Hidden treasures

Today began with heavy fog which obscured my view as I was driving. A journey that normally takes 30 mins took me an hour. Landmarks were hard to see and as I approached work, I was so aware that when I am moving around, whether for lesiure or business, I am consistently looking for the big picture, landmark images.. whether it is the beautiful building, exquisite planting, staggering sunsets, or crowded pavements. It is too easy, when so engaged, to miss the small gem, the insignificant treasure hidden in the "outfield" of your vision. I was out walking in a local park, admiring the magnificant autumn display with the golden hues and the new vistas now opened through the now bare branches, when I saw it. A small, beautifully formed, bright red algaric toadstool. It stood out against the browns of the fallen leaves and the sparse green shoots of grass. I stopped and admired its hidden beauty. I noticed it only through chance... I had dropped a coin and stooped to pick it up. Its image has remained with me. It has reminded me of the beauty of small things, those seemingly insignificant encounters we have, those beautiful but fleeting interuptions to our normality when we see something or someone in a new way - perhaps for the first time.  They do happen through serendipidy, but we can also encourage them, invite the encounter, by being more watchful, allowing more time, giving more opportunity for the unusual to interrupt our daily grind. It's worth the effort! (Not sure why the photo details are not recorded. It was a Nikon D7100, 100mm macro, F2.8 and 1/125 sec)