Monday, October 1, 2007

An Autumn Walk

As it is autumn we're going for a walk in the forest today. I love forest walks during this time of year as there is so much to enjoy. The forest we're walking in today is called the forest of Rucphen, slightly more than half an hour's drive from my place. The weather is nice and sunny today so, if you're ready, let's go!
That path looks very inviting, so take my hand and let's explore all the treasures in this forest. Most trees here are oak as you can see here; oak leaves and little acorns too.
But there are a few other trees as well; chestnut trees. My pockets are always stuffed with chestnuts to take home with me for roasting. Roasted chestnuts are such a treat.
The trees are just starting to show their autumn colours, but most trees and shrubs are still mainly green.
Wild grasses abound, and look very pretty with the low angled light of the autumn sun shining through.

The autumn forest is such a treasure trove, we've already found acorns and chestnuts but there is much more to discover, like these little chaps that can be found all over the place.
Here's a close up of one of them. Fun little thingy don't you think, round as a little ball and such an attractive yellow colour too. Next to it are some pine cones as there are pine trees here too. I always take a big bag with me when I go to the forest and it's usually filled to overflowing by the time I return home. Pine cones and acorns are great for making autumn decorations, something that I enjoy doing. And if I find some edible chestnuts, well so much the better.
Right, I have enough acorns and pine cones now, let's continue our walk. Be careful though, as it has rained quite a bit last Saturday, it rained most of the day in fact.
It's really a good idea to keep your eyes peeled while taking this walk with me. Not only will it stop you from stepping right into that puddle of mud and water, but it will also help you to spot some of the treasures hidden here.
Like this little beauty here or that one over there. I like moss, it's so lovely and soft and green. And it's springy to the touch too.
Careful! Don't step on that toadstool over there. It's rather a rare one and so very pretty too; a bright red hat with lots of white dots and a pure white stem. It's a very popular toadstool in the Netherlands as it's so pretty. There's even a nursery rhyme about it in Dutch.
The forest of Rucphen has more surprises in store for us as there is also a lovely heath.

It's a pity the heather has almost finished flowering because in flower it looks spectacular as you well can imagine.
And there are little treasures tucked away here too. If you click to enlarge you get an even better view of all those little toadstools.
But even when the heath is not in flower, it is still a very beautiful place to be.
We haven't met any people so far but there are a few about.. See that lady over there? Whose hair is beautifully in keeping with this season, don't you think? All in red and gold, very autumn-y. Talk about colour coordination; some people think of everything, don't they?
copyright 2007: Y.E.W. Heuzen

When an early autumn walks the land and chills the breeze
and touches with her hand the summer trees,
perhaps you'll understand what memories I own.
Johnny Mercer, sang by Ella Fitzgerald, 'Early Autumn'

40 comments:

Lis vom Lindenhof said...

Ein wunderschöner Spaziergang und sehr interessant! Im Wald findet man jetzt auch herrliche Dinge um damit eine schöne Herbstdekoration zu basteln.

Sue Swift said...

Hi – this is an invitation to join the Garden Bloggers Retro carnival. I don’t know if you’ve ever come across the concept of a Blog carnival – if not I’ve explained it in detail on my site today (Oct 1). But basically the idea is to revive an old post which you think is worth rereading, or which you think new readers might enjoy. Send me the link to the post, and in November I’ll publish a series of posts describing and linking to all the posts people have nominated.
I hope you’ll join in and we have a fun carnival!
Sue

Anonymous said...

YE: I loved taking that walk in the woods and fields with you! Great photos and it is a reminder that the world is a very small place. Those acorns could be the ones littering my yard right now! Also, the previous post on the bounty and colors in your garden is just wonderful. So much from your potager! Great job and thanks again for sharing!

Der Garten said...

