Central Scotland Meetup: Brownlee, Feb 2006

[CraigM9]

Apologies Guys,

Not able to play as I had planned - hoping to pop over sunday morning though!

Have a good one - hope you shift the flu George!

Regards,

Craig.

 

[jason01]

Blimey, it should be a small and elite group at this one! I'm not going to be able to make it either

Trying to sort out directions and I got this:

I think you must all be in the woodland at the bottom left quadrant of the pic, unless Im looking in totally the wrong place, cant see the fire though

Hope you have a great time.

 

[MagiKelly]

Blimey, it should be a small and elite group at this one! I'm not going to be able to make it either

There is no hiding quality

 

[Toddy]

There is no hiding quality

Had a beeeautiful day up there today, sunshine, birdsong, woodlands, water, fire going, kettle on, good company.....

The road is busy but once on the path towards the river the noise just disappears and the woods are quiet and peaceful.
I'll see that the gate is open early tomorrow, Warthog1981 will probably beat me to it though, if the wildlife lets him get some sleep

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[Grooveski]

That was torture Toddy by the way. My desk isn't that far away and with you annoucing that you were away out for a wander.
You got a nice day for it.

Judging by the last weeks weather I think I'll pack for "changable".

 

[JohnC]

Testing a bench at Brownlee

 

[Mike Brady]

Thanks for the photo John. That just sums up the weekend.

I had a really good time and enjoyed meeting you all - great to work with people who have respect from the environment and can see jobs that need doing and just get on with them. Thanks.

I'll meet with the local landowners once I'm back from a weeks holiday and let them know that we plan more meets. I'll also try and source some better parking.

Looking like the next task will be to sort out the pond dam, clear the overhanging trees and do a bit more litter clearance. Once I've got a date sorted I'll post it on the thread and let you know the details.

Hope you all enjoyed it as much as me.

Mike

 

[wildrover]

Hi, Toddy
Sorry I was a no show.
The kids are down with a sickness bug.

It wasn't fair to leave the wife to deal with it on her own

I'm gutted (my bag had been packed for days).

Hopefully I will manage the next one (fingers crossed)

 

[wildeep]

Regards to everyone who made it to the Brownlee meet. 'twas great to meet you all and in such a charming location too.

Here is a web page with info on the delicious Velvet Shank mushrooms and the poisonous look-alike that was pushing my paranoid buttons:

http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/march97.html

the deadly gallerina marginata (aka gallerina autumnalis) is recorded in a number of UK mushroom surveys (although I have never seen one,) but I am unclear as to why it should be omitted from so much of the brittish fungus literature...

Hope to see you again soon!

 

[JohnC]

I'm still alive and well after the fried mushroom (and very nice it was)

 

[Grooveski]

Way too short for me(but that's a one-nighter and sleeping in for you).
Was great to meet you all and have a look around the place . A very interesting place is is too.

A few pics - forgot to lift the camera when we went a wander .

This was entirely too cosy. There's certainly no shortage of trees to roost in.

It's a high variety woodland. These pics barely scratch the surface.

Didn't get over over to see the dam. Here's a "before" pic of the pond for posterity.

I'm starting to think folk'll have to ban me from the fire before I get round to trying the bow-drill but as always others were mastering the rubbing of the sticks .

Roll on March and that fresh holiday sheet. Wish I'd been there Friday as well.

 

[JFW]

Thanks for a great weekend guys (and girls) despited being dumped out my hammock 3 times I can honestly say that sleeping in a hammock is the way to go, well once you sort out your knots.
Hope you all made it home safely.

Cheers

JFW

 

[Grooveski]

Thought I heard someone having a down-to-earth moment . While drifting off to sleep my last thought was "What you grinning at? You might be next! ".

Was reading a book over Warthog's shoulder at one point and meant to take a note of it's name. A5 with black and white pics of various stone/antler/etc tools. Not much writing, just comments on the pics. Could it's owner post the title please so I can try and track down a copy?

 

[match]

Yep - wonderful weekend - just trying to get on with a day back in the office has been a toughie!

Grooveski - those books were ones that Mike brought along and was happy to lend to folk - if you PM him you can probably borrow it...

Will see if there are any pics worth putting up onn the camera - mostly forgot to take any!

 

[Gill]

great weekend folks i think i,ll be at more thanks people.between jfw three dump hammock trick and three legged stools eh!.hope to see you all soon .grooveski that guy in the picture certainly looks as if he knows what he,s doing.

 

[warthog1981]

it was an excellent weekend the stuff that memorys are made from a big thanks to everyone who was there

 

[Grooveski]

Doing better than I did Gill! There's the first wisp of smoke there, I barely raised steam at the North Meet.

Cheers Mat, Warthog PM'd me that he's got it. I'll huckle it for a look at the next one.
I'm much the same, kind of distracted, it's a hard place to get out your head.
Was just looking at the aerial shot that Jason posted - looks so different now. I can see the pond as plain as day, where I pitched my first hammock, where I gathered my first crampballs, where I plucked my first ripe swan....
I feel like going round and doing something, picking some litter or just wandering the ash wood admiring potential bow staves.

Did anyone else find it odd to have the dead/live wood situation reversed? Normaly it's use the dead and leave the live but here it's leave the dead for the fungi/nature and selectively thin the overcrowded. I'll bet more live trees came down over the weekend than in all the uk meets last year.

 

[JohnC]

Very true, I was looking over my shoulder when I was cutting down the ash poles.. and that was with the ranger saying I could!

 

[Toddy]

I had an excellent time folks, thanks for the company and many thanks to Mike Brady for sorting out access, etc., It was good to see so many people, both known faces and new ones too. Thanks too to everyone who took the time and trouble to explain, teach and demonstrate skills, it really helped made the meet special. :You_Rock_
I have photos to post, I'll get to it, promise

Thanks too to all of the people I bartered with, I reckon I won.
Lots of good things

JFW (thank you for carving the wooden spoon)and Warthog1981, my brother says that if you use the casenit it will make the edge so brittle the steel will shatter with a blow, I'll bring some next time but might bring brother too so you can all have a play around with the stuff

JohnC, hope you got the car sorted out without problems. I'm still sorry you had to. I'm impressed with the woolen shirt & I'll see about green linen.

Ben, nice site, loved the photos, welcome to Bcuk, and don't be a stranger. The velvet shanks were delicious

Match & Fireferret, those twisted staves are going to be so beautiful, remember photos, please

Warthog1981 made fire first time of trying with the bowdrill too...elder hearth and hazel spindle.

And a big thank you to everyone who cut up Fomes for my dyepot too, much appreciated

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[morch]

I must say it sounds like it was a great weekend. It looks like i'm moving to Dumfrieshire at the end of the month, so i'm hoping to see some of you again and meet all of the new faces at future Scottish meets, assuming a sarsonac (sp) with little knowledge but bags of enthusiasm is still welcome Well done Toddy for organising what sounds like a great meet :You_Rock_