tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-330103522011-10-10T13:02:28.335ZMainly wildlife. Wanderings around Sheffield, the Peak District and South Yorkshire, with the occasional excursion further afieldPenny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.comBlogger801100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-65406579315911867432011-03-06T12:22:00.001Z2011-03-06T12:25:18.921Z

I've been neglecting my blog again, but this time I think I have a slightly better excuse than usual. Last time I mentioned that I was aiming to try to photograph and post on Blipfoto (link to photo no 1 - you can scroll though to no 50, if you wish) 50 different birds on 50 consecutive days. I did it! There were times I didn't think I would - round about mid-February when I wasn't too well, the

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-65793871988464707272011-02-10T14:56:00.000Z2011-02-10T14:56:29.894Z

This morning, I saw house sparrows in the garden for the first time this year. I was delighted for a particular reason. Since January 14th, I have been signed up to Blipfoto and immediately set myself a challenge which has all but taken over my life: to post a photo of a different bird each day. One of  rules of Blip are that the photo has to be taken on that day, which is OK on days when I'm out

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-9305069496152217432011-01-26T16:15:00.000Z2011-01-26T16:15:53.326Z

Just when you think it's safe to use the S word, along comes an indescribably miserable day like today! Still, it's good for catching up, which seemed like an idea before February is upon us. I seem to have done quite a lot since last time, especially considering the time of year. I've decided to try to get down to some part of Rivelin Valley once a week if I can, and my second visit of the year

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-72464864339902856122011-01-12T13:23:00.001Z2011-01-12T13:28:06.017Z

Made it back to RSPB Old Moor last Tuesday. It was a really disappointing visit, as much of the water habitat was still completely frozen and the waterfowl were all on the far side. Lots of goosander and wigeon, and I had a lesson on common gull IDing from the ubiquitous Man in Hide, (becoming even more ubiquitous than Heron of Doom). The best places were the garden feeders and the sparrow farm,

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-15303648429152821852011-01-03T22:40:00.002Z2011-01-03T22:57:13.429Z

Today was my first outing of the New Year. A combination of a cold, problems with the central heating and unappealing weather had kept me indoors thus far. Down in Rivelin Valley, much of the path was still frozen, so it was not too muddy. The birds were shy today, but I got quite a nice sighting of a jay, and several of goldcrests. Odd to think that I had never seen a goldcrest until last

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-75391282365217583462010-12-26T14:14:00.004Z2011-01-04T23:31:40.062Z

Managed to get out a couple of times recently, despite my wussiness about the ice. On Tuesday, I went out to Bradfield on the bus, intending to walk home along Damflask Reservoir and the River Loxley, but the lure of Agden was too great, so I walked around the reservoir and was fulsomely rewarded with some fine landscape views as well as the reliably good wildlife. I managed to flush out what

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-1779413174862199712010-12-17T17:57:00.000Z2010-12-17T17:57:31.849Z

Since the last lot of snow, pretty much all of my organised activities have been cancelled. I've done a few more local walks - Rivelin and Loxley Valleys in even deeper snow. It was nice to get into Loxley Valley again as it's been a while. As I was walking from home, I didn't get very far, but that didn't matter as there was plenty to see. The first highlight was a flock of long-tailed tits, and

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-81071952993631665372010-12-02T16:16:00.000Z2010-12-02T16:16:30.026Z

Wow, November went out with a bang - and December came sweeping in in a big white coat. Edinburgh seems long ago and far away. My outing with the local RSPB group to Frampton Marsh went pretty well. I met an old colleague on the coach, so the journey went quickly. The reserve itself is quite new so it still feels a bit "under development", but there was plenty to see. It was quite busy as they

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-15696046958356538062010-11-17T23:01:00.000Z2010-11-17T23:01:26.736Z

Actually, November is no worse that many other months, but it has a bad press and the gloomy old sod Thomas Hood over-egged it a bit in his poem "No" , although I rather like it. Days like today are Mother Nature's way of saying "you stay in with a nice cup of tea, and I'll take care of things out here". Catching up with records and general fettling and blogging; these are just a few of the

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-20079363011294248232010-11-03T13:06:00.000Z2010-11-03T13:06:20.060Z

