It was a beautiful early spring morning when I arrived at the woods yesterday. I had planned another shavehorse building session with my mate Phil and as usual he was already there at the side of the road, mug of tea in hand quietly observing nature as the car-coccooned workers passed by, oblivious to the subtleties of nature we were about to enjoy. Two grey herons flew overhead and pair of kestrels that had been perching above us, took to the wing. Already we were getting our fix of nature. A guaranteed remedy for the ills of the world that we are bombarded with every day.

A few days ago, Storm Gareth hit the UK and I had a message from one of the local woodland owners that one of my ash trees had blown over and was blocking the ride. Kindly, he spent some time clearing it sufficiently to restore access. I needed to make it safe and tidy it up some more. The inside of the tree was rotten at the base and had snapped off, taking with it a nice hawthorn and some hazel clumps. I left Phil at the shelter/workshop to work on his shavehorse while I dealt with the tree. The hawthorn was flat to the ground but the roots still half attached to the earth. Hopefully it will be able to sustain itself and send new growth upward. If it does, it will be an interesting feature.

I set about cutting the fallen trunk into moveable pieces. The remaining rotten stump will be left as a feature and for nature to claim as homes and food for the myriad life-forms that will inhabit it. Some of the good pieces will be useful material for woodworking projects. Re-purposing materials is something I try to employ.

Time for a break and Phil made us a nice fresh coffee in his cafetiere and we ate some of his Christmas cake while enjoying the mild woodland morning, listening to the birds, and watching a pair of buzzards effortlessly circling about us. We agreed “What could be better than this right now”?

Spring is definitely here. The birds are very vocal and earlier we heard a Chiffchaff, a tiny summer visitor that flies here from the Mediterranean area. Earlier I checked my trail camera which I’d left in a new location. It proved to be a good spot as you can see from this compilation of shots. I forgot to put it back in place so I’ll have a couple of weeks to wait for the next instalment.

I had a walk around and noticed the first wood anemone flowers and blackthorn blossom form the saplings I planted three years ago.

Phil made good progress on his shavehorse, shaping the sides and preparing the swinging frame that will be the crucial element for clamping your workpiece. We had a great day with the usual mix of nature spotting, woodland work and of course some belly laughs. Here’s Phil again, in his element.