Still Waiting

    In May I decided to jump in at the deep end and obtain a new bike, a touring bike so this summer I could travel further afield camping overnight were needed. These bikes are used for a lot of long-distance cycling and would give me peace of mind when it comes to bike safety and reliability. So off I went to the local cycle shop to order the bike. I was told it could be anything from 8 to 10 weeks before it arrived at the shop as with lockdown and so many people buying bikes the cycle firms were struggling to keep up with demand.

   Well, it's now the middle of October and still no bike which is very disappointing, all summer gone without any long trips and to be honest I'm thinking of cancelling my order and waiting until spring now. I may buy another bike for winter, more of a hybrid bike rather than a road bike. The main problem with road bikes in winter months are the tyres, with the mud on roads and the gravel that tractors leave when harvesting or ploughing causing far more punchers. Also last winter when the roads were a touch icy there were a few occasions when my back wheel slid from under me so I'm thinking a bike with a wider better gripping tyre is needed this year.

   Until I decide I'm still trusting my old mate who has carried me over many many fen miles in the last couple of years, so watch this space.  

 

Fungi Season

 As the evenings draw in and the temperatures drop the Fungi season starts here in the fens. For many years I like most people spent my life taking no notice of the world that exists below our feet, that wonderful world of fungi, one full of amazing strange occupants that we so often ignore.

   Now while out cycling or walking in the autumn and winter months my eyes always seem to be looking down, on road verges, small woods and thickets and of course in the larger forests. That stunning sight of the wonderful gold and amber leaf carpet that mother nature gifts us from October onwards can hide the most unique and strange fungi, most very well hidden. It never fails to amaze me just how wide the selection is, from the common field mushrooms that I collected along with my father as a kid, to the strange world of Puffballs and Earthballs. 

   This year I have decided to search around to villages of Upwell and Outwell just to see how many types of fungi I can spot. I must admit that most morning cycles at this time of year seem to include a search around a wooded area of some kind or churchyard or riverbank. Give it a go if you're out and about, see how many mushrooms, toadstool or any over fungi you spot I think once you find a few you'll soon get your eye in and will start finding far more. Good luck with your fungi hunt, I hope you enjoy discovering more of the tiny wonders that we never seem to notice in our everyday lives.