13th July 2008

This morning I spent a couple of hours volunteering at Westonbirt Arboretum. Having done the volunteer's induction course a couple of weeks ago, this was my first opportunity to get involved.

There were about 8 of us in the group, and our task for the day (well a couple of hours actually) was to sort out some coppice in Silkwood. The coppice had been harvested about 5 years ago, and the stools were regenerating nicely. However, the area was being overrun with Alder to the detriment of other species. Our task therefore was to take out all of the Alder, leaving the other species to prosper.

Alder is identified by the obvious lenticels of the bark, plus its leaf shape. The species being removed was either Red or Grey Alder. Ben, the team leader, wasn't sure which it was as he had been told it was Red Alder. However, Red Alder is native to North America and grown as a specimen species. Grey Alder on the other hand is native to Great Britain.

After an hour and a half we had made good progress, but we were all starting to flag in the heat. So we called it a day and returned to the Great Oak Hall (GOH).

Outside the GOH Jane (who helped on the Week In The Woods course last year) and Hazel Moy were bodging. Jane was making wands to accompany her book, and Hazel was making rustic chairs. Having seen her working, I decided it was something I should have a go at when I have some suitable material to hand.

Returned home feeling tired but contented.

7th September 2007

Today is a much more free-format day, with a series of short workshops.

Charcoal Burning - Brian Williamson

Alongside todays workshops there is a charcoal burn. The burn is being done in two 45 gallon oil drums. Both drums are the same, except one also has a lid. The fact that there is only one lid calls for two different mthods. Each drum has had one end cut out, but leaving a lip for the lid to rest on. The other end has four holes in it, each being about 2 inches in diameter.

The first drum was packed with logs of about 3-4 inch diameter and about 9-12 inches long. On top of this some smaller wood was placed to allow a fire to be lit. The fire was lit and fed until a good ember bed had been established. At this point some small diameter green branches were sprung across the top to hold everything in place. Then the drum was carefully inverted and stood on four pieces of crock to create a small airgap around the base. The fire is now at the bottom and starts to dry out the wood in the drum.

The second drum was placed on crocks with the open end uppermost. A fire was lit in the bottom, and wood aded until a good raging fire was burning in the drum. Then logs as above were added until they came just above the rim of the drum. After an hour or so, the logs will have slumped, allowing the lid to be fitted. It should be place on branches allowing the smoke to exit around its perimeter.

From here on, the method is pretty much the same for both drums. During the drying phase, copious amounts of thick white smoke is emitted. This feels cool and damp to the touch. After maybe a couple of hours, the smoke will start to clear to a bluer hue and become drier and warmer. At this stage it is worth shaking or banging the drum as this will give a more even burn. If the smoke returns to white and damp, then leave again.

Once the smoke is consistently blue/clear then the burn is complete. A check can be made by removing the lid. Caution as once air is admitted to the drum, the vapour can spontaneously combust. Check by taking a piece from the top and banging it on the drum. If it breaks apart as charcoal, then the burn is complete. If not, and you are quick enough, you can replace the lid and continue the burn.

The next phase is to close down the burn. This is done by sealing all holes and gaps with crocks and sand, ensuring that there are no gaps left. The drums should now be left overnight to cool.

Before opening the drum, test with you hand that the drum is cold. Then remove the lid. The charcoal can now be removed, sorted and bagged ready for use. Using this method a burn can be complete within 24 hours. If started early in the morning, then the drums can be safely left overnight whilst they cool. They should not be left unattended overnight whilst in the burning or cooking phases.

Sharpening - Brian Williamson/Dave Jackson


A blunt edge will reflect light, whereas a sharp edge will not. Also running your finger across the blade, not along it, will give an indication as your finger will glide over a blunt edge, but a sharp edge will bite. Sharpen to a finer angle for thin wood, and a steeper angle for bigger stuff or where it will be subject to a higher risk of damage such as when laying hedges. The temper of the steel will also affect how it is sharpened.

A grind wheel will produce a hollow-ground edge. Use one to create a basic bevel, and keep cooling in a bucket of water to ensure that the steel keeps it temper. Hone using the basic bevel to set the angle. Coppice tools do not have separate grind and honing angles. Use a canoe stone for billhooks and axes. Use plenty of oil to lubricate the stone, ensuring that the swarf is carried away. Finish using a fine-grade stone.

