I was keen to get some serious work done on the brambles. Three aims – to cut some paths into the lower half of the woods, tidy up the ride (track) edges and to clear some of the planted sycamore area which is covered with it. First job was to have a walk-around and a really close look to see where I wanted my paths. The lower half of the wood is my best bit. It’s the closest part to look like a natural wood. It has many different tree species of different sizes and ages but it’s hard to walk around. Not just because of brambles but also fallen deadwood etc. I wanted a path that cuts across from one side to the other, about half way down and maybe another one that joins it in the middle, so I can move around more easily and also show visitors a bit more of it without getting snagged up. Because of the density overhead, the brambles weren’t too big a problem here. I marked the paths with some garden canes with coloured tops so I can remember where they are and keep them trimmed until they get established as regular paths.

There’s a big gnarly old crab apple tree that is laden with apples right now. I wanted to be able to access it, so one of the new paths runs alongside it. I fixed a bird nest box there last winter and it looks like it has been occupied. The tell-tale signs are the paint around the entrance hole has been worn away. The birds like to clean up the hole a bit when building their nest. The tree also has a big rambling honeysuckle growing up it. The rope-like loop you can see on the photo is that – completely natural. The peeling bark of honeysuckle makes a fantastic tinder for lighting your fire.

Old crab apple tree with honeysuckle and my bird nest box

Most of the afternoon was spent in the sycamore area with the brushcutter. This is a heavy duty strimmer type machine which really slashes through the think stems of bramble. It won’t kill them at this stage, they’ll re-emerge next spring but this first cut is just to severe them at ground level and clear some of the huge mass of vegetation so I can walk about. Further cutting will be easier and lighter work and hopefully weaken the plants. At present, you cannot walk through it at all. Last winter I cut a wide path through the centre of it, so I went back over that too. The time I spent on it made me feel I’d covered a biggish area but when I stepped back and took in the whole scene, it is just a tiny patch. Lots of work to do still.

In between bramble bashing sessions, I managed to have some time just to observe the woods. It really is a magical place for me – just exploring, standing and watching nature. I spotted a tree creeper busy working it’s way up the trees looking for food, a robin nearby was singing it’s heart out, two giant black slugs where entwined enjoying a bit of baby-making (hope they like brambles). Can’t wait to get back there on Sunday when I’m meeting a pal to show him around and just chill out for a while. Below, a few photos taken whilst exploring.

A few Rowan berries on my newly planted tree.

Seeds on one of my newly planted birch trees

Some kind of weevil on a blade of grass

Wouldn’t like to be a fly around this massive web

Simon in full flow entertaining Phil with his campfire tales – some crazy story involving fire no doubt! Ha.

My two mates telling stories of a misspent youth

Not an awful lot to tell you in terms of work and woodland management – we didn’t do any! I met these two reprobates on a bushcraft course that Phil was running. Simon is a self-employed blacksmith. We all seemed to hit it off together and have stayed in touch and been planning to meet up at my wood for a while. We finally managed it a few days ago. I took them for a tour of my piece and a longer tour around some of the other areas. I learned a few interesting things, how you can use the leaves of horse chestnut as soap and how to attract woodpeckers by rapidly tapping a coin on a tree to mimic a rival bird. We made a fire, had a brew and some lunch and sat around swapping stories of our miss-spent childhood days, having a good old laugh. Phil joked that we haven’t really grown up. We still like doing the things we enjoyed as kids, lighting a fire, building a den, messing about with sticks and knives etc.

I gave that some thought and arrived at this conclusion. When we are very young, we know little. So we are just who we are, fascinated by the world immediately around us, exploring, playing, learning about our environment and how we fit into it. We find out which insects and plants hurt us, what plants smell nice and even what some taste like. We mess about in pools and streams, in the woods and the fields. Our world doesn’t extend far from where we are right there and then. We are centred. Then society and the man-made world pulls us away from that place. It fills our heads with all sorts of distractions, school, work, mortgages and child rearing and we lose track of ourselves and our connection with nature and our planet – our ancestral home. Some people continue to live their lives in this way. But if you’re lucky, you might realise that you have travelled too far from your true self – that innocent enquiring child you once were. You might take up an interest in nature in some way – bird-watching, hiking, bush-craft, woodlands or fishing or whatever and those that do, soon find their centre again. The activity seems to bring you right back to where you are, right here and now and the lost child comes out to play. Yes I sound like some sort of new age nutter but it’s not the nature and the woodland that made me that way, it’s the previous lack of it. So I think we have grown up. We’ve found our true selves again. Try it, go out and play again.

