Corrugation Sunday

Ok so I still haven't finished my washing-up stand. In fact I haven't touched it all day (except of course to dump stuff on it). However, we now have a large decking area which makes a fab flat area to work on it in some kind of order - particularly as I probably need to take the stand apart and put it back together properly. The most amazing part about the finished decking though is that it will now remain dry.... the shelter has a roof! We have a waterproof "kitchen" and it's simply awesome.
There were some scary moments on the roof when all spectators were actually holding their breath watching Flee balance precariously whilst screwing the corrugated roofing down - but he has done an outstanding job. Just the bark roll covering to go on the top to help it blend into the woodland, then the name board to hang along the front and it's done. Then of course us ladies can get to work on the "interior" (namely the wine rack). I'm intending to grow some native climbers like wild honeysuckle and Old man's beard (wild British Clematis) up the support posts and over the top. I have found the honeysuckle in the wood already, so I will take some cuttings and grow it on in pots first before transplanting into position early next year. We are also intending to dig a channel along the back of the roof to collect the rainwater for hand and dish washing etc.
Tracey and I extended the steps down to the fire with three new ones and tried out some different ideas and materials to make the kitchen sideboard from - needless to say there's still some thinking to do on that one.
Ant spent most of the day sorting through and sawing up the dead wood into a massive firewood pile ready for the first proper camping weekend and we still managed plenty of coffee time admiring the spring flowers and watching the birds (and bank vole) taking their turns at the peanut feeders.
We also met another neighbour, Jeremy, for the first time today. He owns High Beeches and was out walking with his two dogs when one of them decided to bound right up to Ant and start barking insanely at him! Jeremy came over from his land to the west to have a look around and chat about the recent bout of clay pigeon shooting that he wasn't happy about. Thankfully he now knows it wasn't us.
There is a gathering next Saturday for all the new owners of Blackfold wood, where we will hopefully get some answers and meet the other neighbours as well as receive our share of the venison that has been butchered after the spring deer management work. Seems a shame obviously to lose deer, but we see first hand the damage too many of them can do in a small woodland so it seems justified for the good of the other wildlife.

Fire by friction

We knew we were going to have willing volunteers today, but we were astounded at how much work we'd actually get done on such a beautiful day. Flee and Tracey were on a brew break when we arrived mid-morning having just finished lugging a load of wooden posts and planks from their landy down into camp. Simon arrived shortly afterwards and before long we got started on the next stage of getting the kitchen/shelter ready for the late May bank holiday. The chicken wire that had served to stop us slipping on the clay throughout last autumn was removed, along with a few more layers of clay to level it out and the old posts laid out to form joists for the decking. Long roof struts were needed, so after some seriously bad spade action, Tracey and I left the boys to it in search of long straight trees in the north west corner where the birch needs thinning. Simon made light work of getting them down with the chainsaw and we humped the 6 metre lengths back through the trees to the waiting foreman. By the time the sausages were sizzling on the fire for lunch, half the decking was down and the first few struts were in. A few more lengths were needed and more planks will be needed to finish the floor, as well as the waterproof corrugated sheeting for the roof which we will hopefully have for next weekend. So all in all, the kitchen is really starting to look like a proper shelter - can't wait to see how it will look when the roof is finished. The sun was hot today despite it being only April so I think we are going to be thankful for the shade too come mid summer; the camp area is such a sun trap.
Lee and the kids came up too and spent some time building their own small camp in the eastern Alder carr with a fire and tarp shelter - getting some practice in for their own Bear Grylls weekend.
Time spent chilling by the fire and admiring our handy work allowed Ant the chance to turn "islander" and have a go at making friction by fire with a bow drill whilst I did some more work on my washing-up stand. Tracey and I even snuck in a couple of mugs of Spanish plonk, so all in all, another cracking day.

sunshine and stripping...

...bark that is! It's been a weekend of blisters, knife wounds and bark stripping for me, in my attempt to make my first piece of green, round-wood furniture. Now, for a planner such as me, you'd been forgiven for thinking I would approach this armed with reference books, neatly drawn diagrams, and a tape measure at the very least... but you'd be wrong. Very wrong. I went last weekend armed with determination and a saw. I chopped down, (in an area that needs massive thinning of course) a fairly straight (or so I thought), 4" diameter tall spindly tree. Which I then chopped up into pieces roughly the same length with the idea of making a long, low, skinny table to put next to the shower. I had no illusions about my level of skill or experience and so decided I would aim low and make something that only needed to be strong enough to keep towels off the ground and would be infrequently used (and hidden away in a secluded spot, visible by only those brave enough to strip off in the woods to wash).

