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South West Summer meet 2017 (pictures and write ups )

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My gaff for the week ! :thumbsup:

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Looks like Sleeping Beauty didn't get much sleep if you ask me ! :rofl:

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Is this a stone-age man, a primate or Gav Gimp ?
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I saved the best till last. Gav sat on this log. Matt thought it looked quite inviting until it gave way. :rofl:
 
THE ZOO
well did we go or was we sent
to basha hovel and sometimes tent
all to protect the childlike ears
of all the boys of tender years

I did try my angelic ways
(yes angelic)
to get them thugs to change their wicked ways
to no avail

that Matt, Gavin and Wildwood too
who lead young childish minds astray
Oh such wicked men as those
with their twisted minds and buckled toes

and so it was left to me
to make sure all the boys had tea
of ham sandwiches and custard
with just a mustard touch

as with all good things it had to end
the time for tents and hovels to descend
into the earth from whence they came
from underneath the dripping rain

so all young bushcrafters come not here
to spend a week in abject fear
not knowing what the day will bring
once more to hear old Dick sing
scout songs of the past
 
WildWood1965 said:
By some miracle I managed to get myself to The Weary Friary without following anyone & there was Uncle Albert (Joe) sat outside consuming a much needed pint of brown water.


I got a round in & the pair of us had a yap before Joe checked his phone & told me that Matt was 30 mins away. I decided to have a bite to eat in the meantime & I was just about to take the 3rd bite into my roll when a rather clean looking Land Rover pulls up, the horn toots & Matt tells me to get a move on. Nice one Uncle ! ;)

Matt & Gav shoot off up the track whilst Joe & I unpack the stuff we needed for Friday/Saturday morning. Fifteen minutes later I hear Matt shouting from the bottom of the track so we go up to see what the score is. A tree was blocking the track & Matt & Gav being the wimps that they are can't shift it so with the help of us two strapping lads :whistle: we all move the obstacle out of the way.

Matt pops down to pick us both up & we then got to work on our individual set-ups. Naturally I was the 1st one finished & being the type of guy I am I then helped the others with their abodes as they were struggling to get to grips with some of the more basic bushcraft set-up configurations ! :D It isn't too long before we all have our evening meals & we then hit the sack.

In the morning we all muck in to get the site set up ahead of the arrival of Paul, Mel & Daniel, John/Emily & the boys & last but no means least our old mate Dick.

As Matt & Joe have mentioned things from here on in appear to have all been jumbled up together but here is my account of the highlights of the meet which I will link to the attendees.

Matt:

Excellent organisation of the whole meet & nothing was too much trouble. He was always on hand to offer his knowledge & advice on numerous subjects & I reckon that people would pay to hear his recollections of previous meets & the associated shenanigans that ensued. He also made me one or two cups of tea which I am going to donate to a local museum so that bushcrafters of the future will be able to see the proof behind the myth/legend. ;)
Most evenings the two of us were the last men standing around the campfire & on at least a couple of occasions our conversations ended with us in tears of laughter whilst our stomachs were doing their best to explode. The one thing that stands out for me though is the face that Matt pulls at tea-time whilst uttering the word BOTULISM ! It reminds me of this & whenever I think about it it makes me chuckle.


Gav:

What can I say about this geezer ? Like Matt he is really helpful when I have trouble with my set-up which is most of the time really. He also likes to play a joke or three but I think he knows where to draw the line. The sight of him running through the woods with my Kampa Kazi (Re-named Kamikaze) in one hand & a loo roll in the other shouting MEDIC, MEDIC will probably be etched in my brain for the rest of my days ! :rofl:

Oliver:

Ollie seemed to really enjoy his time out with Gav in the woods & he was permanently attached to the bow & arrow that he made. I don't think that he was all that keen on going home but I think that the pizza making session that he was due to take part in was the clincher ! :thumbsup:

Joe:

Kept the fire going all week & was on hand when anything needed to be done. Was heavily involved with the communal meals & was only too willing to pass on hints & tips on all sorts of subjects including knife safety etc. He was also great with the youngsters & I think that they looked upon him as a temporary Grandad for the week ! :p