Newly felled sycamore stacked for seasoning

So I had my bit of fun last weekend when I camped, this time is was all about work. That can be fun too in an odd sort of way. More satisfying than fun perhaps. I’d felled six small sycamore trees over the last two visits and just left them on the ground, so I wanted to cut and stack them and possible fell a few more. To save time I just cut them into roughly four feet lengths. Although they are small diameter, it’s surprising how much they weigh when still green. They were scattered around a fairly large area so it was a pretty good workout. I can tell I am stronger and fitter than a year ago.

A neighbour turned up, someone who I have been trying to meet up with in order to see his wood. He kindly drove me around to his patch – a much bigger piece than mine and one that has a nice mix of broadleaf species, some very mature ones too. My small plot is just about big enough to feel that I own a wood, but not one you could feel lost in. Whereas my neighbour’s definitely is. Nice to see what other people are doing in theirs.

I took my brushcutter because the brambles are winning the war still, even where I cut them last year. I wanted to recut those areas to try to weaken them and prevent them taking over. I trimmed the main ride (track) edges, some of the paths I’d created last year and tried to make a start on a new area where I have been felling. I have to say the task of controlling the brambles seems overwhelming and yesterday’s efforts seemed quite pathetic. I kept thinking about the hornets nest from last year. It was the same area where I was clearing and with my ear defenders on and the brushcutter motor screaming away, I would have no warning of an impending attack but there was nos sign of them. After that I felled three more small trees but just left them for next time. I had been busy most of the day and felt shattered. As I was packing up, one of my camping neighbour friends turned up. I called around at their place before leaving. They had been felling some larch and corsican pine in order to create an open glade area. The ground there is thick with decaying pine needles so it will be interesting to see what type of plants come up next year.

The path I cut last year where I have been felling. Brambles are re-growing and I made a half-hearted attempt to cut them back again.

We’ve had a very dry summer in the woods but we have just had a couple of days of heavy rain. It brought down quite a few dead leaves from the sycamore. Too early to be the onset of Autumn so I assume the trees have shed them in order to conserve sap. Last year there were a lot of fungi at this time. Very little at present but the rain might just set them off. It’ll be a couple of weeks before I can go again and I’m sure it will be starting to look a little “tired” by then as things start to wind down.

The weather forecast was shaping up well for a couple of days and over-night camping trip. The plan was mainly about the camping and some bush craft plus a few jobs. Some woodland friends (I shall refer to as R&L) were also hoping to stay over in their piece so I was looking forward to some company. For once the forecasters got it right and the sun was out and I pitched my tent as soon as I arrived. The flies and midges were nowhere near as abundant as last time in May which was good. I did some clearing around the camp area and ate my packed lunch. I wanted to have a go at making a pot hanger to go over the fire. I’d seen some guys on Youtube making one so while lunch settled, I set to collecting some suitable hazel rods and started whittling. It works well, height adjustable but I have to say, looks precarious as the hanger piece is suspended from the horizontal rod by a small point nestling in a small hole. A clumsy nudge and the pot will be in the fire and your dinner on the ground. Here it is in action with my billy can. This design does allow more access around the fire than a tripod one.

