REFLECTIONS IN RAIN DROPS

This is the macro version of the raindrops with reflections I wanted to do yesterday, before my dog, Cloud, stood in front of me with a message. "Let's go inside," and I snapped her picture.

It is almost impossible to breathe today because the fog is so thick. We had a lot of weather this morning: thunder, lightning, howling wind and pea-sized hail. I thought I would never be able to get outside.

I went to bed last night secure in the knowledge that I had a fine picture for today. I found a perfect nest of chiodini (little nails) mushrooms quite close to the house. These are called pioppini elsewhere in Italy but that's regional dialect for you. They are Agrocybe Aergerita, grow in deciduous woodlands and are quite delicious. The only problem is that there is a poisonous variety that looks almost exactly like them, the only difference being that the poison ones are paler in colour.

This morning, they were no longer the neat little cluster I saw yesterday. I had to dig them out from under leaves. They had been blown about beyond redemption but were still edible. They are in the kitchen now. Pioppini wild mushrooms.

Happy birthday, Cousin Marlene.