A skew chisel has a slightly convex shape to the grind, or it can sometimes have a flat grind.

Hone using a small circular action. Do the most difficult side first. This is so that when you start to get tired/bored you will be working on the most comfortable side, and therefore the honing is more likely to be even.

Single-ground tools (those with a bevel on only one side) should be equally sharpened on both sides to avoid a burr developing.

For loppers and secateurs, they should be dismantled and then sharpened as a single-bevelled tool as appropriate.

There is no need to worry about 'wire edges' on tools such as axes and Billhooks, but carpentry tools should be stropped before use..

Avoid really cheap bowsaws, as they tend to have poor blades. Its more cost effective to invest in something like a Sandvik. Should tools get wet, then they should be treated by using a toothbrush to work oil into the blade. Any oil such as 3-in-1, chainsaw, or clean engine oil will do.

When purchasing new tools, remove all varnish from the handles and treat with Linseed Oil.

Protect all edges during storage with guards or rags.

A carving axe has no discernible shoulder between the side and the honing angle, but has a gentle transition between the two.

To get a convex grind, gently rock the edge on the grind wheel.

Use a fine-grade stone. Start with quite a lot of pressure, then reduce until just the weight of the tool is being used. Use a slip-stone to clean buff off of the inside of a spoon-knife.


Bowl Blowing - Hannah

Halve a log and clean up the face, removing all pith wood. Rough up the centre area so that the coals are easier to keep in place.

Apply a pile of charcoal coals, and blow gently or fan to burn out the bowl. Occasionally scrape out the bowl to check on the depth. Make sure it is cleaned properly before attempting to restart.

Round off the edges and corners as required/desired. Sand, and treat with a vegetable oil.


Whistles - Dave

Use an Elder twig about 1/2 inch diameter, or larger. Compress the pith by at least 2 inches, but leave a plug at the far end. Make sure the hole is properly cleared of the pith.

Remove a wedge, making sure it intersects with the pith hole.

Find a stick which is a tight fit in the pith hole. Flatten one side. Insert with flat lining up with the hole, but only as far as the wedge hole. Test by blowing through into the slot. Once it is working, mark the plug, remove, trim, and reinsert.


Walking Stick

Use a metal tube with boiling water in the bottom to steam a Hazel rod. Once supple enough, bend around a pulley-like former, using a peg as a stop. Bend round to just more than the required angle. Tie securely and release from the jig.

Leave for at least 30-40 minutes to cool. Then loosen the binding enough to release the pulley wheel, and re-tie the end back in its original position.

Leave for 4-6 months to fully season. Release from binding, and tidy up as required.

6th September 2007

Today we are making Hazel hurdles. Once the rods have been cut from the coppice stools they need trimming to length with a Billhook and the splitting.

To safely trim with a Billhook hold the rod in your left hand and rest against your left thigh with the cutting location behind your leg. Then sweep down, through the rod and behind you. Practice is needed to find the right stance so that the rod is far enough away from your leg to be safe, but close enough to prevent the rod bouncing.

To split a rod, start by creating a chisel end so that you can clearly see the pith. Then place the bill of the Billhook onto the end of the rod lining it up with the pith. This is easiest if you stand astride the rod and use your legs as a clamp. Using your free hand tap the end of the Billhook to get the split started. The use a twisting action to open up the split. To correct the direction of the split, increase the bend in the larger side at the point where the split ends, and then open out the split. Making small steps is more accurate than going for a few long splits. When working through a knot start biasing the split very early and remember that the wood will want to veer away from the knot. If you encounter a knot face-on, then you may need to use a club to force the Billhook through the knot.

Having split your rods, select 9 pieces for the sails (uprights). Place them into the Mould Block and check for alignment in all planes. Some swapping may be required to achieve this. Start with 3 round poles and form the starting sequence. The build up the height using split poles, largest at the base. Two types of twist are used depending upon whether the sap or heartwood is against the sail. For heartwood, twist back and forth until the fibres separate, then twist round and upwards. For sapwood imagine you are riding a motorbike with you arms until fibres ease, then lift and twist. For round poles, circle the end to stretch the outer fibres, then twist and turn, continuing to twist as the pole is taken around. We then did some Sussex Style weaving which uses shorter lengths from the middle to the end.

