A sad day.

Today The Mate" had to say Good Bye to Ash his Malinois.  Ash has been a big part of our lives for nearly 12 years never leaving "the mate's" side.  He was an unusual dog as I never had any concerns about him and was alway relaxed with him.  Why wouldn't you some are thinking, well I was bitten quite badly when I was very young and have always had a slight worry about dogs since.

Wanting a little thinking time I took myself off to the forest for a wander.  One of the beauties of the forest in autumn, for me at least, is the fungi.  The shapes,  colours and textures I find interesting.

I remember as a very young boy of maybe 6 being on holiday in the lakes and collecting the caps from fungi, leaving them on paper under the bed.  The landlady must have been very long suffering.  After a while in the dark and still air when you lifted the cap carefully off, there was the pattern of the gills marked out in spores.

Probably today such things would be frowned on but it was one of the things which triggered in me a life long love of nature,living things and the wild.