Last of the Summer Wine

Despite a couple of quite sunny days, the temperature dropped and the wind turned a little chilly. I could just feel a slight coolness on my fingers as the wind turned to blow from the north. Some say Autumn has started but I still say it's late summer. (Ever the optimist.)

I went out to Poor Park Woods yesterday and unsuccessfully tracked the Fallow deer around the woods for a few hours. They led me on a hilarious merry dance which I'll talk about another time. I ended up exhausted and, after a rest, decided to gather the last of the blackberries for my special Christmas brew. I had to be selective as many had passed their sell by date.

The landscape looked decidedly weary. Fields have been ploughed and the foliage looks decidedly tired and droopy. An occasional yellow leaf fluttered gently earthward on the breeze. No. It won't be long, but it's not here yet.

To prove a point I went to Broaks Wood today. It was actually warmer and the wind was again coming from the south west . 

I concentrated my efforts on the ponds and the dragonflies. I've not taken many photos of dragonflies this year and there wouldn't be too many chances left.

The bright morning sunshine brought out the larger ones first. An Emperor was hawking the main pond. Despite the 45 degree angled stick trick, he wouldn't land for love nor money.

 

The male Common darter didn't disappoint when I tried to get it on my finger.

The female's were a little more shy and tended to stay in the higher branches.

The Southern hawker preferred to "hang" on the gorse waiting until a little later for his flight.

This Forest bug clung to my trousers as if to hide from the aerial battles although with all that armour, I'm sure he would be fine.

This unidentified spider spun it's web quickly in the hopes of catching one of the dragonflies.

You find strange things in Broaks Wood ponds (after a design by Fenlander - cheers mate) much to the delight of the young naturalists in the area, who didn't see me put it in the pond!

Yes, it will soon be Autumn by my calculations. This weekend was definitely the Last of the Summer Wine.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Last of the Summer Wine

Despite a couple of quite sunny days, the temperature dropped and the wind turned a little chilly. I could just feel a slight coolness on my fingers as the wind turned to blow from the north. Some say Autumn has started but I still say it's late summer. (Ever the optimist.)

I went out to Poor Park Woods yesterday and unsuccessfully tracked the Fallow deer around the woods for a few hours. They led me on a hilarious merry dance which I'll talk about another time. I ended up exhausted and, after a rest, decided to gather the last of the blackberries for my special Christmas brew. I had to be selective as many had passed their sell by date.

The landscape looked decidedly weary. Fields have been ploughed and the foliage looks decidedly tired and droopy. An occasional yellow leaf fluttered gently earthward on the breeze. No. It won't be long, but it's not here yet.

To prove a point I went to Broaks Wood today. It was actually warmer and the wind was again coming from the south west . 

I concentrated my efforts on the ponds and the dragonflies. I've not taken many photos of dragonflies this year and there wouldn't be too many chances left.

The bright morning sunshine brought out the larger ones first. An Emperor was hawking the main pond. Despite the 45 degree angled stick trick, he wouldn't land for love nor money.

 

The male Common darter didn't disappoint when I tried to get it on my finger.

The female's were a little more shy and tended to stay in the higher branches.

The Southern hawker preferred to "hang" on the gorse waiting until a little later for his flight.

This Forest bug clung to my trousers as if to hide from the aerial battles although with all that armour, I'm sure he would be fine.

This unidentified spider spun it's web quickly in the hopes of catching one of the dragonflies.

You find strange things in Broaks Wood ponds (after a design by Fenlander - cheers mate) much to the delight of the young naturalists in the area, who didn't see me put it in the pond!

Yes, it will soon be Autumn by my calculations. This weekend was definitely the Last of the Summer Wine.

Thanks for the visit.

Pablo.

Benchmade Snody Activator Initial Review

I was after a small, thin, neck knife and stalked around the Wilderness gathering in search of a suitable one. I looked at a couple but they were either too short, too bulky and heavy or just plain too expensive.

On the last day I noticed the Benchmade Snody Activator. It appeared around the right price at £60 so after fiddling about with it for a while decided this was just what I needed.

The handle, made from stabilised Rosewood, is thin (10mm) enough not to bulk out clothing (like my current neck knife) yet large enough to provide a good grip. If you've got large paws, then you might not get on with the handle width or length. My little finger just fits on the end of the handle. The handle is slightly rounded,making it feel quite comfortable for such a thin handle and it feels comfortable and warm.

