garden ornaments – derrickjknight

Planning A Garden

Richard from Kitchen Makers visited this morning to check measurements and discuss the work he will be doing for us in other rooms after mid-October. As always we spent quite a lot of time putting the world to rights.

Later, I posted https://derrickjknight.com/2021/09/24/a-knights-tale-39-down-the-drain-to-the-dome/

This afternoon we visited Elizabeth to discuss more of the arrangements for our mother’s funeral. We added to the information and opinions to be given to the vicar to help him with his address. Jackie summed up the changes Mum experienced from a childhood of taking a lighted candle upstairs to bed when there was no light on the stairs to six weeks ago conversing with her great granddaughter on a smart phone in our garden.

Later, the ladies walked around Elizabeth’s garden planning its development.

Naturally I hovered with a camera.

Afterwards Elizabeth produced a meal of well-filled and tasty chicken and leek pie with short crust pastry; creamy mashed potatoes; crunchy carrots; and tender runner beans from her own garden.

Our journey home was hindered by a chaotic traffic hold-up on the A337, forcing an emergency ambulance to cross a roundabout on the wrong side of the road, which was being caused by an extensive queue for petrol by drivers fearful of an impending shortage – despite being advised that this was not necessary.

“He’s Escaped Pannage”

On another wet and gloomy morning we drove to Setley Ridge Garden Centre to buy a present for Helen, whose birthday it is today.

Is there anything more dismal than a popular garden centre, normally thriving at weekends, to have hidden this sign beneath an empty display unit? Having done their best to beat Covid-19 and continuous rain the staff have succumbed

to closure, although they are hoping to reopen on 1st March.

Keeping to the safe side of the alarmed rope barrier, I recorded the bedraggled outlet while Jackie bought some replacement provisions in the farm shop. She then dropped me at home and toured other garden centres with a little more success.

This drier, warmer, still gloomy, afternoon we drove to Helen and Bill’s intending to leave presents and a card and run away. Happily, we were spotted and enjoyed a pleasant conversation with them and Rachel from over the front garden wall.

On our return journey, Jackie parked the Modus beside Roger Penny Way in order for me to commune with

sustenance-seeking donkeys and ponies.

At one point we were all distracted by thudding hooves as an equestrienne galloped across the somewhat sodden sward.

The pannage season which starts in the autumn and was this year extended to December is the period when ring-nosed pigs are freed to wallow in the mud in search of acorns and other mast which are poisonous to ponies. This little porker was seen and heard sploshing and snorting with glee, prompting Jackie to pronounce: “He’s escaped pannage”.

This evening we dined on Mr Chan’s excellent Hordle Chinese Take Away with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank more of the Dao.

A Significant Birthday

Today was far wetter and more windy that yesterday.

Jackie drove us to Setley Ridge Garden Centre to find a birthday present for Elizabeth. The paths were so pock marked and filled with water that it seemed sensible for my wife to recce the joint before I left the car.

I waited for a reasonable length of time watching rain streaming down the windows, until I though she had been in there long enough to think that we would be able to find something suitable.

I didn’t linger over the outside displays

before entering the internal arrangements of ornaments old and new laid out with the various plants for sale.

We settled on a nicely rusted cast iron garden snail, and also bought a card which we carried off to Elizabeth’s.

Ella had also been informed that this was her grandmother’s special day, because she had brought her mother, Danni, over for lunch.

At one point, Ella, sleeping on the sofa, briefly woke with a start and let out a distressed cry. Danni, simultaneously, on the other side of the room, had banged her head on the sharp corner of a shelf. She herself made no sound but rubbed her head in pain. Had there been some symbiotic communication?

While we were there Elizabeth’s friend Franz phoned her to wish her Happy Birthday from Manchester. She was, of course, able to see him on her mobile device.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s choice cottage pie, crisp carrots and cauliflower, and tender spring greens.

Well Camouflaged

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More snow fell overnight and earlier this morning, so off we went for a forest drive.

Before this we had to listen to the chattering of the residents of the garden who were beginning to feel the cold.

We headed for Crow, where we lunched at the Farm Café. Jackie parked beside Leybrooke Bridge on Dragon Lane, and I took a few photographs of lanes

and stream.

Scattering of snow on the moors, like these around Burley blended with pools, gorse, grass, bracken, and trees to produce sweeping throws of natural wool yarn.

