Autumn Colour

Sunday turned out to be grey and damp; rain was not far away. We didn't plan on staying too long as P wanted to get back for her mother's birthday.

First thing, Pauline was up and out on her bike. A sycamore on the far side of the lake had attracted her attention; the yellow colour and surrounding trees were quite autumnal - so I was dispatched for a photo.

Unfortunately I got lost following the "black" trail through a planting area where large numbers of tree species were planted close together and a name plate planted before each set. Mostly common species that didn't look special, but a big group of Chilean Pine looked quite bizarre.

The path out this way was barely fit to walk on. While struggling up one of several steep hills I bumped into a local who thankfully chittered away as I got my breath back. He told us, Donegal has joined the ranks of "No Overnight Camping" sign-posters just like the Scots. Mind you, this was round Bunbeg so maybe its not a generic thing.

Just as I was coming back onto a known path, I came across a batch of possibly Lime trees whose vivid green leaves had turned yellow and sometimes bright red. The forest floor was a carpet of yellow and as rain began to fall, more leaves fluttered down from the branches. I tried to capture the falling leaves but it didn't quite work out.

Shrooms

The woods around the touring site are home to a huge variety of fungi; or so it seems to me.

When we were last here a few weeks ago, I snapped quite a few interesting specimens. This time there are even more. Most often growing either on fallen trees or growing trees perhaps diseased. I caught this little fella peeping out all alone in the leaf litter.

Some look like chanterelle and definitely good to eat. Others were dangerous for sure, looking like decomposed meat - dark and probably very smelly.

I should put all these fungi pictures up somewhere so someone can name them for me...

Misty Morning

Saturday morning and the previous nights forecast turned out to be accurate. From 7:00am or earlier, a fog covered the land. Bands of mist floated above the lake. Trees hid amongst swirling cloud just waiting for mysterious horsemen to gallop from nowhere.

There was a lot of activity toward the field above us, cars and vans to-ing and fro-ing. While P drifted down toward the lakes, I cycled up the hill to see what was going on.

I didn't need to go far before I discovered crowds of PS kids making a racket just standing still in groups. Several tents were being erected in the field; looks like some was expecting to camp over-night!

Continued up through the forest and after turning left off the road onto a track barely visible beneath the copper carpet of leaf litter, I came across a fine view through the trees to the sun forcing its way through the mist. The forest bordered farmland here; the grass was covered in so many spider webs glittering with dew, it looked as it snow had fallen or an extreme hoar frost had hit. On the brow of the hill, six trees were dimly visible through the mist.

Some very atmospheric pictures like this one of a web spun between hawthorn branches in the hedgerow.

Sloes in Drum Manor

This weekend we went hunting for sloes down Cookstown way.

We rushed off so quick we had hardly any food to eat; not at all like us. Paused in Magherafelt for what P reckoned should be the finest chips in the province - well, West of the Bann anyways. Sadly they did not live up to expectations. While P fetched the chips, I went in search of some wine to accompany them. Searched through a local mall and not a whiff of a bottle shop; I had to ask in Dunnes where the nearest offy was and suddenly my head sprouted horns. Oops

Arrived fairly late and had a panic refill of water as P had emptied it all on her last trip. The regular Drum Manor site was full to capacity - must be the final weekend of the "Caravanners Club" (we bumped into them last year about this time in Gosford). It promised to be a cold night - not a cloud in the sky but a wonderful view of the Milky Way.

The Drum Manor Triffid

Off to Cookstown this weekend searching for the elusive Blackthorn. We spotted some down in Fermanagh but there were not many; I suspect we were parked beside a sloe bush in Cookstown then so we will have to check...

Yip, it was a sloe bush - so we now know of two new sources (in addition to the Nendrum tree), all we need is the first frost and we can start picking.

Encouraged by this first bush, expected there would be more nearby so I wandered off through the forest. Found loads of mushrooms - or toadstools.and what appeared to be blackthorn but with no berries. Next to the field just above the site, a hedgerow formed the boundary between the forest and the open space - a mixture of hawthorn, holly and blackthorn. But still no berries, not even haws.

Kept walking through the trees as the light began to fade. Came across this wondrous tree sprawling with branches all akimbo. In the twilight it looked most impressive but despite various attempts with and without flash and even in the clear light of day (this picture), I couldn't replicate that moment I first encountered it.