He does however need to attend a campfire head-torch finishing school due to causing 3rd degree burning of my retinas on a regular basis ! :eek:

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Dick:

The bloke is a total gent & is extremely good to have around the place. He is a very intelligent chap who has done a lot of interesting things during his life & he is worth the entrance fee in any event. He also wields a chain saw like a Jedi Master ! ;)


I would like to thank him personally for all the effort he put in to setting up & taking down both the plinking range & the HFT course (A special mention should also go to Emily & the boys who were a great help in this regard). :thumbsup:

John:

I can see where he got his user name from but just like Hagrid he too is a gentle giant with a heart of gold.


The musket display was something to behold as I didn't realise that they were so loud. It was a good job he coincided the demo with the British Firework Championships.

He is also extremely partial to a billy can or two filled with hot chocolate & squirty cream (No sniggering at the back of the class please) :D topped off with chocolate sprinkles.

His powers of observation are extraordinary so I would recommend that you look him up next time you happen to mislay a packet of cous-cous. :sneaky:

It was great to finally meet you mate & we will hopefully touch base (Nothing else though) ;) very soon.

Emily:

An absolute star in the camp kitchen with her culinary prowess so no need to book this lady for next year chaps ! :)


I was really impressed with her carving skills as well & I am sure that her walking stick will be one of her most prized possessions when she has completed it.

Take care young lady & if you have time it would be great to see you posting on the forum & it would encourage other female members to do the same. Why should the chaps have all the fun eh ?

The Lads:

This lot had a whale of a time building dens, climbing trees, playing hide & seek & carving etc. They were also extremely helpful with the wood gathering & helping Dick with the HFT course.

It was refreshing to see them doing the things that boys should be doing instead of being prisoners to the Playstation or the X-Box. Swallows & Amazons, Swiss Family Robinson & The Goonies is the way forward chaps.

These guys are a credit to their parents & I am sure that they will make mum & dad even prouder in the future ! :thumbsup:

Paul:

Top bloke with a great sense of humour who like John is very knowledgeable on a number of topics. Always willing to lend a hand in between his video capturing & picture taking of the meet. It is going to take him ages to trawl through that lot. Rather you than me buddy ! ;)

He also reminded me of this guy:

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It would be great to catch up with you guys again some day. Scotland in February 2018 sounds nice. :thumbsup:

Mel:

Paul's wife Mel overcame a lot of her fears in order to attend the meet & she ticked off a few more from the list once she had settled in to life around the camp. The neeps, tatties & square sausage were a great combination & I am glad that you didn't bother trying to catch a haggis before you made the journey as they are notoriously difficult to capture. :D

Daniel:

Another youngster who is a credit to his parents but is also partial to the odd spot of high jinks. He has a particular knack of knowing just where to place onion peelings in peoples set-ups for maximum effect ! :sneaky:

Character wise if you were to combine 25% of the following you would just about make a Daniel:

Jack Dee
Kevin Bridges
Kim Philby (Cold War Triple Agent)
Dennis The Menace

He told me tat he used to have an affro & it reminded me of this:


Take care young man & keep practicing your woodland stealth skills. :thumbsup:

To sum up I had a great time & the only thing I missed was the bathroom but Gavin is having one built in his woodland extension in time for the next meet.

It was wonderful to meet you all & I hope that you all gained something from the experience that will help you in the future ! :)

It took me hours to write all this so the pics will follow. :thumbsup:
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Nice write up mate

A had the pleasure of meeting matt and gav and hagrid and they are total diamond gezzers....so hopefully a will meet you at the Scotland trip

Oh and bill to he's a diamond gezzer to lol.
 
Hagrid said:
Am in the process or writing my version of events.....I wouldn't believe all you have read above.

Be nice everyone or :yourescrewed:, I will tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth....so help me:rofl:
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That's it mate tell us the true events that took place....spill the beans:eek::D
 
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