The view of the town of Svidnik from my office, although more snow has fallen again since then. This Winter is really dragging on. Freezing temperatures, permanent grey sky. Happy happy joy joy…. I’m supposed to be writing an article for the Spring issue of Bushcraft Magazine but there’s no sign whatsoever of Spring. Then […]

I really thought we’d get away with a mild winter this year and thus didn’t bother switching off my water. After seeing this week’s forecast, with temperatures dropping below minus 20, we headed out to the house to switch everything off and drain the pipes. It never saves everything – there’s always the odd tap […]

I really didn’t think I would paint this year but after seeing a stunning abstract in a restaurant the other day I was inspired to do one. It’s acrylic, rather than my usual oil, and the canvas is 100 by 70cm. It’s entitled “Only Natural”. I hadn’t planned on doing so but maybe I’ll think […]

Today I fulfilled an ambition I’ve had for several years – to get a tattoo of Mr Benn. He has been a great inspiration to how I live my life. Sadly, he is a neglected aspect of my childhood as, compared to modern cartoons, the artists who drew him were graphically challenged (and animatorily challenged). […]

We spent the Christmas/New Year holidays at the house. When we arrived the inside temperature was 3 degrees Centigrade but slowly, and with a great deal of wood burning, we managed to get it up to a livable temperature. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the extreme winter like we did last year- we only had snow […]

This weekend we decided to have a break, leave the kids at home to fend for themselves, and go visit our our old friend Jana at her pension, Tatranska Krcma (formerly Polsky Krcma) in Horny Smokovec in the High Tatra Mountains, Slovakia. We were only there a few months back by motorbike but we just […]

This issue of The Bushcraft Magazine is a particularly special one for me. Not only does it feature my latest true horror story from the woods (The Beast Beyond The Door), but it also has my latest article – Biker Bushcraft (a crossover between two activities I’m very passionate about, both of which go very […]

Last night, my wife and I went to Presov to an informal drinks-and-chat with His Excellency the British Ambassador to Slovakia, Andrew Garth, arranged by the Honorary Consul, Simon Lambourne. The do was held at Double Tiffany’s restaurant (which I would heartily not recommend), and a handful of other ex-pats and their wives attended. The […]

My younger boy, Alex, introduced me to this tune last night while we’re we were driving back from Presov in the Discovery. Good stuff. The video reminds me of a session of the Ukraine parliament.

This photo carries such enormous weight and induces a realization which could easily be dismissed as anthropomorphisation. But it isn’t. They’re wild animals. However, the event surrounding the photograph kept me awake all night thinking about it with a deep sadness and an attempt at understanding. We’d been on our evening walk when we encountered […]