Oh dear. November. What happened to my plans for a daily blog .... a weekly blog.... ? It's such a busy life being retired. People always say this, and it's hard to believe till it happens to you. Actually, I think these first few months are more about making the adjustment. I'm going to stick to wildlife and related matters it this blog, as I suspect that's what anyone who can be bothered to

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-76881613659311003452010-10-01T11:57:00.001Z2010-10-01T12:56:20.771Z

I've now been retired for one month. My favourite month next - October. But it's started badly weatherwise, so an indoors day to catch up with blogging etc. is in order. It's been over a week, so I'll work backwards to my last blog. Yesterday, we had a trip out to RSPB Old Moor. The weather was lovely through the morning - clear blue skies. As always, I let myself be distracted by dragonflies,

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-35533767966894009192010-09-22T10:57:00.001Z2010-09-22T11:04:40.153Z

First of all, an apology to birders who were drawn in by the title. I'm afraid this edition of my blog contains no birds at all. The parrot waxcap is pictured right. Had a nice outing to Greno and Wheata Woods at the weekend, taking out an acquaintance who is keen to learn about fungi. Much of the earlier flush had gone over, but it was not bad for showing some of the main groups of fungi, as

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-20045040248856304792010-09-17T16:30:00.005Z2010-09-17T16:45:11.065Z

Tuesday was another day at Old Moor. With the aid of the Wader ID sheet that was put together by Kate, the assistant warden, I managed to ID a ruff. At least, I think I did. Visit my Flickr pages if you want to check! Lots of teal and golden plover, and otherwise the usual suspects. There was very little in the reed bed area, partly down to very strong winds and partly due to work taking place on

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-90061398955363913652010-09-13T23:23:00.001Z2010-09-13T23:23:26.695Z

This morning I went out to one of my favourite fungi sites - a small birch woodland above Ladybower. On the way out, my first treat was a kestrel hovering low over the bank of the reservoir. There were a few of the usual suspects in the rough grassland on the way - dung roundheads and liberty caps. The woodland itself didn't disappoint. There were about 15 that I could comfortably record, either

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-21215182964191953862010-09-12T22:31:00.001Z2010-09-12T22:31:35.149Z

Sunday already! Still busy clearing out the clutter, and joining things like there's no tomorrow. Had an excursion round my local patch above Rivelin Valley earlier in the week and bagged a couple of nice bay boletes and an orange birch bolete for the pot - a simple pasta sauce was again the preference. It brought back memories of when I trawled the area very regularly, and even kept records.

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-4306990735612177002010-09-07T20:09:00.002Z2010-09-07T20:23:10.051Z

I was determined to get out and about today despite the grim weather forecast. When I checked my weather app this morning it wouldn't load - obviously, as it transpired, it was embarrassed at being so horribly wrong. Or beautifully wrong. I set off to Old Moor. It was a glorious day with fantastic light and I was delighted to find that there were lots more dragonflies around today than went we

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-56740406692019908862010-09-04T19:06:00.002Z2010-09-05T13:03:36.808Z

Yesterday I tried out another walk from Rob's book. It started at Glen Howe Park and took me via familiar territory through Brightholmlee and down to More Hall Reservoir. The return leg took me to an area I hadn't walked before, over Spout House Hill. This involved some stiff climbing and way finding, but the views from the top were really spectacular. It was a little disappointing on the fungi

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-48901931867046918912010-09-04T12:48:00.000Z2010-09-04T12:48:45.302Z

Delicious, versatile, easy to identify, plentiful and free. And this year so plentiful that you can pick just those immediately in front of you at arm height. No need to stretch and risk scratching and bites from unseen insects, although it is still wise to keep an eye open for sneaky nettles and rival wasps. When they are so prolific, no special equipment or effort is needed. Just a bucket. The

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-56764863249102744602010-09-01T07:27:00.000Z2010-09-01T07:27:00.630Z

Today is officially my first day of retirement. I'd intended to continue working for a few years more, but the way things have worked out, I think - in fact I know - I'm going to enjoy setting about that "to do" list! For a start, I am resolved to refresh my fungi knowledge, as I have really just kept things ticking over for the last few years. To that end, I'm going to rejoin Sorby Natural

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-37637500936861924982010-08-27T17:11:00.001Z2010-08-27T17:14:07.003Z

