Finding fungi again

 The realm of fungi is looking more interesting again after a bit of a lull with no significant finds for me for a while. We've had rain, so things are damp, and temperatures are climbing. This seems to be a good formula for fungi to fruit.

A few weeks ago I did the Kingfisher Trail in Wilderness and I scored in jelly fungus finds. Until then I'd only every found the bright yellow fan-shaped jelly fungus. On this one outing I saw the bright yellow Witch's Butter, White Jelly Fungus, possibly Snow Fungus and two separate gatherings of Jelly Ear fungus.

Tremella mesenterica  - Witch's Butter

About a week after these finds, I was out on my usual trails when I found a collection of litter next to a log. I've picked up stuff here often, probably because people sit on the log, eat junk foods, drink energy drinks in cans and leave their rubbish behind. It makes me see red. I picked up the trash. And moved the log to prevent other litter bugs from sitting here. My efforts were rewarded with finding a jelly fungus (maybe two different ones!) on the log and a coal fungus (Daldinia concentrica probably) on the stump behind me, which I wouldn't have seen if I hadn't been hefting the heavy log.

I have a thing for the coal fungus because of the first one I found, which I kept an eye on over a period of 2-3 weeks. I really wasn't sure what it was until it matured, burst and lay on the ground looking like a piece of coal with concentric rings that I was able to identify it. When I was putting out the checkpoint flags two weeks ago for the Find It Checkpoint Challenge, I saw a bunch along the one trail. I was chasing sunset and too much in a hurry to stop and photograph. I went out this past week to find them. I found those and more in about a 15km stretch. My eyes seem to quite tuned to spotting this un-eye-catching fungus that looks like a brown lump on logs.

Daldinia concentrica - aka King Alfred's cake* or coal fungus. Matured and finished ones look like lumps of coal.  *According to legend, King Alfred once hid out in a countryside homestead during war, and was put in charge of removing baking from the oven when it was done. He fell asleep and the cakes burned. (from Wiki)

I tend to bring bits home with me, leave them on a shelf for a few days, see what they do and then toss them into my YOLO Compost Tumbler. The one coal fungus that I brought home on Wednesday began shedding spores and made two awesome spore prints.

On Wednesday, I also found another Jelly Ear Fungus. I do like them because they're quirky and some look quite like an ear! 

Auricularia auricula-judae. Also known as jelly ear or wood ear. Gotta love fungi names.

This jelly fungus has a great texture - soft, pliable and jelly-like. When it comes to fungi, it is hard not to have favourites. Jelly ears are right up there for me together with the stinkhorns. These are edible (they taste like nothing) and are used in Chinese dishes, like soups, for their jelly texture.

What I love about fungi is that they are always around, even if it is some 'boring' varieties. Finding any fungi is a bit hit-and-miss because you can walk a route today and there is nothing there but tomorrow they may be in abundance and then gone the next day as many fruiting bodies are short lived. There are also so many different types. For me, there is always something new because I'm a beginner at finding and identifying fungi. 

I'm quite sure that I miss a lot because 1) I move quickly and 2) I'm on trails. If I spent time scratching around and under logs, I'd probably find a lot more - especially tiny fungi, of which there are thousands. The vegetation here is such that you can't go offtrail so pretty much everything that I find is to the sides of trails. I'm sure that there are some gems lying just out of sight and deep in parts of the forests here.

Finding fungi doesn't get boring. I'm looking forward to see what this summer brings.

Something special about the highveld

I grew up on the highveld - went to school, studied, worked and lived for the majority of my life. In winter it is dry (cue lipbalm and skin lotions) with icy mornings and nights, and warm days (usually) with a cloudless, blue sky. Spring transitions quickly and is marked by sprouting of leaves and two weeks of after-winter warmth before the furnace doors are opened to usher in summer. Autumn is short lived and is marked by the rapid turning and dropping of leaves. Summer is the main feature where thunderstorms bring welcome rain and the heat can be something else.

I've been in George for almost a year and I am very settled in this Garden Route town. It is big enough and also small enough (not a city by any means) and it has a lot to offer. Being near the sea is neither here nor there for me. The waterways are scenic, the mountains are magnificent and the trails, forests, flora and fungi feed my soul. 

George has a mild climate with little in the way of extremes. In winter, it is not as cold nor as warm in the day as the highveld and in summer it is not as hot as the highveld.

I love heat.

I've had a few days upcountry and I have loved feeling warm to my core - all day. Granted, in George my office is freezing and it will take depth-of-summer heat for me to lose my fleece and scarf when indoors. Outside, if you're moving around it is warm and pleasant.

My travel north was motivated by attending the marriage celebration of a dear friend. I did come up a few days early to visit my old home town of Parys. Here I saw friends and spent a lovely day with Karen. We enjoyed three of our favourite activities that we used to share - swimming in the quarry, a nice long walk and hanging out. 

My brief time in Joburg included some visits with family. The time was too short to do other visits that I'd wanted to but nonetheless I was glad to get in some. 

The small marriage celebration was primarily a family affair and was held at a beautiful venue in the Cradle of Humankind. It was really special to me to be there and to see my friend, her siblings, their children (of whom I have heard lots) and her parents, who I haven't seen for maybe 16 or 17 years (they are about 15 years older than my parents). 

A bunch of years ago I spent a lot of time in the Cradle area on a nearby property. I organised a few corporate team build activities (did a bunch of scouting sessions on my own in the hills), I've participated in many orienteering events there over a period of 15-ish years, and I may have been involved in some event planning (I can't really remember but I do remember being out there a lot).

