Fungi Walkabout on a Soggy Weekend

Ugh, what a weekend. October had been tossed and tumbled in with sharp, freezing winds and heavy rainfall.   All I want to do was crawl under the duvet with a warm husband :-). And a weather warning was issued by the Met. Office for the Midlands. Another good excuse to cocoon myself.

Saturday was supposed to be the best day for the weekend. Babe and I got our communication  lines tangled, again. I thought we were going into the city-centre so I was up bright and early to get the laundry done and hang it up outside. I always dry the laundry outside even in winter. Then a brisk walk to the Arena to have a haircut.

An hour later with a much lighter head, I was ready to face the world with a smile. First, a browse in Tesco. Ooh, a Halloween section was set up under a huge, darkened tattered tent with howling screams. I only came out with a pair of earrings in the shape of a black cat.

A quick browse around the clothes section but nothing called to me. Next, was Next. A few weeks ago, I saw a lovely leather wallet which I wanted to get for Babe’s birthday.  There was only one left and it looked a bit tattered so ordered a new one which would arrive next Wednesday. Then to the public library to return/borrow books.

Around lunch-time we went out to check the natives at our favourite playground. We decided to walk through the forest and the air was filled with autumnal smells of drying leaves, ripening fruits, rotting wood and the musky, mushy smell of fungi. They were popping everywhere. The warm wet weather was like Viagra for these fruitbodies.

All these beautiful photographs were taken during our walkabout. Apart from the striking Fly Agaric, I have not identified any of them. We have lots of reference books on fungi but we found out that it was still difficult to identify them. Any fungi experts out there??? Help…

Then we popped into Baldwin Hide for a rest. We met and had a little natter with Mark and Kathy. But not for long. A Great Crested Grebe with a perch between his beak caught our attention. Just look at that!!! It was awesome to see him swallowing the fish. It was also funny to see his partner following him everywhere, hoping to get a piece of action. Hard luck pal…he’s not for sharing :-)

On Sunday morning, we made a pit stop to BMNR again. We walked towards the East Marsh Hide and  made ourselves at home. We spotted a couple of snipes feeding on the island opposite us. There were also hundreds of Canada Geese and Greylags grazing on the banks, chilling out and enjoying the warmth.

Later that evening, we went to my cousin’s, Lyanna and Hafiz, casa for a long-promised Eid dinner. As usual, I brought along ayam masak merah (red-cooked chicken) and egg-fried runner beans to add to the groaning spread. We’d a good laugh cos Lyanna also cooked the same dish, from a different recipe. But hers was soo hot that my eyes watered. She also made a lovely mild beef khurma, vegetable salad and fried chicken.

We’d a wonderful time catching up, laughing and demolishing the wonderful food. Lyanna had submitted her dissertation and fingers-crossed will get her results at the end of the month and hopefully graduate at the end of the year. Good luck !!!We then adjourned into the living room watching X-Factor, drinking coffee and emptying her Eid cookies. We’d to finish them cos Eid ends next week. What a perfect way to end the soggy weekend.

"Delicious autumn!   My very soul is wedded to it, 
and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth 
seeking the successive autumns."  
-   George Eliot -

Thanks Lyanna and Hafiz for the wonderful dinner and for packing more food for us take home.  Also thanks for the packet of lovely beef serunding and pandan cookies posted all the way from Malaysia. Much appreciated!!!