After Saturday and Tuesday's walks it was clear that there are already plenty of fungi around so I set off on Wednesday with fungi at the top of my agenda. Shouldn't complain but at this time of year, it's difficult to focus on just one or two aspects of the countryside. There are birds, butterflies and dragonflies in the air, and fungi, flowers and assorted creatures at ground level. Juggling my

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-57087346538994607332010-08-25T16:06:00.001Z2010-08-25T16:07:05.660Z

Yesterday I met up with Rob Haslam, author of this excellent book of local walks, and a couple of fellow walk-checkers, Fran and Fred. We enjoyed a walk led by Rob, around the Beauchief area of Sheffield, taking in some of the local woodlands and parts of the Sheffield Round Walk. Not uncommonly, the weather was four seasons in one day, and we had no sooner got soaked than we dried out again in

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-70089247252564721512010-08-21T20:06:00.003Z2010-08-22T10:05:09.735Z

Before finishing my holiday report, I want to keep things current with my walk from today. It was a walk from the Stone to Steel website which I had set off to do before our holiday, but had been distracted by a) missing the turnoff for the start of the walk and b) getting distracted by some fantastic emergent dragonflies and a grass snake. Today went better from the routefinding point of view -

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-55067248492750850702010-08-18T16:08:00.002Z2010-08-18T16:09:48.734Z

Although we saw quite a few mammals, I didn't get many photos. There were lots of deer in particular and quite a bit of roadkill, and signs of badgers but apart from Cassie, the very friendly farm dog, the two pictures here were the sorry toll. The stoat was a bit to fast - but at least I got a shot before he disappeared into the hedgerow, and the other little creature ( the one with the look of

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-10262333319200664672010-08-16T16:41:00.001Z2010-08-16T16:43:33.034Z

In our walks book, there was often the promise of butterflies, but sadly they were not as profuse as I had hoped. From time to time, however, we spotted the usual suspects: lots of peacocks and common blues in particular, gatekeepers, which seem to be in abundance this year, commas, red admirals, small coppers, speckled woods, and the occasional fritillary (although these are nigh on impossible

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-35548365232909796852010-08-15T15:30:00.001Z2010-08-16T16:43:03.098Z

Two weeks in the Wye Valley have given me quite a lot to write about, so it's difficult to know where to start. Perhaps with birds. We stayed in a converted barn on a smallholding near Tintern, above the Wye Valley. We kept the bird table well-stocked, and were rewarded with a steady procession of visitors - the most regular being great tits, blue tits, robins and nuthatches, with the occasional

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-11613734610107418892010-07-25T15:24:00.000Z2010-07-25T15:24:00.040Z

Yesterday I set off with every intention of doing another "Stone to Steel" walk from Deepcar and along Wharncliffe Crags. I missed the starting point of the walk and found myself on the Stocksbridge bypass, whence more by good luck than good management, I found myself at the TPT car park at Finkle Street at the far end of the intended walk. I set off to do the walk, just from a different starting

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-51286972608639624622010-07-18T16:31:00.001Z2010-07-18T16:32:16.870Z

I needed a rest yesterday, so got an early start today for a much needed stretch of the legs. As I've spent so much time in South Yorkshire recently, I decided to go towards Derbyshire today and thought it would be nice to have a wander along Burbage Edge. Big mistake. As I drove up their, the mist got thicker and thicker, so I cut back through Hathersage and Bamford and parked up by the viaduct

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-24901301606740807292010-07-11T12:57:00.000Z2010-07-11T13:01:32.082Z

Discovered a website based on the Stocksbridge area with some interesting- looking walks. I was going to do one which took in Wharncliffe Woods and Heath, but then changed my mind and set off for one which began in Glen Howe Park at Wharncliffeside and took me through the Wildlife Trust site at Carr House Meadows, in the hope that it was not too late for the best of the show of meadow flowers.

