Animals of the New Forest

 

The New Forest is well known for its ponies.  Ponies ar everywhere.  There are more than 3000 of them and they are permitted to roam freely –  a concession granted in the 1079 charter.  They feed particularly on the heathland and roadside verges and can regularly be seen ambling through the main streets of small towns and villages.  At all times animals have right of way in the Forest.  Speed limits are set accordingly.

But the ponies are not ‘wild’.  Each is owned by a ‘commoner’ (a resident in the Forest) and is branded and registered for identification.  Many are used for gymkhanas, riding schools etc.   There are strict rules enforced to protect the purity of the breed and they are rounded up periodically to check their health and general condition.

Small numbers of cattle, donkeys and even a few pigs similarly enjoy the freedom to roam.  The Forest also has several varieties of deer but, by their nature, they are far less conspicuous.

 

 

 

Occasionally they can become a little overfriendly!

A walk in the New Forest (2)

Click on images to enlarge

 

At this time, April, the trees are only just coming into leaf.  The sunlight is able to penetrate the canopy of the woodland, picking out clearly the shapes and textures of the trees and creating attractive reflections on the surface of streams.  The heathland is ablaze with the vibrant golden yellow of the gorse.  But this is primarily a world of intimate beauty rather than spectacular grandeur.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A walk in the New Forest (1)

One impulse from a vernal wood

May teach you more of man  

Of moral evil and of good

Than all the sages can.

William Wordsworth

 

Click each image to enlarge

 

 

 

 

 

The New Forest (situated mostly in S W Hampshire) comprises approximately 150 square miles of heathland and ancient woodland.  It has changed little since the Bronze Age.  The fact that the soils are largely infertile and unsuitable for serious cultivation has contributed to the Forest’s unaltered appearance.  The area was a favourite hunting ground for King William I (the ‘Conqueror’) and acquired the name of New Forest by royal charter in 1079.

There will be more to follow.

Spring sunshine on the Solent

Click to enlarge

Abstract 200

The Golden Pin

Look me in the eye

 

 

Not a self-portrait!

Wintering grass

 

 

 

 

The spent seed heads of last year grasses retain their unique attraction.

 

Three wise men?

Wild gladioli meadow

 

This photo was taken in Ibiza in a meadow of wild gladioli.  It was a bright, sunny day but with a fairly strong breeze.  Rather than attempting to ‘freeze’ the scene using a fast shutter speed, I have tried to capture the ‘feel’ of the moment as if in an impressionist painting.

 

Jewel of the Ocean

 

A casual glance might identify this  as a photograph of an attractive and highly decorative brooch.  But look again.  It is, in fact, a seashell to which fossilised growth of various kinds has become attached.  It was found when we were walking along a beach in Morocco.

Simply seaweed 4

 

 

This pattern of seaweed is exactly as found.

Abstract 199

 

There is a restless energy about  this image that seems to radiate from the rich oranges and reds in the bottom left of the picture.  The absence of clearly defined and identifiable shapes keeps the eye moving.

The generation gap

 

‘Oh to be in England now that April’s there …’

Yesterday was a warm, sunny day   –   we have had several recently.  The flowers responded appropriately.  It was a joy to be in England now that April’s here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the fish in the pond basked in the sunshine!