Jeeralang Social Distancing
(Della): Social distancing is pretty easy where we live: Our afternoon walk.
Lighting a Fire in the Wet #2
‘It is no trouble to light a fire with a large magnifying glass when the sun is shining in a clear sky, but it is a different matter if the lens is small or if only brief, occasional gleams of sun come through gaps in the clouds. It can be done quite easily, however, by
Backpack Tips and Tricks
I have often seen folks spend lots of time (and oodles of money) selecting a backpack in a camping store. Almost inevitably they end up with something very heavy and very uncomfortable (for a long walk) and have spent so much money they are going to just go with it – and suffer! But, as
Lay Flat Kettle and Pudding Bowl Stove
Some more great ideas from ‘Tim the Tinker‘. ‘Winter is coming’ as they say, so it is time to sharpen up your winter tent and tipis designs and complete your experiments in how to heat them effectively. It is a pure delight to be out and about in our wonderful Victorian fastnesses, (for example) chasing
Snowy Bluff – Mt Darling Wilderness
2014: Wilderness: Just spent a couple of days with Spot in the heart of the Snowy Bluff-Mt Darling Wilderness (around 1500 metres). The ‘easy’ way in is to follow the old ‘Carey Rd’ (closed 30 – now 40 – years ago) 200 metres on the right before Dimmicks lookout (off the Howitt Rd above Licola).
New Evidence of Fiordland Moose
New (2020) Sighting Below: Some time back I was contacted by a young journalist, Charlie Mitchell from Stuff, New Zealand. I helped him out as much as I could from my experiences. Over the last two days I have been thrilled to read and see what he has put together of the continued existence of
DIY Ultralight Pillow
27 grams as pictured. I have been using this pillow every night now for months. It has been the most comfortable pillow I have ever used. It started its life like this: You should have a go at cutting down a pillow or mat to size yourself. Unfortunately the valve on this cheap pillow was
Damsons
(Della): We planted a damson tree a few decades ago. I seldom get around to saving the fruit from the birds but this year, after seeing our enormous and trusty quince tree keel over in the last storm, I decided that damson cheese might make a timely change from quince paste on the cheese platter.
Tinder
This is a gem from yesteryear. So much useful survival knowledge is all-but lost: ‘Fire Without Matches: More nonsense has been said and written on the subject of lighting fires without matches than on any other—except, of course, the birth of the kangaroo. How can one tell, by reading what a man has written about
Another Cheap Hiking Mat
The Vertex Mattress (which includes a pillow) at 450 grams, generously sized 74.8” x 22.8” with a reasonable R-rating for warmer weather of R 4.2 and an excellent price of US$39.99 (Feb 2020) would have to be good value. If you are shorter like Della and I are you could easily cut this down to