The shape of the blade is very similar to the Bark River PSK in design, although a lot thicker. In fact Mike Snody may well have looked at this design (or the other way round) to create this blade. The blade is drop-point style with full tang and a secondary bevel. I was a little uncertain about the serrated thumb grip at the top of the knife, but even that felt comfortable and, as I'll explain later, became very useful.

The handle has a forefinger recess which is also very comfortable not cutting into finger like so many knives of this design.

As far as I've been told, Mike Snody is an American custom knife maker who speciality is combat type knives. This utility design is very popular and he's obviously franchised it to the manufacturers, Benchmade.

I've never had a D2 steel blade before and I don't really know much about it. I'll comment on the sharpening capabilities and strength of the steel at a later date, but it is rated 59-61 HRC. Here's the rest of the stats:

Overall Length (inches): 5.5"
Blade Length: 2.125"
Blade Thickness: 0.140" = 3.5 mm
Blade Material: D2 Tool Steel Full tang
Blade Hardness: 59-61HRC
Blade Style: Drop-Point Utility
Handle: stabilised Rosewood.
Handle thicknes 10mm
Weight: 2.40oz.

You can forget about the sheath. It's black, bulky and ugly. In fact I'm not going to darken the doorstep of this upmarket (ahem) site by even putting up a picture of it! Luckily, the Bark River PSK custom leather sheath fits it a treat (cheers American Bushman!) so it's happily living in there.

I've only been on one excursion with it, which was during last weekend's downpour. As I said in that post I decided to make a fire in the damp after the worst of the rain had cleared.

The Activator duly made some thin shavings from the maya stick showing it was hair popping sharp out of the box. The handle wasn't in the least slippery despite the wet weather and bare hands. The serrated grip for the thumb proved a god send for control over fine movement.

Additionally, the same serrated edge provided a great way to scrape even finer shavings to make some dust out of the stick. I was even more delighted when, after getting the angle right, I saw sparks fly off the firesteel/knife by using a combination of the back edge of the blade and the serrated thumb grip. I managed to baton a couple of small pieces of wood for the fire, and again, the thickness of the blade withstood this no problem (although it wasn't a real test of strength.)

I've not done any carving with the knife yet, but so far I'm more than happy with this little knife. For an off-the-shelf neck knife, it's compact, strong and versatile and sits comfortably around my neck without bulking out clothing over the top of it. As usual, I'll do another review when I've used it a bit more.

Thanks for the visit,

Pablo.

Benchmade Snody Activator Initial Review

I was after a small, thin, neck knife and stalked around the Wilderness gathering in search of a suitable one. I looked at a couple but they were either too short, too bulky and heavy or just plain too expensive.

On the last day I noticed the Benchmade Snody Activator. It appeared around the right price at £60 so after fiddling about with it for a while decided this was just what I needed.

The handle, made from stabilised Rosewood, is thin (10mm) enough not to bulk out clothing (like my current neck knife) yet large enough to provide a good grip. If you've got large paws, then you might not get on with the handle width or length. My little finger just fits on the end of the handle. The handle is slightly rounded,making it feel quite comfortable for such a thin handle and it feels comfortable and warm.

The shape of the blade is very similar to the Bark River PSK in design, although a lot thicker. In fact Mike Snody may well have looked at this design (or the other way round) to create this blade. The blade is drop-point style with full tang and a secondary bevel. I was a little uncertain about the serrated thumb grip at the top of the knife, but even that felt comfortable and, as I'll explain later, became very useful.

The handle has a forefinger recess which is also very comfortable not cutting into finger like so many knives of this design.

As far as I've been told, Mike Snody is an American custom knife maker who speciality is combat type knives. This utility design is very popular and he's obviously franchised it to the manufacturers, Benchmade.

I've never had a D2 steel blade before and I don't really know much about it. I'll comment on the sharpening capabilities and strength of the steel at a later date, but it is rated 59-61 HRC. Here's the rest of the stats:

Overall Length (inches): 5.5"
Blade Length: 2.125"
Blade Thickness: 0.140" = 3.5 mm
Blade Material: D2 Tool Steel Full tang
Blade Hardness: 59-61HRC
Blade Style: Drop-Point Utility
Handle: stabilised Rosewood.
Handle thicknes 10mm
Weight: 2.40oz.

You can forget about the sheath. It's black, bulky and ugly. In fact I'm not going to darken the doorstep of this upmarket (ahem) site by even putting up a picture of it! Luckily, the Bark River PSK custom leather sheath fits it a treat (cheers American Bushman!) so it's happily living in there.