I love the Cradle of Mankind for its rolling hills and subtle valleys, outcrops, interesting features, reentrants, and antelope. I was reminded too that what I really love about the highveld is the traversable terrain. You can take a compass bearing and, for the most part, head in that direction. 

In the Garden Route, the vegetation is such that going off trail won't get you anywhere. The vegetation is generally pretty dense and unconducive to beeline off-trail travel, which is quite limiting for someone like me, where I've had the freedom of the highveld.

From the hotel, I noticed a tree that just needed visiting. It took a few minutes to walk there.

 Gazing at the hills and rocky outcrops I though of the hominid fossils that have been found - and continue to be found - throughout this area. In the hundreds of thousands of years before me, Australopithicines, Homo variants and other hominids roamed this same area. That is pretty cool to imagine. 

The evening and night out there was a lovely reminder of my activities in years past and my love for the highveld that will always be there, even though I now have a new home. 

Rusty - photoshoot model

A few weeks ago, Rusty took part in a photo shoot for the annual Border Collie Rescue calendar. A local photographer, Melissa Pohl, volunteered her skills and time to photograph a bunch of border collie rescues for photo submissions for the calendar.

When I take selfies with Rusts, or just general photos, she will often turn her face to the side the moment I point the camera in her direction.

At this shoot... Well, this doggy acted like a seasoned model - all poses and smiles.

Melissa gave us one of the photos - her favourite - and we could choose from a selection of others to buy. I loved all the ones of Rusty for her different expressions but settled on these two.

Peeka-boo! We learned this during lockdown last year and this move has been reinforced at dog school this year. There is nothing more sweet than seeing this beautiful face looking up at me.

I put Rusty into this hammock - her first time in a hammock. And she loved it! Couldn't stop smiling. 

Melissa specialises in people + pet photography and I think I'm going to spoil myself in the next few weeks by booking a session with her to get some good photos with my special girl.

Rusty and I have been together for 4.5 years now and I love her more and more every day. She can be really silly and funny but also very smart and independent. She isn't a very cuddly dog but she is sweet and loving. She is quick to learn and is evidence that you can teach and old dog new tricks.

She has spondylosis in her lower spine and at around 10 years of age we are at the point where I can't take her on long (distance or time) outings because she does get stiff (and probably sore) in the evening. I've got anti-inflammatories for her but the stiffness really is a sign that her activities have to be limited to those that are kindest to her mature body.

Rusty rescued me and is the shining-east light in my life and heart. I am so thankful that this dog came into my life and I treasure every day. The best thing about waking up each morning is opening my eyes and she is the first thing that I see, cuddled up in her bed near me. Blessed. I am. 

Almost time for Find It Checkpoint Challenge

Four weeks ago, my cousin visited the area and asked whether I was organising any events yet. This kickstarted a bunch of ideas that I'd been sitting on for months and has evolved into the Find It Checkpoint Challenge, which I have planned in celebration of World Orienteering Day (8-14 September 2021). 

My first course planning outing.

I've had a blast creating the map, planning checkpoints and learning new things. One of the new things is the MapRun app, which is incredible. I did a lot of ground work initially, learning how to create KMZ maps, the codes used to define type of event, scoring and duration, geo-positioning of the map, uploading to the app system, the app settings, GPS variation and checking control sites. I now have an admin login to post public events and I am proud to be the first event-creator user in South Africa.

Rusty and Rosy have been super scouting companions. The distances putting out checkpoints and testingthe app have been a bit long for Rusts, so I've just had Rosy with me this past week.

I have also learned new way to capture aerial imagery, and I've discovered a means (QGIS) to get contour lines, although I didn't grab them this time - thank you Mark for educating me and doing this for me.

Another aspect of my learning curve included the creation of two videos! The first explains how the event works and the second how the app works.

My video editing skills are capable - I don't get enough practice. I do have many videos that I want to do for YOLO and Vagabond, but I just don't get around to it and I am definitely held up in making these because of confidence, 'getting it right' and putting-yourself-out-there issues. Making these videos for this event has really been good for me because I feel comfortable in this event and navigation space.

 The boost that making these has given me spurred me to finally create a video for Vagabond using my kayak and why I chose this model as the base to educate the viewer about things to consider when choosing a kayak.

With the MapRun app, having physical flags at the checkpoint sites is really not necessary. I have put markers out for those using the paper map but I also find that there is a real kick, especially for beginners, in actually finding something at the location. So, for this specific event, I have put out flags.

I chose this checkpoint position for the stand-alone tree at this location. Well, it was a tree until at least two weeks ago.

I put out almost half of the flags on Sunday afternoon and the rest this evening. This evening I was under pressure to get the flags out before dark. I ran the hardest since July/Aug last year - and I felt great too. 

I'm really curious as to what strong runners will be able to do on the course. It is definitely possible for reasonable runners to get about 23 of the 28 checkpoints in two hours. To get the others... that will take a bit more effort and a tidy route choice.

What was also fun this evening was meeting a chap early on who saw me with a map in my hand and asked, "Is this orienteering?". Oh my heart - someone who actually knows what orienteering is! I extended an invitation to him to give this a whirl. 

And then I saw two running women. I told them that they may see some flags on the route ahead.

 "We've seen two of them already" they declared with big smiles.

They're going to give this a try and will tell their friends. 

Tonight I uploaded the maps and courses to the MapRun server and I've scheduled posts for Facebook for Tuesday evening giving links to download the maps.

I do hope that people will give this a go.

As luck would have it, I'm not going to be here. I head up to Jo'burg and Parys for a few days for some visiting around a feature event, my dear friend Allison's wedding. 

I'll let you know how it all turns out. Cross everything.