Finally we did the finishing sequence, which is a complicated sequence that ensures that the top of the hurdle is locked in place. The first pole goes in vertically between the end and second sail, then up to the top and in front of the end sail, so it lies in front of both. Then a double twist and weave to other end, single twist and lock. Second and third poles go in under the top and top two wattles respectively. Weave to end end and twist to lock. Fourth goes in tip first and just runs to the end, but with plenty to spare. Last goes in under top two, weaves to the end, double twist and insert under itself against the 3rd sail from the end. Finally lift the end of the fourth over the top of the last, locking against the end sail. Then trim all the ends neatly.



A hard days work, particularly on the hands and arms.

After a short rest, Simon Tooomer, the Curator of Westonbirt Arboretum took us on a guided walk of the ornamental part of the Arboretum. Afterwards there was a barbeque and beer, and we all sat around the fire chatting until well into the night.

5th September 2007

Had kippers for breakfast this morning. Arrived on site just as the gate was opening at 9. Today I'm doing spoon carving with Dave.

We started off the day trying to identify a selection of logs. Silver Birch was the only one I recognised. The others were Hazel, Cherry, Field Maple, Pear, Alder, and Sycamore. As I have a lot of Sycamore available I decided to work with that one.

We started by cutting a billet to the exact length required, and then split it in half. We then marked up and removed both the pith and sapwood, leaving a small plank. This is because these are the most unstable parts of the wood. Next we drew a plan view of the spoon onto the wide face. Using a hatchet we then removed most of the waste wood, always working downhill. To make accurate cuts knock both the billet and the axe together against the chopping block. Next we drew out the profile onto the newly created side face, and again removed most of the wood with the hatchet, working the back first, leaving the bowl face for now.

Using the carving knife we cleaned up the back face using a variety of cutting techniques. Then we marked the transition from bowl to handle by making a stop-cut. The top face of the handle was then carved. We created the rake on the spoon by using the axe to remove wood in a line from the tip of the bowl, down to the bottom of the stop-cut.

The next phase is to mark and hollow out the bowl, leaving about 2mm around the lip. The final carving step was to tidy everything up with the carving knife.

The final wood-removal phase is to sand everything down starting with 120 grit to remove all imperfections, and then working down to about a 400 grit. We used wet & dry paper. To finish it off it can be treated with any vegetable oil applied with a rag. In the end I used Walnut oil on mine.



Finished just before 5pm. Afterwards I went into Tetbury to fill up the car and get some baked potatoes for this evening's meal. Spuds were cooked in the fire. Left the site about 9pm.

4th September 2007

After another hearty breakfast I headed back to the site, and back to the workshop. Today I'm turning my hand to the pole lathe.

Starting with a 1/4 or 1/8th log which has been cleeved, remove the heartwood using a side axe. The heartwood is not stable enough for turning. The axe was also used to round off all the corners, leaving me with something like an octagonal log. The draw knife was then used to round this off even further, getting to something approximating a cylinder. This rounding off can be done on the lathe, but its harder work and can quickly blunt the tools. The centre of each end was then centrepunched, and a drop of oil added for lubrication. The piece is then mounted in the lathe. The correct way to do this is to hold it in your right hand, pass it behind the cord, and then use your left hand to wrap the cord around a couple of times. This can be reversed if you are left-handed. The cord should leave the piece from the front.

The shape was roughed out using a gouge. Ride the back of the gouge on the piece, and then gradually lift the handle to engage the edge. Always run from uphill downwards as this will stop the grain splitting out. Once the basic shape has been produced, it can be smoothed off using a flat chisel, with the bevel face down. The flat chisel is used much like the blade of a plane to shave the surface. The final tool we used was a skew chisel. Start with the toe down, held on a slight angle to make a cut to the required depth. Repeat from the other side of the cut. Then open out the cut and round off the edges by turning the chisel toe up and using the heel of the chisel to round over the corner. If you need to go deeper, you cn use the very tip of the toe to shave a slice off of each face, allowing the chisel to go in further.



