Camera RIP

This is the last image I'll be able to post until I can sort out another camera (Makes a nice desktop picture).  Unfortunately I dropped the camera and now the shutter won't close or the lens retract...I've got a feeling it's dead.

Birthplace of Aviation

Really enjoying our holiday - walking on the beaches and in the forests.

Were at Scarborough this morning

Had the best ploughmans lunch ever in The Anvil at Sawdon and then had a walk in Wykeham Forest.

 Part of the forest nursery at Wykeham - a field of Larch seedlings.

These Yorkshire Forests are huge - mainly conifers with loads of massive Larch.  Yesterday we were at Dalby Forest which bills itself as "The Great Yorkshire Forest".

George Cayley pioneer of manned flight was born just down the road from where we're staying.

A Salty Dog

Jed had his first taste of the sea today when we took a walk along the beach at Filey.  He really loved racing around on those acres of sand with all the other dogs.

One thing I love about Yorkshire are the drystone walls - proper walls. 

I remember travelling up to Yorkshire when we were kids.  There was a constant chorus of “Are we nearly there yet?” - in the end my Dad said “Don’t ask again until you see a drystone wall”.


Had a walk down Wy Dale yesterday and saw this sign...

This blog coming to you courtesy of a ‘3’ dongle (mobile broadband) which only cost £20.  Unfortunately after I have used it the computer ‘freezes’, won’t go to sleep and the cursor vanishes...(any ideas on this gratefully accepted).

Photos

Chris Hickman of the Woodland Trust has sent me a link to a set of photographs of the scouting event in Croydon last week.

When you're in the thick of it there isn't time to take many photos or to have a look around at the other activities so it's great to see what else was going on.   Archery, Storytelling, Bushcraft & Survival skills, Willow Weaving, Woodland Art and Tree Planting. . . oh yes and Bodging.

See the full set of photos here.

Wooding

I always tell people that tree surgeons are a good source of a wide variety of timber...

Yesterday I went to visit my mate Tony at the Gaynes Park estate near Epping.  He's the gamekeeper on the estate and also works as a tree surgeon (a very good one).  Had a root through his firewood pile and managed to find Holly, Yew, Hawthorn, Sycamore, Beech, Oak and London Plane logs - he also gave me a couple of slabs of Sweet Chestnut.

Cheers mate . . . should keep me going for a while!

New Axe

November's started well...

I took possession of a Gransfors hewing axe courtesy of Jon Warwicker.

Carving axe & Hewing axe.

 I'd tried his out when we had a day on our plot a couple of months ago and found it much easier for roughing out bowl blanks than the carving axe. . . he also got it for a 20% discount!

Could the Gransfors standards be slipping?  This new axe has a dreadful handle on it - a really rough finish with splintery patches.  I may have to make a new Ash one.

All souls

A lot of little trick-or-treaters knocking on the door at the moment as Vanessa has excelled herself this year and put her jack o' lantern in the front window.

Well if you can't beat em...
I scared one little boy who ran away when he saw my fake vampire teeth!