every little helps

You will see many pictures like this in the next couple of weeks












and you may wonder what this has to do with it, although the sign on the window may help.

 


   Here's a clue, although at the moment they are not wearing one but may do so when they see who is standing next to the pumpkins.
               






It's me and I want you to know that, at my age, standing for two hours inside a Tesco store is no great shakes for my feet and legs - or any other part of me come to that.

And life is unhelpful when you discover there are rules:

Shaking a tin is not permitted.
Holding someone up against the window by the neck while they search for their wallet is frowned upon.
Smiling is dangerous.
Putting your foot out as they are walking by is out.
You can give them a pin for their poppy but you can't pin it on them; not that I minded this rule when I saw the number of ladies who seemingly had brought their own pumpkins.
 (Sorry about that if I have offended).

There were great consolations. Fellow Royal Marines - and others - were happy to stop and reminisce and share views on other subjects - especially the appalling imprisonment of Sergeant Blackwell. (If this is a mystery to you, Google his name).

People are so generous with money and kind remarks about the work of the Royal British Legion. This goes for many who seemingly have very little money to spare.
And the generosity of Tesco who give their space and their logo and probably more besides.

Don't forget to buy a poppy - every little helps!

next door

Today we strayed over the county boundary from Dorset into Hampshire - just a bit - to where autumn can seem at its most gentle.

The New Forest still retains, in part, the feeling of being away from it all. Turn off the busy road from the west to Southampton and here is peace.






Further into the forest is the aptly named Bolderwood with heathland giving way to trees.












Adding to foreground and background, ferns are everywhere to set off countryside that the Forestry Commission cares for so well.













Trees come in all sizes and ages, some like these hundreds of years old making our own lifespan
a bit meaningless.

Like human beings, wild ponies roam in groups or singly as this one here, as the mood takes them












But it is the colours of autumn that are the attraction.








What a pity we don't take on colours like this so that we look majestic and lovely in old age instead of wrinkled and grey.

Unlike the other pictures, this last one in the same setting is by Gillian Thomas from the Geograph website; included because for me it epitomises what this blog post is all about.










.

making the most of it

Past the halfway mark of October and Dorset still has much to offer on a sunny day.


What about this as a change from seaside views?


Compton Abbas Airfield in the heart of the county.










Of course, you can't see Compton Abbas quite like this unless you go up in something like this.
Norm in Augusta will probably recognise the model it as it was one of theirs a long time ago!











Or, you can sit in the restaurant and watch them take off.











Or, go across the road and, with your feet on the ground, look at a view  that comes fairly close to the one from the sky above.

Compton Abbas is close to Shaftesbury where King Alfred built a priory in 888AD.
He clearly had an eye for beauty, as seen when you walk along what may have been ramparts in his time.















Shaftesbury hasn't changed much over the intervening years:











and when it comes to health and safety even the locals do not seem to care too much.
Note the plank on the way down!!!!
It was great entertainment while we watched them dismantle the whole thing this way, including the metal poles, while we sat looking out of the pub window opposite.









He at the bottom actually caught the poles one-handed.
You can see where they got the idea and understand why King Alfred wore a helmet.







So much to see down here: even the van that prompted someone to ask if I had gone back to work for a brewery.

a life on the ocean wave

"Heave ho me hearties!"

This is the life for those who like the sea; even if there is a suspicion of hard work about it.









Is this the last sight of land before we set out on an adventure to match Moby Dick or Treasure Island?













Are these intrepid Anglers and Amazons about to set off for deep sea fishing at its most hazardous.

Have thousands come to see us off?
Well, a couple of dozen anyway!

No! We have come to Swanage again to enjoy an Indian summer without having to share the hardships of typhoons and doldrums.












And if it's fishing you want you don't really have to put to sea for excitement. So far they had caught two small fish and three even smaller crabs. How small? You may get some idea when I tell you they are in the bottom of the plastic bucket.










Time for our search for an oasis.
Has grandson Jack gone into business for himself?
Not much doing if he has: it was closed: or he had gone out to lunch!