Last visit was beautiful and I really wanted to stay over but hadn’t prepared. Easter weekend was coming and I was hoping for decent weather and planned an overnight stay. So that is what I did. Arrived late morning and spent a couple of leisurely hours setting the camper up, having a walkabout and foraging some dry sticks for kindling for having a fire later on. The woods are looking beautiful, the floor covered in anemones and just a hint of greenery bursting from the early understory – hawthorn, hazel, elder, honeysuckle; like a faint emerald mist here and there. Several buzzards wheeled and circled above, spring courtship time.

Last week I had brought the dismantled bowl lathe I was given. My plan has been to utilize two dead but solid oak tree trunks close to my shelter to support the frame which will hold the rails or “bed” that the sliding poppets will run on. It was a case of sawing and axing flats on each side so that the rails can be bolted to them. It was hard work and hot too. This is the first stage and how it was looking when I’d done. Not much to see for the effort it took! It doesn’t look it but it is actually level.

The day was soon gone and time to light the fire and make my evening meal. Decided to keep it simple and rather than cook over the fire, took a dehydrated packet of mushroom rissotto, some fresh mushrooms and Quorn pieces. It was rubbish and I threw half of it on the fire! The fire was good though and I sat and relaxed as the night set in until it was virtually pitch black with just the faint silhouette of the tree tops and the stars.

I wasn’t scared but felt quite lonely. I headed to the van to get more comfortable but it was very cold. I chatted to a friend on the phone for a while before setting up the bed and climbing into the sleeping bag almost fully clothed. As usual it was a sketchy night for sleeping but I stayed warm enough and eventually arose early morning. It was the start of British summertime so an hour was lost already. I left the side door open and enjoyed the view as I ate my tub of dehydrated porridge. That was actually quite nice.

I had few plans for jobs but spent some time re-staking some saplings that had been blown over.

Lunch was a simple unplanned affair. Rummaging through my store cupboard and not wanting to cook or have to wash pots I found a granola bar and a tin of pears. Not exactly cordon bleu but it sufficed. I packed up early afternoon and headed home again, satisfied I had fought the apathy and lack of motivation to even go there in the first place. I want to reconnect with the woods again after a long time of absence. I’ll leave you with an assortment of photos.

Dead birch covered in Horsehoof fungus – Fomes Fomentarius