Although it was to return after lunch,
the perky sun enlivening the verges of South Baddesley lanes I photographed this morning was soon seen off by colourless cloud cover.
The ferns and other plants bursting from the verges provide veritable rope ladders for sticky willy weeds like those with which we currently grapple daily in our garden.
The borders of Brook Hill are lined with white meadowsweet and hedgerows of various hues,
interspersed with golden buttercups, prehistoric mares’ tails, and decorative grasses;
a persistently pendant broken branch clings to life beside upright horse chestnut candelabra.
Passing ponies on the moorland of Norleywood, we visited Elizabeth at Burnt House Lane
to inspect her garden makeover which has provided a new purpose for a certain amount of the paving removed from our patio
This evening we all dined on Jackie’s colourful savoury rice with tempura, hot and spicy, and salt and pepper prawn preparations, and duck spring rolls, with which she drank Hoegaarden and I drank Giulio Pasotti Bardolino Classico 2021.