Soon after lunch on this cold-sunshine day I walked around the garden and photographed
a few flowers, namely daffodils and a cluster of blue wood anemones.
Afterwards, stopping at Gregg’s bakers for Jackie to replenish the sweet trolley. While waiting outside, through the car windscreen, the laundrette window, and some reflections, I was entranced by
a rather noble hooded face.
On our journey north the roads and terrain, their waters replenished by two more days and nights of heavy precipitation, were as saturated as ever, but I chose not to focus directly on them on this occasion.
A tyre swing above the rippling and swollen River Avon was now swinging underwater with the force of the current sweeping from the
bubbling Woodgreen millstream, alongside which
a soft toy lounged on a bench and a stump creature reared its head.
As I rounded the broken corner of the bridge wall into which someone had crashed,
Jackie was herself photographing the river encroaching upon the car park; the bridge for Tootlepedal; and me on the bridge watching
the rippling waters.
Ponies, dogs, and walkers basked on Woodgreen, where a glorious magnolia spread in the garden of a thatched cottage. The last pair of ponies in this gallery were depicted by Jackie.
Trees against the clouds at Hale included those sporting their usual crops of mistletoe.
Ferns flourished on a bank cropped by soggy donkeys. While I was photographing these I heard the clopping of hooves further down the road , and turned to see
these berugged horses being led to their paddock beside the ford.
This evening we dined on Jackie’s beef and onion or chicken pies, according to choice; boiled potatoes, tender runner beans, and carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli al dente. She drank Hoegaarden and I drank Reserva Privada Chilean Malbec 2022.