Break out the winter woolies .......

mountainm

Bushcrafter through and through
Jan 12, 2011
9,990
12
Selby
www.mikemountain.co.uk
Some of the Mayan and Inca stuff is incredible. I wonder sometimes though looking at our own landscape which are the most laudable - those like William the Bast....err lets be nice and say William of Normandy...who change a landscape and country with stone buildings and enclosures - or those like some of the First Nations who tread so lightly on the earth that they leave almost nothing behind? Certainly some are more remembered - or at least marked - but it calls to mind Ozymandias somehow.

Some of the first nations (if youre including aztecs, mayans and incas) didnt tread that lightly at all and deforested large areas for organised agriculture on industrial scales for the time period.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,888
2,141
Mercia
Very true - I was thinking of those who did - although I wonder whether that was conscious decision or merely perhaps lack of opportunity? Few seem to shun higher technologies when it becomes imported - even ultimately if it spells their doom
 

mountainm

Bushcrafter through and through
Jan 12, 2011
9,990
12
Selby
www.mikemountain.co.uk
Very true - I was thinking of those who did - although I wonder whether that was conscious decision or merely perhaps lack of opportunity? Few seem to shun higher technologies when it becomes imported - even ultimately if it spells their doom

Unfortunately history would imply the finite nature of resources only presents itself to a civilisation as a real issue when it's too late to adapt. And (even more unfortunately) it's basic human nature to exploit, as we evolved when times of plenty were few and far between. Those that exploited - survived and prospered.
 

THOaken

Native
Jan 21, 2013
1,299
1
31
England(Scottish Native)
But we JUST had a winter that lasted forever. Despite my quote, I'm not such a big fan of winter as I am the other seasons. There is positivity in a good, harsh winter as it's obviously necessary in nature, but I much prefer the rebirth of the forest in spring or the rustic aesthetic of autumn.
 
Last edited:

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
18
Scotland
Ugh. We JUST had a winter that lasted forever.

It's not so bad THoaken,

The winter is full of positives. We get an excuse to eat more home made soup and big hearty stews, sausages come off of the "bad" list". All those wonderful root vegetables come into their own; mashed tatties, chappit neeps, roast parsnips, honeyed carrots.

We get to wrap up in lovely warm snuggly layers, wear big boots, get the cosy hat and gloves out of the press. We get to come indoors on a foul driech day and warm up in front of a fire and defrost our hands around a hot drink. If you've a fire its an excuse to have it on all the time - practicing those skills whilst making toast in front of it.

Outside there's no insects - midge are a distant memory, the rain cleans the streets and the wind sweeps up. Then the scattered diamond clear nights when your head goes pop trying to imagine the amount of stars. Shooting stars, clear full moons, northern lights, glittered frosty landscapes and strange patterns frozen in puddles.

I like the winter, those cloudy breathed tramps through a winter landscape are wonderful. Summer's great too - but they each can make you appreciate the other.

Right where's my boots...
 

Uilleachan

Full Member
Aug 14, 2013
585
5
Northwest Scotland
The village I live in was evangelised by St Mungo's folks in the 6th century.....they took over a much older pagan site to do so. The Romans camped about a mile outside the village before then.

My Austalian sister in law laughed when I commented that this was the new road, built when the old one had been moved in the 1700's.

There are cinerary urns in the local museum that date back at least four and a half thousand years.

There's nothing unusual in any of that in the UK :)

Varves and pollen analysis tells us a great deal about the weather of the past. Lands that are now sub marginal were actively worked as arable when the Romans came to the UK. It would only need a temperature rise of a couple of deg C to totally change the flora in some areas.
I know we all look forward to a really cold Winter, but the records show much more of the not frozen cold but wet type :sigh:

cheers,
Toddy

The jet stream is still doing it's back to front thing, so it'll likely be another long winter with continental and arctic air flows dominating the weather, again.
Although there's no guarantee that'll translate to harsh cold for us. Winter before last was very cold on the continent, people freezing to death all over eastern europe -30 in places used to -20 and -40 in places used to -30, it dropped to -20 in parts of the south of france where winter normally lasts for a fortnight. We just missed it sat on the western edge of the big high pressure meaning our weather influence was largely atlantic, meaning it was a characteristically damp affair but not because of our usual run of atlantic fronts, rather a quirk of being on the atlantic edge of the huge continental high pressure system.

