Shaggy Ink Cap ..

... looking a bit past its best in all its slimy dangliness, quite wiffy too. It's amazing how these can change dramatically by the hour from handsome upright fungus to inky pile of gunge.

A very pleasant evening last night - a very wide and interesting range of conversations from the the complications of Israel to flora in one's gut to the muddy joys of archaelogical digs to the dangers of licorice (high blood pressure) to the cruelty involved in dairy farming to the benefits of tree hugging with a bit of local gossip thrown in too. Plus a delicious meal.

No work today so I've been out in the garden, dodging the weather - brilliant sunshine followed by seriously large hail stones. The squash bed has been cleared, hacked back and dug; spinach and landcress planted in the polytunnel and a large bag of daffodil bulbs now has to be distributed.