A Giant

' I saw old Autumn in the misty morn...'

Thomas Hood

The last few mornings have been misty and cool.    The beginning of Autumn, probably my favourite time of year.    

The mornings may be misty but the hedgerows glow with hawthorn berries, rosehips and sloes.    It is the time of year when I feel impelled to make pickles and preserves, fruity liqueurs and spicy chutney.   The pantry shelves now contain enough jars and bottles to satisfy my inner squirrel.

It is also the time of year when mushrooms begin to sprout up all over the place.

Like this one.

I tried to get Dobson to pose next to it but he was less than impressed, this was the best I could do.

It is pretty large

and when I tap my fingers against it

the sound it makes is similar to that of a ripe watermelon.

It is so big that it is visible to the naked eye from our garden...

...and that's a long way off.   

It is a big white ball which can be seen from all the windows in the back of the house.   It really is much more easily visible to the naked eye (and my eyesight is not that great these days)  than on these photographs.

I won't be picking this giant puffball mushroom, though.   I've tried it before, they are safe to eat but taste of nothing much at all.   

Much more fun to watch  and see how big it grows.