Sunday, August 31, 2008

Toadstools and more toadstools

As our camera battery died yesterday when we tried to get some good toadstool pictures, Niks and Naks insisted we make a new trip today. And Deimos insisted he must come along, too.



Deimos: These look like the red fly agarics except they are not red but brown!



Niks: They look poisonous enough to me!

Naks: Let's pick them!



Deimos: Here is a small and almost round toadstool...



Niks: Here is another...



Naks: And here is a flat one...



Niks: Here are really cute tiny round ones...



Naks: And here is a very poisonous looking white one...



Naks: A brown slimy one....

Niks: And a white spherical one...

Naks: It looks like a ball!

Niks: I'll kick it right across the Atlantic!

Naks: You can't kick it even to Sweden. Just pick it, it'll taste good.



Deimos: More slimy brown ones...

Niks: We'll eat these...

Naks: The slime adds extra flavor...



Deimos: Here are some cute small ones again...



Naks: And a greenish waxy looking one...



Deimos: These are huge!

Niks: They must be the kind called "herkkutatti" (Porcini, Boletus edulis).

Naks: These are sold to Italy! Italians love these!

Niks: We'll sell these to Mafiosos...

Deimos: I don't want to have anything to do with Mafiosos...

Niks: Are you still afraid of them?

Naks: If you send these to them they'll love you and never chase you again...

Niks: ... except maybe to get more of these mushrooms...

Outsider: I think they are wrong about the species. Those mushrooms are some Boletus species, but not Porcini. I hope the Mafiosos will not be after Niks and Naks and Deimos because they sell bad mushrooms to them...



Deimos: Can these be sold to the Mafiosos, too?

Niks: Maybe, but they are not any Boletus species...

Naks: We better eat them ourselves.



Deimos: This one is growing on a rock!

Niks: It has rained so much that the moss on the rock has grown thick

Naks: Thick enough to grow mushrooms!



Niks: These are cute.

Naks: They have a cute name, too: "Tuhkelo"

Niks: The white grains rub off and tickle my nose!

Naks: Who told you to rub your nose on them!

Niks: They smell so good!



Deimos: Here are more white, poisonous looking toadstools..



Niks: Here are even bigger ones!



Niks: Finally a bumper crop of red fly agarics!



Deimos: Can you see them all?


Finally at home Niks and Naks got the badly needed bubble bath. I tried to suggest that Deimos could use a bath, too, but he said that little demons never take baths. He agreed to help to scrub Niks and Naks, though.

Naks: Aaaaaaaah... that feels good....

Niks: Scratch me some, too...

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Birds!

Today we visited the graveyard, and came back through the Duck Park. As always our person forgot to take any bread for the ducks, but there was another lady who had remembered. There was a huge flock of birds busy feeding, so we got some good pictures.

Ducks and pigeons.


Does the duck think the camera is edible?


Deimos did not dare to go very near...

Deimos: Are you sure the ducks don't think I'm bird food, too?

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Toadstools

The summer is nearing its end and it has rained a lot in August. Both things together mean that lots of mushrooms and toadstools are appearing. Niks and Naks wanted to go out and gather some and Deimos wanted to come along, too.


Deimos: Look! here is a big fly agaric!

Niks: Big enough to serve as an umbrella for two little trolls.

Naks: But too flimsy to sit on.

Niks: Never mind, we'll pick this and take it home.



Deimos: this a fairly new one as it is so small and round. I wonder if it is good to sit on...



Deimos: Aaauuuugh, it's slippery - especially as I'm wearing leather pants!

Naks: Come down then, so we can pick it and take it home!



Deimos: Here is a really big one!



Deimos: Big enough for one demon and two little trolls!

Niks: We'll definitely take this one home!

Deimos: You'll have lots of fly agarics for your patent medicines.

Niks: We'll use some to kill flies.

Naks: We love flies flambé, you know.



Deimos: Mountain ash berries are ripening, too!



Niks: Great! We'll take these home, too.

Naks: Deimos, throw some down to us!



Deimos: Are you going to use these for patent medicine, too?

Naks: No, we'll make jelly of them.

Niks: It tastes great with flies flambé, you know.