Thursday, June 21, 2007

Three takes on autumn

What a miserable three days it has been. Rainy, cold, windy...
Quel mauvais temps il a fait depuis trois jours : froid, gris, pluvieux...

but suddenly this morning the sun is out again and autum in a sub-tropical climate explodes in all its contradictions, pink blossoms against golden leaves and bright blue sky;

mais soudain ce matin il fait beau et l'automne en climat sub-tropical explose dans toutes ses contradictions, floraison rose sur feuilles rousses sur fond de ciel bleu azur;

and in a garden of the northern suburb of Wahroonga I found mushrooms that I didn't even know existed in Australia : the mysterious and poisonous amanita muscaria! I'd be interested to learn from my local readers if edible mushrooms can be found in country NSW because in my six years of living here I've never heard of anyone going mushrooming the way the French do in the countryside in autumn.
bb
et dans un jardin du quartier de Wahroonga j'ai trouvé des champignons dont je n'imaginais même pas qu'ils existaient ici, la vénéneuse amanite tue-mouches ! Ca m'intéresserait de savoir s'il existe dans la campagne australienne des champignons comestibles car depuis six ans que je vis ici je n'ai jamais entendu personne parler d'"aller aux champignons" comme on le fait en France.

63 comments:

Steve Buser said...

Wow. An explosion of beauty.

bv said...

You're right Nathalie, this is the beauty about Sydney: boring weeks of pouring rain, then the sun is out this morning and the crispy bright blue sky sweeps away all bad feelings we might have about the stupid weather...
Reminds me Mistral's mornings in winter...

Tu as tellement raison Nathalie, c'est la magie de Sydney: des semaines ennuyeuses de pluie incessante et puis ce matin, le soleil nous apporte cette lumière fraiche et franche qui balaie d'un coup notre mauvaise humeur dûe au temps...
Ca me rappelle les matins de Mistral en Hiver...

Pat said...

I really like that first photo (seascape). I so miss the sea.

The colours are fantastic in the following ones as well. I've never seen a mushroom like that here.


We have a guest's photo in the Guelph blog today!

My PAD and
Guelph Daily Photo

hpy said...

Ce n'est pas tellement différent ici. De la pluie presque tous les jours - je cherche une photo ensoleillé parmi les miennes ce matin, et je n'en trouve qu'avec des gouttes d'eau. (La traduction est faite depuis hier, Peter m'a traitée de je ne sais quoi, alors j'ai pris le taureau par les cornes...)

Unknown said...

Ohhhh I love the ocean photo. Looks stormy and beaautiful.

The mushrooms are amazing. I didn't know any of them came in that bright red color.

Nathalie H.D. said...

I am surprised that my American readers have never seen this mushroom, it's fairly common in France where it's considered the quintessential poisonous mushroom, the one ALL French kids recognise as the baddie: red and attractive, but never eat this!

sonia a. mascaro said...

Love these photos! Just beautiful!

Bergson said...

De très belle photo

pour les champignons australiens, il existent ils ont même étaient importés en Fance vois
http://perso.orange.fr/champyves/champignons/
fichier_htm/autres/anthurus.htm

Chirac avait fait explosé quelques champignons près de chez vous lors de son premier mandant , mais il faut les oublier il sont trop nocifs ;-)

kuanyin333 said...

Love the mushroom photos especially! Wow! Happy Summer Solstice!

Olivier said...

impressionnante la premiere photo, mais je prefere tes couleurs de l'automne.
Il est vrai, que ces champignons sont tres beaux, tres attirant à l'oeil, mais don't touch. (je prefere en Dordogne ramasser les cepes et partir en ballade avec les truffiers)

claude said...

C'est bien que le beau temps soit revenu à Sydney. Ici ce matin il fait super beau mais il parâit que cela ne va pas durer. Enfin hier j'ai réussi à tondre ma pelouse entre deux journées de pluie. Les champignons rouges à pois blancs, j'ai les mêmes tous les ans dans ma pelouse sous les bouleaux, parmi qq cèpes, eux, bien commestibles. L'été arrive ! j'en suis sûre !

Ming the Merciless said...

Nature never fails to surprise us. The mushrooms are absolutely gorgeous. And so are the flowers.

I keep forgetting it's autumn in the southern hemisphere.

lv2scpbk said...

I love sitting by the water and listening to the waves splash against the rocks.
That 2nd photo, wow! what wonderful colors. And, I love the mushrooms. I never see colorful ones around my area.

CaBaCuRl said...

Thanks, Nathalie, I have requested that book from another library. I LOVE the mushroom photo.( or are they toadstools?? I don't know anyway LOL!) yes, mushrooms can be found, even in Sydney suburban parks...there is a park over in Peakhurst where I used to pick mushrooms in the Autumn.So I feel certain they would be out in the bush.

Irina said...

All four photos are awesome! The contrast is really great, you're lucky to have such a colourful winter :)

And thank you for visiting my blog. This is not trains themselves that makes me sad but a kind of envy: they are heading to new horyzons while I have to stay where I am.

Anonymous said...

Superbes photos !!

Les quotidiennes étaient déjà magnifiques ! Mais là, 4 d'un coup ! Ca vaut le coup d'attendre le jeudi...

J'essaie la traduction :
Daily pictures were already great. But nuow, 4 at a time! It's worth waiting thursday...

pusa said...

beautiful! i really love the explosion of colors onthe second photo! and that sure is a beautiful mushroom

Pod said...

love the top pic madame! i used to collect mushrooms and horse manure with my dad as a podule! one day we found a tortoise with 'george' painted on its back!

Cergie said...

Quelles sont belles tes photos ! Celle de la vague particulièrement.
La pluie a volé les couleurs mais pas tout à fait, elle a laissé des traînées qui font le charme de cette image. Juste dans le rouleau et dans des pointes de cones et de branches
La pluie ne gagne jamais, la preuve la seconde photo si colorée
c'est cela qui te l'a fait aimer, la pluie t'a rendu le soleil plus aimable
Et ensuite, y aurait-il eu des champignons ?
Leurs couleurs si vives sont faites pour réhausser les tons brouillés de l'automne

Les amanites sont un régal pour les limaces...
Au Maroc non plus les gens ne cueillent pas les champis. Nous avons cueilli des lépiotes élevées qui ressemblent à des amanites phalloides... Et elles étaient délicieuses ! Des amis qui étaient avec nous ont attendu que nous servions de cobayes, et les ont mangées le lendemain.
Enfin ! Même pas peur, nous ! faut vivre dangereusement ! Et avoir confiance !

Bonne journée, Nathalie. C'est ta journée donc, reine de l'été qui ne croit pas aux Saints mais qui se souvient aujourd'hui d'un tendre beau père...

Anonymous said...

What incredible pictures of the Fly-Agarics... Check out the book "Soma-The Divine Mushroom of Immortality" by R Gordon Wasson, which is all about traditional and religious uses of Amanita Muscaria...

If you have a moment to look at my blog then you are very welcome there...!

Anonymous said...

Moi ça me fait toujours quelque chose de savoir que de l'autre côté, pardon, sur l'autre face de la boule, les saisons ne sont pas synchrones... Ca relève du merveilleux. Merci à toi!

Sally said...

Oh, yes, indeed, there are mushrooms in the country. My sister and her husband live in the Blue Mountains, and their property has the most AMAZING array of colourful mushrooms, and some are HUGE. They have pics, so will try to post some on SDE for you. They are simply astounding.

Normal everyday mushrooms used to be everywhere and when my mum grew up in the country, they used often go mushrooming. I suspect modern farming practices, pesticides etc, have seen many of them off.

Then there are "magic mushrooms", which PEOPLE I KNOW might or might not have spent time searching for in their earlier wilder days. (Never me, I hasten to add - i was always too scared of being out of control )

Peter said...

If you wish to see more of these mushrooms (not picking them), I can tell you that the Nordic European countries also are full of them! It's one of the first things kids are taught; don't touch them although they look so inviting!

The sun is timidly shining over Paris today; it looks fine for the "Fête de la Musique"! ... and in Australia, the days will start to get longer as of today!

Janet said...

Wonderful photos and a rewarding excursion.

Lori said...

Bonjour Nathalie. Merci de votre visite sur mon blog et votre message, en français! (J'aime de pratiquer mon français.) :-) Vos photos sont absolument spectaculaire. Il est beau ce champignon. Vous vivez dans un endroit magique!

Victoria said...

What a beautiful series of photos! I especially love the mushroom; ours are all a dull shade of brown or black, never as bright as this one. Many people here in the Ozarks go hunting for mushrooms, but it takes a special eye to distinguish the tasty from the dangerous.

Beetle said...

I've seen once in Adelaide DP and I was surprise too that in down under they do have this poisonous beauty beside the pretty sea shore

M.Benaut said...

M. Beetle, we have many surprises in Oz, but this one at Wahroonga is not so close to the coast, maybe 15 kilometres inland.
Mine was the same distance inland also. You can see it again at,

http://adelaidedailyphoto.blogspot.com/2007/05/amanita-muscaria-dans-notre-jardin.html


Nathalie, I'm sorry that your temps have been so mauvais but this photo of the sea thru' the trees is just perfection, and your amanita muscaria is NOT edible as you so correctly say.

Anonymous said...

That mushroom is amazing! I never knew such a thing existed! Beautiful photos, as always. Hope the sun comes out for you today.

