The Pole Bed

A pole bed is made by lashing three pieces of wood together to form an "A" frame. Having constructed a second "A" frame, you lash them to two trees about 7 feet apart.
Two long poles are then rested on the horizontal bar of the "A" frames. I carry a piece of rip-stop nylon which I have sewn into a tube and this is threaded over and along the two poles. This is what I lay on and supports my body.

If I do not have a sleep mat or Reindeer skin with me, I stuff the inside of the nylon tube with dry grass or leaves as insulation. I can then put a tarp over the bed for protection from the weather.

The pile of material beneath the pole bed is Wych Elm bark which I spent the night processing to make cordage.


It's the site where I run my courses Norseman ;>)

Sheep Scab

Yesterday I spent a cold, wet and windy afternoon on one of our reserves injecting 200 sheep against Sheep Scab.

The "scab" is caused by the mite Psoroptes ovis and symptoms include severe itching and loss of fleece. The mite spends its whole life cycle on sheep and has no other host. The mite can survive for up to 17 days away from the host.

Sun halo

At 14:30 this afternoon there was a very nice example of a halo around the sun also known as a 22 degree sun halo.

The halo is formed by the suns rays passing through high altitude ice crystals and is usually a sign that it will rain within the next 24 hours.

For more information take a look at these links;

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/opt/ice/halo/22.rxml

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/atmos/halo22.html

When I see a distinctive cloud formation, I take photographs at regular intervals as the sky changes and note the resulting weather for future reference.

A visitor from the continent

While out on one of the reserves yesterday I noticed a medium sized pale bird sitting very upright in the top of a hawthorn bush. "Is that a Shrike?" I said to my colleague. On viewing the bird through binoculars we were able to confirm that it was indeed a Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor.

Pictures taken by Bruce Martin

The shrike is renowned for catching prey such as small mammals and large insects and impaling them on thorn bushes or barbed wire fences as a food larder for later use. For this reason, one of the names for the shrike is "butcher bird".

They breed in Eastern Europe, Russia and Scandinavia and move south and east to slightly milder climates for the winter.

Another sign of spring

While out walking today I found another sign that spring is with us...........

The ball of moss, hair, lichens and spiders webs on the centre of the picture is a Long-tailed Tits nest. Here is a close-up of the nest.

The nest is completely enclosed, except for a small entrance hole on the side. The entrance hole is on the other side of the nest and was difficult to access without causing unnecessary disturbance to the birds. The nest is usually lined with feathers.

To read more about Long-tailed Tits take a look here; http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/longtailedtit.htm

One for Merete - Part 3

Stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) are also starting to appear in reasonable quantities.

In spring when the leaves are young, if you grasp them confidently and roll between your fingers, you can remove the stings without getting stung and eat the leaves raw. They make a pleasant snack.

I like to gather lots of nettle leaves, place them in a small amount of water, add vegetable stock granules and pieces of spicy sausage and boil to make a simple soup.

People are always skeptical about the cooking process breaking down the stings, but it really does. I really enjoy nettle soup!

Nettles are a rich source of minerals (especially Iron) and vitamins (especially vitamin c). They have been used in the treatment of skin complaints and rheumatism and internally are good for the kidneys and circulation.

The outer stem of this plant can be utilised to make fine cloth and can be used to make a strong cordage. The word "net", as in fishing net is derived from the word "nettle" as nettle cordage was used to make fishing nets.

I have found that the juice from inside the plant, counteracts the effect of the stings.

One for Merete - Part 2

The leaves of Herb Robert or as I often refer to it "Bob the herb" (Geranium robertianum) Geranium coming from the Greek "geronas" - a crane, because the fruits are said to resemble the head and beak of the afore mentioned bird and hence the name of a relative of this plant "Cranesbill", are appearing now.


I am unaware of any parts of this plant used for food, but it has been used to treat skin conditions, kidney problems and to help staunch blood flow.

One plant which is actually starting to flower now is Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria), a member of the Buttercup family.


Another local name for this plant is "Pile Wort" and it has been used both historically and currently as a treatment for piles, often made into an ointment and applied externally.