I worry just before our annual fungus foray. I worry about Gamekeepers. I worry about the weather. The weather I prefer is " Definite Weather" which means the foray is either Off or On. The drizzly, showery weather leaves me in an undecided state, causing me to worry about it. Will the car start ? Will there be too few members or too many members ? Will my memory, failing now as I get older, fail completely ? and there are quite a lot of Latin names to remember as many fungi have no common English ones. There are other worries too, I could go on for far too long about them.

But nothing prepared me for "Flood ! "  as the car with water almost at sill level and a bow wave that any speedboat would envy , approached the starting point of this years search at Houghton Woods near North Newbould. However we made it along with about twenty members or should I write Mariners, bearing in mind the flooded approach road.

The weather was warm and sunny. I was not very good with the Latin at School but all of them popped up on cue and most importantly mushrooms in abundance ! Within a space of two hundred yards at least thirty separate species were listed, all my favourites ; The Blewit, The Fly Agaric, Many species of Russula and Lactarius and Boletus together with the Stinkhorn and it's Witches Egg which always amazes people and many more, too many for here. Perhaps I can persuade Barry to put them on our website - see list here. Then the Picnic on short grassy slopes and chat amongst good friends. Could there be better times ?

Good to see our younger members enjoying themselves. Catrina who showed a special aptitude for finding difficult Mycena species for me to be puzzled by, and James who understood my list, updated and cared for it. When we were approaching the 40 species mark he went out especially and found a few more to make the numbers up.

A great day.!

                                                                                    Tony Clarke