So what have you been up to for the past week?

[mrmel]

Woop Woop Bcuk Is Back!!!
I was gutted not to have anything to read while killing time. Unemployment sucks!
Well done any and all that got it up and running again.
YAY!

 

[Chris the Cat]

Paying my deposit for the Arctic trip !
(and worrying how the hell to sort out the flights!)
Welcome back!
C da C.

 

[tobes01]

Completed Race the Sun - 50 mile bike ride, climb Helvellyn, 2 mile canoe. THAT's how bored I was without my BCUK fix

Well done on getting it back Tony, can't imagine why we'd be the target for a DDOS...

 

[Peter_t]

i spent most of the week working hard cutting down diseased elm trees. one particularly big one i had to climb 50 or 60 feet with spikes then fell the top:yikes: its quite spectacular to watch it going over then fall and crash on the ground. it can be a bit hairy scary at times but i love it i just got home from another job and am absolutely knackered

glad the forums back!

Pete

 

[Ruvio]

I played cricket against the lords taverners...pedro collins played against us, which was a shocking yet amazing experience.
Wrote some more of my book...
and then got food poisoning

 

[Nickthechippy]

Nowhere near as good as Topknots pouch... but

I decided to try some leather work, order some stuff ..needles thread etc and copied roughly my coachies dog treat bag. I am going to use it for that.
I had an old Timberland calf skin coat I was going to throw out.

anyways without BCUK to trawl for help I got some tips off BritishBlades.

I lined the bag with the silk from the coat as well.

Its suede on both sides. I know it looks rough (and it is) but its all hand done and the first thing I have ever sewn, let alone leather

 

[Man of Tanith]

gods its a relief to have BCUK back and running again,
thanks Tony for all the hard work i know it must of been frustrating to deal with.
this week i have bought a SAS smock from SASS kit and gone on few short walks witht he dog and worked too much, and sent my entire family nuts sulking cause BCUK weren't online.
cheers
Sam

 

[hiho]

building a post count on the toher two fourms :O

 

[locum76]

I cycled a total of 50 miles on me new bike, I worked my bottom off at work (made a grand this week), I sent off my money to John Fenna for a dragons breath thingamabob (cheers john), I'm working the farmers market tomorrow and then maybe off to Dunc's for some of his home brew.

Its amazing what can be done when you're not glued to the interweb...

 

[addo]

i spent most of the week working hard cutting down diseased elm trees. one particularly big one i had to climb 50 or 60 feet with spikes then fell the top:yikes: its quite spectacular to watch it going over then fall and crash on the ground. it can be a bit hairy scary at times but i love it i just got home from another job and am absolutely knackered

glad the forums back!

Pete

Right laugh ay.

One of the biggist bum clenching moments for me, was reducing 60' Grey poplars by 50% in one go on spikes. Yeeeeehaaaa.
I dont reccomend it though, the kick back nearly sent me into the next village

Ive been collecting all the bits for making several different bow drill sets, and gathering natural tinders.

 

[dogwood]

Welcome back BCUK -- and good job Tony!

I took my daughter to Illinois to start college (I weep for missing her!) and I spent some time studying the natural prairie here in the US -- a fascinating ecosystem.

I also harvested a lot of dogbane while I was there -- the place was thick with it -- processed a bunch of it by the side of the road and put it in plastic bags to ship back.

My bags of plant material earned a fair amount of attention at the airport.

"It's for making cordage," says I.

"Huh, what? Is this drugs?"

"No, I'm going to make cordage with it..."

"It looks illegal, I'll have to call my chief..."

"No it looks like rope...just before it gets all twisted up..."

After 20 minutes of further explanation -- including an impromptu demonstration -- they let me board my plane....

 

[Peter_t]

Right laugh ay.

