A new hat for the bush

A good hat for the bush is a simple thing of beauty!

It will shade your head from the sun...

Shield your head from the bugs...

Stay on in a wind...

Keep your head warm in the cold...

and if you get hot...

You should be able to dip it in the river and then wear it wet for comfort...

(the effect caused by the evaporation of  water will cool you down while it dries off)

I like a hat with some provenance and am not adverse to finding one used...

Just such a hat came to me  last week and has now become one of my favourites...

Its an Akubra "Snowy River"

Stockman's hat that is well worn and bush ready...

Made of rabbit fur felt in Australia its already slightly discoloured from the sun...

A hat you don't have to worry about keeping immaculate because its already worn...

Perfect!

Yesterday I stuck a couple of feathers on the band that I recently found while out walking the dogs...

Until I need it next I will hang it on a chair post like this other well worn hat of mine...

Do you have a favourite old hat of your own?

-Martin

Tree Bee

    As mentioned in yesterdays post...

The chainsaws  have come out to make some sense of my storm damaged forest.
The micro-burst that tore through my woods last year, knocking down trees like dominos, leaving some dangerous trees standing needs to be attended to now...

This morning my friend Andrew showed up with his saw and gear and gave me a hand felling some trees...

 Some trees leaned precariously, their roots systems partially torn from the soil... some were damaged and cracked, dying slowly,  while others  were entangled  with other trees under tension, risky and unpredictable. ...
A dangerous morning of cutting ...

followed by a demanding afternoon of skidding logs to the wood pile ready for blocking and splitting...

The trees were sizeable...

Working conditions were hot and footing was sometimes difficult...

Slash was piled...

And so was wood for the winter...

One of the dogs seems to approve!

A good start on a very necessary project that will take a while to complete

I am appreciative for the help...

-Martin

A quiet sunday...the calm before "timber"

Sometimes things that need to get done take some time to get around to when you do them yourself!

Case in point the trees knocked down by a micro-burst that roared across my land a year ago now...

Trees were torn out of the ground everywhere...

The day it happened... out came the chainsaw and I attended to what needed to be taken care of right away...

It took a few hours to cut a path out to the highway and free my vehicle. 

There were trees that needed to be moved later and brush to be piled, but many trees...still needing to be felled could wait...until after the bills were paid and there was a lull in my work...

-

Fast forward to the present... 

It's time to revisit my storm damage...

The bug season for the most part has burned itself off with the warm weather and work has petered to a halt...

Time for a "wood bee"

It is my hope to turn a lot of wood that has fallen or still needs to be downed into firewood.  It's not great firewood because most is poplar a "soft hardwood" that does not burn as efficiently as maple or oak, but it will provide some heat and can be made use of. What can't be  used needs to be moved to brush piles away from the house. What can be left needs to be stabilized so it is safe. Some brush may wait for a winter brush burn too...

Today is tool prep day...

Out come the saws and fuel...chains, wedges, and  ATV...

Tomorrow my friend Andrew will come over to lend a hand...

A "wood arch"  for dragging trees that another friend built will be used for the first time...

Trees will fall, wood will pile and fun will be had!

-Martin

Morning Reflection

The garden has taken off with recent rains and my

spinach is ready for picking...

Sitting on the front porch working on a repetitive task I take a moment to reflect on this blog

Flashlights and Arrows...

Its been an enjoyable introspective experience for me from its conception and something I intent to continue...

A at times the experience can be a lonely one...

Posting, often without response...

A few have become "followers" 

(scroll down the column on the right of your screen)

This gives individuals an opportunity to participate in my blog by posting their own comments to my posts...

I enjoy hearing from readers...

Many have chosen to subscribe to my posts and are content to just read the posts without interacting. 

I encourage all you readers to become "followers" so you have the opportunity to chime in if you like...

The contact from followers has added another dimension to the blog...

Followers can even comment on other followers comments, further enriching this wonderful venue!

Evelyn Glennie is quoted as saying...

"I hope the seeds I have sown will be taken up by those who will follow me because the journey I have begun cannot be undertaken in isolation."

My sentiments exactly...

-Martin

Fishing for Supper

Bass season opened up this weekend and today I decided to take the rod out and get some dinner.

The weather today was slightly overcast with light rain...

Just the kind of weather that I like to fish in...

Not too hot... and the fish are often interested in lures that are fished along the top of the water. 

"Top water lures" incite fish to jump at them as they see them skimming along the top of the water  from below.  Its very visual with a lot of action...usually provoking fish to hit lures hard, boiling out of the water after a meal. 

The lure you see below is called a 

"Popper"

because you fish it by using a "popping action" when you retrieve it after casting. 

I like to shore fish... with the challenge of climbing over wet rocks and fallen logs to find a nice river side spot to cast my line and try my luck...

-

The river rippled with water flowing gently over rocks mid stream as I cast my line and then slowly retrieved it trying different pockets of turbulence and calm for fish. 

Deer flies occasionally buzzed by and fish were caught and released throughout the afternoon as I worked my way down the riverside.

An hour or so into fishing I snagged my line on a partially submerged tree and decided to go in for a swim and recover it.

The water was warm and the fishing was great!

Here are a few fish that came home with me for dinner. 

Actively participating in the food-chain makes for a very meaningful meal...

-Martin

New Knives from old

Its always exciting to get a new knife!
Today I found these unwanted knives in a box of bric-a-brac at a yardsale.

I rescued them to restore and use.

There is something special about a tool you can carry and use for utility that is both visually appealing and has a story behind it...

Knives in particular...

When I got home I was going to put these guys in my home made  "battery charger electrolytic metal cleaner" but somebody used up the arm and hammer washing powder, that I normally keep for mixing into my secret  metal cleaning mediium, for washing clothes instead!

(more about this metal cleaner after I replenish my supplies)

Wanting to use at least one of these knives today ...

I took the knife best suited to helping me prepare dinner...washed it off...gave the blade a quick touch up and headed to the kitchen...

If knives could be happy I would say this knife was very happy... back in action...saved from a junk box and in the kitchen, given one of the hardest jobs in food preparation...finely slicing tomatoes!

And Voila...

Dinner is served!

-Martin

Flashlight Friday

Its been a long day working in the forest...

The body and the mind are tired...

Yes its late in the day but ...

 its Friday....

Flashlight Friday!

Here are some new yard sale finds

In the background on the left is a Rayovac 3 cell Sportsman with hanger circa 1965 

and on the right is an Ash Flash 2 cell wtih hanger also circa 1965

The foreground features an Eveready sealed beam "Big Jim" no. 100 circa 1959

A symphony of vintage retro Blue Collar aesthetic!

-Martin