DERELICT SUNDAY - AT A PINCH!

A good sermon at church this morning from our Regional Minister, when we were challenged to “Walk the walk and not just talk the talk” and also to “practice what we preach” – something to think about all this week!
 
We went out this afternoon and had quite a long walk along a very quiet country lane at Eastridge – it was good to be together to enjoy the sights and smells of autumn.  It was rather misty so the trees didn’t really look their best – and by that I mean they would have looked much better in the sunshine.  We heard and saw a lot of birds and marvelled at the sight of the red kites and buzzards, but were just as happy seeing the fieldfares and hearing the robins singing to us.  As we walked we obviously startled many pheasants and then watched them fly off in quite a ungainly way, the flapping of their wings making an interesting sound.
 
After a while we (and that is the “Royal we” you understand) decided that Mr. HCB should walk back to get the car, and I would carry on walking along the road.  I came across a small opening in a hedge leading into an area of woodland where a tree had been felled but the trunk had been left and there was some wonderful fungi growing on and around it.  I have to say that I waited until Mr. HCB came back before I risked life and limb to get this shot!  I couldn’t have done it without him as it entailed clambering up a steep bank and then over the tree trunk, but having spotted this fungi, I was anxious to take a photograph. 
 
I think this fits in very loosely with Derelict Sunday – after all the tree was derelict!  Even if it doesn’t fit the challenge, I was quite happy with the shot, but have no idea what this is – hopefully someone may know.  I just hope one day to find my little red toadstool.    
 
Winter is an etching,
     Spring a watercolor,
          Summer an oil painting and
               Autumn a mosaic of them all.
Stanley Horowitz

P.S.  It is 20 years ago today that Joan, Mr. HCB's mother died - and she had breast cancer - so please click on this link to enable someone to have a free mammogram.  I have put a photograph of Joan in as an extra.