Fountains Abbey Pilgrimage - Fungi, Flowers, Ferns; Feathery and Furry Friends

(Click for more pictures of the people and the walk and scenery as given in  my next posting)


Forced march - Frolic - or - Fungus foray -

Foot it out with us in the Fresh air

Reflect on faith,  philosophy and  fantastic scenery

with  two and four footed furry friends.

2011 is the twenty fifth (ish) pilgrimage from Ripon to Fountains Abbey.

Four miles of mud, greenery, and friendship

to the Abbey, founded by Bendictine (later to become Cistercian) monks in 1132, and dissolved  in 1539.

Left: Leaving Ripon,

Right: Passing the ancient Small-Leaved Lime as we approach Studley

Below: Walking in the Studley Park grounds (no deer in sight)

Fungi

 Passing Pholiota  squarrosa* Scaly-cap

More Pholiota  squarrosa* on the other side of the same three

Field Blewit - Lepista saeva* in the grass, amongst beech nut shells

Fungus on Sweet Chestnut tree

Young Velvet-Shank fungus (Flamulina velutipes*) on sweet chestnut tree
This can withstand frost and is edible

This is an Amanita -  poisonous, even if the slugs did not think so  - with fine white gills, ring and hidden in the beech leaves, a swollen base. This was found near the high western path.

Flowers

Ivy-leaved Toadflax - still in flower on the walls of the Abbey

Ferns

Hart's tongue fern

 Feathered Friends

The swans are unperturbed by all the crowds

 

As are the gulls

And Greylag Geese

 The Dogs enjoy the carol service from the outside of the Abbey

And make new friends

Hart's tongue fern

 

Dogs on and off the walk -
through the avenue of Sweet Chestnut Trees
The younger ones planted fifty years ago after the Big Storm which blew many of the old trees down in 1961

This dog at the footbridge as we returned to the entrance

Look how many breeds we have seen.

 ...

 ..................................

Farewell Fountains Abbey. Come with us again next year 2012!

See more pictures of the people and the walk in my next posting

Below: Video of Singing in the Cellarium

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Carol Singing in Settle 2011

Its 20th December and today Churches Together in Settle and District sang at Settle's two supermarkets.
(See a list of upcoming Carol and Christmas Services in Settle and District 2011)

Carol Singing at Booths

Walking between the two supermarkets at Settle

Carol Singing at the Coop

Carol singing at the Coop

Here's the connection with rainforests and rare habitats:-

1. One day I will pick up courage and go and ask if I can do a collection at Booths for the Rainforest
2. At least one in ten food items at both stores contains palm oil (usually labelled hydrogenated fats) - Palm oil plantations cause destruction of the rainforest
3. Carol singing is a very eco-friendly occupation. 
4. Both the Coop and Booths score relatively highly as eco-friendly superamrkets go.. The coop is big on Fair Trade goods, Booths stocks up with a lot of produce sourced locally in the North West.

Remember that when you buy "Stuff" a vast amount of waste, some of it toxic, has been made and dumped as a by-product of producing the "stuff" -

Money sent to WLT and A Rocha via Big Give

A big thank you to all who have supported the Rainforest Fund, Settle over the past year - indeed over the past three years.

I was able to take opportunity of "The Big Give" last week and on the evening of Tuesday 6th  I paid in money that has been raised this year... The Big Give had matched funding - so (Thanks to other large donors) the value of the money has been doubled..

£700 to World Land Trust  (doubled to £1400 - so will save 14 acres of Rainforest)
and
£500 to A Rocha .. biggive (doubled to £1000) supporting forests, and resarch in forests in Peru, Brazil, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and India.

I was lucky to get through on Tuesday evening.- "The Big Give" was Monday to Friday last week. Lots of charities had encouraged their supporters to donate first thing on Monday at 10am - so of course the system went down on Monday morning. There was only so much matched funding available, after which each day, one could give, but not get the matched funding.

Please keep buying these greetings cards.. and donate and organise other projects to raise money. Once lost the species and habitats are gone - It is up to us to save them now!!.


The People at St John's Church Hartley Wintney, who are collecting money for A Rocha also managed to get their money - £100 - donated on that Tuesday too. Well done!

Ribblehead Station Carol Service 8 Dec 2011

We braved the winds, storm force gales and rain for another splendid carol service this year on Thursday 8th December. The train was on time so the passengers heard a verse of "Angels from the realms of glory", before the train from Carlisle whistled off to Settle and Leeds 

A quick practice on the platform before the train arrives

 

I'd like to show the picture on the train but don't want to put it on the internet.

The carol service

Mince pies afterwards in the Station-masters house

I didn't manage to sell any cards in aid of the rainforest this year.. (to crowded inside and windy outside..) but maybe next year..

They collected some money for Save the children - and they are having another carol service at the Hill Inn on Thursday 15th Dec

River Ribble in spate on 8 Dec 2011

The high winds and high rain demanded a walk to Stainforth Foss

Looking up to Stainforth Foss Packhorse Bridge ...

... from the foss itself

Common Polypody fern (Polypodium vulgare) beside the Foss

A mile downstream here is the seat near the Paper Mill

Settle Community Christmas Day Lunch and Tea - 25 Dec-2011

I am organising this lunch. I am wondering how I can make it a "green" lunch -

Follow LOAF principles (to some extent) - locally sourced, organically friendly, fairly traded, and animal friendly.

