Well - not just a day but a weekend ... and my usual site which is close to but not actually paradise...
Well - I got to the site after work at about 10am and set about the usual chores, setting up the communal tarp, setting up my pitch, sorting the firewood etc etc then I got stuck into finishing off my new chair (all things have a limited life and my chair broke last time I sat on it!)
I then started playing with my new knife...
I batoned a stick into three to make 3 wedges and trimmed them then used a wedge to split a thicker stick in half and roughed out a spoon.
and then one of the guys from the farm came up with this Owl he had found on the drive - it looked like it had been hit by a vehicle and then lightly nibbled by the farm cats...
I went down to the farm to have a look at where the bird was found then went back up to the site...
After that the light was fading so it was dinner, and a read before an early night.
The next morning, after a breakfast of Bacon Grill and Biscuits Brown I carved the bowl of the spoon then baked some barly meal (Bere from Orkney) bannock for later.
Dave and Stuart arrived as I was preparing the stew for my evening meal and after they had had a look at the Owl it was burried - but not before I had claimed a few of its feathers!
After the bread was baked it was lunchtime - Ratpack soup ... and bannock
The afternoon was spent chatting, getting my stew on (Shin Beef needs a lot of cooking!) and a walk around the farm, during which I found a couple of Hazel poles that will make some nice sticks. We also found so Wild Service Trees in fruit
After the walk we returned to the site and found we had visitors from the farm who stayed to chat for a while ... then it was time for dinner!
Beef stew and Bannock!
then the washing up - trying Petromax's chain mail scourer!
Then came the long evening of putting the world to rights around the fire... and watching for shooting stars.
Sunday morning was the usual low key packing up to go home... and rejoicing that the weather had been kind and the tarps could pack away dry!
A good weekend for me - but not for the Owl!
Well - I got to the site after work at about 10am and set about the usual chores, setting up the communal tarp, setting up my pitch, sorting the firewood etc etc then I got stuck into finishing off my new chair (all things have a limited life and my chair broke last time I sat on it!)
I then started playing with my new knife...
I batoned a stick into three to make 3 wedges and trimmed them then used a wedge to split a thicker stick in half and roughed out a spoon.
and then one of the guys from the farm came up with this Owl he had found on the drive - it looked like it had been hit by a vehicle and then lightly nibbled by the farm cats...
I went down to the farm to have a look at where the bird was found then went back up to the site...
After that the light was fading so it was dinner, and a read before an early night.
The next morning, after a breakfast of Bacon Grill and Biscuits Brown I carved the bowl of the spoon then baked some barly meal (Bere from Orkney) bannock for later.
Dave and Stuart arrived as I was preparing the stew for my evening meal and after they had had a look at the Owl it was burried - but not before I had claimed a few of its feathers!
After the bread was baked it was lunchtime - Ratpack soup ... and bannock
The afternoon was spent chatting, getting my stew on (Shin Beef needs a lot of cooking!) and a walk around the farm, during which I found a couple of Hazel poles that will make some nice sticks. We also found so Wild Service Trees in fruit
After the walk we returned to the site and found we had visitors from the farm who stayed to chat for a while ... then it was time for dinner!
Beef stew and Bannock!
then the washing up - trying Petromax's chain mail scourer!
Then came the long evening of putting the world to rights around the fire... and watching for shooting stars.
Sunday morning was the usual low key packing up to go home... and rejoicing that the weather had been kind and the tarps could pack away dry!
A good weekend for me - but not for the Owl!
