I had a very different idea in mind for today’s post but as I strolled along the path through the wood after lunch with Freddie the labrador, we stumbled across some exciting treasures which simply demanded to be photographed. Freddie was delighted to have found a fox poo and a badger burrow plus a few morsels of the apple he dropped there yesterday, but the objects of my particular interest were the freshly fallen kernels and fruit of the chestnut trees along the path, both the conker and edible variety. We had collected quite a number before returning home , using the doggie treat bag to transport them – much to Freddie’s disgust – conker flavoured bread squares are not his all time favourite – put a piece of cheese rind in there with them and he will be your friend for life – but on this occasion the treat bag was all that was to hand. The colours of our treasures were fabulous – rich and golden, coppery tones , for the leaves, chocolate, red mahogany and coffee bean colours for the conkers. I added a backdrop of oak and some string to tie the conkers to create an early autumn tapestry ………….
View from a French Hillside 
Nice conkers Madam! 😈
I need some info here…Aren’t conkers edible? Wassadifference between conkers’n’horse chestnuts? I need to know as I collected a bucketful a couple of days ago and was thinking of making some stuffing…..can’t I?
LikeLike
Actually they’re 2 different things sh
Conkers are from the horse chestnut (in the pics) chestnuts are from the errr, not horse chestnut tree, ‘marronier’ in French and , very helpfully, not in the pics 😀 I’ll google it and see! 🙂
LikeLike
Google says – “Conkers come from the Horsechestnut tree Aeseculus hippocastanum and are inedible. Chestnuts come from the Spanish or Sweet Chestnut tree Castanea sativa and are edible.” So don’t eat them!!! Put strings through them and challenge your fellow students to a conker duel – could be great for fresher’s week!! 😀
LikeLike
That’s all very well but what am I going to shove up my chicken?
Glad I found out now though.
🙂
LikeLike
You could try some of those baked beans you’ve been collecting, bit mushy for a stuffing though
LikeLike
Aha! Student cuisine!
Yippeee!
LikeLike
I was actually thinking that if you bunged some bacon bits in there as well you’d have a whole new way of preparing a cassoulet 🙂 You do after all need to present a little sophistication to your fellow students 😀
LikeLike
Bacon is beyond my budget…(The chicken was road-kill).
Obviously I’ll keep my fingers crossed that a pig walks in front of my motorbike but I’m not holding my breath.
LikeLike
Mmm, tricky situation, don’t suppose hedgehog bits would be quite the same
LikeLike
I’d save some cash on toothpicks..
🙂
LikeLike
Will you please invent that vomit smiley for me, someone needs to !
😛
LikeLike
Autumn treasures indeed! I love this post, it just brims with rustic freshness and a natural ambience that can’t be beat!! WELL DONE!!! ❤ ❤
LikeLike
Why thankyou kindly west! I think Freddie was hoping we’d bring home the fox poo and apple scraps but I suggested they wouldn’t be quite so photogenic! 😀 The colours around at the moment are just wonderful, true riches! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Definitely not as photogenic! lol — the colors are stunning … remind me SO MUCH of the mountains here… Can’t wait to get back there – my family has a few vacation homes there and I’m just bursting to take a trip…. soon– maybe for my birthday ❤ 😀
LikeLike
Sounds wonderful West! Definitely good for the soul and the inspiration! Have a fabulous Friday 🙂
LikeLike
PS I’ve always imagined you were in Florida, do you have mountains there?! ❓
LikeLike
If anyone could make autumn look more autumnal, then clearly it has got to be you, Jane. As I walk around my own property and spot all the magnificent changes taking place, I’d give my left lung to have you here beside me with your third eye and magic lens. I want to preserve these colors and textures. I want to imprint the feelings they conjure onto photo paper and paste them all around me for the moment after everything has slipped away and we’re left with just their skeletal forms.
My congratulations to you on the beautiful artwork. Your pages are a feast of eye candy that I have no problems gorging on! 😛
LikeLike
Hi Shelley and thankyou for your lovely comments 🙂 I confess to being very much at home with autumn, it’s such a mellow time, gentle on the eye and the spirit, much more agreeable than the bright harshness of summer, but then I’m probably very strange to say that! I suspect you understand though! 🙂
LikeLike