my journal

i thought id do a video on how i keep my journal,hopefully it may inspire others to do the same...

herbal

i decided this year to really get back into my herbs,ive been experimenting with insect repellent,and also garlics etc,i know people in the usa follow this blog and i thought i would do a series of videos on uk or english herbs and useful plants in my area,these are the main ones i use..enjoy the videos and please respond with some of your own..

antler arrow straightner

made a straightner today,its handy to get out the little kinks in the arrow,just heat the arrow, gently spit on it and slide into the hole,by using the antler as a lever you bend gently,then hold until cool..

true horse shoe tinder fungi.

amadou fungi,and i know this interests alot of people,there always seems alot of questions about it...to find it look on birch or oak trees,but dont confuse it with raor strop,you will know if you have the right stuff as the layer you need will be like leather not wood,if all you can find is wood then its the wrong fungi..the best specimens ive seen are in scotland..if you have any in your area let me know..
the process i use is to soak the fungi firstly to soften it,the outer layer is hard and difficuilt to remove,i then cut the layer away and get to the layer i need...assaid ths looks and feels like leather..i then soak the layers in urine,this contains nitrates needed to attract a good spark,there are other less nasty methods but i beleve our ancient ancestors did it this way...i sometimes boil it in urine,this does smell alot...the layers can also be charred as in charcloth this also works well,also really good bits can catch sparks if bone dry and powdered

new tarp/new set up

messing about with my new tarp today...ive hit on a theory that the roe deer dont feed every day,some days there are alot of slots and signs,other times there are none,i believe they feed alot then lie up for a few days...this is probarly to help them not get detected by the numerous dog walkers etc..is there a pattern in the moon tide etc?,next question........................

possibility filter

in todays times i see so much rubbish lying around some things i see i wonder how it gets there,my wierdiest being a bath in the middle of nowhere..but rubbish can be usefu so i salvaged bits and pieces and came up with a water filter,it works very well,even the charcoal i found in an old campfire,..

ive been toying with pouches to use as a possible pouch,ive been using one but its not that strong nor that rigid..so im using my old buckskin pouch again,its not massive and will hold the things i use out there,(not a survival pouch) i dont need one...its contants are as follows...firesteel,char cloth, flint,piriton,paracetamols,salve,hand fishing line with large hooks,and smaller hooks with trace,a piece of polypore birch tinder that i can cut up for plasters,and a tampon if i get a nasty cut..

burl,and other things

see my first swallow yesterday,its strange how the insects haveall come to life on the same day,the woods and fields were teaming with them,..
saw a peacock butterfly,speckled woods,and an orange tip..
i been working on a new bowl..this is an ash burl bowl,