Butter Cap?

I would have liked a better blip for my journal today, with a witty title, on what will be a notable date in my memory, but skies were grey and whilst snowflakes fell freely, sadly I was unable to capture them.

And why is it a notable date? Well, because I passed my Girlguiding Level 2 Hillwalking Assessment. That's roughly equivalent to Hill & Moorland Leader. So, the first step in my qualification process.

Not only that, but it is also exactly a year since I had spinal surgery. It's been a long year of recovery and whilst I'm 90% better, I'm still doing physio exercises at home. I'd mistakenly believed I'd be hillwalking after 3 months but for me recovery dragged on way way longer than I expected.

I'd been extremely anxious about this assessment, having not passed the T2 Scouting assessment last month (v nearly ML level). Clearly it would have been better to have taken them in the opposite order, but dates just didn't work out that way.

These fungi were growing under conifers and I think they are Lennox Butter Caps (Rhodocollybia butyracae) but they might be Milkcaps or Brittlegills. I've been trying to identify them for ages but I'm just too tired now.

Assessment was from 8.30pm -11pm Friday, 8.30am-11.30pm Saturday and 8.30am- 4pm today with barely 5 minutes break. We carried on even through meals which was exhausting! Still, I passed, so feeling uplifted with mojo returned. More hillwalking to come!