Enough To Patch A Dutchman’s Trousers

Episodes 7 and 8 of ‘The Crown’ really rather confirmed my reluctance to begin watching it because I imagined it to be intrusion into the lives of some still living people who could not answer back. We will probably persevere because of the history that we ourselves have lived through.

On this day of gloom and drizzle, Nugget occupied himself checking out the area beneath the wisteria where his own personal feeder hangs.

Now, “Where’s Nugget?” (57)

As the skies began to clear a little later this afternoon to a drive towards Hatchet Pond, returning home via East End.

Along  the road between Brockenhurst and the Pond several trees spend their dryer months in sunken areas which fill with water at times like this.

This gives them something to reflect upon.

On the Hatchet Pond side of the road into East Boldre vast areas are now waterlogged, whereas

the lumpy landscape on the other side remains dry and crisscrossed by pony tracks.

Occasional blue streaks now threaded the skyscapes – enough to patch a Dutchman’s trousers,

as a wide, flashing, farm vehicle ensured that our journey through East End was perforce slower than expected.

Becky was still with us this evening when the three of us dined on Hordle Chinese Take Away’s excellent fare with which I drank more of the Fleurie.

79 comments

  1. My late father often used the phrase “enough to patch a Dutchman’s trousers”. I never heard anyone else use it, although I have passed it on to my children 🙂 I enjoy all the reflections you have shown us today.

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  3. Once again I love your photographs Derrick, so beautiful mate. I watched The Crown, really enjoyed it, especially the Queen’s relationship with Winston Churchill

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  5. I, too, have reservations when shows or movies are made about people who are still alive. Heck, I am suspicious even when the subjects are dead. The filmmakers always play fast and loose with the facts. Give me fiction! At least then I know it’s made up.

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  6. ‘Where’s Nugget’ is a photo reminiscent of the ones I used to take when younger – I hope this is deliberately done or Nugget was in the process of leaving hurriedly having just remembered something terribly important, as you took the shot……. I’ve never heard that one about Dutchman’s trousers. I wonder what the genesis of that is!

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    1. Thanks very much, Pauline. I had the camera on the wrong setting, so it was very blurred and I thought I’d play with it. The Dutchman’s trousers seems to be Victorian, based on bell-bottomed trousers – the Dutch being blue. x

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  8. My mother taught me that expression about the Dutchman’s breeches. I have not heard that since, and it brought back memories of her.

    Beautiful photos and reflections in the water. Winter does indeed have its own beauty.

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  9. You have to have enough to patch the trousers before eleven, we were told when we were young, otherwise it was too late to expect a decent day. Sometimes the trousers in question were a French sailor’s which seem to have been particularly wide at that time.

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      1. I’ve got the new BT Smart hub but it makes no difference to the TV and Sky. So I admitted defeat and sent an e-mail to our tech guy to ask for help. Didn’t want to ring him and disturb his weekend.

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    1. Thanks very much, Mrs W. Prince Philip’s uncle pushed the establishment too far when he wanted all the royals to use the name which he had already changed from the more Germanic Battenberg.

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      1. I can understand your thoughts of the show intruding on privacy. But for an American with less knowledge about the Crown I find it intresting and am constantly learning new things. It’s intresting how they portray the presidents they meet. It sounds like Prince Phillip uncle liked to push hard a lot.

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  16. Beautiful reflections in the pond.

    Nugget’s red breast is especially lovely in these darker months.

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  18. One thing about being behind a slow moving tractor is that at least you are protected from being hit head on by oncoming traffic going too fast. That’s a real risk in Cornwall where they seem to have the idea that if there were no vehicles there yesterday, then there won’t be any there today.

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  19. So good to see Nugget! He looks fit and happy! 🙂

    Your water, trees, and reflection photos are some of my favorites…they always look so peaceful and beautiful! They make me smile and sigh good sighs.
    I love the skies are painted with blues, purples, and pinks.

    I think maybe what TV shows and movies can do is get people to read and research to see what really DID occur in people’s lives. I like when movies get people to read books. 🙂 And I always hope the movie makers will be fair to those portrayed, whether they are still with us or not. But I know they aren’t all fair. 🙁

    I knew of a lady who wrote a book about her life and it was going to be made into a movie. She said the filmmakers wanted to add more drama to make her life more exciting (things that did NOT happen in her life). She said “No way” and fought them until she was able to help write the screenplay and keep it true and honest. She said “My life was exciting enough without adding things that were not true.” And she was right! I admired her greatly for standing up for herself and her story/life.

    HUGS!!! 🙂

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      1. I think he must have been. I saw at an awards show last night Taron Egerton won for best actor for Rocketman! And the song I’m Gonna Love Me Again won for best original song! 🙂

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  20. My Granny used to say “enough to MAKE a Dutchman a pair of trousers” . There would need to be a bit more blue in the sky for that I think!

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  21. Out and about and feeling better – good to see, Derrick! You sure caused a stir with your Dutchman saying! I never heard it before myself, but will probably use it hereafter. haha
    By the way – you cheated with Nugget’s picture today!

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  22. Another gloomy and windy day here today also Derrick, but your pictures brought joy and smiles..
    Hope you and Jackie have a wonderful Happy Healthy 2020 my friend.. May you have fun on your travels and may your journeys be trouble free..
    Love and Blessings..
    Sue <3

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  24. Your reflection photos and marvelous, as always, Derrick. As to The Crown, we thought that perhaps HRM had approved it before it was released to the public. You would know better, of course.
    Little Nugget is hiding somewhere in that blur, I am sure.

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      1. We come from a country where covert influence has always been part of life and still is, political changes notwithstanding. I guess we suspect those behind everything. In our view of the world, if the tongue is tied publicly, it makes no difference to the real state of affairs. I beg forgiveness for superimposing our perceptions onto HRM.

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  25. Winter reflections in pools, ponds or puddles have such mesmerising fascination I find. I never minded when our boys stopped a while in their younger days. I enjoyed your images, Derrick.

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      1. 🙂 I remembered it being an Enid Blyton story, in the days she was known for being a storyteller rather than a racist. The internet did the rest. (PS I still think she was a great storyteller – if that makes me a bad person so be it.)

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  30. I grew up with the expression about the patch of blue sky in the American midwest. Our version proclaimed that if there were enough blue sky to patch a Dutchman’s breeches, a good day would follow. What’s interesting is that there was a town named Pella about 35 miles away; it was a Dutch settlement, and even today maintains its strong Dutch heritage, complete with a town windmill and a tulip festival. I still order some of the pastries from the best bakery in town at Christmas, just for a taste of home.

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  31. My dad was a Dutchman, but my mom used to say, “Enough blue to make a pair of sailor’s trousers.” Maybe because he was in the Navy when they met. 😀 Hatchet Pond always looks a bit sinister to me in your photos. maybe it’s because of its name. 😯

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