Autumn Mists

Keats' Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness gave a spectacular showing with  morning mists filling the river valley.

 Having slept in a little later than usual, the sun was already burning the mist off from the higher ground, but along the river cloaked stillness remained.

Golden leaves both hung heavy on the trees and carpeted the ground, a few late fruits still on the blackberry bushes. There's a Dorset tradition that after the end of September the devil owns the blackberries which naturally become very sour due to the lack of sunshine to ripen with the shortening days.

As the mist lifted on Bursledon pool the mist still hung on the nearby woods.

 

Evening Calm

With the nights drawing in with the change of season, Hamble Sea Scouts held the last evening boating activity which ended with a clear and still twilight. 

Once the boats were put away there was almost no movement in the creek.

I recall the colours were a little darker and more intense, but that's the price of auto correcting software  in modern phones, which makes taking these pictures possible.

 

Donkey Path

The donkey sanctuary sadly closed in 2025 following the death of the principle, in all the years I can remember there were a couple of garden gnomes on a fallen tree by the entrance to the donkey field ,which I thought had disappeared until I noticed this one tucked away in a nearby tree trunk.

 Nice to see he's still there, we all miss the donkeys though.

Sunday Roast

Is it possible that Jonathan Swift's famous 1729 satirical pamphlet titled "A Modest Proposal" is being enacted at the Red Lion in Swanage?

 Actually we did go on a Sunday, the beer was excellent, the staff were welcoming and as I recall that week the choice of roast was beef or pork.

Topolino

Spotted this lovely Topolino in Brockenhurst and by good fortune had a chance to chat to the owner remarking that it's probably my favorite classic car of the era.

 

 

This one is not in fact Fiat but a French built version built by Simca presumably in the Nanterre factory north of Paris,where production ran from 1936 to 1948. The owner had traveled down to the Pyrenees to secure this one which has had a lot of remedial bodywork done underneath

 

The engine, a mighty 569cc four cylinder side valve was seized and required a lot of TLC and repair including if I recall correctly new cylinder head and pistons.

 

Not sure if the phrase built for comfort not speed really applies, the interior is basic but the latter top speed of circa 25 MPH (perhaps that was cruising speed, but certainly what the owner claimed) akes for leisurely cruising and a certain amount of patience.

 There were some subtle modifications, like tiny LED indicators tucked under the door hinges, necessary as the old style mechanical trafficators are simply not noticed in modern traffic.  I forgot to ask the year but likely an early model closed-roof steel coupe made before the popular popular fabric-sunroof (découvrable) model 

Overall a fabulous car for tootling around the New Forest.

Golant

 This Golant Gaffer 19-foot traditional-style pocket cruiser designed by Roger Dongray (of Cornish Crabber fame) has been featured here before, but it's such a good looking boat I couldn't resist stopping by when i was rowing past to take another picture.

 

Gaffer

 Nice gaffer beating up Southampton water on course for the Hythe shore, the photo was taken just after she tacked, before that she was beam on which would have been an ideal and better shot, but I didn't get the camera out in time.