Last time we had prolonged jet stream misbehavior like this giving us cold winters were the winters between 76/77 to 83/84, remember the talk of a new ice age??? But not to worry, after things got back to normal the wind blew hard and it rained, continually for 5 years, just to let us know what we'd been missing :D
 

THOaken

Native
Jan 21, 2013
1,299
1
31
England(Scottish Native)
It's not so bad THoaken,

The winter is full of positives. We get an excuse to eat more home made soup and big hearty stews, sausages come off of the "bad" list". All those wonderful root vegetables come into their own; mashed tatties, chappit neeps, roast parsnips, honeyed carrots.

We get to wrap up in lovely warm snuggly layers, wear big boots, get the cosy hat and gloves out of the press. We get to come indoors on a foul driech day and warm up in front of a fire and defrost our hands around a hot drink. If you've a fire its an excuse to have it on all the time - practicing those skills whilst making toast in front of it.

Outside there's no insects - midge are a distant memory, the rain cleans the streets and the wind sweeps up. Then the scattered diamond clear nights when your head goes pop trying to imagine the amount of stars. Shooting stars, clear full moons, northern lights, glittered frosty landscapes and strange patterns frozen in puddles.

I like the winter, those cloudy breathed tramps through a winter landscape are wonderful. Summer's great too - but they each can make you appreciate the other.

Right where's my boots...
That was very poetic, Goatboy. I do like those things about winter, and I really like the atmosphere, but I feel like that last one we had dragged on far too long. I was dying to see the first new shoots, that wonderful time when nature comes again out of the bare blackness of winter. There's something good about all the seasons.
 
Last edited:

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
18
Scotland
That was very poetic, Goatboy. I do like those things about winter, and I really like the atmosphere, but I feel like that last one we had dragged on far too long. I was dying to see the first new shoots, that wonderful time when nature comes again out of the bare blackness of winter. There's something good about all the seasons.

I understand, was just trying to cheer you up. As you say all seasons have their boons, I just find Autumn and Winter exciting and beautiful.

Keep cosy,
GB.
 

Dave

Hill Dweller
Sep 17, 2003
6,019
11
Brigantia
That'll be the tenants super....

Bit of useless trivia, Carlsberg Special Brew, commonly unkindly called 'tramp juice' was invented for none other than Winston Churchill. [In commeroration of a visit to holland] Who liked the stuff.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
It's not so bad THoaken,

The winter is full of positives. We get an excuse to eat more home made soup and big hearty stews, sausages come off of the "bad" list". All those wonderful root vegetables come into their own; mashed tatties, chappit neeps, roast parsnips, honeyed carrots.

We get to wrap up in lovely warm snuggly layers, wear big boots, get the cosy hat and gloves out of the press. We get to come indoors on a foul driech day and warm up in front of a fire and defrost our hands around a hot drink. If you've a fire its an excuse to have it on all the time - practicing those skills whilst making toast in front of it.

Outside there's no insects - midge are a distant memory, the rain cleans the streets and the wind sweeps up. Then the scattered diamond clear nights when your head goes pop trying to imagine the amount of stars. Shooting stars, clear full moons, northern lights, glittered frosty landscapes and strange patterns frozen in puddles.

I like the winter, those cloudy breathed tramps through a winter landscape are wonderful. Summer's great too - but they each can make you appreciate the other.

Right where's my boots...

and mine :D

That just.....yes :) that sums it up perfectly for me :D

atb,
M
 

Dave

Hill Dweller
Sep 17, 2003
6,019
11
Brigantia
Im dead chuffed with my swedish army wool jacket, now ive got one which fits. I used leather buttons for the chest pockets which was a mistake, it looked like I had chocolate nipples. People kept staring at them when i was walking my dog. Then I got some proper filson mackinaw cruiser buttons, and now its just so comfy. Well chuffed with it.
 
Last edited:

Globetrotter.uk

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 24, 2008
2,063
5
Norwich UK
Maybe I won't bother heading north this Christmas to visit in-laws. Save the train fare and buy myself more gear.

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
:lmao:
Yeah, you try being female and in something like the scouts; it needs careful thought on the positioning of badges, especially the old hiding money behind them thing :rolleyes:

M
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,120
68
Florida
:lmao:
Yeah, you try being female and in something like the scouts; it needs careful thought on the positioning of badges, especially the old hiding money behind them thing :rolleyes:

M

Yes but skydiving's much easier for females. The harness doesn't catch you in painful places!
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
Ah, good point :D
I'm told that bungee jumping needs care if one is big girl though. You know ? that is one sport that I just have never fancied; it strikes me as the mother of all headaches in the making.

Back to the cold winter topic though; it's a beautiful day here, and even though our bedroom window was open all night the room wasn't baltic this morning :D

cheers,
M
 

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE