Shaggy ink cap

This is an interesting mushroom which is edible when young. As it matures and enlarges it disintegrates releasing it black inky gunk!.

It is very distinctive indeed.
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Something to look forward too.

Hi all,

Very excited about something.

Myself and a few friends are being honoured by a visit from the legendary Mr Lord flint knapper master next year. I am looking forward to seeing the magic he works with our flint.

Can't wait....

More details shortly.
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The best time

Hi all,

One of the best times I find to go to the woods is during bad weather. Rain keeps away the majority and means you have the wood to yourself.

Excellent

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Delicious, The birch bolete (Leccinum scabrum)

Hi,
I found these while out wandering.
They all ways grow under older Birch groups and seem to like a bit of grass too. They are quite distinctive and one of the easier mushrooms to identify with pores under the cap not gills. This group is well worth learning as they are good eating.
Make sure you are 100% when picking mushrooms. If you have any doubt at all, leave it alone and go and study more.
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What killed this Pigeon?

Look closely and you will notice that only the breast meat is removed. Interesting.

Birds of prey like to remove the breast meat but this was in a very urban area. Must be a sparrowhawk or something.

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Hazel and Willow tray

This took 20 minutes and has a multitude of uses. Kneeler, tray for gutting a fish, fire fan, wind break.

Tutorial coming soon.
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A day with Welig crafts

Hi all,

Myself and Paul were lucky enough to meet a guy called Clive Lyttle of Welig crafts at a recent event.

Clive invited the NIBA to come for a course so we readily accepted.

Clive designed our course with bushcraft in mind but he couldnt help but inject some of the fantastic artistry he dispalys in his own basket in too. Of course  it was a pleasure to watch someone with his skill work.

The course was very practical and we quickly set to work selecting and splitting our inital sticks to form the base. Then we were shown the various techniques for forming the base and building up the sides. We only had the time to make a shallow basket each as beginners, but future course promised larger projects.

Clive was allways on hand to provide detailed instruction when someone went array, which was often, and he had infinite patience even when I managed to completely ignore what he had said and insert all of my inserts upside down.

Clive gave us a tour of his excellent site where he grows many types of willow and invited us back to camp in the future.

We managed to bring 9 members to the course so hopefully we will be able to pass on what we learned to the guys who didnt make it this time.

This course is highly reccommended.

A simple basket tray which clive showed us how to make in 10 minutes

Paul, Neil, Stuart and Anne hard at work

Starting out

My base with color contrast

Clive giving his experience

Gary happy at work

Neils base turned out the best in the group. Well done!!

Mine and Garys basket together

My finished basket with simple top border

The gang minus 2 camera shy girls

Cheers

Hand drill in the Uk

I am really loving this skill. Am i adicted to handrill?

The natural Navigator

Hi all, I was lucky to have a bit of a chat to Tristan Gooley who wrote the natural navigator. I wa able to offer hims a peice of information that he had never heard before about how a tree can indicate direction. Tristan was kind enough to mention me on his blog, so thanks to him. I thought I would put a link for his book up here. I bought it after chatting to him and really enjoyed it. Highly recommended.