One of the biggist bum clenching moments for me, was reducing 60' Grey poplars by 50% in one go on spikes. Yeeeeehaaaa.
I dont reccomend it though, the kick back nearly sent me into the next village

i love the moment when it starts going over the few of times iv done it it usually goes like this;
panic! chainbrake, pull saw out of the cut, swich off then drop the saw, brace yourself! 'few' im glad thats over and finaly smug cheesey grin


pete

 

[BILLy]

I bought 6 tree books (my kids and misses say i am sad)on my 4 day break in my caravan.
In work, my boss has gone on holiday to the states and he asked me to stand in for him, go to meetings and sort out issues as they arise, what a job he has dont think i could do it much more that 3 weeks (on my money ), anyway today i took loads of kit to the woods expecting to get up to stuff but i just sat there doing nothing for about an hour or so, just watching whats going on, the sun has been really brite today , shining through the canopy of the woods as i sat on a bent tree like it was growing the wrong way then decided to turn the other way making a nice seat, lovely feeling after the stresses of work, I could hear what i thought was a wood pecker but looking through my spoting scope seen a small bird pecking like mad, looked like it was trying to smash something? dont think it was a hazel (cob) nut although there where a lot around, then a big crow came flying through coughing as he went, and wood pigeons flighting in to the trees cooing to each other as they settled down to soak up the rays, did`nt want to leave but I had to, well thats charged me up for now. and had a slow walk back through five fields back to my car back to reality, Take care all Bill

 

[JohnC]

Nice to see the forums back... Good work from all...

Went climbing at Ratho, realised I need to lose some weight.....
MAde some chutney from BR's recipe..
MAde some plum jam
Made a spoon knife
CArved out a kuska..

Waited for BCUK to come back....

 

[Walks with dogs]

Forgot to add.... We have some redcurrants the wife didn't know what to do with, so I did the decent thing and stuck them in a bannock. My missus now realise bushcraft is a good thing , not just daft husband donkeying around in the back garden eating grass!

 

[Nagual]

Past week, I've went for a wee bimble - 14 mile round trip, starting around sea level, heading up past the old resi in Biships Glen, up over The Sorach to Black Craig, down past Blairbluie and back along the Coralach Forest. As usual the weather was fairly pants, but was bareable.

Along the way found some Greater Reed Mace, and harvested a root or two, tried a bit raw and later cooked. Have to say I think I prefered it raw, had more flavour. Although it may be this time of year, they really didn't taste of much at all.

Haven't done anymore work on the bow(s) yet but will at some point.

Going up into the hills today in a hour or so, maybe up Glen Fyne or maybe Loch Eck.. to be decided. Just an over nighter so nothing to write home about. There's always something to stop you doing what you'd like isn't there?

Looking forward to playing with catapult now fishfish's elastic has arrived..

 

[rich59]

I poked at my 14-15 gallons of fermenting white elderberry wine and chatted on a wine making forum. I spent a few hours making notes on my elderberry bush plantation. I practiced concertina. I sang a bit. I cooked and ate some amaranth leaves I was growing as an experiment in my garden. I read New Scientist. I did a lot at work.......

 

[bearbait]

Went to Canada. Currently in Northern B.C. on the Ksan First Nations Camp Site in Hazleton (2.5 days driving from Vancouver). Heading for Prince Rupert and ferry to the Queen Charlotte Islands for a couple of weeks of day hiking, then back to Vancouver via the Rockies, again for the day hikes, and eventually back home to a disgruntled 'er indoors...and my dogs.

Pleased you guys have got the forum back - sterling effort.

 

[Tye Possum]

I read some of Bushcraft by Mors Kochanski, made some match stick feather sticks, then burned them to see what would happen (I made a spiral down around the match on one, from near the bottom to the match head and it burned down in a spiral which was kind of cool), I watched two bad movies, I helped my parents order my birthday presents off the internet(not much of a surprise but who cares, I'm getting a DD tarp!), and I frequently checked BCUK to see if it was back, sighed and then went and did one of the things above, then finally a sigh of relief because the forum was back, Hurray!!! Thanks Tony and everyone else who have been working so hard to get the site back, if it wasn't for you, I'm sure some of us wouldn't have made it much longer!

 

[swyn]

I'm building a brick wall using lime mortar and reclaimed bricks. It's now up to 8', three more courses to go. My wife is being my helper, as ever, thanks love!

Swyn.