Been A While

    Well I'm back at last and what a crap winter/early spring I had. When I think about it, the last time I felt healthy and normal was last October and that's no lie. Atfer not feeling well for a number of months I decided to take a Covid test in November which came back negative. The fact I was still having problems with head aches, tight chest, lack of taste and smell, sore chest and all round not feeling right was a big worry, but as the weeks carried on over Christmas and new year I started to get maybe the odd one or two days where I felt nearly normal. This continued to improve but still I was having periods where I felt rotten.

   At this time my doctor was talking of "Long Covid" and this is why it was taking so long for the symptoms to go. So I was given blood tests for signs of  Covid antibodies but as this had been going on for so long(six months), there was a chance the tests would come back negative, which they did.

   Luckily things have continued to improve and at last I'm feeling like me again. So was it Long Covid, was it stress or anxiety, I guess I'll never know but all I can say is I lost a good six or seven months of my life to something and really hope I don't have to suffer that again.

   The good news is the new bike is a dream to ride, so smooth after a year on my old bike when every few weeks something seemed to go wrong. I do feel like Im starting all over again after such a long lay-off and the rides are still around an hour at the moment but I'm getting stronger and this lovely warmer weather is helping. 

   Fingers crossed I'll soon be on those longer day-long rides exploring more of the fens, until then you may have to put up with more local blogs and of course some from my fungi hunts. I hope this explains why the blog was so quiet, but I'm sure hearing about how ill I was wouldn't have made very good posts.

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.

Scarecrows of Emneth

   So once more the crow scarers of Emneth adorn the streets and droves. Year after year the folk of Emneth produce an outstanding array of straw characters ranging from the modern celebrities and politicians that grace our televisions to the more traditional looking scarecrows, my personal favourites.

   This year being the unusual year it has been we needed brightening up and the Emneth scarecrow festival has certainly succeeded in that regard. If any of you have the time to take a trip to this nice peaceful fen village then I would highly recommend you do so this weekend.

   As a child of the '60s and '70s the scarecrow was a common sight to a village lad like me, these days I fear the only crow scarers we will see are those that run on gas and spoil the silent spring days with the sound of a shotgun.

 I would just like to congratulate all those who took the time and effort to produce such an amazing range of scarecrows. Throughout this week I have cycled through your village and each morning you haven't failed to impress as more and more of your wonderful creations seemed to appear. Wouldn't it be wonderful if more villages were to celebrate such wonderful rural festivals, the perfect way to remove the worries of Covid-19 from our minds for a small-time? I have counted around 60 scarecrows in Emneth and I would have loved to post pictures of every single one here but I hope I have sowed a good variation and I hope some of you will take a trip to admire them all. Well done the villagers of Emneth, young and old alike.

   

Lockdown Life

   So now we have been in lockdown for around three months  three months living in a very strange world, a world of fear, solitude and a real lack of freedom and socialising. For me I consider myself one of the lucky ones for I work at home and although like all of us the world around me has changed I'm still able to work as normal and to go cycling around the fens most mornings, giving me chance to watch the spring develope into summer. 

   I have noticed the huge amount of people who have started both cycling and walking around the local villages and I very much hope they continue to do so after lockdown is lifted. I see those families who have been to the cycle shop to obtain new bikes, I see the older folk who have dusted down that old bike that was left standing in the garage for the last decade and of course I spot those who have now realised how wonderful it is to find the time to travel the droves and fen roads rather than spending hours looking at their phone or laptop screens. All in all It can only be a good thing that people of all shapes, sizes and ages are now out there in the countryside and fresh air and lets hope that now they are all starting to notice the beautiful show that mother nature is directing for us, a show that they will now follow every year through every season.

   I would just like to say I hope you all keep safe while this nasy virus is still among us and while times continue to be difficult try to get out in the countryside near you, I'm sure you will be amazed at what you see, just take the time to watch and understand nature. Keep safe everybody, please keep safe.

An Upwell Evening

These rooks return home after a day feeding on the rich dark soils of the East Anglian fens.

Horses Of The Grass Verge

   There are many traditions that have been followed here in the fens for many generations, not all looked upon as healthy and in fact, some questioned strongly by many of us who now find certain country traditions barbaric, cruel and to say the least very unpleasant. We all know those extreme traditions such as Fox Hunting, Badger Baiting, Dog Fighting, Hare Coursing and Cock Fighting, many of which continue here in the fens as they do all over this country of ours.

   But here I'd like to talk about one tradition that has very mixed reactions, the use of roadside grass verges to graze horses and ponies. Since moving to the fens 18 years ago a very common sight in the spring and summer months is that of horses and ponies being tethered on these grassed areas by their owners and basically left there all day grazing on the grass. In every case I have seen their owners do supply water tubs for these beautiful creatures yet something makes me feel very uneasy. I have spoken on this subject to horse owners and each of them said they didn't like the way these horses were treated, being left out all day often in very warm weather and often with no shelter or shade at all. I know some people will say they look very healthy and it's no different to them being out in a paddock all-day and as long as the owners take them in at night and make sure they are given fresh water and additional food there is no problem, but what do you think?

   Next time you're out and about and you notice any ponies or horses tethered out, often piebald or skewbald have a little think about these beautiful creatures and if you feel ok with their situation and maybe like me, you'll take the time to stop and speak to them, I'm sure they enjoy human company.