What to do when it's this wet?

Well, when you've planned to meet up with friends at Calke Abbey and do a Bushcraft session in the woods, the answer to that is 'Get very soggy indeed, but have a lot of fun too!'

It was a shame that only 2 out of the 4 families had managed to get spaces on the Bushcraft session, but we spent some time in the playground, a picnic lunch (fortunately there are some picnic benches under cover!) and had a quick walk in the garden before it started.  I remembered the woman who led it from a Fungi Foray that we went to a couple of years ago with the Wildlife Watch group we used to go to until it sadly ended.

Once we'd trekked (it was a 15 minute walk through longish wet grass) to the bushcraft area, which already had a camp fire burning despite the rain's best efforts to quash it, we sat on logs around the fire and learned/were reminded how to do two different types of a knots, a clove hitch and a reef knot.  Then we set to den building, using the knots to secure a couple of big branches to a tree to start us off.  I'm sure you'll agree that we did a pretty darn good job!

M, K, G & F in the den

F & K after we'd added a 'door'

While the den building was going on, each family got to have a go at lighting a fire without matches, no mean feat with this much rain!  I had had visions of rubbing sticks together, but fortunately John, who showed us what to do had a very nifty gadget, quite like this.

M had a go first (K having said she didn't want to) and got up some good sparks, but didn't manage to get the mini campfire to catch light.  My turn next and it took a lot of tries and a new, dry cotton wool pad (if we'd had to find dry kindling we'd have stood no chance!) before I eventually managed.  K decided that she would have a go at making the sparks in the end and managed pretty well too.

After the den building, we went back to the campfire and toasted marshmallows on sticks (just a couple each) and tried some campfire-popped-corn.  A good way to end a very enjoyable, if rather damp, bushcraft session.

After the session, there was, of course, the walk back.  It started off okay, we spotted some interesting things.

A couple of fungi

And lots of what I think might be harebells.

We also came across a big, old fallen tree, which made a very good climbing frame.  It was around this time that we discovered that we really weren't that wet. However it wasn't much consolation because our method of discovering this, was to become *really* wet, as the heavens opened and dumped rather a lot of water on us.  So we did the only sensible thing and went to the cafe for cake, before saying goodbye to our friends and heading home for a bath.

I've finally got round to taking a photo of K's finished rainbow project poster. 

I have been meaning for absolutely ages to suggest the idea of lap-booking to the girls, which I think would have worked really well for this.  I explained how it worked to them and they seemed quite keen, so watch this space.