October ends...

Where has this week gone? 

It's been a shocker on the weather front but we've tried to grab every dry moment we can, to go out and get some fresh air....

....enjoy the autumn colours. 

This picture of Glastonbury Tor was taken from the Hood Monument. Sam and I have been waiting for the trees to turn more autumnal, to capture this 'framed' shot.

We spotted more fungi out on our walk through Combe Hill Woods.

I'd never really appreciated the variety. 

Goes to show what you can miss if you're not looking for it.

Love this shot of Jeff striding out along the ridge.

Amazingly I'm still picking figs from my little tree in the garden.

The smoke tree is doing it's 'thing' and turning the most vibrant red.

Yesterday my sister and I went down to Cornwall to see our Granny....

...and met with Mum and Dad for lunch.

It was lovely to spend so much time together and see everyone whilst we still can. There's a Press Conference today, a rumoured second Lockdown, to be enforced from Wednesday!?!

 Poor Sophie, that's her 21st birthday, will have to make it a special day nevertheless.

So it's Halloween today. Our homegrown pumpkins have done us proud.

So much so, that Jeff has become too attached to them to actually carve them...

...and went and bought himself a shop bought one to carve!

We're not expecting any Trick or Treaters this year. 

By the sounds of it, come 4pm, we'll be back into lockdown for the next month at least! No birthday celebrations for Sophie or I, although I guarantee they'll still be cake and a bottle of bubbly to mark the occasion. I've decided to stay at 49 for the year, hold back time and celebrate next year instead!!

 

Half term week one round up!

So first week of Jeff's half term over! Barcelona got cancelled, so we had to entertain ourselves closer to home. On Saturday we went to Stockhill Woods and Priddy Pools. I then worked Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, day off Wednesday and it rained continuously! Thursday, dry'ish, so we explored Cheddar Gorge. Friday walked with friends close to home, along the river Brue. More rain on Saturday, then my 3rd Sunday off of the year and it was dry! we discovered Ebbor Gorge! It was stunning, so I thought I ought to share some extra pics.

Again Ebbor Gorge is only the other side of Wells, near Wookey Hole. We parked up, had copied off a sheet of directions and started on what we thought was a circular route but it wasn't very clear, seemed to be taking us in the opposite direction to where we thought we should be going, so we abandoned the route, headed back to the car and started again. Was worth the extra steps to see this view!

Ebbor Gorge was another very steep, slippery, wet climb. It was busy, a combination of it being a Sunday, start of the half term holiday, it was dry, there was a Halloween event on at Wookey Caves. 

So you couldn't amble up the gorge, it was a steady climb, avoiding those coming down too.

It was worth it, the views from the top were stunning. 

Not a bad picnic spot!

We then stumbled upon this view point, a rocky outcrop up over the gorge.

What a fabulous view.

Most of the walk was through beautiful woodland.

The most beautiful autumn colours...

Stunning!

I did manage to take some photos of the fabulous fungi found along the route.

Although I did feel very rushed, due to the amount of people around.

Still captured a few share worthy shots.

And we got home just before the most torrential downpour, managed to text Sam to bring in the washing (just in time) and then got treated to the most fabulous rainbow. 

A rare Sunday off meant a roast dinner too, the perfect end to a fab day!

 

Should be in Barcelona!!

So, as to be expected in 2020, our trip to Barcelona got cancelled!!

To say I'm disappointed would be an under statement. I totally get it, it's the right thing to happen but I am really sad we couldn't go. Hopefully next year!!  I've still taken the days I'd booked off as holiday from work. Jeff is off on half term, so we thought we could do day trips out and about, although the weather forecast isn't looking great!

Sam sat his final Physics exam on Wednesday. I'm quite proud of the way he's dealt with the whole situation. Feel a bit miffed with the school though, not one of his Physics teachers dropped by to wish him luck, see how he got on, sent an email, pretty poor I'd say, especially considering he's the 'only' pupil in the whole school to resit an exam!

We celebrated with a blind beer taste test, as you do!!

