Every where you go, always take the weather with you…….maybe not!

Many people here are not so happy with me just now because they feel I have brought with me weather from the UK.

Autumn here is usually a time of sun and clear blue skies, but this year from the middle of August to the beginning of October it has rained HEAVILY almost every day.

Water levels here are higher than in spring after the snow has melted and areas of forest and marsh are flooded.

The snow usually arrives in early October and although we had one day of snow on 7th October, there has been no more since.  Both Hare (Lepus timidus) and Stoat (Mustela erminea) have their white winter coats now and await the snows arrival.

New species at my cabin and a wood burner

Using an old 20 litre oil drum I found on the side of the road and a piece of metal drain pipe, I have made a small wood burning stove to use on the veranda at my cabin.

I put 25mm sand in the bottom to help protect the bottom of the oil can.  I drilled a series of holes around the can, 15cms up from the bottom as air intakes.  The door has a diameter of 25cms and the drain pipe/flue has a diameter of 9cms.

It burns very well and very efficiently and provides a good source of heat when sitting out in the evenings.

A new bird species sitting in a tree calling was a beautiful male Pine Grosbeak/Tallbit (you can listen to the call on the page I have linked too).

Another new species so close to my cabin was completely unexpected!!

When I looked out of the cabin window I saw some large footprints

On closer inspection I could see they were from a Wolf.  The best print I have covered with a tin lid to protect it.  The Wolf must have walked around the cabin the previous evening (it gets dark at 5 now) when the ground was wet.  Then later in the evening the temperature dropped to -6 and froze the ground leaving perfect prints

This particular print measured 11.5cms.

The gait measured exactly 100cms.

Here’s a picture of another bird that is resident at my cabin now, but can you see what it is??……..

Fiskars hatchet RIP!!!

For the first time ever I have lost a piece of kit while out in the forest; my Fiskars hatchet.  I must have put it down while working and forgotten to pick it up again.  I have retraced my steps but have not found it.

I had made a leather sheath for it, which clipped to my belt and inside the handle I had a sharpening file

I carried it with my most of the time and used it for carving, shelter building and many other tasks.

I emailed Fiskars a couple of weeks ago to ask for my nearest supplier here in the North of Sweden but disappointingly they have not replied.

 

Surprise visit to England…..and my 500th post!!!

Myself and Teres returned from England yesterday.  It was a surprise visit for my mums 80th birthday last Saturday.  It was good to see some of the family and friends.

We visited Ely Cathedral

and the Autumn Agricultural Show in Peterborough

We were particularly impressed with some of the entries in the vegetable growers competition

Building a veranda on my cabin-2

Before I could begin constructing the roof I required some 100mm x 100mm timbers as supports for the roof.  They would be very expensive to buy but fortunately my friend Alf had some pressure treated telegraph posts I could use

and using a special chainsaw saw bench….

we cut all the supports I required

Alf and his son Roger also came to my cabin to help measure and mark a large beam that I would fix to the side of the cabin and would support the veranda roof, but all the other work I had to do on my own.

Once I had cut the beam and fixed it to the wall, I could begin construction

Once all the 100 x 100 timbers were in place, I fixed on the roof support beams

My next task was to lay out the corrugated roof and decide how much each of the 9 pieces must overlap to cover the veranada

One of my most difficult tasks was lifting up the corrugated sheets on to the roof.  To do this I used a ladder and part of a ratchet strap

By pulling on the end of the strap to the left of the above picture I could lift up a metal sheet and the hook in the other end of the strap conveniently hooked over a ladder step to hold everything in  place while I moved behind the metal sheet and pushed it on to the roof using a long piece of wood

When the corrugated roof was on I fixed it in place with tech-screws

I cut off excess timber and the roof was completed

It rained hard every day and it was difficult to do everything on my own but I feel it was worth it

but I am very happy with the end result

I have also made this small coffee table to use when we sit out on the veranda