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-91931888985406785042010-07-03T19:47:00.000Z2010-07-03T19:47:25.630Z

Now I've got my iPad, and a blogging app, there's no excuse for me to be so lazy about blogging. Recently I've spent a lot of my precious Saturdays in the Dearne valley, which is just great for wildlife, and has more RSPB reserves and wetlands than you can shake a stick at. Today I had a gentle stroll from Bolton Ings to Old Moor along the trans-pennine trail, having done a stretch from

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-7598711507753696962010-06-21T20:18:00.000Z2010-06-21T20:19:38.840Z

Trying out my new blogging app. Location:Home

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-69874357662770663502010-01-03T20:44:00.000Z2010-01-03T20:44:06.315Z

I'm experimenting with a new blog, but I'm going to keep this going for now. The snowy weather has kept me fairly local. On Christmas Day, I had a great walk down Rivelin Valley, and although it wasn't technically a white Christmas, the lying snow made everything look fantastically pretty. One of the highlights of the day was a sighting of a dipper. Yesterday was my first outing beyond the local

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-66054896405298462892009-12-06T14:42:00.000Z2009-12-06T14:42:25.893Z

One of the problems with failing to blog for such a long time, apart from forgetting some details, might well be choosing a single image to represent the whole period  so I've included a few this time. However, my flickr posts act as a good reminder, as I am better about keepng those up to date. I'm going to start with the present and work backwards. After an unpromising forecast, the weather

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-13995193562995893492009-10-11T14:38:00.000Z2009-10-11T14:38:11.815Z

Last week saw the annual Fungus Foray, Sloe Hunt and Bacon Buttie Bonanza. We had a modest haul of boletus badius, some hygrocybe pratensis, a couple of lactarius deliciosus, a slippery jack and a negligible number of field mushrooms for the pot. I've been surprised how few field mushroons there have been this year. Of the non-edibles, plenty of blushers as always, a fly agaric, and some

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-13150955202881699542009-09-27T15:52:00.005Z2009-09-27T16:50:53.178Z

Having deferred my foray from yesterday, I set off at dawn this morning . The sunrise was glorious, but as I approached Fox House, the cloud descended. However, the damp in the air gave the day a real autumnal feel and there were some interesting light effects as the sun struggled with the low cloud for ascendancy. Within 15 minutes of parking the car near Sir William Hill, I had found 4 ceps

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-314890824672847822009-09-19T12:05:00.002Z2009-09-19T12:22:18.443Z

This morning's walk near Grenoside was a little disapponting on the fungi front. I found a few bay boletes and that was it for edible species. A couple of stinkhorns - "before " and "after" and a few russulae were the only other things spotted. On the bird front, I managed a photo of a wren, and spotted a jay. I also heard a woodpecker, along with a few other tantalising bird calls that I was,

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-6842259149461353052009-09-12T18:21:00.005Z2009-09-12T19:25:09.110Z

It's a glorious Indian Summer, and today was the perfect day to go out early on a foray. There were plenty of mushrooms about, although the haul of edibles was relatively small there were some quality finds including these chanterelles, some saffron milk caps and hedgehog fungi, charcoal burners, larch boletes and a small orange birch bolete. I also found a large beefsteak fungus but it was past

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-41030737979008087412009-09-05T21:09:00.004Z2009-09-05T21:42:08.894Z

It seems an age since we returned from a brilliant 2 weeks in Suffolk. Fabulous cottage, wall to wall sunshine, and great scenery and wildlife. Birds, especially marsh harriers, deer - roe and muntjac, butterflies and most notably dragonflies. The air was alive with themThe cottage was on Aldringham Common so there were lots of walks from the doorstep - to Thorpeness, Aldburgh, Sizewell beach,

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-89055500248935363952009-08-01T10:20:00.002Z2009-08-01T10:50:38.684Z

July has come and gone. Wet, for the most part, and nothing to report in the way of walks. I can never work out why these periods of "inactivity" happen. I think it's a comlex combination of factors. Last Saturday, however, was definitely the highlight of the month, and something to blog about. Richard Bell, whose online diary I follow assiduously (see links) was leading a workshop on "drawing on

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-52641001224209211572009-06-28T15:22:00.002Z2009-06-28T15:48:01.240Z

Yes, I know it's an RSPB reserve, butwhen I went yesterday, the insect life was just wonderful! And where would the birds be without them? Apart from that, my bird photos were really not that brilliant. Saw quite a lot of birds, though, mainly black headed gulls, but also great crested grebe, grey heron, greylag goose, canada goose, wigeon, tufted duck, coot, oystercatcher, ringed plover, lapwing

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-6117114800763520422009-06-14T09:32:00.003Z2009-06-14T10:57:47.569Z