Der Herbst ist für mich - neben dem Frühjahr mit seinen Buschwindröschen - die schönste Jahreszeit für einen Waldspaziergang. Eigentlich sollte ich mir nach Deinen schönen Postbildern sogleich Wolfgang schnappen und mit ihm durch die Botanik wandern. Aber hier fängt es jetzt gerade wieder an zu regnen...
Liebe Grüße Silke

Anonymous said...

Nice forest walk, YE. And have we finally caught a glimpse of the mysterious blogger behind Bliss? (I like that autumn-colored hair.)

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Great walk, those toadstools are awesome!

Matron said...

Thank you for taking me on your walk in the woods!

Libbys Blog said...

Always enjoy a walk in new places especially with good friends and in the dry!!

Annie in Austin said...

For us in Austin this is a totally different place - even though we have some oaks and acorns, too.

Heathers, chestnuts and bright red toadstools look like the background for a Fairy Tale. Quite enchanting!

We need a better look at those shoes to be sure, but like Pam/Digging, I suspect that our YE may share some colors with Dolly Daisy and Macavity.

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Anonymous said...

Mooie herfstwandeling Yolanda. Heb al veel bossen gezien,(on-line)maar toch weer overal anders....
Superfoto van de eik met het zonlicht erop :-)

Andrea's Garden said...

Thanks for taking us on a beautiful walk! I was just thinking about doing that this past weekend, but ended up "digging". :-) Fall is one of my favorite seasons - as long as it doesn't rain and stays "golden", but I guess we can't have it all. Greetings, Andrea

Marie said...

An beautiful Autumn walk! Have a nice day :o)

Bev said...

Yolanda, you sure do take some interesting excursions! You're wearing out my blogging boots, not to mention my legs. Thanks for the great journeys that I would not otherwise get a chance to see.

Carole Burant said...

I so love walking in the woods and I thoroughly enjoyed this walk with you:-) There was so much to see...I wonder where the wee faerie who lives under that toadstool went to while we walked by?? hehe Nature truly is magnificent if only people would take the time and notice:-) xox

Unknown said...

What a lovely walk, YE. It's so important for us to slow down and actually LOOK and SEE what marvels there are around us in the natural world. I haven't been for a walk in the woods since returning from Labrador and Newfoundland, but maybe this weekend....

Carol Michel said...

Yolanda Elizabeth... I sure enjoyed that walk in the woods. By chance did you run into any garden sprites or fairies?

Carol at May Dreams Gardens

Kylee Baumle said...

Romie and I just remarked this past weekend that we should be traipsing about in the woods. The weather was perfect, but I didn't feel well at all, and as much as I would have loved to have done just that, it will have to be another weekend. Maybe this next one!

We've got an abundance of acorns this year! Most of the large trees in our yard are various oaks and I love them. I don't love that they shed their leaves all winter long, but oh well.

I just bought two pots of heather last week! ('Tib') Now I have two kinds and I think it's lovely. Does the heather there turn the lovely shade of red, orange and yellow in the fall after it's done flowering? My 'Robert Chapman'is just glowing right now!

And about that woman . . . don't we know her? ;-)

Anonymous said...

Lovely photos, autumn is nice time.

Anonymous said...

mooie foto's ... herfst is mijn favoriete seizoen ... prachtig al die kleuren!

Gotta Garden said...

Greetings YE! Such a nice walk and I didn't even have to get my shoes dirty, let alone change out of my pjs! I think I have never seen a red mushroom before! Very cool. Thanks for taking me along and especially for keeping me out of that puddle. Haven't seen one in a while, so I have rain envy (we have mandatory water restrictions until further notice). I have lots of catching up to do, I see. Take care.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I love fall. We try to take walks in the woods every weekend.

Cindy Garber Iverson said...

What a wonderful autumnal walk in the forest! I just loved it! Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage

TYRA Hallsénius Lindhe said...

I'm stunned Yolanda Elisabeth...simple and beautiful. I didn't know that you had real woods i the Netherland....silly me!

