This afternoon Jackie deposited me outside The Rising Sun at Bashley, whence I crossed the road and entered the heathland with its ubiquitous ponies and golden gorse bound for a leisurely walk.. We have driven past this spot on countless occasions, yet I was taken aback by the pitted hoof prints that would seriously impedeContinue reading “The Toughest Terrain Yet”
Tag Archives: gorse
Social Distancing Is For The Birds (Too)
The thousands of people who crowded the UK parks and beaches over the weekend; and the London Underground yesterday, gave the Government no option but to send us into compulsory lockdown, which was announced and came into place with immediate effect last evening. Again this morning the tube trains were packed. All non-essential retail outletsContinue reading “Social Distancing Is For The Birds (Too)”
An Up And Down Morning
Early on a morning of sunshine and showers Jackie drove us into the forest to take advantage of the dramatic light. Encouraged by my undulating walk yesterday I was tempted to disembark at the top of Holmsley Passage and walk down the much steeper slope. At first I kept to the tarmac because of theContinue reading “An Up And Down Morning”
Ripples And Reflections
On another afternoon of heavy rain we took a drive into the forest. Over Lymington Road the sun attempted unsuccessfully to penetrate the brimming cloud canopy. The oak in the third picture has been remodelled by the sea air. The highest groping fingers never bear leaves. Almost the only wildlife we saw while the rainContinue reading “Ripples And Reflections”
In His Element
The onset of rain somewhat curtailed this morning’s dead-heading session. Never mind, I managed to catch up, and it didn’t rain at The Oval where Australia were playing Sri Lanka in the men’s Cricket World Cup. Naturally I listened to this. One of the pictures of Jessica in “More For The Slideshow” was taken atContinue reading “In His Element”
Rockford End
This morning I made my final cut of the Everton Festival Photographic Competition with the subject of The New Forest. I am grateful to all those of you who contributed to the debate about my submissions. The ‘Happy Thatchers’ was a clear favourite. Although they were very popular I have reluctantly excluded those of sunbeamsContinue reading “Rockford End”
A Drum Roll
This morning I rediscovered an album of elderly colour slides I had thought lost. I scanned a selection from May 1989. Sam managed to set this drum rolling across the lawn at Lindum House; Louisa preferred the inside drum roll Kate, our popular child-sitter, was an excellent birthday party emcee. This was Louisa’s seventh. JessicaContinue reading “A Drum Roll”
In The Soup
It is not unusual for us to be held up at Brockenhurst’s railway level crossing. This morning, on the way to visit Mum, was no exception. I had ample opportunity to photograph some roadside dandelions. As we approached Woodpeckers Care Home we noticed a crocodile of preschool children with a number of adult attendants walkingContinue reading “In The Soup”
Bad Hair Day
This afternoon Jackie drove me to Eyeworth Pond and back to watch the birds. Golden gorse glowed in the sunshine on Hinchelsea Moor and many others. The deciduous trees, like this oak, are all filling with foliage. Walkers along the Rhinefield Ornamental Drive gave scale to the giant redwoods. Mandarin ducks are not native toContinue reading “Bad Hair Day”
The Pony And The Wagtail
This afternoon Jackie drove to Hockey’s Farm Shop at South Gorley. She kindly allowed me to accompany her so I could take some photographs. As always we patiently waited for a pony to amble across the road as we approached North Gorley, where a pair of mallards fished on the soggy terrain beside the usualContinue reading “The Pony And The Wagtail”