The hardy ponies clung to the shelter of wooded areas where they fed on holly and gorse. Normally the greys stand out well against the greenery around them. Today, however, they were very well camouflaged.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s sublime sausage casserole, mashed potatoes and swede, crisp carrots and piquant cauliflower swede. I drank Cru de la Vallée du Rhone Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2015.

The Rat Catcher

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This is the owl our offspring gave Jackie for her birthday.

Clearly this splendid sculpture needed a plinth on which to perch. Fortunately I had noticed one in the very dealership from which we had purchased yesterday’s troughs. So back we went to Molly’s Den and bought it.

Much more can be found in this emporium: chairs, table and settings;

recordings old and new;

figurines to every taste;

bears, of course;

boxes of possibly dubious provenance;

headscarfs on mannequins;

fairly optimistically priced peeling and faded fairground signs;

and bright copper artefacts, to select a few.

On our return home, a cluster of ponies gathered outside The Rising Sun at Wootton. Were they perhaps waiting for lunch to be served?

Rats continue to enter our garden from the empty and unkempt North Breeze next door. Perhaps that is the reason that Jackie wasted no time in allocating a place for the barn owl’s plinth beside the patio. I expect that benign looking predator appears rather different to a rodent.

Later, Jackie continued weeding and planting, while I fed this year’s compost pile and emptied the last of the matured one onto the Palm Bed.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s bountiful beef casserole served with abundant boiled potatoes. She drank Peroni while I finished the madiran.

Happy Hunting

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Those who have read posts from April 2014 onwards will know that we moved into a house that had suffered from much bodged D.I.Y. We are only putting this right at a very slow pace.

Here is our badly painted crooked mantelpiece made from a bit of wood trimmed with beading. Note the gaps behind the tiles stuck onto the walls, and that between the shelf and the wall.

We can’t stand it any more, so we travelled to Ace Reclamation in West Parley to investigate surrounds created from reclaimed timber. We are now to submit a measured drawing to have one made for us.

Our morning was spent in heavy rain. Here is the entrance to the architectural salvage outlet. The staff member waving in the distance is acknowledging the postwoman who has just delivered the mail to

Ace Reclaim letter box through wet windscreen

an old postbox which serves as Ace Reclamation’s letterbox. This is what that looked like through our car windscreen.

Readers can already imagine that I wasn’t about to make a complete inventory in the rain, however I did what I could. This yard is a wonderful repository of artefacts and materials. There are garden ornaments and furniture galore, some of which, on past visits, has found its way to Downton. Figures in stone and bronze, a giant cockerel, carriage lamps, urns, tiles, timber, rust, telephone boxes, a suit of armour, a mangle, a garden roller, gargoyles, can all be found therein. You could enjoy happy hunting in reality, or, if you’d prefer to stay dry, virtually, through searching through these photographs.

The wooded areas on either side of the long, unmade, road, the potholes in which give a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘off the beaten track’, are waterlogged.

The ditches are filling up fast,

and flooding a paddock,

in which stood three damp horses, two of which were a sandy colour I have not seen before.

Mind you, the gorse glowed a grateful golden yellow.

On our way home we visited Friar’s Cliff Café for brunch. There was just one other customer couple who had braved the blustery seafront to reach the comfort always available there.

This was the sea through the rain-splashed window.

Anyone who has seen a photograph of a Friar’s Cliff Café breakfast will not be surprised to learn that a selection of small Asian snacks, such as samosas and spring rolls, more than satisfied us for our evening meal with which jackie drank Hoegaarden and I finished the Cahors.

The Garden Of Delights

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Here is a photograph of yesterday’s Barnet (Cockney rhyming slang – Barnet fair – hair. Geddit?)

This morning Jackie drove me to New Hall Hospital for a physiotherapy session with the excellent Claire who expressed surprise and pleasure at my progress. After she had strong-armed my leg she had taken the straightened knee to just one degree short of perfect, and the bent position to 105 degrees, already acceptable, but aiming for the 120 target.

There had been a nasty motoring accident on the Salisbury road, causing major delays and lateness for my appointment. We therefore took a diversion on our way home. Once we noticed that the signposts in all the tiny villages we wound our way through were pointing to Shaftesbury we realised that something was awry.

Never mind, on the road to Nunton we passed the patterned fields of Longford Farms Ltd,

and the neighbouring rolling landscape.

On the corner of Whitlock rise and the road through Bishopstone, climbing up to the bungalows above, Jackie spotted a sight to behold. She turned the car round and parked in the street beside a garden. I just had to disembark with my camera. At that moment a friendly woman with a small dog carrying out guard duties also left another car. She was the creator of what had attracted us.