Garden Cats + Crafts said...

Bei Deinen Foto habe ich sofort Sehnsucht, auch solch einen schönen Herbstspaziergang zu machen. Ich liebe das sehr. Leider haben wir in diesem Jahr so wenig Zeit dazu, weil wir jedes Wochenende noch so viel Arbeit haben. Und wenn wir mal Zeit haben, dann regnet es.
Eigentlich haben wir für alle schönen Dinge in den letzten Jahren immer weniger Zeit. Da bekommt man schon manchmal den Frust. Aber was solls. Bald sind wir alt, bis dahin müssen die groben Arbeiten fertig sein. Dann kommt vielleicht endlich die Zeit zum Genießen.
Hier ist zur Zeit graues Einerlei-Wetter. Aber am Wochenende soll es sonnig werden. Vielleicht gibt es dann mal einen Waldspaziergang.
Liebe Grüße, Birgit

Anonymous said...

Dat is ook toevallig......heb net ook een bloje geplaatst over onze boswandeling afgelopen zondag. Heerlijk gewandeld hebben we en de honden hebben ook genoten. Mooie foto's heb je gemaakt.
Groetjes Marga

Anonymous said...

bloje moet natuurlijk blogje zijn.

Laurie and Chris said...

Thanks for the walk that was fun!!

Bob said...

I wish I was there to join you on the walk. It looked like there many wonderful treasures to look at. Thank you for taking us there :)
Fall is really a beautiful season.

Shammickite said...

Thank you for inviting me to join you on your stroll through the woods. My shoes got a bit muddy, and I needed a jacket as the sun went down, but I had a lovely day.... perhaps we can do this again one day?

Diana said...

Thanks for the walk in the forest. I was totally transported across the seas. Walking, wandering, is something we always enjoy when we visit family in Europe. There are no woods close to us, but I have great memories of a delightful walk through the forest in Darmstadt looking for fairies with my uncle and nieces. Thanks for sharing a glimpse into your adventure and you!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for taking us along on a wonderful walk! Autumn walks are the loveliest, I think...so many things happening in nature you have to stop, pay attention and admire all the little details. Fall picnics are the best too! Happy Day :o)

Reginas Cottage said...

What a loveley walk in the forrest.
Very,very beautiful,I love fall.
Regina

Anonymous said...

Mmmm tamme kastanjes, daar moet ik deze week ook nog even naar gaan zoeken en beukenootjes zou ik ook wel weer eens willen proeven!
De leuke kanten van de herfst.

@ En, zijn je walnoten deze keer niet extra hard? ;-)
Nou, ik heb ze, speciaal voor jou, even getest, ze zijn wel hard, maar nu gelukkig wel met de (hand)kraker te kraken en ze zijn heerlijk!

groeten, Marian

Poppins said...

Autumn is a great time for long walks. I love the wonderful colours and soft light. And the joy when you find mushrooms!

Anonymous said...

Mmm that was a plesant walk! What a variety in your pictures. Just love the fresh air and the autumn colours even though you've less autumn then in Sweden. :) Have a nice thursday!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the walk. I love the toadstools.

Anonymous said...

Hi Yolanda,
Autumn walks are my favorite. Not so hot any more and a chance of a shower will keep the forests pretty quiet. Very nice forest pictures wih many colours.
See you soon.

Bert

Heidi said...

There is no place like the woods here in Holland in the autumn! And wasn't the heather amazing this year. I can't remember it blooming this pretty and intense for this long before.

Happy autumn!

~~ Heidi ~~

Sweet Home and Garden Carolina said...

Hi Yolanda Elizabet,
I grew up in the woods of Alabama, a magical place, so I fully understand your feelings. It's a magical place !

Yolanda Elizabet Heuzen said...

Hi all and what fun it is to see so many of you have turned up for this walk. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves, it's something I feel we should do again soon. Wear good shoes though, the next walk will be much longer! ;-)