When you pass the Royal Palace in Stockholm, you will usually see the guards outside making sure that members of our royal family are protected. As in other European cities, they have the ceremony of the changing of the guard and we have seen it accidentally a couple of times while we were passing along the water by the old town. During the summer, the place swarms with tourists jostling for a view of the ceremony, as it comes complete with a military band, mounted guards, much flag waving and a funny kind of half running, half dancing sort of march. It is considerably quieter in autumn and less like a carnival, despite the funny mushroom hats.




What is it about royal guards and funny hats, I wonder? I come from a country that lacks this kind of history and pomp and ceremony of royal parading and although Australia is technically part of the British commonwealth, Australians safely ignore the royals in far away London. Only the readers of trashy women's magazines and my gran really take any notice of them at all. But these parade costumes always give me the irresistable urge to snigger. I was telling Lars-Göran that they were weird costumes in other countries as well and described the funny, furry hats worn by the grenadier guards and the minstrel outfits of the Beefeaters I saw in Britain. I also mentioned the funny dress, hat and pompom shoes worn by the Greek Evzones but he refused to believe me and I had to show him proof when we came home before he would accept the truth of what I was saying. I'm sure they are brave and crack shots and all that, but honestly, how can you not snigger when you see them, especially with the matching silly walk? Or maybe that is their secret weapon?

Back in Nynäshamn, we can forget all about that and instead indulge in one of autumn's greatest tastes, which is as easy as taking a stroll in the woods.




This rather startling example of the funghi family was found down by the seashore by the side of the road. It is a fabulous colour and texture and no doubt it is toxic, though don't quote me on that. I did, though get a chance to use that awful pun on Lars-Göran. I told him that it was very compact, not taking up much-room. For which he dutifully groaned and looked around for a stick to beat some sense into me.

We never really had a lot of mushrooms growing around where I lived in Australia. You can hardly count the three mushrooms that appeared on our back lawn every year, can you? We did have friends with a property in the Adelaide Hills and on dewy autumn mornings we would head off for a ramble in their paddocks and pick buckets and buckets of tasty field mushrooms. But they were "normal looking", rather than the alien sort of mushrooms I see over here. Sweden in autumn has the perfect climate for wild mushrooms and they grow in the woods, pastures and meadows by the bucketful, yet I continue to ignore this natural bounty as I am unsure about which ones are edible.




It would be a handy thing for me to learn as I adore mushrooms and they are so expensive to buy at the supermarket (and of course, not as tasty). My husband does not know a thing about mushrooms as he prefers coastal walks rather than rambles in the woods. However, our friend Lennart is very knowledgable about such things and I intend to ask his advice about recognising the edible species. About all I can recognise in the woods are the beautiful and delicious kantarelle (chantarelle), a rich yellow mushroom that grows in mossy pine and mixed forests near the lake shores and on islets.




I think I need a good identification book and someone patient to go out with me so I can learn. According to Lennart, it’s all about knowing both the right season and the habitat for each species and it requires good eyesight and stamina, as a you usually walk in the forest for several hours and cover a lot of ground. The Swedes are crazy about mushrooming and they take great pride in being able to identify their mushrooms, to distinguish the old from the new, the poisonous from the edible and knowing those closely guarded, special secret places that no other mushroomers know about. In fact, Swedes don't usually buy mushrooms, but prefer to pick their own. Clearly I'll need expert advice about this and I'll have to leave the dog home as she would never agree to ramble for hours.




We are very fortunate to live in a place that gives us easy access to the woods and the water. It is the best of both worlds and each time one takes the coast road and climbs up to the viewing point you are reminded of what a lovely place it really is. These rambles are one of the most relaxing activities I know. I especially like the feeling of being in the forest listening to the autumnal silence and the occasional bird chatter, all by myself. The combination of the forest sounds and the walking evoke a sort of meditative state when all of your worries go away (even if only for a short time) and your thoughts can flow freely. It keeps one sane.

Autumn is truly the time of change. The vivid green hues of summer have faded into the autumn auburn shades as the plant life in the great outdoors prepares for a long winter's sleep.




And the aftermath of that storm the other day? Fiona weathered it like the trooper she is, though I noted that in Stockholm along the water a few trees had not fared so well. Let's hope there are not too many more autumn storms left this year.