Days 18 and 19

In my last post I mentioned we needed to buy a special item at the shops for a garden project and here it is. A bag of straw.

No we haven't added to the Jumble and Jelly household with another pet,

we needed it for stuffing a scarecrow. To be honest this is something we were going to do last year and it never happened. G had lashed together 2 lengths of dowelling and I had bought clothing items from a jumble but that was as far as it went. Until Thursday when our very own Worzel Gummidge began to take shape.

He needs finishing off with a head, he is wearing S's sun hat here for the photo call, but he is in situ and looking very smart in his baggy green jumper and faux leather trousers!

In the afternoon I packed us up a picnic and we set off for the local park to eat and play games but half way there we decided it was so hot we would stop off at the pond and field instead. Miller's Pond has very recently been awarded Nature Reserve status

and the field where horses once grazed and the grass was kept low has now been allowed to grow. And very pretty it is too and it is alive with butterflies and bees

and a multitude of other insects, no idea what this is and it was only briefly on S's headscarf,

but it isn't now really conducive for picnic eating and ball game playing. So after we ate and attempted a quick game of catch we packed up and went for a little wander around the pond instead. 

Friday G was off with us and we took a bus to Titchfield to walk along the canal. The links will give you lots of interesting info about the area, like the fact the canal is believed to be the second oldest in the country.
 A nice little des res in the distance just at the start of what was to prove to be the walk with the worst set of directions we have ever had. 

The walk wasn't without it's highlights though. An owl's face and wing can clearly be seen in the shape of this tree.

We found a perfect spot alongside the canal for picnic eating and toe dipping and it was flaming cold!

This part of the canal was completely still and the water was covered in algae, it was so totally covered it looked like it had been carpeted.

We kept spying flashes of the most iridescent blue all along the canal until finally I managed to snap one of the dragonflies as it rested for a few seconds.

The second part of the walk took us through this field

and led to a very conveniently placed bench with said 'Rest and be Thankful' and we were.

Horses and foals in the last field we walked through

before returning back to the village.
S liked the pink door, I liked the blue glass.

Clicking on the above link for Titchfield shows a photo of the centuries old houses in South Street and is where this little oddly placed little window is.