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June 16th 2008

The last 6 weeks have been a bit of a blur with lots of really interesting bits of work and play.

We had a windy, wet but fun day at Colby Woodland Garden on the May Bank Holiday, with lots of families enjoying making fire and creeping stealthily across a field to practice Tracking – bit of a feat in high winds and wearing waterproofs but people valiantly joined in!

Have just returned from a really fantastic week in Nottingham delivering the Intermediate level course of our “Wilderness Adventure” programme. Working with 4 brilliant lads and 2 great members of staff from a school up there, who we’d met previously on the Basic course back in Autumn. They all engaged really well and it was a real pleasure to get to know them better and see them connecting with the woodland, the skills and getting to know themselves better. Looking forward to the Advanced course with them in the next year.

Also delivered a demonstration and workshop day for the Pembroke Dock Festival Group’s Family Fun Day for the second year running. Cracking weather and lots of interested folk. We really enjoy these busy days, getting to meet people and realising how many people really are interested in Bushcraft and are itching to get out there and explore their environment. Well the beauty of Bushcraft is it’s so simple- you just need to find your nearest woodland, beach, little bit of wilderness and spend time there. It’s free, you get fresh air, a bit of exercise and you can even find yourself a meal.

Talking of which I’ve had a great month foraging for bits and pieces. Found a massive amount of the delicious “Chicken of the Woods” fungi in a woodland – fantastic fried up, really does taste like chicken!

Also been enjoying stuff from the coast – Samphire is a delicious, salty green known as “poor man’s asparagus”. Just wrap in foil, steam lightly over your beach fire and enjoy with some freshly caught mackerel! Delicious!

Needless to say, make sure you’re sure of what you’re collecting before eating, especially with fungi. Make fires responsibly and extinguish properly and take foil home with you and recycle!

We’ve got some filming this week for the BBC1’s “One Show” so are busy preparing and getting ready for our slot on that – will let you know how it goes and when we’ll be on.

Enjoy the summer, get out there and make the most of where ever you live.