She was thrilled that I wanted to photograph this Garden of Delights. She said most people simply take a shot in passing, whilst waving at the figures on the bench, imagining them to be living humans. She asked me to be sure to feature the boy on the donkey. A neighbour had given her the doll to complete the look. The wheels turn in the wind, and at Christmastime the lights are all lit. Local children love it. Having given me the information she entered her house saying she would “leave [me] to it”.

We struck lucky with The Talbot Inn in Berwick St John where we lunched. My pork Madras curry was the best I have ever tasted in a pub, and Jackie found her Italian chicken with spaghetti equally to her liking. She drank Diet Coke and I drank Ringwood’s Best.

(The pictures of the Inn and the meal have disappeared)

Soon after this we found the A30 to Salisbury and set off home. At Fovant we found a good view of the still evident Badges,

which are explained in this plaque. This final image will need the double enlargement to read the detail.

This evening I watched the football World Cup semi-final match between France and Belgium. Following the lunch we enjoyed earlier, we had no further need for sustenance.

P.S. For a short video of the badges see the comment of efge63 below.

Comments moved from the admin edit which has lost the pictures

Mary10 July 2018 at 8:19 pmEditCan’t believe I am the first derrick. Great ride today, always love the countryside photographs. But today was special with all the neat Garden of Delights! Great to read how well your recovery is going.Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight10 July 2018 at 8:38 pm EditThanks very much, Mary. Congratulations on being the first ????Loading…Reply
merrildsmith10 July 2018 at 8:24 pmEditI’m glad your recovery is going so well. Funny t-shirt.
The garden of delights is–interesting. ???? I think the dolls on the bench are creepy.
Thank you for including the explanation for the patches. I didn’t understand what they were until I read it.Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight10 July 2018 at 8:37 pmEditMany thanks, Merril. The dolls are rather creepy, but I can see why people in passing cars would think they were real. The title is a bit tongue in cheek. I think patches should be badges – WP autocorrect?Loading…Reply
  1. merrildsmith10 July 2018 at 8:41 pmEditYes, I meant badges. My mistake. I can’t blame it on autocorrect. ???? Loading…Reply
    1. derrickjknight10 July 2018 at 8:55 pm Edit????Loading…Reply
Osyth10 July 2018 at 9:14 pmEditHigh as a kite here …. allez les bleus!!!! It’s always distressing to read that there has been a nasty road accident. I hope there were no fatalities and injuries only to the vehicles. But what a find in both the entrancingly eccentric garden and the pub grub extraordinaire. I also must say that your hair looks extremely chic and that t-shirt is a corker (or is it a caw-Ker in honor of the carrion crow?)Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:23 amEditThanks, Osyth, for your usual thorough reading and commenting. This is the position I hope to be in on Sunday: https://derrickjknight.com/2012/06/12/i-could-not-lose/Loading…Reply
  1. Osyth11 July 2018 at 12:53 pmEditThank you for linking me to that – I loved it, of course ? Loading…Reply
    1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 1:02 pm Edit????Loading…Reply
Jill Weatherholt10 July 2018 at 9:51 pmEditWhat a lovely road trip…the Garden of Delight looks like a magical place. That’s a great photo of you!Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:10 am EditThanks very much, JillLoading…Reply
rabirius10 July 2018 at 10:12 pmEditAmazing.
Interestingly, the lion in one of the photos reminds me on one I bought in Eastern Turkey a while back.Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:09 am EditThanks very much, RabiriusLoading…Reply
Susanne10 July 2018 at 11:43 pmEditThe windmill thingamajigs are really clever. It looks like she made them out of recycled stuff – water or juice bottles, old hard plastic balls? Its kind of a gewgaw garden, eh? You like quite dashing with your new haircut. Carrion t-shirt most appropriate given the crow that likes to hang around Jackie. Are they plotting something?Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:04 am EditA nice set of comments, Susanne. There was a lot of re-cycling stuff going on – bikes and all. The T-shirt was a gift from Becky and Ian. Thanks very muchLoading…Reply
ivor2010 July 2018 at 11:44 pmEditI think I’m still a child at heart, I absolutely loved all of your photos of “The Garden Delights”, so beautifully creative .Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:01 am EditThanks very much, Ivor. It must appeal to the plumber ????Loading…Reply
