Woodland Adventures

One of the nice things about Autumn is the smell of wood fires, and there were plenty of those at the Bentley Woodfair we visited today.  Described by the organisers as "a celebration of trees, woodlands, forestry, timber, woodcrafts and much more".  

There was a lot to see and do, and we spent most of the day there.

There really was something for everyone - wood tools and equipment, wood crafts (including trug making, wood turning, chainsaw sculptures, wooden jewellery, wildlife houses, bushcraft equipment, education courses, volunteer groups, ancient skills and crafts, a miniature railway (yes, we went on that!) and plenty of food and drink available.

I particularly liked these large wooden fish sculptures which were hung from above and twirled around in the breeze - they worked really well as a group

We met Tobias, a "forest horse" who was happily eating his hay

We also learnt about foraging for fruits in the woods, such as the ones above (blackberries, rosehips, nuts and apples - all in season now).

The final thing I learnt though, was that my wellies were in a very poor state and nolonger able to do the job of keeping my feet dry.  They will not see me through another winter and so I do believe its time for some new ones ....