As suspected, the new job is taking its toll on other activities. That's not a complaint or an excuse, just a fact of life. However, we got full value last week from a weekend in Edinburgh. Back in the dark(ish) days of March, I discovered I had won 2 nights DB&B for 2 in a hotel in Edinburgh. How great is that? It could have been almost anywhere, but Edinburgh would have been my first choice! On

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-43839164634846964282009-05-31T17:28:00.002Z2009-05-31T19:31:18.680Z

I can't imagine why I've never walked through Wharncliffe Wood and along the Crags before now. It's not that far from home. Yesterday I finally put that right as I reached leg 9 of the BBW. And what a glorious day for it! Within minutes I heard my first cuckoo of the year and watched a great spotted woodpecker swerve across the path. Butterflies were aplenty, but moving so fast in the heat of the

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-75183095930890283652009-05-25T13:43:00.002Z2009-05-25T14:26:11.522Z

Once again flowers were the top attraction of the walk. Bluebells still very much in evidence as well as field pansy, crosswort, ladies' mantle, self-heal, and red campion. Lapwings and greenfinch were the main birds of note, and painted lady and this beautiful delicate green veined white the butterflies. The first part of this walk was mainly field and meadow walking - very pleasant for the most

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-87558890692837156872009-05-17T08:10:00.005Z2009-05-17T09:46:01.662Z

No big surprise that the new job is curtailing my leisure activities. I don't resent that, though, as the job is bringing lots of other new experiences and challenges. The lousy weather recently is also making me focus on other things that need doing - you don't mind getting on with the practical and mundane tasks quite so much when there is little prospect of pleasant sunny walks. Last week, I

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-59592127722043739842009-05-04T19:58:00.003Z2009-05-04T20:28:53.624Z

Today the weather was not quite so kind, but a spring fungi and bluebell walk was in order, so off we went to a lovely woodland near Bawtry. We didn't find the hoped for prizes, but A very fine cluster of Jew's ear and some splendid hoof fungi provided the fungal interest, and the bluebells didn't diasappoint despite the lack of dappled shade.Meanwhile, in the garden, the bullfinch is still

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-68669875819451914452009-05-04T18:49:00.002Z2009-05-04T19:57:13.739Z

I've been doing so many walks in the Barnsley area recently that I've been a stranger to the Peak District, especially the White Peak. Yesterday that was remedied in the shape of a reunion of colleagues from my first ever school. A very special lot they are too! We had a lovely walk from Youlgreave, organised by Pete, who lied about the hills, but we forgave him. As much time was spent chatting

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-30310144473088511782009-04-20T21:48:00.005Z2009-04-20T22:23:39.119Z

Did the final walk on Friday. And very nice it was too. Pity the weather didn't brighten up till after 2, by which time I had done the bits with the best views. It took me round the reservoir at Langsett, and down to Midhopestones. Saw quite a bit of bird life - grouse, curlew, wigeon, stonechat, skylark, lapwing, and a good sighting of a weasel. He was too fast for me to photograph, but I know

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-29187798825962184962009-04-15T14:00:00.003Z2009-04-15T14:20:31.603Z

This is not the heron of doom, but an altogether kindlier creature minding its own business on the reservoir at Worsborough. Yesterday I completed the penultimate of my Barnsley walk checks. A superb walk which took me to Worsborough Mill and Country Park and on to Stainborough Park and Wentworth Castle. Spring was much in evidence and the tally of birds and wild flowers was pretty impressive (

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-67774822134304601622009-04-11T20:19:00.005Z2009-04-14T21:00:18.691Z

The most interesting day this week was Wednesday when I checked another walk, this time starting in Yorkshire Sculpture Park, getting full value of my day tripper and getting by bus, tram, train and another bus to the very brink of Wakefield. The heron of doom was there to greet me as soon as I stepped of the bus, circling lazily over Junction 38. Rain had been forecast but my main problem was

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-71254934204032428482009-04-04T14:17:00.004Z2009-04-04T14:45:20.086Z

Been on two outings this week since our return from Spain. On Tuesday, we went to Old Moor. A completely different selection of birds from last time I was there; this time ther were lots of black-headed gulls and tufted ducks, and greenfinch and bullfinch at the feeding station. There were also quite a few great crested grebe, and what I reckoned was a camera shy little grebe. And of course, the

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-44065939893795575852009-04-04T13:56:00.003Z2009-04-04T14:16:13.566Z

High time to get up to date. Been back from Andalusia a few days now. It was a really useful and interesting taster of the region. We talk about 4 seasons in one day here in the UK, but during the 6 days we were away, we had hot sunshine in Seville (over 30 degrees if those LED display things are to be believed) and icy cold sleet in Ronda. We had a guide who sounded just like Nicholas Parsons,

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-57579147556313014282009-03-21T23:05:00.001Z2009-03-21T23:08:12.419Z

And here they are.