Pot hanger suspending my billy can over the fire

In the afternoon I felled three small trees that needed thinning out and met some new woodland owners who will be my neighbours on one side. They have two boys who are also interested in bushcraft and camping out. My friends R&L arrived early evening so I had a walk around to see them briefly then left them for a while to finish setting up their camp. I set off again later to spend the evening with them. As I walked down the ride with a bottle of red in hand, two thoughts crossed my mind. What an odd but very pleasant social event this was – sitting in the middle of a forest with friends and drinking wine as opposed the more usual venues of pubs and restaurants. Secondly, I hope I don’t mess up by tripping over the brambles and smashing my bottle. The evening was really enjoyable and we sat chatting about this and that until it got dark and I headed back to my place.

My new LED Lenser torch is amazingly bright. It was fascinating to see the woods in the dark, illuminated in this way, looking up and through the trees gives a totally different perspective. I decided to have a short walk through my patch as I will rarely see it in the dark and was hoping to spot some wildlife. Halfway down the ride I spotted a tawny owl. It was perched on a small horizontal branch about 20 feet high in a picture-perfect setting. If only I could have taken a photograph! As I shone my light on it, it briefly turned it’s head to see what was disturbing it’s peace and then as if to say “bugger off with the torch” it turned back and flew off. It was a real thrill to see my first owl in my woods.

Morning at my campsite, billy can on the boil for coffee

Sleep was a much better experience than my first camping trip in May, when I got about one hour’s sleep and felt dazed all day after. Knowing my friends were not far away seemed to help. It was a quiet night, very minimal bird song in the morning to disturb me and I emerged quite refreshed. It’s a fantastic experience for that first few minutes. You’ve laid in your cloth “bubble” all night under the illusion that this is your world. The woodland only exists in your mind and the sounds it produces. When you step out of your bubble, it’s like entering another universe. Your world suddenly expands from a small grey dome, to a riot of colour, shapes and textures. Your brain is bombarded with a natural beauty and a feeling of freedom and contentment follows. The sun was out – get the fire going, billy can on the boil and just sit and drink in the experience with your coffee in total peace. For me, it doesn’t get much better.

Mushy veg burgers, eggs and beans for breakfast

My friends were up early and called by. Their sleep experience less good than mine as their airbed deflated in the night! When they left I made breakfast – veggie-burgers which fell to mush, fried eggs and beans. I packed my tent away while the sun was out and it was nice and dry, by which time it was lunch. I picked some wild raspberries and added them to my bannock bread mix. I’m not very skilled at cooking this rough bread and have to say it looks rather like cooked vomit! I might give up on this particular recipe.

Wild raspberry bannock bread – not a success

l then spent most of the day chopping and stacking logs for seasoning before heading home again, tired but hugely satisfied. Thanks to R&L for your company, must do it again some time.

I was in for four surprises and none of them was a teddy bears’ picnic. Well it started out bad.

Surprise number 1 – I was about ten minutes from the wood when my phone rang to tell me my 93 year old mum had pressed her alarm button and my wife was on her way to find out why. It’s becoming a regular event now, she keeps falling and can’t get up. When you get that call, you’re instantly in panic mode because you don’t know what you’re going to find. This time she “dodged the bullet” again and got away with bruising. For a while I thought I was going to have to turn around and go straight back but there was no need.

Surprise number 2 – I looked at the BBC weather forecast the day before and there was no mention of rain at all. So it might have been a surprise for the forecasters too because by the time I reached the wood it was pouring down.

Surprise number 3 – Arriving at the main gate I discovered the a dozen or more vehicles parked along the ride-side. No not 21st century teddy bears, professional foresters. It looked debateable as to whether I could get access. They were clear felling an area where power lines run through the wood. Huge machines and lots of men in bright yellow clothing like busy bees. They needed to do it to safeguard the lines from falling trees. I had a chat with them later and took some photos.

Clear felling an area for the power lines

Felling on the other side of the main ride

So having sat in my car for 10 minutes for the rain to ease, I decided it could go on for a long time and that I better make the most of it and put up my tarp. I’m glad I had a dummy run with it last time so I knew exactly where to put it and how to erect it, but I still fumbled my way through and realise I need to practice my knots a bit more. I sat for awhile wondering how I would spend a rainy day under a tarp. I have secretly wanted to spend a rainy day there out of curiosity but of course would never choose one deliberately because it severely restricts what you can do. But there’s something very relaxing about watching rain gently falling especially in a wood. The pattering sound on the tarp and the leaves twitching now and then as a big droplet hits them. Nothing else to do but enjoy the experience.