Byungafallgren10 July 2018 at 11:46 pmEditNice photo of you and the garden.Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:01 am EditThanks very much, ByungLoading…Reply
LordBeariOfBow10 July 2018 at 11:58 pmEditYou’re a modest little chappie; aren’t you?Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:01 am EditSo pleased you appreciate that, Brian. Many thanksLoading…Reply
thecontentedcrafter11 July 2018 at 12:37 amEditI’m soooo late visiting today! Amazing garden of whimsy! The badges are interesting I had not known of them before. So happy to hear all the good news re the body – but don’t sign up for a marathon just yet …… xoLoading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:00 am EditThanks very much, Pauline. I was a bit late in posting ????Loading…Reply
JoAnna11 July 2018 at 3:59 amEditOh how I love it when people re-purpose junk into art! Now, I have some ideas for the old bicycles in the backyard. Congratulations on the progress in physiotherapy!Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 4:58 am EditThanks very much, JoAnnaLoading…Reply
umashankar11 July 2018 at 4:05 amEditI am so glad about the progress of your knee. The Garden of Delights is surely a delightful place to be and you have certainly utilised the moments you were there. Jackie has a sharp eye for the wondrous and unique.Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 4:58 am EditThanks very much, Uma. You are right. Jackie often spots my subjects – and she is driving ????Loading…Reply
Garrulous Gwendoline11 July 2018 at 4:17 amEditGood to hear you recovery is proceeding well. Thanks for the haircut shot, and I love the t-shirt! I’m not sure about the Garden of Delights. It’s quirky and fun but I wonder if ALL of the neighbours love it? Must take a battering in the storms. Anyway it’s nice to see familiar objects being recycled and re-purposed. The badges display is special. My eye immediately fell on the Rising Sun, so it was interesting to read the placard and understand the background. I notice they left Tasmania off the map of Australia ????Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 4:57 am EditThanks a lot, Gwen. The title, rather tongue in
  cheek came from https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-garden-of-earthly-
  delights-triptych/02388242-6d6a-4e9e-a992-e1311eab3609 by Heironymus Bosch who inspires, in me, similar ambivalence. That was a good spot about Tasmania.Loading…Reply
Lavinia Ross11 July 2018 at 5:10 amEditI’ve been away for a bit, and it is good to see you and Jackie again, and I love your t-shirt! Glad to hear your physiotherapy is coming along nicely.The badges are interesting.Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:25 amEditThanks very much, Lavinia. I trust you are OKLoading…Reply
  1. Lavinia Ross11 July 2018 at 1:33 pmEditAll is well here. Life is moving far too quickly these days, though. ????Loading…Reply
    1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:54 pmEditAnd it seems to get quicker as the years go by ????Loading…Reply
      1. Lavinia Ross12 July 2018 at 3:06 am EditI took some time to go to harp guitar retreat amid all the work here. I got way behind, but am so glad I took the time to go. For a few days, I forgot about almost everything but music. Rick took good care of the cats (all nine) for me, although it wore him out. ????Loading…
      2. derrickjknight12 July 2018 at 6:19 am EditHow apt – to have 9 catsLoading…
efge6311 July 2018 at 6:07 amEditGood morning!!!!! I share a video with you as i search to learn what is Fovant Badgeshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G91uND0OgoAI also enjoy the garden !!Thank you for sharing all these beauties!! Kisses to Jackie!!!Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 6:42 am EditWhat a splendid supplement to the post, Efi. I am alerting readers with a postscript. Thank you so much.Loading…Reply
arlene11 July 2018 at 6:53 am EditNice adventure after your hospital visit. Those are such lovely garden features.Loading…Reply
doesitevenmatter311 July 2018 at 7:49 amEditOH! Garden of Delights…what whimsical and fun creations! I would definitely want to stop and look and chat with the creator! ????Sounds like a wonderful day! And glad your PT session went well!
HUGS!!! ????Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 8:49 am EditThanks very much, CarolynLoading…Reply
jfwknifton11 July 2018 at 8:57 amEditI love people who do have gardens like that. Modern life is in grave need of eccentrics before social media turn us all into obedient little ants.Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 10:05 am Edit???? Thanks v very much, JohnLoading…Reply
Pleasant Street11 July 2018 at 11:55 amEditI think I would have been frightened of all the plastic faces, but wouldn’t be able to resist checking out the garden either.