As it turns out, I am not half way through building a towel table at all, but half way through building a VERY rustic washing-up stand, with two shelves, a sunken bowl and brush holder, oh and of course it does actually now have a place to hang a tea towel. Ambition is over-rated.
The problem with my "just-get-on-with-it-how-hard-can-it-be" approach is that I've done it all in completely the wrong order and made life ten times harder for myself.... but by god have I enjoyed doing it (apart from the inevitable injuries of course). I intend to finish it next weekend when I hope to have mastered the carved joints, wooden pegs and cross-bracing as it is still a tad wobbly!
Ant and Alan were brave enough to spend last night in the woods under tarps and spent much of yesterday making some new beds for the occasion, complete with ridge lines and new rustic tent pegs. Thankfully it stayed dry as we had plugged a hole in one of the tarps with sticky plasters from the first aid kit. Something I was to regret today when I ran out of plasters and bled all over my lovingly stripped woodwork. Typical. I however had a nice warm nights sleep at home where I spent the evening tackling the mound of paperwork that arrived from the solicitors on Friday. The joys of moving house.
The sun was absolutely glorious today and after watching the Chinese grand prix at some ungodly hour, I set off for Rais once more to see how the boys had survived the chilly night.
Ant was up, the campfire was going, but there was no sign of Alan. Cocooned in his tarp tent and snoring away I figured it wasn't really fair to start hammering or drilling away at my table again, so we headed up onto the clearing and got the bonfire going ready to burn the last of this seasons efforts to clear the Rhodie. We won't take any more out now until the wildlife have had a chance to raise their young and summer is over. Around mid-morning Simon turned up to help, armed with much-needed bacon sarnies which brought Alan out of his slumber and together we got the last of the shrubs on the fire and gone - good bloody riddance! I have to say I'm not going to miss Rhodie duty for the next few months and I know Ant won't either. He has, almost single-handedly, managed to clear most of the Western side of Rais now and it looks incredible. Going to take a season or two for the ground level to start shooting through the leaf litter, but I'm guessing the forest floor hasn't seen any sun for many a year.
Took a wander over the southern clearing too and was pleased to see it carpeted with tiny purple Dog Violets. The primroses are out in full bloom and we saw a number of butterflies today too. Such a perfect day for them. Woodpeckers still drilling, Tawnies calling to each other all night and the birds are now visiting the feeders even whilst we are working around them. Also noticed the badger sett is being used too as a pile of freshly excavated earth has appeared outside one of the entrances. Very excited. So I have set up the camera trap outside and will check again in a couple of weeks time. Can't wait for next weekend now.

Finally capture the Nuthatch (Sittidae)

One of my favourite British woodland birds, the Nuthatches, are now in abundance at Rais and regularly visiting the feeders. I believe they are the only British bird to walk face first down a tree trunk, and as their name suggests, they come down to feast on the peanuts I have been hiding in tree stumps and crevices. Behaving like a tit-sized woodpecker they fly from trunk to trunk rather than branch to branch and spend quite some time choosing the right peanut each time they come down meaning it's not too difficult to get a good look at them close up. Something I spent 3 hours doing this morning in the hide. When not eating my offerings, they feed on insects, hazel nuts, acorns, beechmast and other nuts and seeds and apparently don't ever venture far from their nesting spots - so hopefully I can enjoy them for a good while to come.  Light rain around, but really strong winds causing a worrying amount of debris to fall down from the trees around me - so I called it a day at lunchtime and look forward to a time when my hide is made from something more substantial than plastic tarps.

Birch Sap Saturday

Yesterday whilst sorting through a huge pile of magazines I haven't got round to reading yet I came across an article about harvesting birch sap and the amazing medicinal and health benefits of drinking the stuff (obviously not if you turn it into wine or beer first which is pretty common) but if you drink it "raw" so to speak.

Since we have an abundance of Birch in the north east corner of Rais, I decided to give it a go, so I researched a few websites to find out how to do it - sounded pretty simple, so this morning I armed myself with a washed-out Ribena bottle, a sharp knife and a bungee strap and set off for the wood.
Unfortunately it didn't quite go to plan... I tied the bottle to the tree, inserted my whittled "tap" and had sap dripping into the bottle no problem - but then I disappeared for a brew and returned to discover the weight of the filling bottle had pulled it out of the bungee strap, down the bank and into the flowing stream below - annoyingly when I found it, it was 3/4 full and standing upright in the stream with water flowing past a few inches below the top - so I was left pondering the physics of working out if the contents are likely to still be sap or stream water (cue a second brew). I decided, given the circumstances, it probably wasn't a good idea to drink it neat but to take it home and Google whether or not boiling it would destroy the good bits in it that would allegedly make me feel ten years younger - and in doing so, boy did I set myself up for a lesson in patience.
I discovered that 100 litres of birch sap could be evaporated down to make just 1 litre of Birch sap syrup - so my measly 2 litres of possible sap (but potentially stream water) could maybe yield me a teaspoon of said golden elixir. So I got out the saucepan and the sieve and read on.
Birch sap apparently generates a golden syrup not unlike maple syrup, only savory not sweet. Good to put on pancakes, or in sauces etc. and keeps forever! Sounded marvelous - however it must not be allowed to boil rapidly since the sugar inside it is very delicate and would very quickly give it a burnt taste. So I set the pan on a low heat and waited...and waited...and waited.
4 hours later and I was swilling a saucepan staring at urine coloured liquid an inch deep - hardly syrup and with not a particularly promising odour. So I waited some more.
Another hour or so and it was most definitely syrup coloured if a little on the thin side - I decided my tablespoon of "syrup" might gloop up a bit if I poured it into a cold glass... it didn't. But what the heck I had expended far too much effort not to taste it now - I sipped. It blew my head off! I sipped again - nope not a mistake, it blew my head off. Strangely enjoyable though. So after boiling it down for over 5 hours I decided to pour it into a mug, and add boiling water to make a drink, I of course chucked in a shot of Amarula for good luck and downed the lot. As a result, I will be heading back to Rais tomorrow to give it another go - that is of course if I haven't given myself some nasty stomach bug!