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-26872016961211919882009-03-15T14:51:00.007Z2009-04-05T11:58:15.814Z

March is certainly doing all the things it's supposed too - especially winds. The pond is (as it should be) full of frogs. I seem to have been busy doing quite mundane things, but managed to have a brilliant day out on Thursday. Rob, the guy for whom I am checking got the idea I lived in Barnsley and so asked me to check walks there. This is why, in case any of my Twitter friends were wondering,

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-29620677061588135322009-03-08T14:56:00.003Z2009-03-08T15:10:33.100Z

So, new camera lense. Not one of the enormous wildly expensive ones, but one that means I can photograph birds without having to be too close, and then enlarge them on the computer screen to be able to identify them. It's quite a good way of learning to ID birds; they are such flighty things, not at all like fungi. Anyway, I've joined the RSPB and had a couple of outings to Old Moor, which is

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-16451434463786295312008-11-17T10:52:00.004Z2008-11-17T11:40:17.903Z

Sadly, the views were less spectacular on this leg, although because the weather was pretty miserable, it mattered less. The rain which accompanied us for most of the walk also meant that I took vey few pictures. This one was of the towpath and canal where we joined Elsecar Greenway I had company on this walk, which made a pleasant change, and a slight detour to Old Moor RSPB reserve was also a

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-38836751169786460362008-11-09T16:30:00.003Z2008-11-09T18:09:16.163Z

From Grimethorpe to Bolton on Dearne. Nearly. I picked up the route where I finished last time. The weather forecasts couldn't agree, but after a wet start to the day, the sky was blue by 9.00am. Well done met office! At the risk of repeating myself, the views on this walk were once again spectacular. It was a long leg - 9 miles in total, so by starting at Grimethorpe I probably reduced it

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-60258741615755047042008-11-02T18:39:00.003Z2008-11-02T20:17:08.429Z

This title might have been more appropriate for last week. It came from a leaflet I picked up on the no.59 bus on the way back to Royston - a map of Stagecoach bus routes in the area. I managed to pick another day of blue skies, even if it was somewhat colder than last week. Astonishingly, it snowed in the Midlands earlier in the week. This walk took me from Royston to Grimethorpe, via a lot of

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-25127971911915321612008-10-26T13:00:00.004Z2008-10-26T13:50:16.224Z

Friday was forecast to be the best day, so leg 3 took me to Woolley Edge. Last week's walk was so wonderful that it spoiled me for this one. Nevertheless, there were some great views, this time to the north, and the relatively flat area of West Yorkshire. Much of the walk was on tarmac - true, mostly quiet country lanes, but the 7 miles seemed shorter than last week's 5. The route zigzagged

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-39037410073823140802008-10-17T12:47:00.003Z2008-10-17T13:15:53.825Z

Earlier in the week, I decided on a foray. After a while it was clear that once again, there wasn't much around so I turned it into a walk. Until now, the furthest I had walked along Woodlands Valley was to the Hagg farm turn-off. This time I continued along to Rowlee Farm , crossed the Snake and returned along the other side of the River Ashop. There was a lot of birch along this stretch and

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-79683992700391919062008-10-12T09:58:00.003Z2008-10-12T10:59:16.429Z

Earlier in the week, I met up with K. Again, the weather was better than the forecast suggested it might be. After a wettish start and before a late afternoon downpour, we had the best of the day enjoying a fine afternoon by Rivelin Reservoir and Wyming Brook. The leaves are just starting to turn, so I've made a bin to collect leaves for leafmould - something I've been meaning to do for many

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-12605768025845767562008-10-06T18:27:00.003Z2008-10-06T18:44:55.450Z

Lovely to have company on my most recent foray. The forecast for Saturday was grim, but the reality wasn't quite so bad. We'd expected rain, but in the end it was the cold that did for us. It's not easy picking mushrooms with your gloves on. Once again, there was an unusual distribution. There were a couple of parasols in the pasture on the way up, and lots of meadow waxcaps (butter mushrooms).

