A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace. CONFUCIUS

Monday 30 July 2012

Robert In Wonderland: A Fairy Tale


I'd just popped into Doddington Hall farm shop for some cherries, organic beetroot and wild boar sausages . . .





. . . when I was seduced by a path leading into a Secret Garden . . .

. . . and at once found myself in a magical world. Imagining myself to be Peter Rabbit or Benjamin Bunny, I tiptoed past Mr McGregor's' greenhouse . . . 

. . . and scurried between two bean rows . . .

. . . until I came to rest in the hollow of an ancient chestnut tree. I must have dozed off for a while, and when I came to . . . 

. . . I could hardly believe my eyes. I felt like Alice after swallowing the shrinking potion, then meeting the White Rabbit or the March Hare . . .  

. . . or like Peter Pan encountering the tick-tocking Crocodile . . . 

The world had gone quite mad. A huge steel eye hovered in the air before me like a flying saucer . . .

. . . stone megaliths sprang out of the ground chiselled with ferns like bishops' croziers . . . 

. . . and gigantic dragonflies darted over the pond like Biggles' biplanes. Things were becoming curiouser and curiouser.

I tried to rest my feverish gaze on this comfortingly normal-looking fountain for a moment (normal, that is, if you think it's normal for half-naked winged cherubs to offer you a drink) . . .

. . . but my sensitised ears soon picked up the faint trotting of ghostly hooves . . .  

. . . and some heavy thuds as various strange objects fell from the trees onto the orchard grass. 

So I'd got my cherries after all, but they were much too big to put in my carrier bag.

I'd already put on oversized pear in there and was walking lopsidedly enough already.

Half-intoxicated by the heady scent of fermented fruit I staggered drunkenly . . 

. . .  past two very still reclining ladies sharing some intimate secrets . . .

. . . and tried to find my way back to the door by which I'd entered, but unfortunately this maze had first to be negotiated . . .

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a lovely treat you have shared with us! This seems a magical place. Thank you.

Ruth said...

As fun to explore as to create, I think! Beautiful discoveries.

Suman said...

Robert, this is all so very enchanting, and how brilliantly you have strung the story and the pictures together. This quite made my Monday morning, thank you.

Anonymous said...

What a magic walk and words ! Thanks for sharing SW.

George said...

By all means, Robert, stay in wonderland. If you must return to "reality," do so only as a tourist.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for that Robert. It must be fifty years since I went to Doddington Hall - I believe the owner was a man called Colonel Jarvia and my brother in law was a builder who took care of building work for him at the time.

That horse sculpture looks exactly like the one on my blog today taken yesterday at Rievaulx Terrace. I would think the sculptor is the same and sadly I can't remember her name.

Anonymous said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR8LFNUr3vw

Andy

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks, everyone, for sharing my psychedelic journey.

'Was it a vision, or a waking dream? . . . do I wake or sleep?' (Keats)

Jefferson Airplane, Andy! . . . That brings back a few memories.

MorningAJ said...

Excellent place to visit. I love the big fruit sculptures.

Goat said...

"Cherries, organic beetroot and wild boar sausages" - wish I could send you out to get my groceries!

Fabulous (in both senses) garden you've discovered there. I'm usually indifferent or worse to most modern sculpture and public art, but those are all great. The dragonflies in particular resonate - see my forthcoming post!

it's me said...

a beautiful secret garden--hope I get to wander it some day--enjoyed your narrative

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks, everyone else, for your comments!

Susan Scheid said...

Magical! Thank you.

Half-heard in the Stillness said...

Brilliant post.....oooh! Wild Boar sausage and beetroot, sounds like dinner will be a treat! ;)

Jane

Dr Mandeep Khanuja said...

i love ur blog. beautiful originality

The Solitary Walker said...

Thanks for visiting, Susan . . . and welcome Jane and Mandeep.