Decorative burns can be added by holding a dry, thin, offcut into the cut and treddling vigourously, although I never quite got the hang of this.

Lunch today was refried beans served with chappatti, and salad.

I made a rounders bat, a handle for my Froe blade, and a practice piece. The Froe handle will need to season for several months before being whittled to a final fit.



I finished about 5 and returned to the campsite. We had dinner of Dahl and chips which Hazel had prepared. We all sat round the fire chatting. The sky was really clear and we had a good view of the Milky Way, Ursa Major, Cassiopeia, and Dolphinus. I left just after 10 to head back to my B&B.

3rd September 2007

Week in the Woods, Westonbirt Arboretum.

I am on a 5-day woodland crafts course, organized jointly by the
Green Wood Centre, the Small Woods Association, and the Bill Hogarth Memorial Apprentice Trust. The course is to promote the use of traditional woodland crafts through demonstration and practical experience. It can also be used to obtain an OCN certificate, and is a pre-qualifier for applying for a 3-year apprenticeship in coppicing and associated crafts. The location of the course is at the wonderful and inspirational Westonbirt Arboretum.


We met at the Mess Tent for a cup of tea and to receive our name badges and OCN packs. Once everyone had arrived we walked round to the Green Wood Workshop situated in the woods behind the Plant Centre. I'm in the red group, and today we are going to make a cleft gate hurdle.

Cut 2 pieces from Ash poles. The first was cleft in two for the heads (uprights). The other was quartered for the rails. Cleeving is done using a Froe and a Cleeving Brake. We trimmed the top and bottom of the heads, the bottom to act as a point for inserting into the ground, and the top edges were shamfered to avoid splitting when hit as they are being inserted into the ground. The rails were shaped using a side axe and a draw knife on a shave horse. The ends of each rail were roughly shaped to produce an oval tenon.

The smallest tenon was then used to determine the size that the mortices in the heads will be. A template was made from an offcut containing both an oval and a round mortice. The oval mortice was formed by drilling 2 holes with a brace and bit, and then joining them using a specialist tool called a Twybil (pron. Twie-bill). The tenons were then trimmed to the exact size required using the draw knife and shave horse. The top and bottom rails had oval tenons, whilst the middle two rails had round tenons. The tenons were cut such that they were a tight fit in the template, and extended for about an inch bigger than the width of the heads.



Laid out the heads and rails on the ground and marked the top of each mortice on the inside face of the rails. The template was then used to mark the outline of the mortice. Again the mortices were cut using the brace & bit, and the Twybil. Three brace struts were then added. This is traditional, although the design is entirely down to the whim of the maker.



Satisfied with our day's work we headed back to the campsite and the Mess Tent. Most people were making their own dinner, but a few of us heated up some of the Dahl leftover from lunch and had that sat round the fire. Went back to me B&B about 9 o'clock.

Tuesday 28th August 2007

Up again about 7:30. By this time Ben and Josh had put more kindling on the fire and it was close to getting going again. They had obviously studied what I had been doing. We had a short discussion about the dangers of relighting fires, and they understood that it should only be done under supervision. Breakfast was again porridge and toast, with a cup of tea.

After we had cleared up the breakfast things it was time to pack up ready for the journey home. Having packed most of my things I took Nat, Ben and Josh for a walk round the track to the other gate and back, leaving Steve and Will to finish their packing. By 12:30 we were packed and ready to leave. Steve set off, and I followed on behind having said farewell to Pam and Barney.

On the way back we met up at the Newcott Chef for lunch. On the journey back I had a call from Mr Williamson of the pig farm. He wanted to know what I thought about his application. I stated that I disagreed with it as the area should be kept as managed woodland, and not for any kind of livestock. I also said that I thought his buildings were inappropriate for both his proposed purpose and the area. Whether it will make any difference I have no idea, but at least he knows how I feel.

Got back home about 4:30, the end of a fabulous few days.

27th August 2007

By the time I woke up at 8, everybody else was already up and dressed. I got up and helped rekindle the fire. It was colder last night and there is still a chill in the air now at 10:15. Having had breakfast the boys are now playing lighting sticks in the fire.