I like to embrace new ones, you learn something each time and it makes you think outside your usual box. “How could I have done that better?” So I decided to make a brew and gathering enough dry twigs for the fire was a challenge. I’d put some under cover to keep dry but there was only just enough. So I made a mental note to stock up next time I go. I’ve been wanting to make some charcloth for my firesteel so I’d brought the equipment to do it. Didn’t know if it would work on my hobo stove but it was worth a try. Charcloth is made my putting strips of cotton cloth in a sealed tin and heating it over a fire. The tin has a tiny hole for the smoke to escape but not allow air in. After a while the cloth becomes black and brittle and works like charcoal – smouldering without burning. It will easily take a spark from the firesteel to start your fire. It worked to a degree, the strips on the bottom were nicely charred but the upper layers only half done. Next time, I’ll turn the tin over after ten minutes. Here’s some photos of the equipment.

Making charcloth in a tin

A piece of the newly made charcloth glowing after using it with my flint and firesteel

After a while the rain eased a little and I ventured out to do a few jobs. That’s when

Surprise number 4 arrived – two of my woodland neighbours. I’m always pleased to see some neighbours and we had a good chat and a wander down to the tree felling guys for a “nosey”. It’s great to swap notes and woodland stories with your neighbours. After that I set too, clearing the camping area again. This is the third sweep and I think I’m getting the better of the bramble and bracken. The small bramble plants that have emerged since the last time, were hacked and pulled with a hoe to try to finally rid their tenacious roots. I’m hoping the nearby grass that is quite lush now, will colonise that area soon.

third clearing of camp area

Whilst clearing this area I should say surprise number 5 (a bonus surprise) was found. About four oak saplings and one beech sapling are growing there. They must have germinated this year as the whole area was cleared in winter and they would have been mashed. What is so nice about it is that by ridding the ground of the bramble and bracken, it is starting to recover and regenerate – not just with wild plants but with trees too, which was I’d hoped for. A nice result.

By mid afternoon the rain clouds were gathering again and I started to pack up. A final walk and look around my clearing revealed something odd going on in the plot next to mine. About half a dozen young sycamore trees have suddenly died. A closer look revealed that the bark as been completely stripped off. This has to be the work of those little grey blighters from the USA. No not the old pensioners – the squirrels. Funny how they have targeted those particular trees. Anyway all in all it was quite an eventful day – some good, some not so good but different. What next?

Young sycamore killed by bark stripping squirrels

Water on the boil for a nice coffee and some quite contemplation

Home made hobo stove and army billy can

Lets start the day with a nice cup of coffee brewed on a smoky flame sitting in the woods. How much better does it get? I always have a few objectives when I visit the woods. A mixture of essential maintenance jobs, on-going projects and maybe some bushcraft related play time. Yesterday my list included, chopping logs to bring home, trying out my new tarp and maybe some felling/thinning out. I got an early start so it felt like a leisurely morning, so first things first – coffee. It’s such a lovely relaxing time, the smell of wood-smoke drifting around, the unseen birds singing and the dappled sunshine. I bought a cheap plastic garden chair to keep there just for an extra bit of luxury and comfort and when you’ve spent a few hours logging, you really appreciate a backrest. I’d watched a video on how to make tent pegs from hazel sticks so while drinking my coffee, I set about making a few to use with my new tarp. The knife is a Mora. They are very cheap but pretty good. A popular knife for beginners in bushcraft.

Hand made tent pegs from hazel sticks

Next job, fill up my bird feeders which were completely empty as usual. Whack a few merging bracken and bramble shoots on the way too. The regrowth where I cleared it is rampant. I should take my brushcutter next time and go over it again before it gets out of hand. The task of controlling the bramble is enormous and for a few moments, it felt overwhelming for one person with limited time. I have to remind myself not to let it stress me and whatever I can achieve will be good and should be enjoyable. I chopped some more logs for home and have nearly filled my logstore at home now. A nice satisfying feeling which must dig deep into our psyche from when we were hunter gatherers. Plenty of fuel would have been an essential for keeping warm and cooking, basic survival stuff.

