Author: dirtieswebspinner

“We went to Valleyfield pond this week. This video sums up the wonderful time we had” Thanks Josephine

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PItahwbceGA&feature=youtu.be]

Friday (Thanks Emily)

On Friday evening, we arrived, some on the minibus and some on the train, and had dinner, which was lasagna, I think. Later some of us went with Sam to play games in the wood. The others stayed in the house and mostly knitted, i think.

It was a dry, still and very dark night. We played a several rounds of a game I can’t remember the name of but involved sneaking up on one person who had a torch and hiding behind trees when they turned round to avoid being caught. Then a capture the flag (torch) type game.

And in between we played ‘hunt John’s glasses’ for about 20 mins…He has been told to buy a pair with fluorescent frames next time!… we did find them. And a little later we had a much shorter game of ‘hunt Amy’s keys’.

As the sneaker-uppers had no torches There was a lot of running into trees (I had a bruise on my hip for a week) and grovelling commando style. The technique of hiding-behind-a-tree-that-is-narrower-than-you-are was frequently employed.

Capture the flag proved rather difficult for the attackers with an equal number of attackers and defenders. Even more so on a silent, windless night with a forest floor covered in rustling leaves and loudly snapping twigs! Tactics evolved over the course of the game, from kamikaze mad dashes  down the path in initial rounds to a gradually more subtle approach, with many minutes spent standing  or crouching motionless behind trees and bushes. There were gradually longer pauses in activity as the attackers’ tactics evolved, little was heard for many minutes other than the occasional mysterious rustle and snap. During one round when I was attacking, Cameron passed within a few feet of me and did not see me, and I didn’t see John, but fell over him as I crept on through the woods.

Saturday (Thanks Ben)

After waking up from various parts of the grounds, including a Renaissance tower and various wood huts, we congregated in the main house for the largest pot of porridge I have ever seen.
Following breakfast we got straight to work. We split up into three groups who did work in the garden and in the orchard where some people picked apples whilst others removed brash with fierce dedication. The third group was busy chopping logs. “Defeat” was not a word that was understood when it came to rock-hard logs. Unfortunately this resulted in a broken sledge hammer (didn’t know you could break a sledge hammer).
After a few tea breaks, where we ate biscuits, flowers and then more biscuits, and a energizing lunch we continued work.
At the end of the day, exhausted and in a satisfying pain we gathered for dinner. A fire was made in a small dome of dried mud and straw covered in a car bonnet to make delicious wood fired pizza. For desert Sam, one of our hosts, made an amazing crumble. A big thank you to all the cooks. The evening was then concluded with some ping pong and a bonfire (equals marshmallows) where the wind would not make up its mind.
I can definitely conclude that my first day on a Bothy was a success.

Sunday (Thanks Morna)

Sunday started off with an abundance of pancakes, porridge and healthy dose of sore muscles. We headed out into the wilderness (otherwise known as the garden) to continue work, chopping wood, working in the garden, and clearing the orchard. A disturbed wasp’s nest and several blisters later, our tea break soon became lunch and we feasted on last night’s pizza, delicious soup and some hearty sandwiches. So much food…

The afternoon was our own and after clearing up our mess we swayed in the hammocks while others made their way to the train for home. We said goodbye to Obi the cat, and headed for home. Driving home in the minibus turned out to be an eventful affair, with high winds closing the Forth road bridge to us. However, Ever-the-amazing Ellie quickly re-planned our route, and after a slight detour we arrived home in Edinburgh safe and sound.

Thank you, most of all, to Cameron and Nina for organising such an amazing weekend filled with plentiful food and fun. Until next time!
Morna

This week we visited Currie Wood with your local friendly neighbourhood ranger Alan. We met at the new tool cupboard and armed ourselves with new axes and freshly rebladed bow saws and Ellie mini-bussed us skillfully to the woods.

We were briefed and tool-talked and began the fun jobs of ring barking and felling conifer trees, with the aim of opening up the canopy to let light in and improve the conditions for birch and oak trees that would otherwise be outcompeted by the greedy conifers.

Have you ever wanted to know how to get that natural pine fresh scent on your clothes, without the need for expensive washing powders? Its easy and effective simply using a sharp axe and enthusiasm you can get great results peeling back the cambium of trees. Ringbarking not only makes you smell great but kills off trees whilst leaving them upright so that you don’t have to deal with the complications of felling.

Complications John and Rosie can attest for, after cutting a huge wedge out of a tree with the Dirties shiny new felling axe and enjoying a smooth cut with the fresh bow saw blade they came into problems when the saw refused to go any further in, or come out the other way. The solution: bigger saws. Alan’s lovely two person saw brought the tree down with saw blade still embedded in the trunk, although not in the intended direction and somewhat caught up in the canopy. Tree felling is hard guys.

As ever the highlight of the day was the great lunch supplied by the foodies sat by the idyllic stream, soup and bread was enjoyed with a dessert of cake donated by Alan.

In all, much destruction was undertaken against the trees and we look forward to future visits where we might see the new green growth that we will have enabled.

James Bamkin