Fog and How It Clears

In the early morning mists of a summer Sunday morning, a deer ran across a road. Not just any road and, frankly, some way from anything qualifying as open countryside. A residential road in Lee on Solent; ran across and melted mysteriously, magically into gardens and seemingly through a wall in so doing. Was it lost, frightened? It seemed a metaphor for our existence. We are all a little lost or frightened at times and that anomalous animal symbolised for a moment our fears and, in its disappearance, how they too might disappear with the rising of a new day.

The new day was reluctant in its arrival. I had been to see my Mum and returned to Greg with an unexpected proposal of garden visits. By chance I had discovered that it was an NGS (National Gardens Scheme) open day and identified two local properties as well as an Alverstoke garden whose existence had not previously impinged on my consciousness. We went to Carisbrooke Road in Rowner and immersed ourselves in a beautiful garden. It has to be a hobby of the heart to be that well conceived and looked after. Greg photographed flowers which the macro function on his camera handles very well and I turned my attention to less obvious subjects which will appear in Flickr when I am not writing this. We went to the second property in Lee but found that it would not open until 2pm. A brief servicing stop at home and then we went to Alverstoke for the remarkable Crescent Gardens. We went via the shore. Throughout the morning the ominous sound of foghorns had suggested the persistence of poor visibility across the Solent and thus it was. In fact we moved between two lands; in one only hundreds of metres onshore bright sunshine fell whilst the fog which clung dourly to the water dared to curl and swirl tentatively onto land whilst all the while facing the retreat which would come with the later afternoon. Few it seemed were deterred by the conditions. Yachts came and went in the mists and powered vessels, jetskis and motorboats raced at speeds unabated by their grey surroundings. On land, the Bayside Cabin Cafe furnished another good meal. There were dozens of people there and hundreds in the area. We lunched after Crescent Gardens which are very beautiful and intended to proceed to Spindles (the second NGS property) via the Lee seafront. I had intended to observe if not actually particpate in the anti-Tesco protest but we were temporarily overtaken by events. A passing cyclist who happened to be a motor mechanic pointed out that we had a large bolt in the front nearside tyre of our virtually new car. It had not deflated - even if I did at this point - and, after another pitstop, we went to Kwikfit. Thank goodness they are open on Sunday. They are, I learned, open every day except Christmas Day and, yes, that does include Boxing Day; I asked. A repair rather than a replacement saw us on our way and finally to Spindles. It was another beautiful garden but very popular and therefore crowded.

As we drove along the seafront the sun was driving the fog back across the Solent and the landmark Fawley chimney seemed eerily close by virtue of an optical illusion. A shallow bank persisted along Southampton Water. The Tesco protestors were being lightly observed by the police and we drove on to the airfield where I snatched some shots which is all one can do without accompanying someone on business.

Some clouds have drifted across my life of late but the cold front of adversity is being met by my own occlusion of studied nonchalance. I shall even reserve a warm front for my few true friends but there will be no depression.