I've only been on one excursion with it, which was during last weekend's downpour. As I said in that post I decided to make a fire in the damp after the worst of the rain had cleared.

The Activator duly made some thin shavings from the maya stick showing it was hair popping sharp out of the box. The handle wasn't in the least slippery despite the wet weather and bare hands. The serrated grip for the thumb proved a god send for control over fine movement.

Additionally, the same serrated edge provided a great way to scrape even finer shavings to make some dust out of the stick. I was even more delighted when, after getting the angle right, I saw sparks fly off the firesteel/knife by using a combination of the back edge of the blade and the serrated thumb grip. I managed to baton a couple of small pieces of wood for the fire, and again, the thickness of the blade withstood this no problem (although it wasn't a real test of strength.)

I've not done any carving with the knife yet, but so far I'm more than happy with this little knife. For an off-the-shelf neck knife, it's compact, strong and versatile and sits comfortably around my neck without bulking out clothing over the top of it. As usual, I'll do another review when I've used it a bit more.

Thanks for the visit,

Pablo.

...And Then It Rained.

I made a bit of a boo boo today. I completely misread the weather.

I spent all of yesterday indoors, nursing a cold. As the electric was off for heavy duty maintenance (the joys of rural living) I settled down with a good book. Needless to say, by today I was itching to get out of the house. The charts said that the worst of the rain would pass by early morning, so at 11 o'clock I set out into Outfield woods.

As soon as I got inside the woods, the downpour started. And it didn't stop for 4 hours! I had brought the minimum of kit (food, flask and knife) and thankfully I had man's best friend with me - I don't mean a dog either. I mean a poncho!

Many people say that the poncho is versatile because you can make it into a shelter. This may be true, but believe me, when you're caught in a downpour like I was today, you haven't got time to mess about stringing it up between some trees (even if you had some cordage) you use it for what it was designed for! Stick it over your head, pull up the hood, cover your kit and wait.... and wait.

I even managed to have my lunch under the poncho; munching on a banana, apple, cheese and cereal bar. Luckily I had a flask of tea so I didn't need to boil up water. Despite the fact there was nothing to see except rain, I was enjoying myself listening to the the never ending thump thump of it on the material.

When at last the rain subsided, I debated whether to make a run for it. There was no movement in the wood and it wasn't really worth staying. I was cold and the woods were damp. Aha! A perfect chance to practice fire lighting!

As I said, I had minimal kit with me. I had some tinder in my possible pouch but I also remembered I had some fat wood (maya stick) in my rucksack. Every one of my ruckies has a stick of this in the lid pocket. I decided that I'd have a go lighting a fire using this and a firesteel only.

I scratched off some extra fine shavings with the back of my new Snody Activator neck knife (the serrated thumb grip on the back of the knife was ideal for this - I'll show you the knife mid week.) I also shaved off some shavings and split the wood in two. All the wood I collected was sodden, but I split some larger sections in half to expose the drier parts. I should really have made a few feather sticks, but I was too eager to get warm.

After spending a while getting the angle of the knife to spark against the new firesteel I was soon producing some spectacular sparks, but it still took a while before one fell just right on a shaving. Soon a moderate fire was on the go.

As I supped the remains of my tea, I thought how quickly a fire restored moral, gave someone warmth and took the dampness away. With a little more thought in collecting and preparing the wood and I could have stayed out for a few more hours quite comfortably despite the rain.

As it was, I let the fire dwindle to nothing, cleared it away and wandered out of the wood. On the way out I noticed what I think are variations on parasols mushrooms Macrolepiota rhacodes bohemica (please check yourself as I'm not an expert.) I'm sure they weren't there 6 hours ago when I walked in! That's what downpours do I suppose.

Until next time,

Pablo.

...And Then It Rained.

I made a bit of a boo boo today. I completely misread the weather.

I spent all of yesterday indoors, nursing a cold. As the electric was off for heavy duty maintenance (the joys of rural living) I settled down with a good book. Needless to say, by today I was itching to get out of the house. The charts said that the worst of the rain would pass by early morning, so at 11 o'clock I set out into Outfield woods.

As soon as I got inside the woods, the downpour started. And it didn't stop for 4 hours! I had brought the minimum of kit (food, flask and knife) and thankfully I had man's best friend with me - I don't mean a dog either. I mean a poncho!

Many people say that the poncho is versatile because you can make it into a shelter. This may be true, but believe me, when you're caught in a downpour like I was today, you haven't got time to mess about stringing it up between some trees (even if you had some cordage) you use it for what it was designed for! Stick it over your head, pull up the hood, cover your kit and wait.... and wait.

