, many, many moons ago, and your New Milton Skate Park looked like a great set-up for the young local enthusiasts.
It is certainly well used, Ivor. Many thanks
So pretty
Many thanks, Tosha
Youโre welcome ๐
We are getting some rain and cooler temperatures at last so I know about those sunny intervals. Glad to have the chance to see how your garden is growing.
Thanks very much, Mary
I really loved the brightness and colors of yours and Jackie’s gardens. Simply the best! The photos are exquisite!
I liked the gloomy and foggy sea shots, Derrick. They seem like good inspiration for an up and coming Edgar Allen Poe!
Thanks very much, Robin. An example of how the whether changes over her
Great pics Derrick, I do envy your world and lifestyle, between your garden and the scenery of your rural environment, you do live in a part of England that is unique, including the view across to The Isle of Man.
Many thanks, Ian. Makes up for years in London
The garden is looking beautiful. Please pass my congratulations to Jackie on her hard work and gardening skill. ๐
“Oh”, with a squeak, “that’s nice”, she says. And my thanks, too, Quercus
๐ My pleasure.