My daily walks with Alice in the hills near our home are easy to take for granted....until I see something like this...
...a gorgeous patch of Fly Agaric toadstools just
sitting there...
...glowing like tiny sunsets through the grass...
..and I start to look more closely. There are crops of fungi everywhere..
I'm almost certain that these are edible...the one below was bigger than my hand...
...but I'm not quite brave enough to pick them. I just leave them where they are and admire them!
This is the view at the start of our walk...
...through the gate, and there are many new smells to be snuffed...
..this part was cleared a few years ago...before it would have been a mass of bracken and gorse at this time..
...although there are still some gorse bushes around, scenting the air with their coconut flowers..
Hips and haws look more like winter than autumn...
and yet the beeches are only just beginning to turn all shades of gold and bronze and brown...
The wild juniper bushes are laden with berries...
..the blue looks frosted..and the spikey leaves are so sharp that they are well protected.
At this stage, we start to glimpse the amazing views over the county through the gaps in the trees...
I have always loved this particular tree...it's such a regular shape...almost like a child's drawing! How a tree
should look!
Still many interesting 'fragrances'!! And then we burst into the open and this is what we see...
...behind Alice in the picture below is our town...far in the distance...
...and then we start to go back...a different route every day (for variety - mine, not Alice's, as I don't think she cares a bit so long as she is out and about!)
We often end up going through the woods at some point...
Alice loves to pretend that she sees squirrels and dashes off after them (they are mostly in her head!)
But she never goes too far! This year we had the warmest Hallowe'en since records began..the temperature here peaked at 21c (almost 70f) which is virtually unheard of! I took the photos below that day...
...our churchyard looked decidedly UNspooky!
Just glorious...
...the ancient beech hasn't started to change colour yet, really....although it won't be long now...
...and the sky on Friday was as blue as can be!
This morning, however, was a different story...
chilly and misty...although the sun has now broken through and it's another blue - although cold - day! Time for my walk with Alice once again...I wonder what we'll spot today?
I hope you have a wonderful week! xx
Such a beautiful walk for you and Alice, Rachel. I love all the mushrooms along the way. I would be too afraid to try them without an expert giving the go ahead. Autumn is full of wonder in your part of the world. Thanks for sharing. xoxo ♥
ReplyDeleteOh I LOVED the mist this morning. Less so the rain of the evening. We had a beautiful autumn so far, but too hot for me overall, until the beginning of November. Glorious pictures, by the way.
ReplyDeleteYou know how much I loved this! Thank you so much Ray. Miss you xoxo
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely area to go for walks and enjoy sights, scents and sounds of nature!! I have the same here in Oregon with magnificent firs and pines and numerous other trees! Love it!
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful ramble through the countryside with you, Rachel! Halloween could not have been more different on the Island! Wind lashing, plunging temps and the sea crashing sounds even through the windows, but definitely a night for Halloween! And everyone loved it!! Back to your walk with Alice. It is so interesting to see your countryside, with the mushrooms, the church, and graveyard through your eyes--bits of your life. Just lovely!
ReplyDeleteDear, dear Rachel, enjoyed my morning walk with you and Alice! Always you enjoy your posts! You are such a sweetiepie! A big hug! -Kay
ReplyDeletekdallosta@me.com (not sure which "publish" to pick
I'm having the worst time posting lately. It keeps deleting me...so hard to have an argument with an inanimate object :)... Glorious, as always. I love to eat and pick wild mushrooms, although my yellow sponge aren't nearly as exotic as yours. Love to the whole household--with a Big Hug for you!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful, autumnal scenery! My favourite photos are those of the colourful toadstool mushrooms! Did you know that Nuno hunts for wild mushrooms. He only picks one type, though. It's one that he is absolutely sure are edible. You have to be very careful with mushrooms, of course! There is so much beauty to see on your walks with Alice. Thank you for sharing the splendor with us! Lots of love...xoxo
ReplyDeleteWow, those toadstools look otherworldly. Just gorgeous! You are so fortunate to have such beauty on your walk. Alice is adorable as ever!
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