THE WOODS BEFORE SUNRISE

Nothing is more beautiful than the

loveliness of the woods

before sunrise.

by George Washington Carver

My friend.....Put some high leather boots on;

grab a basket;

&

let's go for

a

refreshing

walk through the

oak and chestnut woods

this early autumn morning..

We are truly lucky & are invited

to assist a

spectacular

"FUNGHI FASHION SHOW"...

 

I have to tell you the truth...:

I didn't grab a basket....;

but I did grab my camera to shoot

these incredible

FUNGHI BEAUTIES

.... even Laccaille takes a closer look of a big fungo....

I would love to tell you the names of each and everyone...

though I am probably the only one in the whole

region who really never could

give you the right advice

of a "good" or "poison" fungo...

 

..but I can show you the most

"photogenic"

FUNGHI,

the

"FASHIONABLE" ONES....

& oh,

these two red cuties are having

a sweet "rendez-vous"

on the perfumed

NEPITELLA,

one of the most "important"

ingredients for

the delicious

ZUPPA DI FUNGHI.....

Please never ever pick this yellow

"SUN FUNGO"

for your

Mushroom soup....;

even this one

is posing only for the

"Funghi Fashion Show"

 

The

"EGG FUNGO"...isn't he too gorgeous...?

...The EXPERT CJ...

SHE  helped us finding all

the delicious FUNGHI for

the

ZUPPA...

not like me...

never trust me for choosing the "good ones"

I only can show you the prettiest ones...

!!! 

LA ZUPPA DI FUNGHI

the

delicious

Funghi soup,

which you absolutely should

 NEVER EVER MISS

if you come & visit

Tuscany...& me !

A glass of red wine

&

 BUON APPETITO!

This heavenly looking soup prepared my dearest friend

NADIA

owner of the very well known

RISTORANTE IL CASTAGNO

....Why don't  we jump

right now up

in the chestnut woods

 to NADIA..?

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HUMOUR...REAL WILD, WILD HUMOUR...!!!

HIIIIII  There........CIAAAAAOOOOOO.....!!!!!!!!!!

....yeahhhh....I am just soooo fiine..

I am soooooo happy to see you again...!!!!!!

Zona pericolosa..????  Danger zone...??? ....For  W H O O O....????

Let's have a good juicy brunch of grass with my best friends.......!!

I can't believe how much grass these two "greenlovers" could eat all day.......

...where by all good  doggygods do they put all this "greenery"...????

Pssssst....Pssssst.... Laccaille, listen..., I know you don't want anymore watch us

nibbling grass...., how about a jump over to our secret place...?

Mmmmmh, just go ahead you two guys; I'll keep an eye on you from here......!

You'll see just in a moment why I do prefer watching these two from

a safe distance....!

Isn't our secret place gorgeously magnificient.....?

 The softest, muddiest  biggest puddle in the whole wide world...?

.....Believe me ...the bubbliest "puddlebuddlebath"....just heavenly....!

HERE WE COOOOOME.....!

....I truly hope you had a good laugh watching these three funny " Lady Mosquetières"...

they really make me laugh every day with their

happy & humorous joy de vivre...!

(...Please excuse my incredibly looong absence...but even I get to

 work a little bit; I know no one believes me; but

can you imagine how much I had to smile..? )

Have a wonderful sunny & happy weekend!!!

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A MUTUAL FEELING OF RESPECT AND LOVE...

You and your horse. His strenght and beauty.

Your knowledge and patience and determination

and understanding and love...

...that's what fuses the two of you onto this

marvelous partnership that makes you wonder....

What can heaven offer any better then

what I have here on earth?

by Monica Dickens

Kim & Sheylah , my Arabian girl

Love

    on first sight....

Beautiful Kim....

I was truly touched by her grace, sweetness & her remarkable

way she cared about Sheylah....

"Two" magnificient characters & spirits

in pure harmony.....

          "In the tents of the Arabs, the mares with their foals, and their masters with their families, dwell together, and the utmost confidence exists between them. The Arabian horse, the most intelligent of the equine family, is easily controlled when kindly treated, and ever ready to show resistance when abused.The Arab fully understands the fact; hence his success in training or educating vicious horses, and teaching them many amusing tricks. In handling colts, perhaps he has no superior on the face of the globe. He shows his love for his horse by frequently caressing him, feeding and cleaning him, he talks and sings to him, is always happy in his company, a mutual feeling of respect and love is prominent in all their acts; herein lies the secret of his success, and not, as many persons suppose, brought about by some mysterious or secret art of charming."

Taken from the Volume II of Wallace's Monthly, the leading horse paper

published in the United States between 1875 & 1893

The essential joy of being with horses is

that it brings us in contact

with...

...the rare elements of grace, beauty...

...spirit & freedom.

by Sharon Ralls Lemon

Kim flying with Sheylah over the Mediterranean macchia...

And Allah took a handful of southerly wind,

blew His breath over it,

and created

the

 horse .

Thou shall fly without wings, and conquer without any sword.

Oh, horse.

Beduin Legend

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I am so happy to be back ... and WELCOME BACK to YOU....!

it has been such a looooong time....!!!

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THE FEELING OF A SURREAL WORLD....

Splashing, soothing. gripping momentum......

SWIMMING....

THIS

 must be on

TOP 

of our

"feeling -great- list"

Freestyle swimming, front crawl swimming..

This swimming stroke makes you glide through

the water really swiftly...

as the efficiency

 of the

strokes is marvelous....

Have you ever experienced that soothing feeling when you are

                                                     in the water and everything around you

just ceases to exist...?

......The way in which you can make a world just for your

own

under there..?

                                                              The vacuum under the water,

                                                                          the feeling

                                                                    of a surreal world....

....my time.....??

yeah....even some competition ...!

The high that swimming gives you.........

the being one with water...

....dancing water cristals....

Soft, delicate caresses......

The water surrounds you, making everything a blur...

It's still a little fresh;

but the first

mild spring days

are here...!!!

LET'S ENJOY THIS FREE SPIRITED FEELING

IN THE  SPARKLING BLUE WATER...!!!

...Come along...we wait for you!!!

(...there will be some fresh Tiramisu afterwards...)

*****

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CELEBRATING......!

I believe that there is a subtle magnetism in Nature,

which, if we unconsciously yield to it,

will direct us aright.

by Henry David Thoreau

....Delicate.... delicate snow flakes...and

SHE....

my wonderful & beautiful

& gold-hearted

best friend....

...LACCAILLE.....

Her happyness was incredible as she noticed

I was approaching the

long scales

without my

crutches.....!!

....but instead with her much loved tennisballs......

....SHE.....

 missed our daily hikes & games & fun-times very much ......

......jumping & running on the last " snow-carpets "..!

Oh, yes, we had a really cold, snowy time behind us;

even  2 inches of snow

 which is unusual

& a lot for

southern

TUSCANY & it

resisted for many days...!

Laccaille loved the snow....;

& I love her

runing performances...!

Power, beauty, silky elegance....!

There was somebody

who tried

desperately to keep

herself warm & cosy....

CJ....Cinghy-Jasmine,  was incredibly busy preparing herself

a warm hay-nest......

........not even the ball game could keep her from constructing & working......

....almost done...!

sweet CJ, a  hearty sniff in the snow just for me & the camera...!

COLD & SNOW

are gone;

todays splendid sunrise

promised a

mild, wonderful day...!

....& I

CELEBRATED

with it

my first little walk without

crutches; just

FANTASTIC!!!!!!

HAVE A WONDERFUL & SUNNY HAPPY DAY!!!!!

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