Saturday, August 1, 2009

those elves

These cute things magically appeared overnight from the deluge of
rain we've had this week. They pop open like tiny patio umbrellas in
the sunlight. Or maybe it's the elves, from our "knock on wood"
trees, who open them and take cover from the rain or sizzling sun.



That Elf
Riding his awkward pair of haunchy legs

That weird long-eared Elf
Wobbling down the highway

Don't overtake him, don't try to drive past him,
He's scatty, he's all over the road.
He can't keep his steering, in his ramshackle go-cart,
His big loose wheels, buckled and rusty,
Nearly wobbling off

And all the screws in his head wobbling and loose

And his eyes wobbling


Ted Hughes


48 comments:

  1. GREAT pics! I have to agree that elves or fairies must be the culprits! :)

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  2. simply divine photos, willow! i'm going back to look at them AGAIN!!

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  3. Hughes wrote magical stuff for children.

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  4. Great shots, Willow! Did you actually hit the ground and crawl to get that under-the-umbrella angle, or did you swivel out the camera's LCD screen and just lower the camera? Heh, heh! I've done both, depending on how wet the ground is!

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  5. nice macros, at least them seem to be elves of good spirit...

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  6. Roy, I hunkered down there on the wet ground with my butt in the air! My dream Nikon camera would take better pics, but my little Canon PowerShot, point and click did a pretty darn good job.

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  7. That's so funny about you trying to get that shot. I love it when those circles of mushrooms appear overnight. My daughter told me they were fairy rings.

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  8. Marvelous angles and composition! You must have had some wet knees and elbows to get those shots. Thank you for the lovely eye candy! I'll have to make sure my eldest (Earth Doctor in training) sees them. He is absolutely fascinated with fungi!

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  9. That pic underneath the mushroom was impressive! Loved the poem, too.

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  10. Love your photos dear Willow.

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  11. beautiful 3rd pictures
    they are magical things

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  12. There's something special about mushrooms and toadstools popping up and yes I always thinks of elves and fairies. Love the photos and the typewriter in your sidebar.

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  13. Yep,it's the elves!Nice photos.

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  14. What a magical world mushrooms bring to us.

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  15. Enchanting! And yes, I'm a believer. xx

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  16. That second picture was strangely perverted to me! Only I could find that in the picture of a mushroom! LOL! Great shot though!

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  17. As usual, fantastic pictures. It's the final one I love the best. Such talent.

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  18. You've really captured how mushrooms can be light and powdery, not slimy at all. Beautiful!

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  19. Hello Willow,

    I agree, the last pic is the nicest. Well done for prostrating yourself for our delectation.

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  20. hi willow, i'll pick up on donna's comment. my grandma used to show me the "fairy rings" when they popped up in her garden. she was a very gentle and magical woman who made sure that i knew that the fairies were responsible for all the good things that happened in her garden. it was the pixies you had to watch out for!!!
    those are clever and beautiful pictures of the mushroom willow. i'm glad you contorted yourself to whatever degree you needed in order to share them!!! have a lovely day. steven

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  21. That first shot is like a velour fungi

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  22. Great pics Willow. It's amazing how fast they grow.

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  23. Those are some great pics with a point and shoot!

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  24. Are 'shrooms as magical as pumpkins? Maybe. Do you think?

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  25. I am fascinated by the beauty of nature. Always. My daughters see a dewdrop and tell me stories about fairies taking baths. It's like they are born with the knowledge. When did we lose the wonder? Thanks for bringing some back my way!

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  26. Just as I always say..don't mess with elves!! Great pics..Just got back from my run in Central Park..we too have had record breaking rain..and very colorful, some red, little sprouts are pushing up!!

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  27. Willow, It's wonderful seeing the world through your eyes! Faerie Rings in yards with too much moisture are viewed as bad, but with a little ingenuity, they can become beautiful art. Thanks.

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  28. You got that right. I liked that top picture a lot. I never saw an elf. I have seen a UFO. Does that count?

    I assume you put the camera down between your ankles? I still do it that way and read lots of blogs where some followed the advice and got some interesting pictures too. I was out and about in my PJs this morning getting all wet, bending over the grass and snapping pictures around my ankles. Once in a while I get a big winner. And then I am happy for the rest of the day.

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  29. Between your pictures and Ted Hughes's words, I just took a mini vacation here.

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  30. Otin, only you would come up with the Freudian side to mushrooms.

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  31. Getting in place to photograph such little mushrooms must have been quite a sight...I'm afraid I'd never get back up! Great shot and super poem...I love the thought of elves prancing about!

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  32. Fantastic macros, Willow! And I' mwondering if it wasn't garden gnomes? But I'd still bet on the fairies...

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  33. wonderful post and love the photos :)

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  34. Back to say, thanks for stopping at Pick a Peck of Pixels, because it means so much for me to reach my goal there of 10,000 visitors or followers. With people coming around and commenting is will happen. Just wait around and see.

    And I hope you do get that Dream Camera. The Nikon D80 and when you get it buy a second battery so you will always have a fresh one handy. I got two Canons left and each takes a different battery but I can't begin to tell you how many times I have had to grab the second battery to finish the project.

    Tell your hubby you want one right now or you will stop fixing him green beans and ham hocks with diced up onions. Oh so good on butter bread. You will have one in no time.

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  35. What a coincidence!
    I took Midget to Fordham University today for a pre-school reading class, and we spied the exact same mushroom on the campus lawn.
    Your pics are fabulous.

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  36. Next time you take those ankle shots I want WT to video you. :)

    Love the mushrooms...their gills are beautiful. Perfect for those fairies and elves to rest under.

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  37. (Being a Leo I just have to ask.........) 'can you eat them?'
    By the way, Ted Hughes was born (in Mytholmroyd) just 2 miles from where I Live.

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  38. They look like they'd be delicious sauteed in a little butter.

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  39. Tony, I don't know enough about wild mushrooms to know which are edible and which are poisonous. And I'm not about to test them to find out. :P

    Maybe someone out there in the blogosphere knows?

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  40. Willow, not too sure on this one but most yard fungi are a no-no. I remember going wild berry picking with my Grandmother( time warpin' here ). One of her simple rules: If it's pretty; it's poisonous! Unless your sure...

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  41. I LOVE cumin - meant to comment yesterday. YUM ! more great recipes. Merci !

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  42. nice photos. did you get your kneews all wet doing those?!

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  43. nibble some of those and you WILL be in elfland...

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  44. Love this poem by Ted Hughes. Isn't amazing how fast those mushrooms grow? We would have giant ones over night in humid N.J.
    Hope you've been having a great summer, Willow!
    Catherine

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  45. Loved the fairy-level view of the underside of the mushroom! Inspired!

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  46. I especially love the third photo!...no need for fancy cameras ...and such a wonderful poem...it made me smile:)

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  47. Excellent photos of the toadstools!

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)