Yesterday I had arranged to meet a new friend at the woods – Michael . In September I did a two day course to build a spring pole lathe. It’s a traditional foot powered machine which dates back many centuries and is mainly used for turning cylindrical shaped items from green unseasoned timber. It’s something I wanted so that I could make some nice products from some of the trees I am felling. On the course I met a very nice guy who also loves nature and craft work and we seemed to hit it off, so we kept in touch. He had shown a lot of interest in my woods and asked if he could visit sometime. So that’s just what we did.

It was only just getting light when I pulled up and before I opened the car door, the friendly robin hopped towards it. I was better prepared to feed it this time. I had filled a small tin with bird food to keep in my pocket so I could quickly take advantage of the moment when the robin appeared. It’s confidence grows each week and it flew onto my hand with no hesitation. This time instead of just grabbing a piece and taking it to a safe place to eat, it stayed on my hand and ate several.

I lit a fire and prepared for my visitor’s arrival. After a brew and a catch up chat I took Michael on a tour of my woods. He’s a regular reader of this blog so he was fascinated to see some of the features I have written about. We had a walk around part of the wider woods and chatted to a couple of other owners before heading back to revive the fire where I cooked veggie sausage and eggs over the fire to make sandwiches.

Below, Horsehoof Fungus growing on dead birch.

I love showing people around, especially when they take a genuine interest. We talked about lots of subjects, sharing some personal stories and feelings. Michael really seemed to have engaged with the woods asking many questions which I am always happy to answer. I gave him some pieces of timber to take home and am looking forward to seeing what he eventually makes with it.  We eventually parted ways both having had a lovely time at the woods and I’m sure there will be a return visit next Spring.

At the end of the day as I was packing up, I left the car boot open for a few minutes. When I returned to it, there was a panicky fluttering inside the car and the robin shot out. The cheeky little bugger had gone in to investigate!

I’ll leave you with my latest compilation of animal video clips.