Hedge pig

It's not common to see Mrs Tilly-Winkle out in the day, in fact it's not common to see Mrs Tilly-Winkle or her kin, full stop. They used to be a frequent sight when I was younger, scuttling about in the bushes under the moon. Then there was a not so cool period when you frequently saw their remains on the road side. No though, you see neither (clearly not seeing the latter is a good thing) with much frequency. So, I was surprised, and delighted, to see this one noisily rummaging through the thickets of the common.  They've funny little faces and their black pearl eyes clearly mark them out as nocturnal, hence my surprise at seeing one out in the day, I was also surprised at how nonchalantly it continued about its to my presence. At first I thought, being out in the day, that it might have been injured or sick, although it moved at speed when it did move and looked a good size and healthy. Maybe environmental changes are necessitating adaptations or maybe it was that I was walking off the path, whatever, it was nice to see. 

What's through the irregularly shaped window?

What's through the irregularly shaped window? Ah, a reference that dates me. Still, as always the forest is timeless and today I continued to explore parts of the eastern forest, an area of which my knowledge remains patchy. So my aim is to fill in all the blank spaces on my forest mind map, joining up all the areas I do know.  Today it was the extensive adjoining broad leaf woodlands of Little Holm Hill and Denny Wood. Well, I wasn't disappointed. Little Holm Hill and Denny Wood are woodlands of my favourite type: mature/ancient mixed deciduous, Beech, Oak, Sweet Chestnut and even some Ash with an under-storied by Birch, Rowan, Holly, Hawthorn and Blackthorn, punctuated with open areas of rough grass with a multitude of wild plants. Really nice. There were some beautiful specimens of tree too, as well as some gnarly beasts (as the ancient Oak pictured above) showing their determination to endure. I walked in wonder at the feast of new sights and sounds I'd been served. At one point I could hear the unmistakable sound of antlers clashing and stealthily I crept up on three kings, two of which were locked in noisy combat; they forgot their differences though when they realized I was nearby, and before I could focus my camera they were off deeper into the woodland. On resuming my walk I came across a huge number of Hedgehog Mushrooms, big ones too. Well, it would have been rude not to, so I availed myself of a kilo. I do enjoy a Hedgehog mushroom. Well, what a walk, I think this area deserves much more investigation.

Hedgehogs

Without wishing to temp fate or jinx things, this mushroom season has been absolutely fantastic for Hedgehog mushrooms (Hydnum repandum). They're appearing at all my usual spots in good numbers as well as appearing in other spots I'd not previous collected them.

Autumn reigns

Autumn reigns supreme across the forest and does so gloriously. The rich greens of the canopy are just beginning to fade, though still remain majestic; soon the colour will change, marking the fall and winters approach. That said, the dappled light of the fading Sun that dances through the canopy is rich and mellow, the stands of the forest have a fairytale glow. I was surprised that the stream wasn't higher after the recent down pours, though I know that as autumn goes on crossing it will soon be restricted to the bridges and a handful of potential jumping spots. Of course, said 'jumping spots' could, and sometimes are, more accurately described as 'dunking spots'. That's part of the fun.  Everything appears mellowed in the forest now, the jobs all but done and soon it'll be time to turn in for a deserved rest.  Just the mushrooms and the fruits to go and then shamansburys (a Mighty Boosh reference) will be closed until spring. Deer, cattle and the forest ponies busy themselves eating for the more barren coming season, as I should imagine are the rest of the forest inhabitants. Soon it'll be panage and the pigs will be loosed, always fun. A rested awhile amongst some ancient leviathans, enjoyed a brew and watched the forest do what the forest does; what lovely time of year.

Today was also a fruitful forage. I collected enough Ceps (boletus edulis), Oysters (Pleurotus ostreatus) and Hedgehogs (Hydnum repandum) for a few meals. Which was nice. I collected the Hedgehogs from a spot that can often supply them early in the season, before they show elsewhere, and in good quantities. All in all a very rewarding roam.