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-55072023639362742222008-09-30T15:17:00.003Z2008-09-30T15:33:18.386Z

After some fine Indian Summer weather, today was much more autumnal, but I didn't let it deter me. I went to GW again as I'd had an interesting haul last time. The walk I did was 4 sides of a square, and as I approached the third corner, I was mentally composing my blog ... "Zilch .." it was going to say. Then, a lovely large orange birch bolete sprang into view. All was not lost. As I turned the

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-64788998147563832402008-09-27T19:55:00.003Z2008-09-27T20:14:02.104Z

Two outings this week yielded little. In LV there was nothing in the beechwoods, surprising when other beech woods have provided such a lot of good eating. I refuse to come home empty handed so I brought home crab apples and made jelly. There were some lovely brackets at the top of the valley. On Friday, I managed just enough for tea from LL: one nice badius, a couple of suillus and some field

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-47582867198107626692008-09-20T16:01:00.003Z2008-09-20T16:12:12.621Z

Yesterday's foray produced even more fine specimens, including the Penny Bun I've been looking for to upload as my profile. More horns of plenty and hedgehogs and a very respectable number of chanterelles made it a very worththwhile trip to M.A brief local foray on the previous evening resulted in a couple of very acceptable orange birch boletes.

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-1088320271301297122008-09-16T20:06:00.004Z2008-09-16T20:13:49.564Z

Found not only Trompettes de mort but autumn chanterelles, a few chantrelles and one very small cep at G.Woods today. Also collected some biberries and saw a beautiful dragonfly.

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-90868403472899242122008-09-13T19:12:00.002Z2008-09-13T19:26:58.016Z

I've been out mushrooming twice this week; I was interested to see what effect the very wet weather of August had had. On Tuesday, quite a lot of very large Hedgehog fungi at the car park yielded very little once cooked. the woodland edge provided quite a few badius - also quite watery, but delicious. Of other things, only one or two - 2 saffrons, 1 horse mushroom, a slippery jack and a butter

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-24423210332798227472007-09-23T14:20:00.000Z2007-09-23T13:19:17.340Z

Not sure why it's been so long. The summer has come and gone and I've trod the byways of Northumberland - maybe more of this later. As the mushroom season proper is approaching, - I hope - I want to catch up with the Sheffield country walk, so I can make a start on the highlights of the autumn's efforts. I'm now upto leg 9, so I've got a bit of catching up to do. I'll take it one leg at time,

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-78682432576885235672007-05-19T18:43:00.000Z2007-09-23T13:20:03.519Z

The weather today was astonishingly changeable. I was very lucky not to get very wet. It was as if someone up there had suddenly realised that we'd missed out on March winds and April showers, so we should have them on a single day in May. Seconds after passing the cows, it started to rain. The rain lasted for less than a minute. I didn't turn round to see if the cows had stood up. The walk was

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-1026527535537473072007-05-12T16:02:00.000Z2007-09-23T13:21:12.976Z

Having done the Round Walk, the logical next step is the Country Walk. I travelled from home (north west) to Halfway (south east) on the Supertram. This left me a short walk to the start at Eckington Church. I was lucky enough to have the best weather of the week: quite breezy, but sunny and pleasantly warm out of the wind. This leg mainly follows the Moss valley, and is a very pleasant and easy

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-8189266907304129602007-05-05T16:05:00.000Z2007-05-05T16:36:35.043Z

The current fashion for "How to..." guides has come to my attention, so I thought I would revitalise this neglected blog by trying out this genre.Firstly, if you find yourself unexpectedly and unwillingly retired, a good strategy is to take some thinking and head-clearing time. I found that a 70 mile walk did the trick.Secondly, if possible, do it in April. Take the time to explore where you live

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-85791300836798363842006-11-12T14:36:00.000Z2006-11-12T15:35:35.516Z

It's been a while! A difficult time at work, and what the insurance people understatedly call an RTA, have meant that I haven't really felt inspired to commit my thoughts to blog. However, I think that failing to record this sighting would be a crime against mycology. It was on 26 October above Happy Valley near Aberdovey. It consisted of Lepiota Procera (Parasol mushrooms) and the evidence of

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-36685126557059239002006-10-14T13:25:00.000Z2006-10-14T14:11:45.750Z

