Autumn in Lapland 24th September 2008

Rowed to the far end of the lake this morning to do a spot of fishing. A Golden eagle lifted from trees at the lake edge, circled around and then as it gained altitude, drifted away. As I rowed back to the cabin a Sparrowhawk flew across the lake (which is a new species for my list there). I also noticed that all the Waxwings have gone today….presumably on the next stage of their migration.

I washed my clothes after breakfast.

then added another set of legs to the saw-horse

then spent most of the day cutting logs

I decided to make an apple and blueberry crumble for my evening meal.

Lined a tin with apples and then blueberries

and crushed digestive biscuits

then covered the alternate layers and apples and blueberries with the crushed biscuits

I baked it in the oven for about 40 minutes and this was the end result…..BEAUTIFUL!!!

As I rowed to the far end of the lake again this evening to watch the Moose, 62 Pink-footed Geese flew over calling, on their way south for the winter.

Autumn in Lapland 23rd September 2008

Cloudy first thing, then sunny but became overcast late afternoon and cleared just before dark.

This morning I sat and watched a Great-spotted Woodpecker wedge a cone in the crack of a tree trunk as a vice, so it could extract the seeds.

Here is the end result

I decided to make a bird feeder using bits I had found discarded by others. It’s amazing how long such a simple thing can take to make when you have limited materials and tools. The seeds drop out of holes at the bottom of the tube.

This afternoon I collected two fallen Birch for firewood for a winter trip I am planning. I cut the trees up using a sabre cut saw (a kind of hand operated chainsaw with teeth pointing in both cutting directions).

Then I carried the sections back to the cabin for cutting up and splitting.

some were too big to carry on my shoulder so using this piece of rope

I made a simple handle for dragging the logs back, which reduced the strain on my back.

On one of the trees there was a really nice bur (a bur in Swedish is called a “kasa” and so as I understand it is not the cup that is truly the kasa, but the item it is made from). In Finland they are called “kuksa”.

There has been a male Crossbill singing around the cabin most of the day and a pair of Northern Bullfinch appeared briefly. There was also a black form of the Red Squirrel around and when I rowed to the far end of the lake at dusk there was a female Moose feeding on Bog Bean. A male then appeared calling to her, she replied and then they both disappeared into the forest.

Spruce Tipi – Part 2

Four Birch poles were lashed together and set up as a quadro-pod and then other poles were laid between.

After a simple doorway was constructed we gathered Spruce boughs and began inserting them between the poles.

We put the boughs on the opposite way up to which they had grown, with the end of the bough that was nearest to the tree, pointing upwards.

The top of the structure was left open to allow smoke from the fire to get out.

Here’s a picture taken inside with a fire.

and it was still in good condition when we returned the following winter.

Spruce Tipi – Part 1

On a trip to Lapland myself and my friend Heiko decided to make a Spruce tipi.

We began by finding an area of flat open ground in the forest

where there were small Birch for the frame and Spruce boughs to cover the shelter.

Using a stick we exposed Spruce roots

and gathered them.

We removed the outside of the roots and then split

and used as lashings for the framework

Birch Bark Sheath

Having spent the afternoon a few weeks ago collecting Birch bark with friends http://fenlaners.blogspot.com/2008/04/removing-birch-bark.html
I recently taught my friend Sue how to make a sheath for her Frosts carving knife out of the bark and here is her end result.

I have never seen Birch bark with such a beautiful red colour before.

Spring in Lapland – 29th May

Sunny with some cloud today and temperature up to 16 degrees.

It is very quiet for birds today. Only 2 Waxwings and a pair of Long-tailed Ducks on the lake.

I was pleased to find three Perch in the trap this morning

After filleting, I fried them in oil with salt and pepper.

Before Anki and Ingvar headed home, they took me to the south end of the lake to show me the location of a fresh water spring.

They have installed a walkway and a pipe to make it easier to collect the spring water.

As we walked to the spring we passed the remains of a Willow Grouse (Dalripa in Swedish) which had probably been eaten by a fox

I walked back through the forest and found a really nice, large Birch tree with reasonably clean bark. I made a bark chisel and set about removing a piece of bark from the tree.

The bark was not easy to remove because there is still very little sap rising,

but I managed to get a large sheet of bark from the tree, so it was well worth the effort.

I spent the afternoon painting more windows and then this evening I have cut up the bark for a couple of projects I have in mind.

Spring in Lapland – 25th May

Sunny and warm today and as a result the snow is melting significantly now.

