On this overcast yet dry and humid morning, carrying out a modicum of dead heading on my way round to collect the Head Gardener’s recent clippings, I added another empty compost bagful to the two that Jackie and and Dillon had not been able to fit into the Modus on yesterday’s dump trip.
Although the sun managed a faint glimmer towards the end of the afternoon, there wasn’t much change in the weather while Jackie and I took a forest drive after stocking up on provisions at Ferndene Farm Shop.
The usual group of ponies chose their favourite bend at Burley Street to disrupt the traffic and fill tyre treads with good manure. The last two on the verge were a slumbering audience as their companions kept pace with slowly moving vehicles.
Noticing a rather splendid steam roller reversing alongside The Elm Pub on Hightown Road, I disembarked once more and followed the
ancient behemoth until it came to rest in the hostelry car park where
two enthusiasts were happy to have me photograph details and poke
my lens and them while they worked on tweaking the boiler and relighting the fire in order successfully to encourage
steam once more to emanate from the tall funnel.
Until something spooked them, a group of deer, one white, shared the green at Hyde with ponies. Then they scarpered sharpish.
This evening we all dined on a variety of tasty pizzas and fresh salad, with which Jackie drank more of the Sauvignon Blanc and I drank Cheval de Montenac Graves 2019.