NOVEMBER ENDS.

Well today has been quite a remarkable one as Dafad's Days has now had over 10.000 views in what has been little over a year. When I started this little project as a way of sharing our local farming year and other things that might be of interest, I would never have believed if someone had told me that a year on, this blog would be so widely read.

<<< there is a reason for using this photograph taken a year ago today. It is of a young Parasol Mushroom pushing up through the long grasses on commons land grazed by sheep.  At this time of year they are all safely gathered in and hopefully the ewes will have become pregnant over the last weeks when the tups (rams) have been busy. The reason for showing you one of our edible fungi is that the post that has received the greatest number of views is "A FUNGAL FORAY" posted on Oct 24th, it was written as a tribute to Ray Cowell a great mycological artist who sadly died two years ago. I have been delighted to hear just today, that this particular post is being used by tutors and students, for those who cannot yet get to Kew where nearly all her original artworks are now safely stored in the Kew collection.

She painted specimens as they were, complete with    evidence of "slug munching". Much like these Blewits I  found exactly a year ago, found in an area of old beech trees on part of the commons land. Sheep love to shelter under these lovely old  beeches. I love to find edible fungi to take home and eat. Unable to get there today, I doubt with the severe frosts we have had over the last few days would have seen anything worth taking home to add to the pan with buttery eggs to make a simple, delicious, blewit omelette. Sigh ...

Here I am stuck indoors again , the weather too cold, the car not yet fixed, the daft dog obviously bored ... but I have a secret that will cheer me up ... in the freezer today I found "Ceps" (Boletus, gathered last year) to add to my homemade chicken soup. I'm off to cook. Just two reminders of last year that I love ... lichens on some on old weather beaten stone

and another more conspicuous  lichen, the small cups amongst the much longer grass,

I'm off to eat last years, free gathered feast!
But before I go, thank you to all my regular viewers or those who "googled" something, found Dafad's Days and wanted to revisit this rather odd blog again.