I’ve been itching to try my new tarp. It’s a DD Hammocks 3×3 metre tarp, considered one of the best I think. Basically it’s a square sheet of waterproof nylon with tie down loops along the edges and across the middle. You can configure them in many ways but the simplest and most useful for me is simply to use it like a roof. For those who don’t know anything about using them, they are pretty simple and quick to put up. First you need to erect a ridge line between two trees to support the tarp, usually using paracord. As the tarp is 3m long, I figured I needed to find two smallish trees roughly 4.5-5m apart. I identified two possible places close to my table and set about clearing the ground of fallen sticks and the odd bramble. There are two special knots used to tie the line to the tree which I have been practising. So one end secured, I threaded the other through the ridge loops and tied it to the other tree as taut as possible. The next bit is crucial and pretty clever. You need to stretch the ridge taut and anchor it to the line. You do this with two prusik loops. These need to be a strong cord of slightly smaller diameter than the ridge line, you make your own. The loop is wound around the line in a special way that makes it easy to slide until it’s under tension, then it grips the line and holds it tight. A bigger version is used by climbers. So you fit one at each end of the tarp and attach the loop to the tie-down using a small stick, pulling the second one tight to stretch the tarp. Sounds complicated but it’s simple as long as you get your prusik knot correct. A picture is worth a thousand words so here you have it.

Blue prusik knot and hazel twig supporting the end ridge loop of the tarp

I anchored the four corners to the ground and “bob’s your uncle” you’ve got your temporary shelter. Easy to take down as the knots used are quick release. I tried the taro in two different places and although they were good, not ideal so I’ll continue the search for the best location. Here’s some shots of it from different angles.

DD tarp

tarp

tarp

I still had an hour or so left and decided to fell some small sycamore trees. The area is very dark, sycamore is very shade-heavy and I have lots of it. Taking a few weak or sickly trees down will let more light in and benefit the other trees an the ground flora. Now felling trees gives me very mixed emotions. It feels a bit like vandalism and so there’s a guilt aspect to it. It somehow seems a bit “naughty” but it’s an essential part of maintaining a healthy woodland. It needs to be done. Then there’s a mix of fear and excitement. It’s a dangerous task, especially on your own (not really recommended but I have no choice). You can kill or seriously injure yourself. But it’s kind exciting too as it crashes to the ground. There’s an element of unpredictability too. You assess the lean of the tree, where you want it to drop and make your cuts accordingly. As you make your final felling cut, there’s a moment you watch for, where the tree slowly starts to lean. That’s the time to remove your saw and head diagonally. If your looking where your going (good idea), then you don’t see the tree falling. You might just turn round quick enough to see the last shuddering moment as it hits the deck with a whoosh and a wump. Then a moment of relief washes over you. But the jobs not over. You need to de-limb it and either cut it up or move it to a convenient spot if it’s fallen over a track. That’s not an easy task as some of the branches are now under tension and holding the main trunk off the ground. You need to work out which way the stress is, if you cut the wrong side of the branch, the cut will close up and trap the chainsaw and yes, even though warned about it, I got it stuck a couple of times.

It was the end of the day and I was getting tired and perhaps my concentration was waning. I learned another lesson worth remembering. Do your chain-sawing early in the day when your energy is highest and your brain more alert. Although they were quite small trees, the difference in light levels around the area where they had stood was really noticeable. I can see how much different the wood can look when I’ve done a lot more thinning. Can’t wait to get back and take some more down. I didn’t have time to log them up so just left them more or less in situ on the ground. Here’s some photos of the three areas where I felled them.

Felled tree one.

felled tree three, lots more light on the ground now.

