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A rare glimpse of the sun this morning reminded me that I had neglected to offer any photographs of the front garden in yesterday’s post.
These are the flowers fronting the garage doors. I am sure that the Head Gardener would wish to have it pointed out that she swept this area later.
Two general shots display Japanese anemones and a couple of clematises;
and petunias, hydrangea, and erigeron. The tree is a winter flowering cherry.
On the trellis honeysuckle and solanum are prominent,
while petunias in hanging baskets and orange nasturtiums add vibrant colour.
Although patches of blue sky would peek between occasional gaps in the threatening clouds, we didn’t see much more of the sun.
I spent much of the day on form-filling and other administrative tasks. This afternoon Jackie drove me to the soon to be closed down Hordle Post Office to avail myself of a box that would take larger envelopes. We then drove into the forest.
At East Boldre it seemed sensible to stop as a donkey foal wandered in front of the car.
Not worried in the slightest, the mother lived up to the reputation of her kind, and tore at thistles
and brambles in contented oblivion,
whilst her offspring, after a little thought, ventured back into the road,
causing an Openreach van to give the creature a wide berth when it stopped to enjoy a leisurely scratch. Either the adult was extremely negligent or she considered that the youngster had learned that it had the right of way on New Forest roads. This is almost certainly the same mother and child I photographed in April soon after the baby’s birth, when it was sprawled out across the verge.
Further on, beneath a heather covered hillock at Crockers Clump,
on the edge of a Stygian pool,
a long tree had fallen across the sward, coming to rest against one still upright. In compliance with regulations in the interests of ecology this tree will remain where it lies until it rots away.
This evening we dined on succulent chicken Kiev served with new potatoes, crunchy carrots, and toothsome green sprouting broccoli. Jackie drank Hoegaarden annoying 1445, and I drank Parra Alta malbec 2016.