Okay, I got tabbed to do the write up. I never took any pix over the weekend, so I'll let the likes of Bodge and Thrud be the photographic recorders of a great weekend.
Bodge, they are great photographs. You're early morning walks obviously paid dividends.
I managed to be the first into Grimwade on Friday but only managed to be beat in Bodge by a half hour, and MJC88 followed another half hour later.
It's a strange thing meeting a group of strangers in a remote(ish) bit of bush, knowing full well they are going to be armed to the teeth with axes and knives...
We set up camp before dark and got the fire going. My Paul Bloffwitch patented fire set up worked well, but only after Bodge pulled out his fatwood supply as my usual trick of using drier lint let me down. It was taking a spark but not catching well.
The three of us sat around the fire, eating, chatting, having a quiet tipple (well not Bodge - he was a good boy) and getting to know each other, until about 10pm and headed off to bed.
There were light showers overnight which continued into the morning but it didn't dampen anyone's moods as the balance of our party, Decco, Mongoose DownUnder and his mate Adrian (I hope that's right - please forgive me if I got that wrong.) and finally Thrud rolled into camp.
It wasn't long before the toys started coming out and the bushcrafting skills started.
Thrud and I started building my bush loom (more on that in a minute), MDU and his mate set up their camp complete with a cooking fire and a reflector, MJC88 was building tent pegs using both axe and knives and Decco set up a pretty impressive cooking tripod over the "main" cookfire.
After dragging a long log out of the bush, MDU pulled out an assortment of saws which were pretty impressive and those others of us with saws also got involved. Mine wasn't in the race, let me tell you.
Now to the loom. After some R n D, Thrud and I managed to get the loom "working". I will say in my defence Your Honour, that I was merely intending to do a "proof of concept" experiment and, to that end, I class it as a success.
I intentionally used cheap as chips jute twine and never meant for this to be pretty. I didn't intend for it to quite so ugly but it did show that you could weave a mat in the bush. That said, I think it would take an awful lot of work to make anything of a decent quality.
However, some (actually pretty much everyone really) saw it, at best, as a modernistic, minimalist work of art, and, at worst, as a total WOFTAM....lol.
I am sure that, with practice, it would become easier. Honestly...nah, seriously, honestly, it would.
The day raced past and pretty soon we were set up around the campfire and enjoying each other's company.
After a yummy dinner cooked on the open fire, I decided to try a damper.
When it comes to cooking, I SUCK. BIG TIME. I must have thought my camp mates were Gods, because I gave them burnt offerings (with a nice doughy centre which I didn't charge extra for). I will take this opportunity to publicly apologise to all concerned for my severe lack of culinary skills.
Decco, I am sure your fry pan will recover. I hope....
Finally, it was time to hit the sack.
About 4.30am, two vehicles roared into our camp. One scared the begeez out of me, shining its spotlights straight into my hammock. Not sure what they were up to but it made for a bit of excitement in the 0'dark hundred.
Another down side of what was an absolutely great weekend was the motorbikes roaring around what was an otherwise fantastic site. Wouldn't mind so much if they came in, went past once and then went off exploring, but they just kept roaring up and down. They must have realised they were p1ss1ing us off but didn't care. Some people are just ignorant.
Sunday came around all too soon and with a sense of regret we all started packing up and getting ready to leave. After a round of goodbyes, we all headed off for home.
The only other thing that was a disappointment was the lack of an appearance by Browny.
Yes, that elusive creature of myth and fable failed to show again. The mystery continues.
Pix to come.
Cheers
Bloffy