Wild honeysuckle flower

It’s been almost three weeks since the last visit and boy did I want to get back there. I had to cancel two planned visits because of weather and an unexpected “event”. Had a stressful week looking after my daughters dog, thunder storms terrify her and we’ve had a few, then she ripped two claws out of two different paws and needed to be taken to the vet, that was the day I had planned to go. But I’ve been there in my head many times. I try to visualise certain areas from memory and make plans for the next visit. Cut up a fallen dead tree to bring back as logs for the woodstove, try my new tarp out (didn’t get around to that one), whack some bramble and bracken where it has regrown, check my coppiced hazel for new growth and add more brash around them for protection from deer and plant some foxglove plants I’ve grown from seed.

The area that I cleared of bramble and bracken in winter, has been sprouting new growth. The idea now is to keep whacking it down to weaken it and hopefully, eventually kill it off. There are signs of that happening with the bracken where I did it earlier. Some of the stalks have not re-sprouted. The bramble will need more intense treatment, maybe a light strimming next visit. While I was whacking I caught a smell of something perfumed. For a moment I couldn’t figure what it could be, then I guessed there was some honeysuckle flowers nearby. There are plants scattered around the woods but so far haven’t seen any actual flowers. I spotted it climbing up a sycamore and there was just this one flower. It’s a beautiful scent, sweet but not sickly.

The Husqvarna chainsaw is doing a good job. I cut up the dead tree in no time and split the logs ready for home. You start to get a bit “trigger happy” after a while and start looking for something to cut. I’ve got a couple of old axe heads I bought on a car boot sale and need some ash timber to make handles. A scout around and I found the ideal piece. It was a log fairly stright limb that had grown from the base of a mature tree but had then died off. So as long as it hasn’t rotted, it should be pretty well seasoned and ready to use. So I set about felling that piece and cutting it down into various handle-sized logs. This little pile should make a good few handles.

Ash logs for axe handles

Next job check the hazel coppice. Yes it’s growing nicely now. I had cut down some small sycamore trees to bring in light, and they are also sprouting healthy new shoots. I shall allow them to grown on for a few years as coppice stools and be able to cut them for stakes and small logs. A nice renewable source. The small brash piled around them needed topping up as the new shoots gain height.

New hazel shoots from one of the smaller stools.

Nice healthy flush of new sycamore shoots

The area could benefit from a bit more light, so while I had the chainsaw warm and fuelled up, it seemed a good idea to take down a small sycamore I had planned on. I haven’t felled many trees yet and it’s one of the scarier aspects of forestry. Trying to get it to fall in a convenient place without injuring yourself are the main considerations. I was keen to avoid it falling on my new coppiced stumps and crushing the shoots. I am happy to say I achieved all three. When you fell a tree, there’s a few seconds of nervous excitement. You need to clear an escape route behind and to the side of the tree first, then as you make your felling cut, you leave a small “hinge” of wood which allows some control over direction and fall and you are watching for the tell-tale sign that the tree is going to go – a slight movement and a creak. There’s a moment of blind faith that it will go as planned, you can’t see the tree as you head back out of the way. Then there’s more creaking and a terrific thump and whoosh as it hits the ground. It’s down and you sigh with relief. Set to work with saw and cut it into logs.

stump of the felled sycamore

All in all it was a very satisfying day, got some good useful jobs done and a good physical workout.

The remains of something’s dinner? A satisfied fox or buzzard maybe?

I debated whether to go as it had forecast some rain in the morning. I try to choose dry days just so I can get plenty done. I’ve had the odd small shower but not been yet when there was a decent amount of rain. I took a small tarp (like a flysheet on a tent) so I could stay dry when it did rain. It’s not an ideal type or size for my needs but I bought it when it was on offer and I didn’t know it would be fairly useless. It’s more of a porch for a small tent than a proper tarp or basha that bushcrafters use. It has a pole at the front to support it and no ridge loops to hang on a line. I fixed it up and put my cheapo plastic garden chair under it that I bought from Home Bargains for £5.99. Not exactly what you would expect a bushcrafter to do but hey, I’m no spring chicken and when you’ve just sawn up a whole tree and your back is aching, you need a modicum of comfort. Well plan A didn’t work. The tarp was so low I had to sit hunched up like Quasimodo.

