Horn of Plenty (Craterellus cornucopioides)
Other names: black chanterelle, black trumpet, death trumpet, trompette de la mort
When to see: August – October
Crawley Dene
Black Bulgar
Black bulgar (Bulgaria inquinans)
Other names: black jelly drops
When to see: October-March (but can be found all year round)
A small, leathery cup-fungus commonly found in clusters on fallen branches/dead trees – particularly oak and beech. Some say they look like liquorice drops (1) or Pontefract cakes (2).
Trooping Funnel
Trooping Funnel (Infundibulicybe geotropa)
Other names: monk’s head; giant funnel, rickstone funnel cap
When to see: September-December
This common mushroom, with a typical mushroom smell, is found in mixed woodland, often in clearings. They are often found standing in ‘troops’ (straight lines/ranks or arcs) or in rings.
My Tangled Dene
A snarled and tangled Dene
Tangled
adj.
knotted
chaotic
muddled
twisted
ravelled
snarled
My Golden Dene
Snow-covered golden Dene
It’s taken a long time for the snow to leave the floor of Breamish Valley. We’ve had icy conditions since 3 January this year and snow on the Cheviots pretty much from the beginning of the New Year too. But, with the slight rise in temperature over the last couple of days, the snow has now more or less melted from the valley floor. However, some snow is still clinging to the backdrop of the Cheviot Hills.
My Winter Dene
Monochrome winter Dene
Following on from the fresh, vibrant colours of a Spring Dene and the earth-coloured russets, purples and reds of an autumn Dene it was time for a walk in the muted, monochromes of a winter Crawley Dene today.
My Autumn Dene
Autumn Dene ochres, reds and purples
After the Spring colouring of My Green Dene in April this year, the autumn colours have now arrived: sumptuous yellows, reds, deep purples, and golden browns. And, in the right light, you can still see some of those exquisite chocolate shadows under the tree canopies along the disused railway line of Crawley Dene.
Chocolate Shadows
Chocolate shadows?
What colour are shadows, actually?
When I was a kid, and the only cameras available used actual film – no such thing as digital cameras then, oh no – you had to shoot in bright light. Well, not strictly true – but if you didn’t have the means to buy an expensive camera and an expensive film that could be used in low light, well, you simply had to shoot in bright light. That’s why so many of us have old black and white photos in our family collections that appear to be over-exposed, burned out or with far too much contrast between the blacks and the whites. Too much contrast and you loose the detail: those subtle textures and structures that lurk in the shadows.
Everything Looks in Black and White
Worse in black and white?
I fell in love with the music of Paul Simon (formerly one half of the folk-rock duo ‘Simon and Garfunkel’) in 1974, when my sister gave me one of his albums: Paul Simon in Concert: Live Rhymin’. I then went out and bought the third of his studio albums: the 1973-released, There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. On this album there is a song entitled ‘Kodachrome’. This is named after Kodak’s 35mm format camera film. A main characteristic of this film was that it gave an unnatural colour saturation to the images; so, a photo taken on a dull, overcast day, would look as if it had been taken on a sunny day. Hence the following lines from the chorus:
Car Keys Found
Car keys found in Crawley Dene
A set of car keys was found on the railway line in Crawley Dene at 8:00am on 21 April (see photo).
The keys have been left at the Hedgeley Services Garage in Powburn where they can be collected.
