Not the best.

Not the best of days today.  I had high hopes of it being a great day, but it all started going wrong with a couple of family members being a bit ill which meant we've remained at home.  Never mind ... at least we got the washing done!

Whilst at home I noticed some toadstools in the front yard.  From a distance they looked white and boring ... but get up close and they have quite a nice texture and pattern to them.

Front yard toadstool ... lovely patterns and textures.

Interesting.  When you stop to look at things instead of just taking a casual glance you see so much more.  You may remember me taking about this in a previous posts?   The picture from this earlier post has caused a bit of interest of late, and the poem ... well have a read and tell me what you think.

Are these teethmarks on the toadstool?  If they are ... who or what made them?

Back to the toadstools!  Besides the rather lovely patterns on their surfaces I noticed something else that made me smile.  Teethmarks!  Well, that's what they looked like to me.  Take a closer look at the second image in this post (click on the shot to get a larger version of the shot).  What do you reckon?  Teethmarks?  If they are ... who or what made them?

Somewhat fascinated with this discovery I started to look for more toadstools and came across the sight you see in the third image.  No toadstools ... but a hint that toadstools were there at one time.  Perhaps the toadstools in my yard are particularly tasty?  Can't say I'm ready to try them just yet, but I am intrigued as to whether they are edible and what creature has been having a bit of a nibble.  Can you tell me from the images if they'd be safe to eat?

Remains of two toadstools ... but what has been eating them?  Snails?  Hedgehog?

Back inside the house looking through the dining room window I noticed some lovely light on some strange flowers.  I still don't know what this plant is yet am sure somebody has told me.  The light was quite lovely, but then I noticed the flies and wasps.  Shame I don't have a macro lens.  These few shots were taken with a 50mm lens focussed as close as it would go at a wide aperture of f4 in an attempt to get a nice blurry background.  Click on the images to see them a little bigger and, if you know what the plant is called, perhaps add a comment so I'll be able to remember!

Flies enjoying the nectar ... did you notice the iridescent bug in the bottom right of the image? 

Wasps enjoying the nectar also.  Apparently at one time NZ didn't have any wasps ... they were introduced.