Bridgewood weblog http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/all/ The IC RSS Gadget webmaster@informedconsent.co.uk 360 Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:45:59 GMT Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:45:59 GMT http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179819/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179819/ Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:45:59 GMT I had three trips this month, and managed to get a lot further with the North Ride (ie track) that I've been clearing. One or two more days and the full length will be open to the sky. Once this is done people will be able to go for circular walks around at least that part of the site without having to fight their way through the dense undergrowth which comes back in spring. ... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179485/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179485/ Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:37:55 GMT The end of October is a natural end for the open air season, in the same way that the 1st of May starts it. For the last few weekends, including yesterday, I've been doing felling work now the weather is cooler. ... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179367/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179367/ Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:25:02 GMT I've finally got a photo of a common buzzard, perched on one of the tree stumps in the Glade. I got this one picture before it decided to fly off into the trees. The buzzards have been spotted several times in the area of the Glade and the adjoining stretch of the Middle Ride, and opening up these spaces has probably encouraged them, as they prefer the edges of woodlands rather than dense areas. http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179359/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179359/ Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:25:55 GMT Saturday was Bridgewood's last planned Event Day of 2009, with half a dozen in attendence and the leaves starting to fall from the trees. ... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179291/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179291/ Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:19:24 GMT Over the Bank Holiday weekend, I built and assembled a wood-lined cage pit at Bridgewood. ... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179252/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179252/ Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:59:06 GMT PhoenixAmber has written a great blog about the weekend, including the Ladder Rack she and EricStanton built using some of the cut hazel poles. holly and I also got a campfire going with some baked potatoes so we have officially Cooked At Bridgewood now :)... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179233/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179233/ Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:13:10 GMT After glorious weekend weather in May and June, July and now August are being a bit mixed. Despite that I've still been down about one day a week, and managed to dodge the recent rain using the weather forecasts. Most of these trips have been to enjoy the wood (including its BDSM possibilities with a new volunteer), but I've also almost finished the new toilet.... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179116/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179116/ Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:07:26 GMT I came across Coed Hiraeth in Wales, a woodland that is being developed for various "health and wellbeing" activities, from informal wilderness days and volunteer weekends, up to outdoor therapy sessions. Their common theme is that we're missing something we need by not being in contact with the natural world, and that woodlands are an ideal place to redress this imbalance.... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179013/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/179013/ Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:37:28 GMT Yesterday I had half a dozen visitors to Bridgewood, and the weather held out for the picnic and showing people round the site. Having proper car access at last makes a huge difference, and I've taken the "not yet open" disclaimers out of the FAQ now too :) http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178980/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178980/ Mon, 15 Jun 2009 22:04:13 GMT Now the access is sorted out, I'm moving on to the "little things", like somewhere to sit and have lunch. A-frame picnic tables are very in keeping with the forestry nature of Bridgewood, so that's what I've gone for. ... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178934/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178934/ Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:15:22 GMT I went to Bridgewood this afternoon to see how the work providing car access onto the site is getting on. I've taken some pictures, and it's now almost finished: the work with the heavy machinery is now backing towards the entrance gate, rather like working back to the door when you're painting a floor!... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178747/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178747/ Sat, 18 Apr 2009 13:18:31 GMT I've now moved the Bridgewood pages onto their own site, www.bridgewood.org.uk , along with the Open Air BDSM listings. This is primarily in the hope of getting better Google rankings for searches including "bridgewood", but it also simplifies things a bit and makes it easier to send people the website's address.... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178646/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178646/ Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:52:07 GMT The weather was lovely at the weekend, with sun all day and quite warm at lunchtime. I took this picture showing the Glade starting to come to life, with the ground that was trampled during felling and clearing now turning green again. The contrast with the view from January is striking.... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178544/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178544/ Thu, 05 Mar 2009 01:15:11 GMT I went to The Green Wood Centre in Ironbridge at the weekend, partly to see what it's like and partly for the Small Woods Association meeting being held there. It was quite an eye-opener.... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178471/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178471/ Sat, 21 Feb 2009 21:42:54 GMT No green shoots in the economy yet, but it was a sunny spring day in Bridgewood today and the ground has a scattering of new growth. The red shape in the bottom-left corner is Scarlet Elf Cup, a type of mushroom that grows on decaying wood, and also comes out in spring. http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178418/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178418/ Sat, 07 Feb 2009 22:26:06 GMT There was about an inch of snow on the ground today. I took these pictures and a short video, and did some work tidying up from last time. The snow revealed a lot of small animal and bird tracks!... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178412/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178412/ Fri, 06 Feb 2009 23:12:03 GMT I couldn't sleep last night, so I started playing around with Google Maps, and ended up superimposing a rough outline of Bridgewood onto a satellite image of Trafalgar Square at the same scale. Ahem. Maybe I should try cocoa or something? :)... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178378/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178378/ Fri, 30 Jan 2009 17:46:57 GMT I've written pages about the the Glade and Middle Ride. They're mostly links to existing pictures and text, but they show how both parts of the wood developed during 2008. http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178315/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178315/ Sat, 17 Jan 2009 23:10:21 GMT I made a short video of one of the trees I felled today, in this case using yellow plastic wedges hammered into the back cut to tip it over. I left a thicker hinge than usual because of the branch snagged in a fork, so it would come down slowly with the wedges rather than straight away after the chainsaw cuts. ... http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178301/ http://www.bridgewood.org.uk/weblog/178301/ Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:51:52 GMT I've now finished the work of clearing the Glade, which I talked about in this post last month, and I've put up a short video showing how it now looks from the centre....