Tirfor winch vs large broken oak branch

When we got to the woods today, we saw that a large branch had mysteriously broken in an oak tree but was still attached, presenting a potential danger. So as soon as Jon & family arrived, we put him to work!

Here's the video, showing how the Tirfor winch is set up, using endless slings to attach to trees and, of course, the branch coming down:

After all that hard work it was time for a BBQ, though it looks like Tracy is getting smoked as well here...

Tilly had a good time too, as Jon let her off the lead for the first time ever - here she is returning to him when called, with Mia chasing her!

Looking forward to the next time!

Mike

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Ever seen a duck chase a dog?

Our friend Carl took this video on their smallholding, where their duck (called Crispy) chases their dog (Jackson). Why Jackson doesn't eat Cripsy Duck I don't know, but it makes for hilarious viewing! Take a look:

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Sussex Police dog trials 2012

Mike and I went along to the Sussex Police dog trials last weekend. It was superb! The dogs are amazing and so well trained. I guess the handlers are well trained too.

This is the beautiful Victor.





The part we enjoyed most (and I think the dogs did too!) Catch the Baddy. So funny hearing the police shout, 'Criminal, put the gun down!' I think this one is Apollo.



The dog wins!




Happy dog!




They did this jump with no run up. Brilliant!




...and Alvin ( I think!)



What a fab look of determination on his face!



Eagerly awaiting instructions...























I will not let go!



Lovely long jump.



Proud handler and dog, well done!



Here are some videos of the 'catch the baddy' game!

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A new woodland ride

I've just finished one of my main jobs this winter - cutting a new ride in my friend Alex's wood, but before I get to that we need to have a look at a few pics of our friend Andrews dog, Dougal, coming on his first visit to the wood. He's a Jack Russell Terrier, and very inquisitive but well-behaved too.

I've put a cover over the wood that we moved down from last winter's cutting, to keep the rain off it:

Anyway, on to this year's work. I've been cutting this ride to create a path into a small clearing we created a couple of years ago, to provide access to extract wood from future coppicing work, and also to add a feature to to the wood which should improve it both visually and for wildlife. So, for Alex, here's a walk-through series of pictures:

I've saved some of the straight stems in 5m lengths for a bridge-building project in the spring, which is needed to get across the seasonal stream at the start of the ride. I need to find a couple more trees for this job, and also level off the remaining stumps in the ride, but the bulk of the work is done now.

Mike

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Wolves in the wood!

OK, they're actually huskies, but they certainly look like wolves, and one of them even howled at sunset! They were visiting with our friends Ian & Tara last week, and I thought it would be good to let you see them, as they're lovely dogs. Here's the rest of them:Here's Tara with Thunder:

And earlier in the day on the beach:
Mike

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