Friday 1 October 2010

Spotted in the Netherlands: It's that time of the year...

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Autumn has set in - oh, yes! It is *that* time of the year, again. Days have shortened considerably, the skies do not always look bright and woolly but mostly grey and dull,  though there have been exceptionally pretty skies like these captured by blogger Alison in Utrecht.

Sunday walks in the nearby forest of Westerveldsebos have a particular charm during this season and, together with my husband, we have already been on our first mushroom hunt of the year. Look at the size of this one!
 
My husband put a coin (a big 25c. one  from Argentina he carries always with him) on top of it, to give an idea of the size of this big fellow.

This other one, somehow reminds me of the hats Princess Máxima sometimes wears to events like the opening of Parliament for Prinsjesdag


There is something else that always tells me that we have passed the autumn equinox once again. On Saturdays, as we ride to and from the shooting club where my husband usually goes to practice, we often spot roadside stalls selling farm produce:


Farmers usually put up these stalls along the road where people can stop and take their pick of the recently harvested produce and -get this- leave the payment in a tin or box. Sometimes there is a fixed price, like in the next photo; but sometimes, you can leave whatever amount you think is appropriate.


Back home in Argentina, I used to spend a lot of time in my grandparents' farm, but I never saw this kind of produce sale over there.
I can't help thinking if people actually do leave money behind or they forget to perform that part of the transaction; and if so, does it actually make it to the farmer's pocket or do some people take the coins as souvenirs as well as pumpkin and a couple of courgettes for their soup or Sunday pie?