I even managed to have my lunch under the poncho; munching on a banana, apple, cheese and cereal bar. Luckily I had a flask of tea so I didn't need to boil up water. Despite the fact there was nothing to see except rain, I was enjoying myself listening to the the never ending thump thump of it on the material.

When at last the rain subsided, I debated whether to make a run for it. There was no movement in the wood and it wasn't really worth staying. I was cold and the woods were damp. Aha! A perfect chance to practice fire lighting!

As I said, I had minimal kit with me. I had some tinder in my possible pouch but I also remembered I had some fat wood (maya stick) in my rucksack. Every one of my ruckies has a stick of this in the lid pocket. I decided that I'd have a go lighting a fire using this and a firesteel only.

I scratched off some extra fine shavings with the back of my new Snody Activator neck knife (the serrated thumb grip on the back of the knife was ideal for this - I'll show you the knife mid week.) I also shaved off some shavings and split the wood in two. All the wood I collected was sodden, but I split some larger sections in half to expose the drier parts. I should really have made a few feather sticks, but I was too eager to get warm.

After spending a while getting the angle of the knife to spark against the new firesteel I was soon producing some spectacular sparks, but it still took a while before one fell just right on a shaving. Soon a moderate fire was on the go.

As I supped the remains of my tea, I thought how quickly a fire restored moral, gave someone warmth and took the dampness away. With a little more thought in collecting and preparing the wood and I could have stayed out for a few more hours quite comfortably despite the rain.

As it was, I let the fire dwindle to nothing, cleared it away and wandered out of the wood. On the way out I noticed what I think are variations on parasols mushrooms Macrolepiota rhacodes bohemica (please check yourself as I'm not an expert.) I'm sure they weren't there 6 hours ago when I walked in! That's what downpours do I suppose.

Until next time,

Pablo.

The Wilderness Gathering

  We returned from the Wilderness Gathering on Sunday. As promised by the illustrious weather forecasters (who actually got it right on this occasion) we had 3 days of dry weather (one particularly sunny and warm) and the final day wet. It just so happened that the downpours were just prior to packing up; therefore we had to pack away wet kit.

The Gathering itself was a great affair. Four days of wandering around the stalls debating whether this or that purchase should be made or not and admiring the items that were out of our price range!

To be honest, many items (especially the knives) were totally over-priced. I don't know why, but I formed an idea that  things may be a little cheaper there. I was certainly wrong about that! It was good to talk to some of the makers though and actually have a feel of some of the goods. I was on the look out for a small, thin handled neck knife and came away with one in D2 by Mike Snody.

The lack of obvious bargains didn't stem my determination to get some tracking boots or moccasins, and I'm pleased I was able to try on some before purchase. I rejected what I thought would be my first choice (Rogue Desert boots) because the tread was almost non-existent. I finally settled on the most expensive (typical) but wonderful hand made tracking boots by Roger Harrington that feel like a pair of slippers.

I purchased a few other odds and ends as shown in the photo and I'll try to describe these as and when I use them at a later date.

Although there were a few workshops going on, I didn't sit at them for any great length of time. The majority were run by full time bushcraft schools which certainly had the advantage of portraying a professional image unlike some Bushmeets, where the reliance is on willing volunteers.

There was plenty of craft stuff going on including a forge, some basket weaving an d green woodworking. I didn't see a lot of leathercraft going on though.

The greatest benefit of the Gathering was meeting up with people, renewing acquaintances and making new ones.

I caught up with the Shadowhawk Tracking School crew and had a long chat with Max Maxwell. I'll go into that in more detail at a later date. It was also good to see a number of other old friends and I was quite surprised how many people recognised me! I'll have to shave off this beard - or grow a longer one!

On Saturday, a few "Woodlifers" from the network got together and had a chat. It was great to put faces to names. There were still a few there who weren't able to make the photo shoot as they were busy helping out at various stalls or workshops.

The evenings were spent around the fire with dubious concoctions in unrecognisable containers. The field campers looked pretty uncomfortable on what looked to me like a pretty steep slope. The wood dwellers looked a little cramped in their area and I was pleased I was with the Tribe in their own site.

I'm not sure whether I would go for the full 4 days again. It wasn't a cheap four days by any means and I had the impression that the stalls were "more of the same" and overpriced. Nevertheless, it was very well organised. Huge credit should go to the organisers and the staff. I enjoyed meeting up with folk and generally having a good time. 

Cheers for now.