Tarp Plan A with the provided pole which is too short

Tarp Plan B with hazel poles to raise it higher. This is the rear view. Just big enough to keep the rain off.

So plan B was to find some longer hazel poles with a Y fork in them to replace the front one and add another to the back. Much better, I could sit on my luxury chair now. The tarp is quite wide but pretty short so only just big enough to keep the rain off but it worked and I made myself a brew on my home made hobo stove. It’s a stainless steel kitchen utensil holder (Home Bargains again) with a window cut out of it to feed sticks into and a couple of 6 inch nails through the holes to hold my billy can. Works a treat. I leave it in a bucket in my logshed. When I got it out, something had started to make a nest in it. Cheeky blighters! I think it might have been a robin or wren that had decided it wasn’t such a good idea after all and abandoned it.

Home made hobo stove.

The growth of vegetation has been phenomenal in the last few weeks. The area where game birds were reared previously, has lots of tall nettles and other plants now. They weren’t evident last year so the land is starting to regenerate. I don’t particularly want a load of nettles but they are essential breeding habitats for many butterflies. Nettles can be used for making beer and cooked and also making cordage from the stems so eventually I might try my hand with them. I had to do a bit of gardening around my new trees so they don’t rob them of too much light and water. There was a bit of a surprise too. I had used fresh cut hazel poles as stakes for the tree guards when I planted them in winter. Some of them have started to sprout new shoots! When you cut a reasonable sized pole or branch, there will be some residual energy in the bark and underlying tissue that can keep the piece alive for a while so at this stage I don’t know if the poles have formed some roots or just living off this energy. I’ll leave them until autumn and if they are still growing, I’ll carefully lift them and plant them as young trees elsewhere – nice bonus.

Hazel stake with new shoots. Will it take root and provide a new tree?

Between showers, I cut up a large windblown sycamore. It was already down when I took ownership last year and I had hand sawn small logs from it for the wood stove but the main trunk needed a chainsaw. So a backbreaking half hour with my machine soon sorted it out into nice logs ready for splitting. The logs will already be pretty well seasoned and just need some final drying after splitting, a satisfying job done.

Sycamore logs ready for splitting and drying.

Finally, an old friend. Whilst weed clearing I kept getting a wiff of something unpleasant, a sort of gassy smell. I remembered the same smell from last year and as I was in the same area that I found the stinkhorn funghi, I wondered if there was one nearby. A few minutes searching found the culprit. Here it is in all its upright glory!

Stinkhorn funghi

First use of my chainsaw.

My latest visit on Thursday was a busy and tiring one. There were two main objectives I wanted to achieve. Suss out and use my chainsaw for the first time and cut up and store some of the long logs lying around from my coppicing and felling last winter. I bought the chainsaw last year. I didn’t have my felling licence then so there was no hurry to use it. To be honest I have been a bit scared of it (not a bad thing). They are lethal devices and have caused many serious injuries and need to be used with the utmost care. The worst story I have heard of was of a man using one in his garden trimming a tree whilst up a ladder. His wife was below watching. The ladder slipped and he fell backwards and decapitated his wife! Does that evoke a feeling of horror or make you want to laugh? Both for me – now isn’t that a weird contradiction of emotions? So being alone in my woods with this thing was something I have been putting off. Like anything else, there is a learning curve before you become confident and the only way to gain confidence is to do it. I need to start stacking and drying logs for winter so it was time to get to grips with it. Training on chainsaws is phenominally expensive but I bought some good safety gear to minimise the health risks. I read up, studied videos etc on how to use them and treated it with the cautious regard it deserves. All went well, the machine cut through those logs like butter. I split quite a number of then with my other new tool – a fantastic Fiskars X25 axe. At the end of the day I had a nice big pile of logs stacked in my crates and log shed… and an aching back.