There seems to be a lot of references to National Treasures recently. I don't have a problem with this concept, in fact, within reason I think it's quite jolly. Recent nominees for this epithet include David Attenborough, Bill Oddie, Michael Palin and Stephen Fry. This set me wondering what the criteria are for being a National Treasure. Based on the above selection, it seems to me they would

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-91938155658289207362006-10-14T13:08:00.000Z2006-10-14T13:25:15.805Z

Last weekend I made a return visit to the location I searched on 20 August, which I am going to call Manny. Whilst I didn't find a lot, what I did find was in very good condition: 2 small ceps, half a dozen bay boletes, large field mushrooms and meadow wax caps. The ceps went into a bake with some potatoes, an assortment were added to a ragout of home grown borlotti beans, tomatoes and onions,

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-25331497643770875332006-09-29T16:20:00.000Z2006-09-29T16:47:10.154Z

One of my school visits last week provided a memorable experience worth reporting. As I entered, I was met my a boy whose responsibility it was to greet visitors to the school."Welcome to xxxx school," he said "how may I help?""I'm here to see Mrs xxx," I replied."Shall I show you to her office?" he asked."That's fine. I know it's just along the corridor here""Shall I fetch you a chair from the

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-56832698711924806282006-09-29T16:11:00.000Z2006-09-29T16:20:27.519Z

A bit of a gap in the hunting owing to a heavy cold / flu laying me low last weekend. The weather has been very mild - quite close in fact. I decided to have a short outing after work today, so went "Robin". There was not much to find. certainly nothing for tea. I wonder if the temperature needs to drop before there is any chance of a new flush.At least I now have my dehydrator back in action.

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-6397814089653226542006-09-18T21:25:00.000Z2006-09-18T21:36:25.214Z

A brilliant morning's foray at "Ed woods" this weekend. The woods were full of bay boletes and saffron milk caps, and a few slippery jacks. There were some fine field mushrooms, but nothing to speak of in the way of wax caps. A bonus on the way back was a large harvest of sloes. Rounding off the morning with a pint of tea and a bacon butty made it a perfect Saturday morning.

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-1157905095923428982006-09-10T16:15:00.000Z2006-09-10T16:18:15.936Z

This week’s mushrooming activity was moderately successful: enough for tea and a few for the dehydrator. So that I can remember where I found stuff without giving away my location secrets, I’ll give each place a code name. Yesterday was “William”. There was nothing at all in the meadows, but the woodland yielded some Badius and Edulis, and a few fine Saffron milk caps. Unfortunately, the

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-1157395553867665092006-09-04T18:01:00.000Z2006-09-04T18:57:47.233Z

Now there's a sentence you thought you'd never read! There are lots more where that came from. For those beyond the magical world of QISS (don't even try to work out what it stands for!) there is an ongoing competition in the office for who can bring back the naffest snowstorm souvenir from their hols. The only rule is that they must cost no more than £2 / 3 Euros. Even if I say so myself, my

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-1156700957447567202006-08-27T17:46:00.000Z2006-08-27T17:49:17.460Z

What a difference a few days can make. A local foray produced a basket full of lovely bay boletes, a large orange birch bolete and lots of oyster mushrooms. Some of the bays went towards a pasta sauce, and the rest went into the dehydrator along with the birch bolete. I dried some strawberries and mango earlier in the week, and experimented with some blueberries and blackberries - I'm not too

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-1156070744497091402006-08-20T10:33:00.000Z2006-08-20T10:45:44.506Z

Today in the Observer was a headline about raising standards in schools in English and Maths by making the exams harder! How does this work? Do highjumpers get better if you raise the bar? Why can't the government see that there is a huge difference between measuring attainment and raising it? In fact, many of the ways in which we measure attainment are actually counter-productive because the

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33010352.post-1156004176402929332006-08-20T00:10:00.000Z2006-08-19T16:16:16.413Z

My first Blog! One thing I want to record here is my mushrooming activities - hence the name. Today, I made an optimistic trip out to Derbyshire. The weather has been coolish and wet for the last few weeks and I have been getting reports of sightings, so I thought it was worth a try. Saw quite a few things but nothing much in the way of edible fungi.On the harvesting for the winter front, I used

Penny Bunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08908181924244677918noreply@blogger.com0