Today, 11st December, has been a hot day for these autumn days. It was 20ºC , can you believe? In middle of December? My god, watching you guys having all that snow and we having warm days? hmmm

It makes me jealous, that's what it does for me! 20C would be lovely, but we won't see it here until possibly April :( These are fantastic shots, wonderfully lit and very nice dof... the b&w are very nice as well, I've put #2 in my faves :) McMommy · 2010-12-11: 11:35

Lucky you! We had 15 degrees till Friday, and now the snow has hit us! Very nice post Ricky. I totally agree with you about the persimmons! ????? · 2010-12-11: 11:44

excellant ....and great pics...to much snow here as you've seen MARETKA88 · 2010-12-11: 11:54

So beautiful pictures .... I can enjoy this phenomenal set!! ????? · 2010-12-11: 12:05

Indeed, a great set!I especially like the first image!! Davorka · 2010-12-11: 12:14

Wow ! Great set!!! Francesc21 · 2010-12-11: 12:33

Gorgeous set ! The B&Ws got perfectly in between the colorful ones. I've enjoyed especially the persimmons photo...as persimmon is one of my favorite fruits :) ! I have to say that I didn't love this fruit until I found the right type: properly ripe and of the "good" kind. They are fruits with high content in tannins (very astringent especially before ripening) that's why they taste bitter and they make your mouth and teeth feel "funny". There are many species of them but basically only 3 types: the astringent one ( recognized by the heart-shape and bigger size ), the pleasant one ( with silky flesh and aromatic flavour and non astringent when ripen) recognizable by the squat "tomato" shape, and another one - a pollination variant - the most flavorful and not astringent but less available. Once you have the luck to try the right type and ripped to perfection you will fall in love with this fruit. All facts and tips about this interesting fruit and how to spot the good ones HERE redro · 2010-12-11: 12:50

The ones in your pictures and possibly common in Portugal are heart shape - high astringent type - which could be the reason to your lack of love for this fruit. Check the pictures of the "squat tomato shape" one and try to find it on the market....then you will see the difference ! And avoid the overripe ones too ( when they get a bit soft). redro · 2010-12-11: 12:56

Well here in Georgia they are called as in some other languages Kaki fruit and there a simple trick to get rid of the tannins, put them for one night in the freezer and the tannin is gone and is replaced by pure sweetness. Beautiful set Ricky GKorts · 2010-12-11: 13:01

Gorgeous, all of them! malquistfamily · 2010-12-11: 13:12

love the oaks too ricky... enjoy your mild climate.. its warmed here now..never tried those fruits, i like sour apples but bitter is not one of my tastes except for strong coffee... fantastic autumn collection... ????? · 2010-12-11: 13:32

lovely takings. 20 C? here in rome we have 0 C in the mornings!! miltonjacob · 2010-12-11: 13:43

Yes we had a touch of that warm weather too last week it must have blown over to you now. I really like the persimmon fruit shot I took shots of them from a distance but they didn't turn out very good so just posted the tree in a prevoius post Here , the taste isn't too bad and is meant to be full of vitamins , maybe the type here in Italy is what Redro is talking about . MoMac · 2010-12-11: 13:58

re: GKorts' comment - Thanks ! Wikipedia: "...The astringency of tannins is removed through ripening by exposure to light over several days, wrapping the fruit in paper (probably because this increases the ethylene concentration of the surrounding air), and/or artificially with chemicals such as alcohol and carbon dioxide which change tannin into the insoluble form. This bletting process is sometimes jumpstarted by exposing the fruit to cold or frost which hastens cellular wall breakdown. " ...Very good tips...I just wonder if one night in the freezer isn't a bit too much...aren't they getting squishy after defrosting ?...I have to try and experiment what's the better length of time...I guess it could be a matter of preference only redro · 2010-12-11: 14:24

I am afraid that after these unusual warm days over there, a very cold weather might follow...even in Portugal, Spain and Italy....I hope not ! Here in Canada it will be a colder snowier winter, Brrr ! redro · 2010-12-11: 14:27

Very awesome, Ricky. I really dig the last one. smbunation · 2010-12-11: 14:38

Stunning work Ricky !! finbarr · 2010-12-11: 15:09

C'est un set merveilleux Ricky (in french in the text) josy63 · 2010-12-11: 15:10

I'm not a big fan of 'caqui' either... :-) wfrnk · 2010-12-11: 15:48

#1 ... incredible DrunkWeasel · 2010-12-11: 16:03

Very nice - especially the eucalyptus. Jarvo · 2010-12-11: 16:11

Nice shots Ricky. Your new camera is delivering gret results. Lynda · 2010-12-12: 06:43

Ok. I'm in shock. You're becoming so damn creative!! I love this new face of you. ????? · 2010-12-13: 10:23

Adoro Caqui, como chamamos no Brasil, meus pais tem 2 pés de caqui em casa; mas como disse maduro são muito melhores. Aqui só vi uns muito pequenos, e nao tem o mesmo gosto, provavelmente porque são apanhados muito cedo para exportação, e não amadurecem naturalmente. ????? · 2010-12-15: 21:22

BTW this set is absolutely beautiful!! ????? · 2010-12-15: 21:23

Wow! I am a little confused on schedule. (2008) Kozuka · 2011-01-30: 18:49

Tagged: persimmon gorse oak leaves leaf bw blackandwhite eucalyptus