My dream woodland

[Wigan Pixie]

Yes there is a romantic streak in me but I'm really not as soft and fluffy as you may think. I may be a life time veggie but I've done my share of killing, I'm an excellent fisherman (thanks to my dad) and I used to go out poaching with my mate's family, so know how to make and set traps. I have gutted and prepared all manner of things for other people. I've never actually liked the taste of flesh, so don't bother eating it. I just choose not to kill now because there is no need to, I don't like killing for the sake of it but I have only admiration for people who kill to eat, it's far more preferable than going to the supermarket to buy intensively farmed meat that is full of antibiotics and growth hormone. I'm proficient with a bow, crossbow and a catapult, although my dad's shed window took a battering to learn that one. I am now teaching my 9 year old (who isn't a vegetarian) how to make his first bow, although I'm having second thoughts as his aim isn't very good and he prefers shooting things on his xbox

My uncle used to have a farm so I have experience of farm life, I've helped deliver lambs, piglets and a foal and I know how to castrate animals. I've also spent many nights in a barn caring for sick animals and, if they don't recover, I've seen them shot. I will admit that I didn't enjoy it but I'm not going to go all girly and weepy when faced with the harsher side of life. I can be quite hard when needed, so will be prepared to do what's necessary - I just don't have to enjoy it.

As I've said earlier, I'm being outvoted on the woodland. It will be land with a woodland on it. The majority of our group want to go the easy way and get something with a house already on it, so we don't have to enter into a big legal fight and, as we are a co-operative, I'll have to go along with that decision. However I (personally) do not want to house share, it wouldn't be fair on everyone else who has to listen to me learning the violin, so I'll probably end up with a little fight all of my own.

I've really enjoyed this conversation, it's done me the world of good to see how my dream looks to others. It has made me question my plans and think about it all in a different way.

[Wigan Pixie]

although I am thinking about my "woodland neighbour" as a wood Im looking at comes with full sporting rights, Im looking at getting a silenced 410 shotgun again, hopefully not to disturb others peace and quite whilst still getting squirrel dinner

What does squirrel taste like (don't say bloody chicken) and how many do you have to kill to feed a family of four? What do you do with the skins? When I was little, my sister's favourite farm goat died and they made a rug out of him, which I now have in front of my fire but squirrels are so small it would take a lot of them to make a decent rug.

[Wigan Pixie]

Squirrel doesn't sound like it will tempt me to try meat again, especially not with peanut butter. I should like it because I love peanuts but just the thought of it makes me feel sick.

Solicitors take forever to do anything, I'm sure they spend most of their day just twiddling their thumbs and make you pay for them doing it (although I shouldn't say that as I used to work for one) but they'll get there eventually. If I were so close to having a woodland, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night with excitement and would be ringing the solicitor constantly, so they'd hurry up just to get rid of me.

I would love a dutch oven, always meant to get one but ended up with a cobb oven instead. I will, at some point, have a wood fired pizza oven in my wood. Why don't you try making a hammock? I've done it in the past and keep meaning to make another one, because it turned out far better than expected. I always like to have a go at making stuff before I buy it. My mate is a metal worker and has the most fantastic workshop, full of vintage engineering machines. So he's going to make us a new wood burner for the truck, with a little oven in it, and he's been nagged into letting me help, so that's my winter project sorted. I just have to get the money together for the steel plate and then off we go.

Make sure you plant some parsnips for your stew, they're great because they taste great and overwinter well in the ground, so there's no frantic digging to get them up before the bad weather sets in.

I can't wait to hear how you get on when the woodland is eventually yours, so make sure you update us all regularly or maybe get a blog? I love hearing about peoples' adventures, especially when they're doing something new.

[Wigan Pixie]

trust me oldclaypaws, I married a Yorkshire farmers daughter, who has a love for crossbows,bows,knives etc, in fact everything pointy people should not be worried about me and my guns, it's her and her crossbows that scare me

Maybe that's where I get it from, as my dad was from Yorkshire.

Going to watch your youtube vids later, I'm very interested in the beekeeping ones. That's something I want to have a go at sometime. I have bees living in the outside loo roof and I love them, can't understand why people are scared of them and they're such useful little creatures.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you with the woodland, hopefully with the present economic conditions nobody is going to come along a buy.