A bbq and trapdoor

I was given an old cable drum last year and I have now made it into a bbq, using a steel bowl to hold the fire in.

It is at just the right working height and I am very pleased with the way it works.

Last weekend I had to make a new access point to be able to gain access under the house.  I began by cutting a hole in the veranda floor.

and then joined the pieces of wood together to make a trapdoor.  I had to dig under the veranda floor and then under the house foundation

I have placed a fibre-glass sheet in front of the hole until we need access, to prevent mice getting under the house.

I’m afraid I do not have anything else to report this week.  Hopefully I will have more to write about next time.

Summer at last

Summer has finally arrived, with temperatures between 20 and 26 degrees during the last week.  The girls are happy because they can have the trampoline out again. 

We were at the cabin again last weekend. It was too hot to have a fire in the cabin to cook food so I made a simple grill outside. 

We sat outside to eat also. 

We were also out in the forest fishing and grilling sausage. 

I also completed a Birch spoon and knife that I had started in Mora.

First weekend at the cabin 2017

On Saturday it was Teres’ 40th birthday party

but on Sunday morning we were up early to drive to the cabin.  Monday we were both not working  and on Tuesday (today) it was a bank holiday, so we would have a long weekend.

The girls immediately began searching for worms so that they could go fishing

They did not catch any fish, but they did manage to make fire with a firesteel and we then grilled sausage over the fire

After eating so much sausage, Kelly needed to rest.

There were many wading birds displaying at the cabin including Wood Sandpipers

and on Monday there were even not one

not two

but three Red-necked Phalaropes swimming around on the lake, catching insects.

I found an old tent canvas at the cabin which I suspended under a fallen Birch tree

which the girls loved playing in.

I also made a new knife while I was at the cabin

using moose horn, leather and Sallow root bur.

I also had time to make a sheath for it.

It’s so nice to be able to get back to the cabin again!

 

Will summer never come

Last week we had  3 Golden Plover feeding in the garden

I’m assuming that they are here because there is so much snow left up in the mountains, that that have no where to breed at the moment.  We even have a Snow Bunting still here in the garden, but that’s most probably because it has a broken leg.

It still remains very cold here, but the snow continues to melt gradually; or at least it did until Sunday when another 10cms fell!!

This was on Saturday before the snow

and this was on Sunday

This could well be the summer that never was!

Morakniv Adventure Part 5

On Saturday morning we were divided into groups, and each group given a map.  We had to navigate to five different locations, covering a distance of 16kms, and at each location we had to do or make something for one hour.

Our first activity was with Beth and using Birch bark and soaked Birch roots

we had to make sheaths for our knives.

Here are the sheaths that our group made.

At our next location we met Thomas Eriksson one of the directors at Morakniv and we had to again build a fire and burn through a string in the fastest time possible.

My time was 1 minute and 31 seconds, but unfortunately Johan Forsberg beat me with a time of 1 minute and 22 seconds.

At our next location we met with Johan Skullman.  Here we had to navigate in the forest with  first with a compass and then with a Swedish compass; a long straight pole used to maintain a bearing.

Then he demonstrated how to correctly use a Primus multifuel Expedition stove.  After the demonstration, we had to boil 1 litre of water and be timed doing it.

Our final task with Johan was to build and cast with, a hobo fishing kit.

After a short walk, we had a lunch break.  We were all provided with a pack of “Real Turmat” freeze dried food and had to boil water to mix with it.

After lunch, we hiked to Jögge, who gave a demonstration on how to sharpen our knives

Our final activity was with Dave Canterbury, where we had to make two different types of fish trap-lines.

After this, we hiked back to camp for our evening meal.  The atmosphere was much quieter than usual as we knew that to next morning the event would be over and we would be heading home.

I would like to thank all those at Morkniv who organised this event and made us feel welcomed and their and their ambassadors.

Morakniv Adventure Part 4

The evening began with a fire-lighting competition.  Each contestant gathered materials for a fire and then when the clock started, you had to start a fire with a firesteel and burn through a piece of string as quickly as you can.

After the fire-lighting there was a different competition but unfortunately I have forgotten the name for this one.  Two people hold a piece of wood and stand either side of a line.  The idea is to get your opponent off balance so that they cross over the line, or they let go of the piece of wood.  Johan from Nordic Bushcraft, was very good at this and won the competition.

Jögge Sundqvist has a alter-ego who he calls “Surolle”.  He put on a show for us in one of the tipi’s

During the show he carves to rock and pop music, with a slideshow running in the background

with a little help from Dave Canterbury he made a shrink pot drinking cup

The remainder of the evening was spent around the camp-fire, with beer, whisky and some good laughs.

On Saturday we were all up early to prepare for a 16km hike, but more about that in my final post tomorrow.

Morakniv adventure Part 3

At Beth and Jögge’s workshop, everyone had the chance to make a spatula and spoon from fresh Birch.

We started by splitting fresh Birch in to workable pieces

Then people learnt how to use an axe to make rough shape

and refine the shape by using a shaving horse and draw-knife

The workshop ended after a couple of hours and then we moved to Dave Canterbury’s workshop; boiling water in under 10 minutes.

He began by talking about his 5 Cs of survival; a cutting tool, a combustion device, cover, a container, and cordage.  Dave’s pathfinder company had provided all with a Pathfinder Bush pot cooking kit,

which I thought was a great bit of kit; having a tight fitting lid, a pouring spout, a bail-arm to hang it over a fire and two handles on the side for pouring.

As part of Dave’s workshop, we had to use these pots to boil water in under 10 minutes using the method he demonstrated.  We gathered armfuls of dead Pine branches, Birch bark and we made fine shavings from fat-wood to ignite with our Morakniv Eldris knfe and fire-steel.

Once the fat-wood and Birch bark were ignited, the pot was placed next to them and all the Pine branched were placed over, to produce a large, hot fire

While it is always good to learn new methods and hear other peoples views and opinions, I had some issues with this method as it goes against some of the principals I have been taught.  Firstly, it was impossible to know when the water was boiling, unless you spread out the fire and removed the pot top, but then ash and chard wood fell into the water (see picture above).  Secondly, the severe heat distorted parts of the pots; a couple of bail-arms lost there temper and the lid of  my pot and some others no longer fitted securely.  I would still recommend buying one of this pots as they are still a great bit of kit!!  Click on the pot picture above for a link where to buy one.

Here we all are boiling our water.

Once we had boiled water, we then had to place cotton cloth and punk wood in to the pots and placed them back in to the fire to produce char-cloth and chard  punk wood to then use to produce a second fire (to be fair this could also be when my lid was distorted).

On Friday evening we were all provided with meat and vegetables and a receipt and we had to make our own food.  Myself and my friends Johan Forsberg (from Nordic Bushcraft here in Sweden), Adrian Boots (from England) and Michele Lupoli (from Italy) joined forces to create our evening meal.  I had my BioLite Campstove with my and it worked well with Dave’s Bushpot.

After our meal it was time for everyone to gather for the evenings fun and games, but more about that next time.