“If I’d Known How Long They Lived I’d Never Have Married You”

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This morning the warm sun shone from a cloudy sky; this evening, still warm, the sun shone from a clear blue sky; this afternoon the sky was overcast. There are no prizes for guessing when we took a drive into the forest.

The first troop of animals that occupy the road was of sheep at Bramshaw. All but one left the green pitted with their hoof prints, some of which were water-filled. I made the mistake of setting out across this poxy terrain. This, in my current wobbly condition, caused Jackie, waiting in the car,  some consternation.

I could really identify with one lame, bleating, creature, left alone to limp over to join its companions.

Further on, it was the turn of muddy cattle, cropping hedges, standing and staring on the winding, undulating, road, or wallowing in ditches, to disrupt the traffic.

Donkeys took up the baton at Frogham. Like yesterday’s pony a little white foal nudged its mother’s furry flanks,

took an inquisitive look at me, and had a good scratch. At this point I indulged in a pleasant conversation with a farmer who pointed out that the mother was in need of a good hoof trim. When the lady had married her husband she had owned six donkeys. Her husband had said that had he known how long they lived he would never have married her.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s splendid chicken jalfrezi and pilau rice. On the patio beforehand the Culinary Queen had drunk her Hoegaarden and I had finished the Paniza. I did, however, have a glass of Lellei 2015, a very quaffable Hungarian pinot noir from Lidl with my meal.

 

49 comments

  2. I especially like the photo of the sheep looking right at you.
    I am a bit wobbly myself lately, and sometimes get left behind, though never on purpose.
    Oh, and poxy is a new word for me. I’ll find a way to use it this week–

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  9. All the foliage looks very lush. I remember writing home to my mother that a couple of weeks into my English adventure I had discovered why everything was so green 🙂 sounds as if you are still having three seasons in one day, which does not fill me with confidence for our Imminent northern hemisphere trip.

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  12. Idyllic, as the word goes. I would love to hang one on my wall, the one in which they are craning into the hedge to nibble the shoots.

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  14. How do you get all those animals to pose for you, Derrick? 😉 I laughed at the cows at the hedge. The little lambs are sweet, but that donkey face! I’m glad you are not complacent about living with such wonderful sights all around you.

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  15. What an amazing afternoon out! Could the sun have made it any funnier to see these endearing animals on the roads. I’m especially taken with the cows 😊.

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  17. Wonderful pictures and fun story! Drinks on the patio? My kind of evening.

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      1. How wonderful! Really, one of the joys of being part of such a lovely blogging community. Chin chin!

        Reply

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