Late hello

[treecreeper]

I've just spotted this 'hello' forum. It seems I should have entered a post here before starting any other threads. Apologies for the breach of etiquette. In fact I have already started two threads and had the pleasure of encountering Hedge Witch, Lance Morgan, Tiggrx, Volence, Gill Catton, Shirl and Jdoherty.

I love WAB already, not least for the friendly and civilised tone of the discussions. It is not always so. About a year ago I discovered Rogersmushrooms, run by wildlife photographer and author Roger Phillips. Unfortunately I arrived in the middle of a furious argument between two posters. I forget what the original dispute was, the identity of a cortinarius or something. But it had got personal and they were calling down curses on each other in the most unmycological language. Others were pleading with Roger to intervene but alas the saviour did not come. I did not stay for the final issue. Possibly the combatants eventually fell apart exhausted. Then just recently a new member posted a picture of a jelly fungus for comment. An existing member suggested a species. The newcomer said he was not convinced. I'M NOT TRYING TO CONVINCE YOU was the snarled reply. I'M JUST MAKING A SUGGESTION. Touchy! The newcomer, evidently a gent, was embarrassed into muttering an apology and withdrawing.

But I digress. A brief self introduction: I worked in computer programming for 29 years and wangled an early retirement. I'm too young to be really retired so I intend to look for work ....later. My main interests are botany and mycology but I read any books I can get hold of on British mammals, amphibians and reptiles. I have just in the last fortnight started on birds but may have started with an ornithological faux pas. I joined a local naturalists' society, all birdwatchers, and went to one of their indoor meetings a couple of Fridays ago. I asked some of them about taxonomy and subspecies and they just stared at me. It was only on the way home I realised I had been sunconciously thinking of birds as plants, rooted to one spot and creating local and distinct populations. Birds, of course, move around and breed widely. A difficult concept for a botanist. I hope they're not still sniggering at me.

So I hope I will fit in to the peaceful and contented village that is WAB. I hope to accumulate some electronic friends and contacts but haven't worked out how to go about this. Do you join the groups? If I click on 'Group Memberships' it looks like I am only eligible to join 'WAB Volunteers'. This sounds like I'll be obliged to help dig a frog pond....