Hidden Poole

Poole in Doset is one of the world's great harbours. So, you might expect it to look like this;

                                                                         




                                                                                        or this



or even this.




But then you can stumble upon hidden Poole where they hide many craft

or the odd boat









or boats with funny names that don't even look like boats and where you wonder why they even bothered to tie it up!














And then there are boats that will sail no more and lie beached and forlorn; a bit like people.

I feel like the one on the right - somewhat decrepit and leaning over a bit, but still a boat of sorts.

Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens

If you Google the title of this blog post you may see far more than I can accomodate here. This then is just a taster of another corner of Dorset.






You do not have to climb steps; paths are thoughtfully laid out to accommodate wheel chairs; you may even hire one.

Follow the white arrows for a gentle tour, or just find your own way and become an explorer, but be careful of the leaves - they are a bit of a size in places.












Keep an eye open for wild animals.















If you find walking while looking up and down and sideways at wondrous sights somewhat tiring,






















there are countless oases in which to rest.

You may discover something you can't put a name to!






or you may find plants that take your fancy, like this bottle brush bush:


















You can spend a whole day here - amd then come home and sit in your own garden

Up the lazy river

You may have heard of Stourhead,  the source of the River Stour in Wiltshire.    This is it.

As the river flows over the county boundary, much of the beauty at its head passes to the benefit of Dorset where the Stour meanders through countryside that often has no equal.

Here it is at Eyebridge at its most rewarding; a place to paddle, to fish and to picnic.














Or here at Spettisbury where, many years ago, stonemasons and bricklayers built arches and patterns to make it more than just a crossing place;

a  bridge on which to stand and stare at a duck and a baby duck;





















or even to turn in the other direction and look up river to where you may feel the living looks good.







If you want real peace you can always cross the fields to Shapwick village where the Stour wanders past the church from whence forty three men including eight from the same family went to war and to where not all returned.

When tragedy seems to be ever present, villages such as this the length of the Stour remind us history was ever thus. On the first day of the Somme Offensive in 1916 we suffered nearly 60,000 casualties.

We may never know of the lives behind so many names, or even of individuals marked by gravestones such as this in Shapwick churchyard; only that they once shared the solace of the river.

Garden in the Rain

Gene Austin - A Garden In The Rain (1929) - YouTube

If I have done this right you can click on the link above and hear what I would have heard on the radio when I was three! If it doesn't work you may go to YouTube and find Gene Austin for yourselves.







Just so happens we went out for a trip today to Bennett's Water Gardens near Weymouth and enjoyed gardens in the rain: hence the song.











Weather did not spoil the trip  because there were plenty of trees under which to shelter.  A bonus was the lack of other visitors, probably due to the weather. The water lilies were worth going to experience - as were the crab and bacon and brie sandwiches!












As usual, my fellow explorer led the way, fully equipped to deal with the elements.

The scenery more or less made up for the lack of sunshine.






Probably not as exciting as exploring the Sahara, but no so far to come home afterwards for a nice cup of tea!

Can things become worse?

First it's him;

then it's her;

and we already had him.

Is it now the arrival of more things from outer space, seen over Dorset yesterday?

and not just one.

Good thing it is Tuesday tomorrow when the sun always shines on us at Wareham Golf Club.

I have shown Donald again with John and me because we'll vote for anyone who owns golf courses.

Who knows, he might even see this blog and invite us to play!

Balls

My friend John found this golf ball recently during our weekly 9 hole swearing match. Imagine the difficulty in losing such an object, but someone must have done for it to be found by another golfer.



We had never seen one like it before but clearly there are more about. This looks like one of those medical pictures of a new disease.






But times they are a changing as some pop star once sang. Just look at the kind of shoes you can wear










Or what about a delicately shaded pair of trousers.






Something with fewer colours perhaps?






          This would be acceptable to most golfers I have known.









But, for old conservative golfers, fashion change is something normally to be avoided.







Golf wasn't made for this kind of pleasure. It is there for looking glum at missed putts. Banging clubs on the ground for wayward drives. Bad language at the sound on butterfly wings disturbing your stroke.

This is more like it"!

Norm a year or two back - clearly still active then!

My friend Norm Heberer, who lives in Georgia USA, was on the phone recently saying he misses my "walks" in Dorset. In truth, this blog is then for him, but anyone else can read it if they like.

Age, winter weather and weary legs have curtailed this activity somewhat - since February.
Notwithstanding wobbly legs, I must admit I am obliged to turn down appointments in doctors' surgeries and hospitals on Tuesdays because that is 'playing golf day' with my other friend John Wilkes. We do have a buggy in which to navigate our nine holes and Tuesdays always offer good golfing weather in Dorset and it is Ladies' Day at Wareham and not many men are as happy as we are to follow behind the ladies. We are very lucky; we never lose golf balls because we can still see them after we have driven them.

John Wilkes and buugy

I think Norm is surprised at my situation because he is older than I am and seems to spend much time in the gym and doing yoga. Gyms can be dangerous places, witness the fact that his wife Joan, doing balancing exercises, damaged her shoulder when falling off a chair. Having worked most of my life in the brewery world I have some knowledge of falling off chairs.

What do you do when you become old and a bit less mobile?  I paint, which is quite a pleasant hobby when things turn out right.

What do I paint? Anything as long as it looks real when it is done.

Here are some sheep. You would be surprised how difficult it was to keep them standing still all morning.








Landscapes can be fine,  here is Eyebridge at Wimborne in Dorset; spot the dog!





















People are not always easy, but here is grandson Jack with great grandson Harrison.















And here is Jake, golf professional at Wareham.
I rate this one of the best because his Mum thinks it is wonderful and when a mother thinks anything about a son is wonderful, perfection has been reached.












Finally, there is always a favourite of the artist. This is mine because we saw him at the seaside and you couldn't make up a picture with with one sleeve up and one down and one jeans leg up and one down.