Now I am going to throw a spanner in the works of selection. I have just remembered ‘The Drift’, the second half of which post contains a number of pictures which must be included. It is such a unique New Forest event. I don’t wish to impose more work on my readers, but any comments would be welcome.
I have culled the 5 least popular of my 19 and added the four above from The Drift. At least the shortlist is reduced by one.
When we visited Wessex Photo yesterday I was encouraged to enter that company’s own competition on the subject of Spring. This gave me the opportunity to submit
this jackdaw gathering nesting material from a cow’s hide, taken from my post of 3rd May. I had rejected it from my first selection for the Everton competition because it could have been taken anywhere.
A brief walk around the garden this afternoon gleaned
these diascia which have survived two winters outside in their pot;
these marvellously scented sweet peas having forced their way through paving beside the kitchen wall;
above the campanula and geraniums the red peonies first photographed in bud;
this velvety climbing rose now springing from the arch Aaron erected over the Shady Path;
and, in the Rose Garden Gloriana, For Your Eyes Only; Summer Wine and Madame Alfred Carriere above the entrance arch beside
Festive Jewel nudging me for a dead heading session.
Later we took a short drive into the forest. Warborne Lane, outside Lymington, is so narrow that we just coasted along in the wake of these two horse riders. The two cyclists lurking behind the hedge had no choice but to wait their turn for a place on the road. We waited for them, too.
On the moorland beside St Leonards Road cattle and ponies lazed or grazed.
So bright was the head of this wagtail darting about that it seemed to be wearing a daisy hat.
The twitching of his mother’s tail as she reacted to the troublesome flies made it difficult for her offspring to latch onto his milk supplier.
Eventually he set off on a frisky trot
soon returning to shelter behind his Mum.
The flies were getting to him too. Dropping to the ground he rolled and kicked around for a while,
then tried to nudge them away.
“Welcome to the world of flies” exclaimed Jackie as he gave up and rose to his feet again.
On our way home we stopped at Hordle Chinese Take Away for this evening’s dinner with which Jackie drank Hoegaarden and I drank Carinena El Zumbido Garnacha Syrah 2017.