You must be proud about how well your knee is progressingLoading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 1:01 pmEditMany thanks, Pleasant. I am pleased about the knee, but it is not so good today. Strenuous physiotherapy, walking without a crutch, giving up pain relief, all suggest I should take it easy today.Loading…Reply
  1. Pleasant Street11 July 2018 at 1:45 pmEditOur bodies do tell us when to take a breakLoading…Reply
    1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:52 pm Edit????Loading…Reply
Amy11 July 2018 at 12:17 pmEditThat is a delightful, lovely garden. Thank you for sharing, Derrick! ????Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 12:55 pm EditThanks very much, Amy. It’s fascinating how varied responses are ????Loading…Reply
Dymoon11 July 2018 at 12:40 pmEditnow that was fun… thanks for the smile today xxLoading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 12:54 pm EditAnd thanks to you, Dymoon XLoading…Reply
Lynz Real Cooking11 July 2018 at 1:26 pmEditSounds like things are going well derrick! Looks like a gorgeous day for taking pictures and very interesting things to look at!Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:55 pm EditIt was a good day for pics, Lynn. Thanks very muchLoading…Reply
Laurie Graves11 July 2018 at 1:34 pmEditThe Garden of Delight is fascinating, if a little creepy. Imagine them all coming to life at night, the way the toys do in “Toy Story.” No reports of weird activity in that area? ???? Glad the knee is progressing so well. Onward, ho!Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 5:53 pmEditThanks a lot, Laurie. I was fascinated by the range of responses to this oneLoading…Reply
  1. Laurie Graves11 July 2018 at 10:10 pmEditOne person’s creepy is another person’s charming? Somehow, old dolls frequently creep me out. ????Loading…Reply
    1. derrickjknight12 July 2018 at 6:28 amEditMe, too, especially realistic babiesLoading…Reply
      1. Laurie Graves13 July 2018 at 6:04 pm EditThey are the worst! Just thinking about them gives me the creeps.Loading…
InfiniteZip11 July 2018 at 6:42 pmEditgreat shirt and what a magical little garden you found too, great for new images ????Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 7:01 pm EditThanks very much, KimLoading…Reply
MeRaw11 July 2018 at 7:49 pmEditYou are looking well and glad your recovery is coming along nicely.
Love the plaque about “Wasps can bugger off”….. too true.
x Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight11 July 2018 at 9:08 pm EditThanks very much, Melanie. I liked that, tooLoading…Reply
Widdershins11 July 2018 at 9:43 pmEdit‘Keep Calm and Carrion’, eh? ???? … that Garden is spectacular, as are the badges on the hill.Loading…Reply
1. derrickjknight12 July 2018 at 6:28 am EditMany thanks, WiddersLoading…Reply
Rob McShane12 July 2018 at 11:28 amEditYou’re looking good Mr Knight! So pleased to see and read how well your recovery is going ??
Love the landscapes and what a very different garden you found!https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=210264752&comment_id=66901&origin=derrickjknight.com&obj_id=210264752-66901-6458f7002fd29Reply
1. derrickjknight12 July 2018 at 1:15 pm EditVery many thanks, Robhttps://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=210264752&comment_id=66902&origin=derrickjknight.com&obj_id=210264752-66902-6458f70030178 Reply
quercuscommunity14 July 2018 at 9:53 pmEditWe saw the Fovant Badges years ago when we were on holiday down that way and spent time looking at various chalk carvings. For some reason the kids were more impressed by the Cerne Abbas Giant.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerne_Abbas_Gianthttps://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=210264752&comment_id=66904&origin=derrickjknight.com&obj_id=210264752-66904-6458f7003054fReply
1. derrickjknight15 July 2018 at 6:00 amEditMany thanks, Quercus. It must have been the length of his cudgel.https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=210264752&comment_id=66905&origin=derrickjknight.com&obj_id=210264752-66905-6458f700308cdReply
  1. quercuscommunity15 July 2018 at 6:09 am EditI never thought of that…https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=210264752&comment_id=66906&origin=derrickjknight.com&obj_id=210264752-66906-6458f70030be9 Reply
aussieian201115 July 2018 at 10:12 amEditFantastic pictures Derrick, and more so to see the Australian Rising Sun Badge in one of your pictures, must be a story in there somewhere mate.
Cheers.https://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=210264752&comment_id=66907&origin=derrickjknight.com&obj_id=210264752-66907-6458f70030f46Reply
1. derrickjknight15 July 2018 at 10:34 am EditI’m sure there is, Ian. I double checked the plaque. Dated 1917 but no explanation as to why they were there. Cheershttps://widgets.wp.com/likes/#blog_id=210264752&comment_id=66908&origin=derrickjknight.com&obj_id=210264752-66908-6458f70031295 Reply