The male Common Sandpiper is displaying over the lake today. There were 2 Siberian Jays in trees behind the cabin, 1 Willow Tit and 2 Waxwing, but apart from these it is very quiet for birds today.

Made the most of the fine weather by rubbing down and painting some of the cabin windows today.

I then gathered logs from the fallen frees I had cut up over the past few days. and then carved a spatula and started to carve a kuksa.

I really like a slightly sweet Swedish bread called Vetekaka and buy a pack each time I go.

I used my last mushroom and cheese to make some mini pizzas.

This evening I am trying to collect some Birch sap.

The sap will run down the blade of the knife and drip into the well of the billy can lid. Once this fills the sap will run over the lid, and because the lid fits loosely on to the can, the sap will run around the lid and into the can. This prevents any crap getting into the sap.

There has been a “halo” around the sun all day today so I am expecting rain tomorrow!

Spring in Lapland – 22nd May

It was a cold night last night and areas of open water on the lake now have a thin layer of ice again. Light snow first thing and then sunny and warm with temperature up to 12 degrees.

There was 1 male and 2 female Smew+ 1 male Goldeneye on the lake today. Another pair of Pied Flycatchers have appeared around the cabin this morning, 4 Waxwings now, 1 Greenfinch flew SSW calling, 1 Willow Warbler singing, several male Bramblings singing, 1 Blue-headed Wagtail flew over, 2 Siskin around and 1 House Martin feeding over the lake.

I cleared more snow and had to clean out the stove because the wood would not light, before I could have breakfast.

I am currently eating two meals a day to ensure my food will last two weeks. I have a big pot on the back of the stove which is simmering away all the time and any left-over food or things I find to eat outside are added and then I just spoon out a bowl full each evening for my meal (managed to find 12 Lingon berries yesterday evening). In reality of course I could survive without eating anything for more than two weeks, as long as I have drinking water, but it is amazing how much I look forward to something simple like a small cup of orange juice or two blocks of chocolate each day.

The stove performs incredibly well. It uses very little fuel and once hot, it will heat the whole cabin without the need for a fire in the living room.

Today I have also made a small shrink pot out of a piece of Birch.

First it has to be hollowed out with your knife

until the walls of the tube are just a few millimetres thick

then cut a small groove around the inside of the tube, carve a base and pop it into the groove

as the Birch tube dries and shrinks it should form a water tight seal around the base.

This evening I walked to a small area of marsh behind the cabin where there was a male Little Bunting singing. Just after midnight there were three Reindeer in the trees just behind the cabin.

Spring in Lapland – 21st May

Snowing again this morning, but by mid-afternoon it was sunny and up to 8 degrees, but by 8pm it was down to 2 degrees.

I spent the day around the cabin, cutting up fallen trees

and carrying them back to the cabin. I was having real problems holding things in my right hand, having hit my elbow on a rock the day before. 1 Lapland Bunting flew over calling, 3 Common Cranes flew NE, 1 Golden Plover flew over calling and there were a pair of Waxwings around the cabin for most of the day.

I must apologies for the quality of some of the wildlife picture, but I only carry a compact digital camera (Panasonic Lumix) and as with any compact, you have to be very close to get good pictures.

I selected some pieces of Birch and split for carving spoons and other items.

and here are some of the items I carved over the next few days.

At about 21:30 I sat outside the cabin and could here a strange distant noise coming from towards the marsh, so I headed over there to investigate. The sound reminded me of the bubbling sound of “lekking” Black Grouse and indeed that was what it turned out to be, they were in the forest beyond the marsh. There were many Ruff also displaying on the marsh, but other waders were rather more quite than on previous visits.

I was also quite surprised to find quite a few mosquitoes had emerged and were determined that i would be there first meal!!

Removing Birch Bark

Having made a bark chisel, it was time to remove the bark from Birch logs which had been cut and stacked by the path.

Using the opposite end of the chisel as a batten I beat the outer bark to help separate it from the inner bark.

Once this was done I scored along the length of the log using my knife and the batten.

The majority of lenticells (the parallel lines running across the bark) should be shorter than an inch for bark craft. If they are long, the bark tends to split along them as you work.

I used my knife to raise the edge of the bark to enable me to get the chisel under.

A second pair of hands are helpful now to help support the bark as it is gently chiseled away from the inner bark.

This bark is destined to be used for making knife sheaths.

In Canada I found that the bark of Birch trees growing in wet conditions, would literally pop off the tree.