Jackie spent the morning and part of the afternoon in the garden. Later she drove me into the forest for a short trip.
Ponies cast their shadows on the sward beside Holmsley Road. One enjoyed a good scratch.
Two mares suckled their foals. In the first picture the youngster is in the process of rising for a feed. The adults are so ungainly when they heave themselves upright that I was quite surprised at the nimbleness of the little one. The mother ignored the flies crawling over her muzzle. The grey became a little self-conscious at my approach; unplugged her infant; and moved off. Her persistent progeny latched on from the other side. I left them in peace.
While Jackie waited in the Modus I took a walk down the far end of Forest Road outside Burley as far as the very dry ford and back.
The high banks and exposed roots at each side of the lane betray its ancientness.
The stream is so very dry that much of the gravel bed is exposed; reflections on the shallow surface mingle with the small strip that does contain a smattering of liquid; and the depth gauge stands proud of solid ground.
I was not the only photographer focussed on groups of small Highland cattle on the outskirts of Bashley where a calf was learning to forage.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s spicy pasta arrabbiata; pepperoni pizza; onion, tomato, and mozzarella salad; and juicy ratatouille, with which the Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Cabernet Sauvignon.