The method proved useful once again today. I couldn’t walk, but I could hop from seat to seat around the garden for a photoshoot. So this is what I did.
These images were produced from a seat in the patio;
these from the Wisteria Arbour;
the Gardener’s Rest yielded just two;
then came the decking;
one from the bench at Fiveways;
a good range from the four various viewpoints in the Rose Garden;
two from the concrete patio;
four from the Heligan Path bench;
two from the Westbrook Arbour;
three from the Nottingham Castle bench;
and finally, petunias in a chimney pot on the lawn seen from its own bench. All the other titles will be available from accessing the galleries.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s succulent beef and onion pie; boiled new potatoes; firm carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli, with meaty gravy. The Culinary Queen drank Hoegaarden, Flo and Dillon drank Ribena, and I finished the Côtes-du-Rhône.
CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE. THOSE IN GROUPS ACCESS GALLERIES THAT CAN BE VIEWED FULL SIZE AFTRER SCROLLING DOWN THE PAGE AND CLICKING THE RELEVANT BOX.
Jackie and I spent the morning weeding and clearing the rose garden. The task is not yet finished.
A rather large creature has head-butted a hole in the fence, tossed the insect hotel logs aside, and broken off the legs of a couple of the plastic edge rails bordering the stepping brick path, across which it has trodden a trail. We rather hope it is not a rat. In an attempt at least to deter the beast I have plugged the square hole with a round peg.
The ladybird bug in the weeping birch has taken a mate and led her further up the tree.
This afternoon we went on a drive through the forest.
A group of ponies on the road between Burley and Ringwood feasted on gorse, grass, and brambles on the verge and the bank above it.
One took itself along and across the road where it thought the grass was greener.
Attracted by the smoke of controlled burning, I stepped out onto the heathland where
I met a group of hikers seeking directions. Naturally I led two of them to the driver who set them right.
On the outskirts of Hyde we encountered a string of ponies taking a leisurely stroll along a road lined with
blackthorn.
One of the animals stopped, turned, and noisily expressed its desire that I should also stop, and retrace my steps,
which I did, to find reinforcements alongside the Modus in which Jackie closed the window
in the face of one particularly hopeful individual which,
when I came between it and the passenger side, observed me with what seemed like malevolent intent.
Cattle occupied the higher ground at Gorley Common,
while donkeys’ leathery mouths tore at the gorse below.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s beef cobbler served with boiled potatoes, crunchy carrots, cauliflower, and green beans; and purple sprouting broccoli which turned green the cooked. Jackie drank sparkling water and I finished the Bordeaux.