Logs crated up for seasoning

Pile of birch logs ready for splitting

Although most of the day was spent working, I took some time out walk around to look at things. Two of my bird boxes that had young ones in, have now been vacated. There is a hole in a tree trunk where I found a nest last year. Last time I visited, their were 8 eggs and the parent sitting on them. Well this time I was pleased to see there are 7 tiny birds which look a few days old. If you look at the photo you can see the eighth bird didn’t survive, it’s the pink one at the front. Usually the parent will dispose if them. I think they are Great tits but I need to see the parent to verify.

Seven hungry little birds

I checked another box. This is a puzzle. It has one egg and an untidy nest. Is it an abandoned nest that didn’t get completed or have the brood fledged and left and this might be an infertile egg left over?

Abandoned nest?

Here are some other photos I took. This brightly coloured insect is aptly named Wasp Beetle. It lays it’s eggs in rotting wood. Probably disturbed it whilst sawing some dead birch logs.

Wasp beetle

I’m not sure what this little flower is yet but it’s such a lovely photograph of it that I had to include it.

What is it?

Finally I found this cute (or is it?) ladybird. We all find these little beetles a sight to enjoy. But look how many spots it has. It’s a Harlequin ladybird. Originally from Asia, it was introduced to North America and mainland Europe as a means of controlling aphids (they eat them). But it has found it’s way to the UK and devours our own native species. Another example of man’s intervention with nature and how it can backfire and upset the natural ecology.

Harlequin Ladybird

One last word. I have had some very nice feedback and compliments on this blog suggesting that quite a few people are enjoying reading it. When I started it, it was mainly as a record for myself and a means of showing a few friends what I have been doing. It gives me a warm feeling to know that my little wood is bringing a bit of pleasure to other people too. So thanks to all of you for taking the time to read it and your kind words.

Day two. I woke again around six. Packed up my sleeping equipment before running the gauntlet of assorted flies lurking in the tent porch and emerged into a beautiful woodland setting, just as I had left it. What an amazing experience that is. Like stepping through a universe portal. OK maybe not but certainly not my usual morning wake up routine. Just me and nature. Time for a coffee. Usually this is a two minute job but not today. First forage some more tinder and dead wood and light the fire. You start to realise why we invented modern conveniences. Not because lighting a fire to make a coffee is unpleasant, far from it, but it just takes so much time. Next job – well all I can say is that doing a poo outdoors surrounded by trees and birdsong is surprisingly pleasant. Just don’t try it in your local park though!

Day two was shaping up nicely as I fashioned a cooking grill from a cooling tray from the pound shop and two logs. Sausage, egg and beans and the smell of wood smoke – fantastic (do the eggs look like Pacman or a startled cartoon ghost?)

Breakfast in the woods.

Morning coffee coming up

The rest of the morning was spent pottering, packing my tent up and keeping the fire going for lunchtime. Time for another coffee and a selfie. (If a bushcrafter has a great time in the woods but there’s nobody there to see it, did it actually happen)

Coffee and selfie.

Lunchtime arrived. A tin of soup and bannock! This time there was no sticky, stick routine. Slap the dough in the skillet with a little oil, pat it down and gently fry and turn it over. The result is a warm doughy middle and crispy crusty outside. The soup was forgettable but the bannock was a triumph. The job of keeping the fire going is pretty time consuming, mainly having to find dry dead wood and take it back. So to make future fire management easier, I built a small log store out of an old packing crate and a tarp from the pound shop. Budget building is also very satisfying. I stocked it up with some cut wood.

Leek and potato soup and bannock for lunch

Before eventually leaving, exhausted (it’s hard work and little sleep) but immensely satisfied, I had a look at some of the bird nest boxes. As I approached one I heard a familiar sound of baby bluetits calling their mother. I was delighted to see a tiny head pop out of the hole as it waited for it’s next mouthful from mum. A little further through the wood and a woodcock flew out of the undergrowth. It had been sitting on four eggs before I disturbed it. Dunno who was most startled.

It has been a fantastic two days. I have learned a lot about my woods and myself too. It is something I will remember and look back on for a long time. Hope you managed to stay the course with me. The blog posting has been a mammoth one.