Steve and the boys went into town to do some shopping whilst I went round to Fernbank to set out the corners of the workshop. On arrival at Fernbank the Buzzard flew down from the top of a tall Oak and down the track away from me. Saw several Gatekeepers, and 4 Dragonflies. Also there was a wren down by the Quarry, and daisy-like flowers at Fernbank. Ben found some Hazelnuts, including some that had been eaten. Later research determined these were probably eaten by a Wood Mouse.

The others came back and we set out the corners more accurately. Dug a trial foundation trench. With use of a mattock its relatively easy. Then headed back to camp to make pasta for lunch.

After lunch we decided to go to Jamaica Inn at Bolventnor. It is the Inn where Daphne Du Maurier placed her book of the same name. There was quite an interesting set of dioramas and a smuggling museum, but the boys wanted to move on through.

Back at camp the boys put on a short play for us. Tea was a fry-up of sausages, bacon, mushrooms, eggs, fried bread, and beans, with a cup of tea. After we'd cleared up Will and Nat cooked some more marshmallows on the fire.

It is getting cooler and damper this evening although there is very high level cloud.

26th August 2007

Again I woke up about 7:30, and by 8 the fire was well on its way. Breakfast of porridge, toast, and a cuppa. The boys had Frosties and toast.

After breakfast we had to restart my car. This involved pushing it into a position where we could get the jump leads to it. Will had to get in and 'drive', whilst Steve, Nat and I pushed. After some hard pushing we managed it, and got my car started.

I then trimmed back a few trees that were starting to encroach on the track.

Steve noticed that Josh had a tick on his neck. After trying to remove it with tweezers we decided to ring Barney for some advice. He said he had a removal gadget, so we went to see him. Removal is by grabbing the head and twisting in an anti-clockwise direction. Alternatively, they can be suffocated by covering them with Vaseline. Also worth treating the area with antiseptic after removal. If a red patch appears around the area then you should immediately get a doctor to do a blood test for Lyme's disease.

By now it was lunchtime so we decided it was time to stop.

Earlier today we had seen an adult and about 6 juvenile lizards. They were dappled brown/green, with the juveniles being almost brown. This area will now be known as lizard corner.

After lunch I cut some more firewood, which Steve and the boys brought back to camp. We now have a large log pile ready for this evening. We're now about to head down to Fernbank for the boys' fire building challenge. Josh's fire was the most efficiently built, although it wouldn't light until rebuilt. Ben's lit straight away and was the most artistic. It burnt really well and was the overall winner. Nats was the most architectural and was a classic cone fire. He would have been been joint winner if he hadn't tried to form a newspaper fuse. Will's was the most dangerous. It took a rebuild and three attempts to light it. Once lit it burnt quite a bit of the surrounding grass. It also shot shale out from the fire. 1st place went to Bem, 2nd to Nat, and equal 3rd to Will and Josh.

Returned to The Hollies and had a Mars Bar before getting the fire going again. Tonight we're having chilli with rice. Mince with Homepride chilli sauce and baked beans, served with a tortilla wrap and a cup of tea.

Steve saw a large red Damselfly at Fernbank. Night before last I heard a Barn Owl to the Southwest. We identified the frog/toad last night as a common toad.

Whilst sitting around the fire, Ben asked what the metal stand we had been using for cooking was called. I didn't have a name for it. Ben said that as it had "Jeff" written on it, we should call it Jeff. So that's its name!

25th August 2007

Woke up at about 8. Got up and restarted the fire. We had a heavy dew last night. Our rubbish bag had been opened and a yoghurt pot taken out and chewed. We came to the conclusion it was probably a fox. Made breakfast. Porridge was close to perfect this time, and serving it in a bowl helped retain the heat. Made toast on the mesh part of the stand, which was perfect.

After breakfast we headed into town to have a look around and do some shopping. We went to the castle first. It was much more impressive and interesting than I thought it would be. We then went into town and got some pasties, sandwiches and drink. We went back to the Castle Lawn and ate in the shade of the trees. We were then going to go to look at the museum, but it was closed (only open on weekdays). After getting some provisions we headed back to the camp.

The sun is really beating down and we are seeking some shade. Steve and the boys are going to have play their "wide game", which is a sort of hide and seek.

