With the imminent move abroad, my daughter asked for one last night out in the forest before we go. Unfortunately my pack is erm, packed, with all my gear, less my trusty pocket knife and a box of matches. She turned her frown upside down when I told her we can't stay out overnight (that would be great fun, a daddy and daughter over night challenge but she's too young yet) but we could go into the forest for one last time. I pocketed the knife and the box of matches and on the way in, I stopped at the corner shop for some 'essentials'.
Once in the forest, we scouted around for a suitable sight. I don't like returning to the same place every visit as I feel that over use of one area denudes that area of resources over time, so I choose a new spot every time, which also forces me to use different materials frequently. Spot found, we picked suitable materials for a small, bright fire. Pine cones, pine needles were the beginnings of our fire lay, after a lesson on how to correctly use a match to light a fire.
The little one got it going after just three attempts, putting a strong match flame under the pine needles to start our fire. Within a short time and with hardly any help, she produced a warm, bright fire.
Here's some forest TV for those who like to watch.....
So, now that my little girl had gotten us warm, it was my turn to get our 'essentials' on the go. We had discussed what we would eat in great detail on the way in, coming to the conclusion that there really is only one thing suitable for such a celebration, chocolate marshmallow cakes! Ingredients below:
I used my knife to carve the finest toasting wand and we had fun sliding our mini marshmallows onto it, ready for the flames. We took turns making our own cakes, chatting away, playing eye spy, sipping our drinks and just, well, spending time together, before the rushing drama of our move abroad. I decided to bring an 'essential' of my own....
Don't worry people, I took over an hour and a half to drink it all before we put our fire out, cleared up and walked back to the car as the last of the light faded behind the trees. Good night.
Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
Once in the forest, we scouted around for a suitable sight. I don't like returning to the same place every visit as I feel that over use of one area denudes that area of resources over time, so I choose a new spot every time, which also forces me to use different materials frequently. Spot found, we picked suitable materials for a small, bright fire. Pine cones, pine needles were the beginnings of our fire lay, after a lesson on how to correctly use a match to light a fire.
The little one got it going after just three attempts, putting a strong match flame under the pine needles to start our fire. Within a short time and with hardly any help, she produced a warm, bright fire.
Here's some forest TV for those who like to watch.....
So, now that my little girl had gotten us warm, it was my turn to get our 'essentials' on the go. We had discussed what we would eat in great detail on the way in, coming to the conclusion that there really is only one thing suitable for such a celebration, chocolate marshmallow cakes! Ingredients below:
I used my knife to carve the finest toasting wand and we had fun sliding our mini marshmallows onto it, ready for the flames. We took turns making our own cakes, chatting away, playing eye spy, sipping our drinks and just, well, spending time together, before the rushing drama of our move abroad. I decided to bring an 'essential' of my own....
Don't worry people, I took over an hour and a half to drink it all before we put our fire out, cleared up and walked back to the car as the last of the light faded behind the trees. Good night.
Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk
