The View from the Stöllinger

Friday 14th September 2001, Austria

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I SKETCH the view of the village and lake of Fuschl from the balcony of our guesthouse. Looking out before breakfast I get another look at the deer we glimpsed in the dark yesterday evening, in the meadow in the left foreground of this watercolour. It's a Roe Deer hind with two young.

We walk the full circuit of the lake following the well signed Seeweg or lakeside path, taking a break for clear soup with sliced pancakes at the schloss. We chat to New Yorkers who fear that they've lost neighbours in Tuesday's attack on the World Trade Centre.

Woodland Fungi

This coral-like fungus (left) grows on a grassy bank in woodland on the north side of the lake. It's about 3 inches (7cm) in height.

trumpet shaped fungus

Beneath beech saplings in a shady part of the wood on the south side of the lake there are a few trumpet-shaped fungi (right) dotted about the woodland floor. Again it is about 3 inches (7cm) in height.

white bracket fungi

These whitish brackets (left) have no gills but there is a slight suggestion of scales on the underside. They grow to about 6 inches (15cm) across on the base of a conifer.

belfry

Sketched at the Stöllinger

After our walk we take relax for a while at our guesthouse, the Frühstückspension Stöllinger. It's run by Frau Margarete Stölinger, whose husband is a skilled craftsmen in wood who has fitted out the guesthouse. At first I assumed that this structure in the garden was a bird table, but it actually follows a traditional design for a small belfry which is a feature of the large chalet style farmhouses here.

yellow thistle-like wayside flower

Making the most of the finer weather, I sketch whatever flowers come to hand, such as this Self-heal (right)growing on the lawn and this yellow thistle-like plant (left) at the edge of a nearby meadow. It's very common on roadsides.

The View from the Stöllinger

Woodland Fungi

Sketched at the Stöllinger

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