We took a New Year’s Day walk up the steep Birch Hill in the village and down to North Farm where a stream that runs from a spring up near Parson’s Pool comes out through the hedge in a large pipe and then runs down beside the road for a short distance. Then it runs beneath the road and down across the fields ending up near Tilland Mill where it joins the River Tiddy.

Unfortunately the stream that occasionally runs down across fields on Hammet side of the junction does not appear to be piped beneath the road so when it runs, in wet weather, the water simply runs across the tarmac to join the larger stream that meanders its way to the Tiddy and on the first day of the new year all this extra water created a ford crossing at Hammet.

A group of stinging nettles were growing beside this stream and on some of the dead stalks there were some white, disc shaped bracket fungi clinging on their thin supports. I don’t know what they were but brightened up the wet, muddy ground.

It was a nice experience to walk beside a stream without being hindered by tall vegetation and brambles like most of the streams are hidden behind around the village. I will say this about the parish though, on virtually every walk I always see some primroses out in bloom. The name Primrose means ‘First Rose’ and refers to the plant’s role as the bringer of spring, but here they are on the hedges through all the seasons.

Walking up the narrow, muddy road to Pipers Pool we noticed some King Alfred’s cakes growing on a branch of very dead wood. These hard, black coal-like growths are named after that king who was on the run from the war in England and given shelter by a peasant woman who told Alfred to watch some cakes that were baking. However, the king was pre-occupied with thoughts of the war and failed to watch the cakes which ended up being burnt black. I think the woman sent Alfred back on the road!

On the way up the muddy road to Pipers Pool there were lots of tiny cup lichen growing on some hedge stones. This is the second group I have seen in the parish as there is a huge amount of them growing on the school wall in the village.

Back home we have another group of Fairies’ Bonnets or Trooping Crumble as they are also known, on our front lawn. This is the third crop of Coprinus disseminatus this season and they grow where the old rotten sycamore tree that we had the have removed, once stood. There were nearly two hundred of these small mushrooms.