Looking forward.....

I'm out of hospital and recovering at home .  Its a long slow process but its going in the right direction.

I've a long long way to go before I can get back to cycling like this, but it's good to have a goal.

The lights in the village, Gwaelod y Garth, on the other side of the River Taff. 

 Here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Pre Christmas break

I'll be out of action for the next couple of weeks,

 so will catch up later. 

 

Mushroom update

I've been watching the mushrooms change colour and noticed that they had also been eaten.  Slugs and snails are the ones that come to mind first but also animals like squirrels mice and rats also eat them.and contribute to the ecosystem by helping to spread the spores via their faeces. 

Here's one having breakfast.

As my mobility is very restricted these days to just short local walks I noticed these ivy flowers and the berries getting ready as a winter food source for birds.

 

Mushrooms etc

 

Mushrooms appeared on the lawn !

Not sure what they were so after searching the Internet I still couldn't identify them so I contacted  this Wildfood website www.wildfooduk.com and they came up with Shaggy or Bearded Milkcaps.  They are edible, but I wont try them because,

 "If eaten without very careful preparation, Lactarius torminosus can cause very unpleasant stomach upsets. (Be warned: the Latin torminosus means 'cause of colic'.) Some authorities suggest that the Woolly Milkcap is edible after it has been salted and pickled, but many more assert that it should be treated as poisonous."                      

from Firstnature .com

Here's some more from my walk, the next four could be Terracotta Hedgehog or Common Hedgehog tooth, again edible.

 This one I couldn't identify.

Its good fun finding them but I'll stick to the shop bought ones!

More wildflowers.

  These photos are from the same walk, but on the other side of the first path, and at the bottom of an embankment which is in shade.

Old Mans Beard

Woodland ferns growing in the walls of the railway embankment

Ivy, a wonderful bird food source in winter.

 

Passing the Taf, at low water its usually a good place to see birds, and 7 Mergansers, the most I've seen here. 

Local wildflowers

I walked along the footpath / cycleway which follows the line of the  old Heath to Treforest railway, which took coal from the nearby colleries to Cardiff Docks for export.  The footpath is on an embankment and nature has reclaimed the sides with a nice mix of common wildflowers.  I've named them but let me know if you think differently.

Hemp Agrimony

Nipplewort 

Soapwort

Thistle 

Turkeytail Fungi

Buddlia

Oxeye daisy

A Cool Dude?

Elderberry

Japanese Knotweed. 

 The Victorians imported this and it's now a curse , it devalues property and is virtually indestructible.

 

Blackberry

Himalayan Balsam 

Again another imported plant and is a great one for the kids because when you press the seed pods they explode and scatter the seeds.  If you dont know, it makes you jump.

New to me camera

 

Blog friend Sondra on her Blog  uses a Lumix camera and I've always been impressed with the quality of her bird photographs, so when another friend mentioned the website MPB.com for buying and part ex'ing equipment I decided to have a look.  They had a nearly new Lumix FZ82 and offered me a reasonable price for my 12 year old Canon and lenses I decided to go for it. Once the deal is agreed all you have to do is pack up the old equipment and MPB sort out a courier to collect and deliver which is included in their offer, and they are quick. 

Whilst  the Canon DSLR  was a good camera I seldom used it as it was fiddly carrying with the lenses whereas the Lumix has all that I need with its 20 - 1200 lens.

Some photos from around the garden.

House Sparrow getting rid of its fledgling plumage. 

 

Wood Pigeons are regular visitors and dont bother moving as we go in and out. 

Rowan berries , the birds love them  

It also takes  panoramic shots which will be handy  

 

We always have a good crop of Crab Apples. 

I'm still getting used to the camera but so far I'm pleased with it and I think I'll get more use out of it than my old kit.