GiuCe said...

gray day and color details... here it's autumm too, but it's too much cold :S

i love the third pic ^^

Jilly said...

That seascape is just beautiful. A wonderful photograph. Great pic of the baddie mushroom too. You are so right about the French and their mushrooms. I love to see the markets loaded with such a variety. I have girolles on the land but something else too that I don't trust!

Anonymous said...

Mais voyons!!! tout le monde sait que les kangourous ont une poche pour y cacher tous les champignons trouvés! :-))

denis_m said...

belles photos, en espérant que vous puissiez voir le film au mois de Juillet...

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

Oh beautiful, beautiful blog.......why didn't i discover it earlier!!!I have never seen a colorful mushroom as that ...except in cartoons :)

rauf said...

An absolute delight to be here Nathalie, i realise what i have been missing. i apologise for not visiting for long, been traveling a lot.
i was looking for pictures of floods, perhaps not in your area. i saw the picture of rain, the thompson truck picture, terrific.

i would love to miniaturise myself and live under that gorgeous mushroom. Nature gives us terrific design ideas. Thanks for posting it.
First thing ihave to do is add your page to my links

lots of love Nathalie, i know you are enjoying your life.

rauf said...

i have added your link Nathalie
on all four blogs, PORTRAIS, PASSION GREEN and BLUNT KNIFE being the other three

Anonymous said...

Thanks Rauf, that's very kind.

Just realising now, I'm talking about autumn but with the winter solstice today is actually the first day of WINTER .

Anonymous said...

The large brown edible mushrooms were always widespread after an appropriate rain/sunshine day. Toadstools of all varieties abounded too, but the rule of thumb was never risk them, even if they weren't red. Among the quite varied and interesting range, were the large fungi [shaped more or less like half a frisbee] growing on dead trees. They were as hard as the wood on which they grew, so the question of eating them never arose.

M. CHRISTOPHE said...

Merveilleuses photos...les couleurs en France sont presque les mêmes bien qu'ici nous attendions l'été à Sablé comme à Arradon - Evry ou Chateaubriant!!! bon anniversaire 300 envois....je comprends ta difficulté au bout de 3 semaines...j'ai aussi ce regret surtout quand je suis obligé de partir 2 ou 3 jours en clientèle....
Bon courage et bon WE Nathalie

Anonymous said...

I really like your photos in this post.

I am back from my self-imposed vacation.

Abraham Lincoln
Brookville Daily Photo

iBlowfish said...

I really like the mushroom photo, but not rellly fancy to eat them. I didn't know it is autumn already in Sydney.

Maxime said...

Joli contraste entre les fleurs d'automne et cette mer hivernale. Elle ne donne pas envie de se baigner, mais elle n'en est pas moins belle, dans sa livrée gris-ardoise.
Nous passons ici aussi par toutes les saisons en même temps ; mais après tout, les changements rendent la vie intéressante...

jeremyDP said...

ces photos sont superbes mais ma préférence va à la première.

Kunterbunt said...

Strange but wonderful contrasts.

freelancer said...

Très sympa les couleurs de la nature !

julia said...

After rain we have been mushrooming in the country but not as a special quest, are very tasty. In Katoomba, on a visit, found wonderful specimens and although I sought to id them was still not sure if edible. I read that those type were special and sought after found in certain areas. The amanita m must belong in the fairy tale landscape and takes me back to kids picture books.

Bridget said...

Oh lala tous ces commentaires! J'en ajoute un quand même parce que j'ai adoré cette photo de la mer pendant les miserable rainny days, du coup, je me suis baladée à Sydney comme je ne l'avais fait.Génial, bravo!

Ham said...

Normally, you should find ceps in the general vicinity of these, the growing conditions are similar.

Always make certain you have a positive ID, and don't pick white mushrooms! (they include the most dangerous mushrooms)

Kala said...

That was quite an extraordinary series of photos - the Mushroom really caught my attention - its got some really vibrant colors!

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Anonymous said...

Re: mushrooms - All mushrooms are closely connected to their enviroment, ie they only grow, where there exists their "host" (mushrooms are their fungi) and a certain type of soil allowing "communication" with the host and of course lots of moisture in the soil. That explains, why there aren't many mushrooms in Sydney, however they do exist, even though most of them are not quite edible and looking rather ordinary. I suspect the mushroom you have taken the foto of came to Australia many years ago with european trees (probably knotted pine). I have seen one just like that just outside of Carrington hotel in Katoomba, nice edible mushrooms probably closest to Sydney I have seen in Castle Hill and even in Cremorne, and I know that in the autumn people go wild mushroom picking to the pine forests around Orange and towards Canberra. You probably know that most of those nice and delicious white mushrooms, found in many tasty meals, are from mushroom farms around Windsor.

Victoria said...

Wow, you take really beautiful pictures! :)

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