The weather continues to be cold and mostly cheerless. There's little proper rain but a constant, damp, dripping.
I continue to walk for my health. Once again in the park, this time in drizzle instead of mist, and observing fungi on and around a stump.
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| IDing the fungi would probably be easier if I knew what kind of tree this used to be (?). P.s. I put a photograph of this on iSpot where John Bratton kindly id-ed it as Cramp-Ball (Daldinia concentrica) - which is what I know as 'Alfred's Cakes' and have previously found on beech. |
My walking speed is picking up but am still finding it difficult to rise properly to my feet after crouching and I'm reluctant either to touch the ground or to get stuck scrabbling around trying and failing to re-stand. It's weird having to be careful of germs when for most of my life I've been a hands-in-the-dirt kind of person. I suppose I should do some crouching and rising exercises at home!
Meanwhile, until my leg muscles get strong, photographs are likely to be a bit snap-shotty.
19 comments:
It is very encouraging to know that you are out and about at least. I suspect that a "hands in the dirt" kind of person may have actually enhanced immunity rather than depleted it, but you perhaps have to be a little more careful now.
It takes a certain kind of determination to get outside when the weather's like this even when one is in the best of health (says he, sitting curled up beside the radiator!). These look like fine photos to me and not at all "snapshotty". Wish I could help out with ID but I'm usually wrong when it comes to fungi.
Hello David. The leukaemia reduces my immunity. The chemo given for it destroys it completely. That's why I was in hospital for so long - living in isolation until the immunity came back. It's now at the lower level of 'healthy' but I still have to be careful - wear rubber gloves if I go to the allotment, only go into a supermarket at quiet times, avoid public transport and re-heated food. When I go back for the stem cell transplant (hopefully) my immunity will be killed off again and even more ruthlessly. I'll even have to re-receive my childhood immunisations afterwards.
Hello John. I would have liked to crawl around a bit to get some closer detail but am glad you like the photos as they are too. Fungi ID is notoriously difficult. Some may be easy but others can only be identified properly by looking at spores through a microscope. I tend to wary about saying what's what - and don't mind a lot because they are beautiful and interesting regardless of whether or not we known their names.
Great to hear from you Lucy! I agree with John, nice photos :)
It's good to read you're getting out. Hopefully the weather will brighten up for you soon. X
Hello Hollis. Glad you like the photos. It's odd taking up the camera again after this gap. Interesting too how being less secure in one's body interferes with the way one approaches a shot.
Hello Jules. Making sure to get out. Wish it would stop raining though! (Sort of . . . the ground needs the rain . . . except this is cold rain . . . perhaps warm rain would be more welcome.)
Good to see the results of your determination. Let us hope you continue to get mobile. I have been thought a corpse more than once when taking insect and fungi pics.
Not sure what the first are but they are very old.
The second are variegated polypores and the third King Alfreds Cakes I think, again hangovers from last autumn.
Keep up the good work.
Hello Adrian. The first ones have become extra-interesting with age but they have been this lovely grey since first they came up.
It's good to see you here again back doing what you do best. They look like King Alfred's Cakes to me, one of the few fungi I am reasonably confident about IDing! Rain here today- I went running through it with Pop which was exhilarating. I am so glad you can get outdoors again, whatever the weather.
Can you take a stick or umbrella with you to help you stand from a crouch? I do wish that this drizzly stuff would either get on with it and rain properly or stop.
The weather has been the same here. Fungi are a fascinating subject, I've some growing on the plot log pile which I keep meaning to look at closely and photograph.
Take care, Mike. xx
I was also wondering if a hiking pole would help. Half of my hiking group uses one (or two) - it's a bit like having an extra leg or two for stability when going up and down. Need an extra hand for the camera too.
I agree with Diana, we never walk without a pole.
I only ever use one, not the pair, but could not be without it on Lake District paths. I actually feel more stable with one, because I have the other hand free - with two I feel a bit 'trapped' but a single leaves a hand for the camera :-)
That's a splendid collection of fungi but I particularly like the first one because I don't recall seeing anything like it before.
...for the most part our spring has been cool and wet!
Hello Countryside Tales. This is a reply to your comment on the fungi post. (Terribly behind with things!) King Alfred's cakes is a good name for these fungi. I now understand they are stripy inside but am reluctant to break one to see.
Hello Sue. I don't think I could manage a stick AND a camera.
Because I've taken a while before replying (apologies) the muscles in my legs have now recovered their strength. (I'm writing this on 5th June.) But I'm soon to go back for a stem cell / bone marrow transplant. This will mean five weeks in hospital so I will go all weak again. Talk about going in circles!
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