At about 4pm a Buzzard flew low over The Hollies and was mobbed by BBJs (Big Black Jobs), probably crows. Ravens were also heard, but not seen on this occasion. Nathanael saw a fox on the track between The Hollies and Fernbank. Will saw what he thinks was a common lizard on the bank at the corner of the turn into The Hollies. Steve saw a Striped Winged Grasshopper, identified by its red markings.

Rekindled the fire and baked some potatoes. Took about 45-50 minutes. Had then with baked beans and cheese, followed by rice pudding and a cup of tea.

It is decidely cooler this evening. It feels like there is a mist rolling in. Complete cloud cover, and quite hazy by 7:30. By9:30 the dew was dripping off the trees and the air was damp and cold, so we decided to turn in for the night. Nat found a tan-coloured frog or toad by their tent.

24th August 2007

I've already lost track of the days. Must've woken about 7:30 and got up about 8. Relit the fire and got the kettle on. Made some more porridge, this time with mixed fruit. Much better, although tomorrow I'll add the fruit during cooking rather than at the end. Cleared up my breakfast things and did some simple QiGong exercises - amazingly refreshing.

Next job is to finish strimming the site ready for Steve's arrival later. Wood Pigeon calling in the distance.

Strimmed the area where Steve will pitch his tent. Its mainly reed there so I haven't been able to get it very short. Hopefully it will be OK. Put the kettle on for a cuppa. Whilst I was waiting for the kettle to biol, Barney appeared. He has a problem with his printer and wondered if I'd take a look. I agreed to take a look in return for a cup of tea. It turned out to be the printer driver not recognising the new ink cartridge had been installed. In return for sorting it out he gave me a bottle of wine, which I accepted reluctantly.

Back at camp I finished off the baguette I bought yesterday for lunch. Time to relax and read my bushcraft magazine. A Gatekeeper is resting on the brambles in The Hollies.

Steve and Co arrived about 2pm. Set up their tent. Went and got some water from the spring. Needed Will and his wellies so that we could get the collapsable bucket under a small waterfall. On the way I spotted a Hawthorn tree. Cut some firewood and then set about making dinner; spaghetti bolognese, yoghurt and a cup of tea. After clearing up we sat down around the fire and the boys did some marshmallows on the fire.

An iridescent Damselfly landed on some brambles in The Hollies. Black wings with an electric blue tail. We chatted well into the evening, and went to bed about 11:30.

23rd August 2007

Woke about 7:00, but didn't get up until about 7:30. Heard a crow fly overhead, together with several wood pigeon. Relit the fire, and had breakfast of porridge with honey, wolfberries, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. OK, but will add fruit tomorrow. It cooled down very quickly in the pan. OH, and a cup of tea.

Next job is to sort out the car, and then get some shopping. A successful sortie into Launceston to replenish supplies. First job back at site was to rekindle the fire and get a brew going.

Several Dragonflies are buzzing around. Yellow body changing to a blue and black tail from what I could see, about 3 inches long. There is also a cricket or grasshopper in the brambles next to me. What looks like pink heather is growing in the middle of the campsite. Also saw a violet butterfly, about 1 inch across.

Another Dragonfly, this time nearly all yelloe and about 3 inches long. Fighting the previous one now. Both are around the brambles.

Soon it was time to start heading down to Bridge Plantation for the Planning Site Meeting. There was about 25 of us including several Parish Councillors, Wildlife Trust and surrounding land owners. Mr Williamson wants to convert his 10 acre plot into a small pig farm. The meeting was to discuss the nature and siting of his proposed buildings; 4 off 4m x 20m. Supposedly they are for storage of fodder and wood products, but they seem completely out of proportion.

Apparently he can change the use of the woodland to agriculture without needing any consent, and he is permitted to erect up to 465 square metres of buildings under permitted development rights. All they can do is object to the siting and appearance of the buildings. However, several people raised objections under wildlife, Rights of Way, and Conservation Acts, so hopefully they will reject the application on these grounds.

Got back to camp about 2 and had soup lunch and a cuppa.

Decided the next job was to sort out some firewood. I cut up the trunks of the trees I had felled by hand on my last visit. Used the car to transport them back. As I was finishing unloading the logs, Barney appeared and invited me back for a drink and a chat.

