Springtime in the Home Counties

[glenatron]

The last few weeks have really felt like springtime here, that moment of bright transition from blossom to leaf and the sun has shone with an atypical brightness facilitating some very pleasant days out, with which I shall now try your patience...

A couple of weeks ago we visited Winkworth Arboretum ( although given the fact we had to pay on the door I suspect it may actually be someone else's boretum ) and got to see birds and flowers.

Like two flowers for the price of one- great value!


This gentleman was also present, showing off his plumage and whathaveyou. I wonder if the bird equivalent of a hairdresser is a plumber.


Blossom in the woods, just near here are some small carved houses nailed to the trees, presumably for the fairies, although given the price of property in the area they may be much vaunted affordable housing.


My true love admires some arbours.


Some kind of red rhododendron. A rhodREDendron, if you will.


Do you remember, cherry-blossom in the market square? ( Possibly not cherry blossom, possibly not a market square. )


The start of spring looking out across the hills towards Godalming.


Blossoms and the blue.


Another day, we go out for an M&M ( mare and mule ) wander.


While house sitting we see this lady eating fallen blossom in the garden.


Last weekend on a visit to Blackdown we met this very fine speckled wood.


Looking out west from Blackdown. From the hill that day we could see the north and south downs on each side, while the Weald stretched out towards the Ashdown Forest ( famous in literature as the Hundred-Acre Wood ) to the west. One could quite understand why Tennyson was so fond of the place.


Finally two fine friends of mine, one of whom likes me somewhat more than the other does.


So that's how things have been here recently. It's not so bad.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_acerbusangelus/]

Lovely photos!

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! One of these days I must get me to an arboretum at blossom time...

Iris's ears look unimpressed. Because mule was in front? Or because you were asking her to hang back? Hope you and Iris are enjoying some nice spring outings.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

Iris was just in tail-end-Charlie position, so she has to keep her ears back to listen for all the wolves and tigers that are indubitably creeping up on her from behind.

We haven't ridden out as much as we should recently - a mixture of me teaching a lot over the weekends and Iris having lost a lot of confidence going out alone, which I don't mind working through but is a relatively slow process and is teaching me a lot about riding my horse's fear, which is not a thing I used to have to do so much in the past. It's an interesting new lesson, but a difficult one for me as I allow my fear to tie itself to hers more than I should.

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Yes - it's so hard to avoid that positive feedback loop of nervous horse=tense rider=even-more-nervous horse...

Here's hoping time and mileage build relaxation and confidence in you both.

[harnessphoto.livejournal.com]

That bird is glorious. Wow! Great views. Looks springier there than here...

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

Every day is a little bit greener at the moment, we're just in that brief changeover before the trees are all dressed for summer and they'll stay that way until October...

[meri-sielu.livejournal.com]

Lovely photos, the one of the sweet little roe deer is a particularly lovely shot :)