Category Archive: lifestyle

An Almost Perfect Summer’s Day

edwardotooleshooting

Yesterday was one of those days that really makes me appreciate my lifestyle choices. It was scorching hot, about 35 degrees Centigrade, and I’m in my country house. I spent the morning doing some finishing work on one of my hide paintings I’m currently working on, then moved into the garden to saw, sand and […]

Back on two wheels – BMW F650GS

f650gsedwardotoole

  This year my old bike, Feisty, an Aprilia Pegaso 650, went past the MOT deadline and I was stuck looking for parts. I decided to sell her because she spent far more time in the garage (or in bits) than she did on the road. I needed something more reliable and, when my friend […]

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

We get plastic Irish pubs out here but they don’t even know it’s St Patrick’s Day and I don’t fancy sitting in a half-empty overpriced establishment watching Rhianna on a widescreen…. I miss the days when there were queues to get into a pub on St Paddy’s Day and it involved lots of drinking, poon, […]

Wild Boar Hide Paintings

boarhideart2

I’ve just completed two paintings that I’ve been wanting to try my hand at for a very long time – hide art. The paintings are done in acrylic on wild boar hide strung onto ash wood frames. The process of fetching the wood from the forest, carrying it home, debarking it, drying it, painting the […]

Real Winter – the Thaw begins?

icicle

Months of snow and ice and now the melt begins. Temperatures are finally hovering above zero, which means endless slush and dense, dense fog akin to the pea soupers of Victorian London. Creepy but cool. Already, thoughts have turned to the tasks awaiting in Spring, and this year will be scary as we’re unsure what […]

Gear Review – Winter Boots 2016/17

lowacouloirgtx

I decided to write this review because of all the hassles I’ve had finding a pair of Winter boots which can be used both in the bush and in an urban setting. Price-wise they’re medium range. Last year I bought a pair of Lidl snowboots for 20 Euros and the sole and upper separated within […]

Winter 2016/17

merelaxsnow

This year we’ve got the harshest, most wintery winter we’ve had for many a year. Real snow for several months, Arctic temperatures and bitterly cold wind. The world is white, white, white. Life changes when all is snow and ice. Even walking is different, and driving more so. We haven’t seen temperatures above zero for […]

Bushcraft Magazine Autumn 2016 issue

bushcraftAutumn-2016

Alright, so I’m a few months late in posting but this issue of the magazine is still available from the Bushcraft Magazine website. This issue features a forest horror story of mine entitled ‘The Stag’. The editor, a great man, Steve Kirk, is featured on the cover. Sign up for a subscription.

The Dead South – In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company

the deadsouth

Starting 2017 with a song…. The perfect tune for Red Dead Redemption

Bushcraft Magazine Summer Issue

bushcraft magazine summer

I’d completely forgotten to post this – Bushcraft Magazine‘s Summer Issue features a couple of pieces by me. There’s a how-to-make a Valaska, a Carpathian shepherd’s walking axe, and another true forest horror story. Order a copy or, better yet, subscribe for a year’s worth. It’s the best magazine on the subject out there.

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