I've moved

I've been tinkering with a new blog which can now be found here:

woodlandjourney.co.uk

Milling Time

I recently bought an Alaskan Mill, which gives me some new options for converting wood into more usable timber. This attachment fits to a chainsaw and let's you rip lengthways through a piece of wood using a flat guide edge coupled with an adjustable height.

Camping In The Cold

The weekend was a camping trip with my brother and nephew in the wood. We had already tried it in the summer so we thought we should give it a go in winter too. We each had our own tent too with my nephew camping out solo in his own 1-man tent for the first time.

Owl Box Refurbishment

I thought I should clear out the owl boxes before the spring, after discovering last years residents were hornets or possibly just common wasps, I'm still not totally sure. Not that I really object to them using the boxes but it would be great to see if an owl would nest in one at least. It's possible it's a hornets nest as they are common in the south and prefer wooded habitats. I should have taken a photo of them when I discovered them initially a few months ago but I was somewhat surprised to find them and being up a ladder it was not really my top priority to stop to take snaps!

Apparently they are docile creatures despite their reputation but might become aggressive if you disturb their nests and have a nasty sting. Hornets are brown and yellow rather than the black/yellow wasps that can be annoying in the garden in summer. Particularly pub gardens!

Bough Down

What with the snowy weather and end of year festivities I haven't been down to the wood for a while. Happily it seemed to get through the recent snow without any noticeable damage. There was a large oak bough that had come down before the cold weather set in, which needed sorting out so I set it about it with the chainsaw.