donkeys on road – derrickjknight

On The Road

This afternoon we drove to the north of the forest.

Donkeys caused traffic diversions outside Bramshaw,

where we saw our first pannage pigs of the season;

another was crossing Penn Common,

populated today by ponies, cattle, sheep, a lamb, and goats.

Some of the many groups of motorcyclists we encountered formed a long arc just outside Nomansland.

For a number of weeks now, farmers have been bringing in bales of hay and bagging them up. See Sue W’s comment below, naming these as Silage bags. These were outside Fritham;

where, within the woodland,

lies Eyeworth Pond, beside which were resting one of the many groups of camping teenagers we have seen this week. We speculated that they may be between school and university.

When leaving Fritham we witnessed a string of ponies trooping along the verge.

Once back at home I watched a recording of the women’s rugby match between England and New Zealand at Twickenham, now named Allianz, the home of the English game.

This evening I dined on Braemoor Peri Peri Chicken King Kebab, with spinach and Jackie’s colourful savoury rice. Jackie meant to have the same, but a very small bite revealed that it was far too hot for her. She therefore enjoyed the accompanying cauliflower and more of the spinach. I will be having the same tomorrow when Jackie will choose to cook chicken in her own way.

Hotter Than Expected

This morning I worked on the next “A Knight’s Tale” post.

On this unseasonably balmy afternoon Jackie drove us up to the north of the forest, where

donkeys on the road outside Faraway Cottage caused a certain amount of traffic chaos.

My chauffeuse parked at Godshill Pit while I wandered among

dappled woodland with variously hued bracken and tree foliage.

Jackie also pictured spiky gorse, brown and green bracken; and, as I ambled along she produced an image for “Where’s Derrick?” (5)

As we passed a pair of Joggers on the road outside Hale, one, like me in my jacket, had found the day hotter than expected, prompting her to complete the peeling of her sweater.

This evening we dined on succulent pork chops served on a moist melange of leaks, peppers, and onions; boiled and roasted potatoes; flavoursome roast parsnips; crisp Yorkshire pudding, and tasty gravy with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I finished the zinfandel.

Hardy’s Landscape

Today’s weather was dry and largely overcast.

This afternoon, isolated in our Modus, we took a drive into the forest. No other humans were about when I disembarked with my camera.

A pedestrian was approaching in the distance when we were beset by donkeys on the road through South Gorley. I photographed the obstinate brindled obstacles through the windscreen.

Persistent ponies pastured as best they could on the muddy greens at North Gorley.

One, in particular, took its grass in a still wet ditch.

All their legs bore wet or dry mud.

Further along the road at Ibsley a solitary grey cast a spotlight on its field, while

a bay collected bramble neckwear as it foraged around

slices of a a gradually decomposing sawn tree trunk.

Bare branches blended against the sky.

On the road to Appleslade I was reminded that I have been remiss in not, like Thomas Hardy, treating the forest landscape as a character worthy of its own place in narrative. I made a start on putting this right.

Beyond Linwood the road continues uphill in preparation for crossing under the A31.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s spicy chicken jalfrezi, savoury rice, palak paneer, and onion bahjji, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the El Zumbido Garnach Syrah.