27 April meet-up

Krissie's thoughts: Beautiful day!...what a great day!...wow, how fun to be in the woods on a day like this!! When we got to the site - we found this already well-made shelter (notice the bluebells in the background). After a little discussion about what makes a well-made shelter, we dispersed to pick our own spot and materials to build our own shelters.

Some picked a sturdy tree as their support.



It ended up like a well covered cave, large enough to stand up in.







Some made their own support by digging and burying one end of a forked branch.
This one used a branch resting on the ground. The end result was a fantastic shelter that became a bit of a hang-out for the older kids.(they're inside)















ooooooo Xander placed the branch perfectly - - this shelter had a sturdy start.







Not only did we use the saw to make perfect shelter frames, Aidan used the saw to get a natural bowl.









Sparks flying - using some cotton wool and flint, after some practice, it's not as easy as it looks!, everyone had a chance to start a fire...2 fires were combined to create a perfect cooking temperature.


The food cooked easily over the hot embers...fresh bread, dates wrapped in bacon, and even salami!








During lunch and before leaving there was plenty of time for games - Did I hear some one say Zombie?? oh no!

Day 1 - Krissie's thoughts:
What a great day! Shielding ourselves from the misty, persistent rain, we walked into the woods musing over the 'windy but sunny' Met weather forecast. We stopped to make large stick arrows to ensure our ability to return to our cars (this was extremely useful to me my first trip back - I would have missed the correct trail). Then Romily stopped to show us a patch of wood sorrel growing. 'the only 3 leaf plant in the woods, easily recognisable heart shaped leaves, and distinct lemony flavor' It was yummy, we continued on, munching these tender leaves.
When we reached a good spot, a clearing with some nice tree groupings, we built a tarpaulin shelter together and then split up to build our own shelters.
One was spacious and sturdy, great for comfortable living.
One was low and protected to survive though bad weather.
Next we went about collecting the tiny twigs that would be used as kindling, and when the fire lit, we got the kettle on for tea, chocolate and lunch.
During lunch, some picked out suitable sticks to use as journey sticks. And we noticed that the weather report was correct - the sun was out!
The afternoon was spent starting our own fires, keeping them going, extinguishing them, and finally making the fire site disappear.
We ended the day by playing some fun games - 'foxes and wolves' and 'wolves and deer' ?? What were the correct names? Even leaving our site and the trek back to civilization was most enjoyable!