This morning Aaron of A.P. Maintenance completed his preparation of the Rose Garden for winter that is still being kept at bay.
A week or so back he gave the shrub roses a good haircut. Today he laid our two year old compost around their bases.
Clumps of bright yellow bidens, like these at the foot of our sculpture, Florence;
Little irises, heucheras, lamium, and geraniums;
a fig flowering in the Palm Bed;
and this clematis on the Westbrook Arbour, all speak of the season’s confusion.
This morning I helped Elizabeth load her car with belongings to take to her Pilley house. This afternoon Jackie and I followed this up by unloading them for her. We then continued on a forest drive.
The lake that has been mostly dry during the summer once more bears ripples and reflections.
Bustling goats in a field alongside Jordans Lane competed in a dodgem race for first bite at the bundles of hay clutched under their speeding keeper’s left arm.
On an open space beside Bull Hill a group of stumpy little ponies chomped on their own food.
From here we sped off to Mudeford, arriving just in time for sunset. While I was taking these shots
I was unaware that Jackie was adding her own sequence, featuring me among the silhouettes.
Preening swans,
one with an entourage of gulls, completed the picture.
Elizabeth returned in the evening and we all dined on Jackie’s splendidly hot chilli con carne and toothsome savoury rice. My sister drank Hop House Lager; my wife drank Hoegaarden; and I finished the Merlot
Another delightful day. Elizabeth is certainly working hard on her new home. When I first glimpsed the first 2 pictures of the ponies, I thought they looked as though they should be young unicorns.
They do, indeed, look like young unicorns, GP. Many thanks
Jackie’s a dab hand with that camera! I’m glad to see there was no rain mentioned during the moving part of the day especially.
Thanks very much, Pauline. The rain has certainly eased up. What is especially good about Jackie’s dab hand is that the screen is cracked across rendering the view invisible. It really is point and shoot.
More a case of point, shoot, and hope.
🙂
Here in Los Angeles, temperatures at nightfall now drop to the fifties (Fahrenheit). I’ve also been giving haircuts to my sun-loving plants and have started to lay mulch (decaying flowers) on my lily patch that blooms in spring.
Derrick, thanks for all the gardening tips I get from your blog.
Very many thanks, Rosaliene. All tips courtesy of The Head Gardener 🙂
Love the sunset with the seagulls! Great photos, Derrick.
Many thanks, Jill. That was my favourite, too.
Beautiful photos. The roses and gardens are looking good. Those ponies are adorable. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks very much, Karen
Nice Pics, Nice full day for you sll and as always love the photo of all the animals and sunsets along the way
Thanks very much, Gary
Hey, nonny, nonny, in fact. Did you charge for being a silhouette?
I always found it amusing that Mudeford is said as ‘Mudfid’.
When Jackie’s sister Shelly moved down here she called it Moodford. Thanks very much, Leslie
I called it ‘Mewed-ford’ until educated better.
Aaron did a wonderful job! 🙂 The garden is grateful, I’m sure! 🙂
The ponies and goats look like they have their winter goats on! 🙂
Your water and sky photos are so gorgeous! 🙂
Was the chili con carne hot (spice-y) and hot (in temp)?! 😀
We make a lot of chili this time of year…also, soups and stews.
HUGS!!! 🙂
Thanks very much, Carolyn. Hot, spice-y. Winter goats, indeed! 🙂 Jackie often makes soups for lunch. I’m sure we’ll have some today. X
Stunning photos, Derrick (and Jackie). I particularly like the first lake picture, though after I saw it I was saying to myself and that one and that one. . .
🙂 Many thanks, Merril. We are pleased you liked them
You got the best of the drinking.
The forest pictures are really beautiful.
“Aye lad, what a grand day!”
🙂 Thanks a lot, Val
That photo of the bushy-haired old man leading a parade of goats is wonderful, Derrick. A profitable photo expedition today!
Thanks very much, Judy. I had to grab the one quickly
Wow, those birds and those silhouette shots are so wonderful Derrick. Nice forest pictures too.
Thanks you very much, Arlene
So much for my farm animal identification! I thought the goats were baby alpacas which, of course, would have short necks. Doh!
You were close, John. These, I have learned, are bred for mohair. Thanks very much
I especially like the reflection pictures!
Thanks very much, Andrew. It is amazing that a couple of weeks ago they would not have been possible
There are some rapid changes at this time of year!
A beautiful day! Your fig is in flower? We have a huge fig tree at the end of our street – now loaded with green figs as our Summer starts??
Love the Sunsets and the ponies. I was out last night taking shots of the new sliver of Moon just after sunset. (Very hard to get right exposure on close-up shots)
Thanks very much, Bob
What a lovely post, Derrick. reflections on the water, those ponies <3, the geese. And I really love the one of the goats and their keeper.
Good to see you back, Laurie. Many thanks
Those ponies! it’s nice to see things growing when all is dead here. 🙂
Thanks very much, Ellen
I still like your reflections photos the most, Derrick; they are breathtaking!
Very many thanks, Dolly
My pleasure
Those fuzzy white ponies need to be part of a story.
Be my guest, Laurie 🙂 Thanks very much
Aa magic lot today. Special mention for the old goat and the young goats.
Nice one, Paol. Many thanks
Fluffy goats and ponys … and Elizabeth’s almost there. How wonderful. 🙂
Thanks very much, Widders
Beautiful photographs. Love the goats and ponies. They look like bears and unicorns 🙂
Preening swans are acrobats. They are so lovely.
Those are beautiful photos from your day, Derrick and Jackie!
Thanks very much from us both, Lavinia
2 year old compost? Bit on the nose I’d imagine, Probably drive those lovely ponies away if they got a sniff of it!
🙂 Thanks a lot, Brian