Sam should have come with us but his bed was more appealing, so on the Thursday, best day for weather, Jeff and I headed over to Cheddar, only about half an hour away, to walk a circular route of Cheddar Gorge. Embarrassed to admit, that despite living in Somerset all these years, I'd never been.

Not really sure what I was expecting. It was quite a climb. We parked up in the town, then followed a wooded path up a steep, slippery incline to the top of the Gorge. 

 

You then walk along the top but I didn't realise, you then descend steeply to cross the road running through the gorge, to then have to climb steeply again, to get to the top of the Gorge on the other side.

The views were quite spectacular, even on a mizzly, damp, grey day.

A rare photo of me, taking a photo!

So yes, in the picture of me, you can see where we walked on the far side, to then climb down, then up again, to get on this side (there is a road in between). And of course, there was then the final steep descent down to the town. The walk should take 2.5hrs but with me stopping to take numerous photo's, a picnic lunch and stopping to let people pass and keep our distance thrown in for good measure, we took 4 hours! It was a great walk, definitely not easy, in fact Jeff and I were both pleased we'd recently purchased proper walking boots. Will have to drag Sam over there one day, he'd really enjoy it.

All this fabulous fungi slowed us down initially. Just off the path during the first wooded steep ascent, the floor was littered with all this fabulous fungi. You could easily have walked up the path and missed the lot but just stepping a meter or two away from the path, we found all of this.....

To see the individual pictures in more detail, you can view them over on my new Instagram page @fab_fungi

So yesterday, another grey day, we went for a walk with Jeff's former work colleagues from his days at Wells Cathedral School, what 16 years ago now!! We all follow each other on Instagram and have seen Steve the past couple of years in Majorca, whilst on holiday, as he now lives there part of the year. Was a lovely 'socially distanced' catch up.

Whilst having a quick potter around the garden, spotted two late, ripe figs on my little tree. An unexpected find and much appreciated.

And to end today's ramblings, another shot of my little robin visitor. 

I have tomorrow off, a rare treat having a Sunday at home! Jeff and Sam are then still on half term for another week but still the weather looks soggy! We'll try and get out when we can. It certainly hasn't been Barcelona as planned but there always a positive to be found somewhere and we wouldn't have done the Gorge trip or met up with Steve and Nicky had we been away.

 

Fungi finds!

I have always loved toadstools, mushrooms, fungi, whatever you want to call them. I love the shape, colour, form, texture, the magical quality they have. Whilst out walking and now with my new camera, I've been busy photographing them too. 

Thursday finds!

Saturday finds.

These were all taken at Stockhill Woods, near Priddy, during the past couple of days.

On Thursday, my day off, I took Sam to Wells for his second resit exam and whilst he worked hard, I mooched around Wells. The Bishop's Palace, Vicars Close, the Cathedral....

....all fabulous to photograph and beautiful in the autumn sunshine.

I then picked the boy up, all went well in his exam and we headed to nearby Stockhill Woods,

 to let off some steam and get a burst of fresh air.

We both love walking through woods and despite living in Somerset all these years, 

I didn't even know this place existed!! It was beautiful.

We went equipped with my new camera, packed lunch and the pocket size book of Fungi! Someone recently posted on Instagram, the perfect red and white classic toadstool found here in these woods, so we went on a bit of a mission.

Just when we were giving up hope of finding one, Sam spotted this!

Perfect x

Another 'bucket list' item ticked off.

I've been perfecting my robin shots too, there is a slight improvement.

Anyway this morning I persuaded Jeff to go back to Stockhill Woods with me. He's now on his half term hols. The forecast for the week ahead looks soggy, so it's a case of making the best of the dry weather. He was just as helpful as Sam, scouting out the best fungi for me to photograph.

A few 'classic' toadstool shots.

Just across the road from the woods is Priddy Pools,

a huge contrast, with open moorland.....

...and a big pool!

I much preferred the wood and plentiful fungi....

....and I'll leave you with a shot of 'Dead Mans Fingers'!!

Until next week, have a good one x