Pam, Barney, and I sat on their patio. After 2 bottles of beer, Barney and I started on his bottle of Jägermeister, which is a liquorice flavoured spirit, 34% ABV. Between us we finished the whole bottle! Walked rather usteadily back to camp at about 9, and sat in front of the fire until about 10:30. Then went to bed. It was only when I was in bed that I realised that I hadn't had any dinner. Oh well, a bit late now!

22nd August 2007

Dropped of Taz (the cat) and packed the car. Left home about 12:15. Traffic wasn't too bad, but I was in no rush anyway. Stopped at the Newcott Chef for lunch about 1:45.

Arrived at the wood about 3:30. The grass has grown a lot since I was last here. Straight away I set to work with the strimmer, working my way from the track to The Hollies. Barney arrived and told me about a planning site meeting tomorrow further down the track. Someone wants to put in a pig farm! Meeting is at midday tomorrow.

Finished the strimming for today, and pitched the tent. Then it was time to light a fire and get something to eat and drink. I made maccaroni pasta with Campbell's chicken soup. And a cup of tea!

Sun is just starting to go below the horizon (19:45). Will clear up and then sit and relax before having an early night.

Waited until the heat had gone out of the fire. The night was surprisingly light, and by 9:30 only a few stars were visible. First to appear was Arcturus, which was later identified from Ursa Major. Cassiopeia was also seen, together with a few single stars. Went to bed about 9:30.

15th August 2007

I've booked to go on a 5-day Coppicing and Green Woodworking course at Westonbirt Arboretum.
The course runs from 3rd to 6th of September. It is organised by the Small Woods Association, The Green Wood Centre, and the Bill Hogarth MBE Memorial Apprenticeship Trust.

Each of the first 4 days concentrates on a particular craft, such as; cleft gates, hurdles, turning, spoon making. The last day is less structured, so you can revisit something from earlier in the week, or try something new. There will also be a charcoal burn.


More details once I've been...

7th July 2007 - A spoon

On my previous trip to the wood I selected a piece of Beech, which I brought back home with me. I had decided some time ago that I wanted to have a go at carving my own spoon. A friend's birthday provided the ideal inspiration. A picture storyboard of the making of the spoon is available in the Gallery section.

It took a total of about 7 hours work. This would have been less had I not chosen Beech, and I had not let it dry out so much before starting work. A tough combination for a first attempt. The shape was nothing like the picture I had in my mind when I started out, but was shaped by the wood itself suggesting the size and grain of the wood suggesting the way forward. At the end of the day I had a spoon that was very tactile, sat comfortably in the hand, and looked the part. I'm very pleased with how this has turned out, and has given me the inspiration and confidence to do something else.

Once oiled with Walnut oil, it will be sent off to the intended recipient in a few days time.

26th May 2007

Tony and I visited the wood for the day. First job when we arrived was to get a fire going and make a brew.

Decided that a good task for the day would be to clear some of the overhanging trees from the track in readiness for the lorry that will eventually deliver the cabin. I'd made the stupid decision not to take the chainsaw with me, so we cut down about half a dozen 6" diameter trees with a bowsaw.

Having achieved this, and dragged most of the sizeable debris back to Fernbank, we decided it was time for another brew.

After lunch we investigated the spring to see whether it might be possible to cap it as a source of water. After much consideration we decided that this was impractical, and abandoned the idea.

A section of one of the Beech trees felled was safely stowed in the car ready for taking back home. More about this later...

After an uneventful journey back, and having dropped off Tony, I arrived back home about 9pm, feeling very tired, but very, very satisfied and relaxed.

9th May 2007

Letter received from NCDC confirming approval of my application. Works have to be completed within 5 years of this date.

16th April 2007

Revised Prior Notification Planning Application submitted to NCDC. This time the structure is slightly smaller, and more rustic/utilitarian looking.

15th September 2006

Letter received from DEFRA regarding Phytophthora kernovaie/ Phytophthora ramorum (Sudden Oak Death). They wish to visit the wood to survey and assess for any possible infections.

Permission to visit granted.

24th August 2006

Formally withdrew my application.