Well watch this space!! (or blog)

(And send in ideas!)

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And if you know anyone who lives near Settle who will be by themselves, or just two or three people, or old, or young, who would like to come let me know. Or if you'd like to volunteer to help

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This is some of what it says on the posters I have put up in Settle:

Welcome to:--

· People to come
· Committee to help plan this
· Volunteers to help

This is a follow on Christmas Day Settle Event, held for over ten years in the past at St John’s Church Hall, Settle as either Settle Community Christmas Lunch or as Age Concern Christmas Lunch – we hope Age UK People will come but also people of all ages.

Venue:- Townhead Court

Transport can be arranged for people who need it. (Transport to church beforehand for those who need it could also be arranged.) Start: 12midday for coffee. Finish (as planned so far: but could have later session)- c. 4.30pm after Christmas Cake.

Price: £10 - (Reduced rates for children) (Formerly it was £12 but we have sufficient numbers now to keep it to £10 as on 23 Dec)

For details contact Judith Allinson

A big welcome to people of any age who will be in the Settle/Craven Area of North Yorkshire on 25 December. Please book.

See pics of last year’s lunch at St John's Church Hall

 

Hartley Wintney raises money for forests - A Rocha - The Big give - World Land Trust

St. John's, Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, are having an alternative Christmas Card this year to raise money for the rainforest fund.

This Christmas Card Tree was made from an old cardboard box and members of the congregation are invited to write their Christmas message on a "bauble" and stick it on the tree instead of buying individual cards.

Money raised by the 9th of December will be donated on line to A Rocha's tree-planting programme in Ghana which is part of the "Big Give" where signed-up charities receive double the donations between 5th and 9th December. -

See the Arocha International part of the Big Give Website

If Hartely Wintney raises and donates £100 then it will be the fourth church in CEL's 100 churches project .
Another project taking part in the Big give  which CEL's 110 churches project encourages people to support is World Land Trust.  For £100, WLT can purchase and protect an acre of critically endangered tropical forests and other vital habitats in Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Mexico.

If you would like to donate to either of these - please donate early in the week - early on Monday straight after 10am preferably - as there is only so much matching funding available to double what you give... If you are too late on Monday, try giving early on Tuesday.

100 Churches Project

The 100 Churches Project is a campaign run by the national organisation Christian Ecology Link (CEL) in which CEL is encouraging 100 churches to raise at least £100 each for "saving wild habitat" projects.

I paste the details from their website here:-

100 Churches

CEL is seeking 100 churches to raise £100 each for habitat conservation projects

One quarter of the world’s mammals and one fifth of the plants are under threat of extinction
                                                                                                
Could your church have a fund raising event?

• to save habitat or species

Please tell Christian Ecology Link. We will celebrate the fact by

• putting a link to you from the website,
• by sending you a certificate and thank you card.

We want to show the world that Christians care about the gifts God has given us – and care that future generations should enjoy them too.

CEL can suggest projects to support.  For example a church in Settle is supporting three charities: World Land Trust, Cool Earth and A Rocha Ghana.

• Click for details of these three charities
• (see blog about fundraising for them).

If you support a church abroad, why not ask them about conservation projects near them, thus increasing both their and your awareness. Contact Judith Allinson   

“Whatsoever is good” – Philippians 4 v.8

Spending £1 to save rainforest from being destroyed can prevent 330kg carbon dioxide being produced that's one third of a ton – a better return on £1 for preventing climate change than any other way

Species extinction rates are now 1000 times as great as the natural rate due to habitat loss

Churches which have raised over £100 so far:

1. Eco-group at Clun Methodist Church, Shropshire raised over £300
2. Churches Together in Settle and District
3. St John's Methodist Church, Settle

Leaf insect

Fundraising - Cards at Langcliffe

Would you like to buy some beautiful greetings cards?  I held a stall again at Langcliffe Instiute Christmas Coffee Morning on 3rd December 2011. Another £32.50 was raised for the fund. Thank you to all who bought a card.

On the wall behind is the Langcliffe Tapestry.  The big soft toy hippopotamus was bought as a cuddly visual aid from a stall nearby.

I have lots of cards left .. and will keep on making them.. Contact me if you would like me to run a stall near you.

Dactylis glomerata - Cocksfoot

This is all millimetre  graph paper

"A grass a month" has been going two years now.

For December for  the 24th grass ...
we''ll have the one everyone knows, the one you've been waiting for:-...

Cock's-foot!

Easy to recognise in-flower
AND
out-of-flower,
and big enough to poke up above the snow should we get any.




To be sung to "Frere Jacque"

Shoot section flying saucer

I'm a cocksfoot,
I'm a cocksfoot
Succulent shootbase
White sticky succulent shootbase
Section flying saucer
Section flying saucer
Big and folded
Big and folded.

There, got it!

In USA it is known as Orchard Grass

Orchardgrass was introduced to the eastern United States from Europe in 1760.

The shoots provide good nutrition in spring, but the dead shoots in autumn are not so palatable.

Two shoot sections

The panicle can sometimes show vegetative proliferation

panicle viewed through lens.

Uses: http://cocksfoot.askdefine.com/

Here,s a cocksfootleaf covered in "hawfrost-snow" from last December