Foraging hike into the grove;-)Ants all over the place!

 I went into the grove after work yesterday to get some more birch sap, and there were thousands of red ants (formica rufa) in the place. Red ants play a very important role in forest ecology, and it´s great that they prosper in that intensity again. They get rid of vermin and carrion and serve as food for many different species themselves. 

 Swarming all over the place and enjoying birch sap as much as I do;-).

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 I tapped the birch with a new take on the tapping system. I took my blackthorn tap and threaded a piece of plastic tube inside to make for a closed system.

 ...like this, see...*ggg*?

 Coke bottles are great for that. Simply drilled a hole into the cap. Something to think about: We like to think about plastic as trash. But if you consider it´s made from refined mineral oil, and mineral oil ressources are limited, you get another picture concerning the value of our so-called "junk" plastic. Ever wondered why soft drink bottles get ever so much more flimsy and flexible? This is to save money on the production process, and to enhance the ecological balance. I daresay a coke bottle will be a treasure one day, when oil ressources are even more limited.

 Found this piece of wood from a fallen birch, too, that will make a fine handle for a staff...

 Away I ventured, into the hills;-) and far away... and not a worry on my mind.

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...and the loot;-)

Technical Trail riding session at Hohensyburg castle

 On Friday Ma-ha-Ih-Ei-Le - Ride started again (Mann-habt-Ihr-Ein-Leben-Tour: "Boy-do-you-have-a-life", because it starts at a time when normal people have to work;-)) this time it was all about technical trail riding, and I met with Jandark, Maxvader and Daniel to session some trails, and I thought I´d post some pics of the beutiful scenery. There are loads of castles around these parts, mostly ruins, but in the periphery of Hagen, the place where I live, are roundabout 15 castles and towers alone. We rode to the top of the hill overlooking the Ruhr valley. This is Max, who gave us a right beating up the hill!

 Looking over the Ruhr valley. The Ruhr valley is a site of many big-term business and production sites, with many inhabitants. It always amazes me, though, that there´s still a load of green left.

 This is Hohensyburg castle, a ruin dating back to the early medieval ages but built on most ancient foundations, presumably dating back to the neolithic age. Certainly a fascinating place!

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 Jan and Daniel coming finally, too;-).

 Max with mischief in mind;-).

 Riding through history.... erm, was that hysteria?*ggg*.

 Daniel showing off...

 Yours truly having some fun with ancient stairs...

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 Those are the remnants of an ancient chimney / oven construction.

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Near the ruin there also is a monument for the Reichsgründung, the founding of Germany from many small countries on 18th January of 1871. Huge. Megalomanic. Pruzzian. Militaristic. But the view is quite nice from there...






We rode down the technical trail and I even mastered my arch-enemy-key-section.

This is an older vid from Zee Aylienz Youtube channel showing Jandark riding it. Jan certainly got the gist on technical riding. Makes me proud, sort of, for I took him on his first outings some-was that 15 years ago???... But then he rode on a rigid bike with slicks then, and it all came quite naturally to him. Guess he´s simply got some talent even I could not ruin entirely;-)...














I love outings like these. History, great company, good weather, and trail riding. Perfect fun.

Riding, chatting tech talk, cuppa tea and bushcraft practice-perfect;-)

 On Sunday, I felt that urge again and simply had to get out to the hills. It was a bit foggy, and that was no harm really, for I actually like that weather. It makes for a somewhat soothing atmosphere, and I like the whirling mists rising from the green hills of home... I figure I really love my home turf. Not the actual city, for that´s nothing to be proud of, what with a lot of grievances, but the countryside, My bike enables me to actually get out there, another reason I simply love to ride. So I packed my gear, a flask of strong black tea, my bushcraft tools and a fleece blanket and some extra clothing, and ventured into the not-so-wild;-).

 It was on a hill over the Volme valley, atop a technical singletrail, that I paused to do some stump sitting and some featherstick practicing... and had some cups of tea. The  blanket kept me nice and warm, and I even did some special gymnastics I developed. Then I lowered my seat and hammered down that technical singletrail. Stacked up a bit, for there was an angled root slimy with wet that kicked me off my line, and I was going a bit too fast, but I controlled the fall, so that it was more of a handplant and I was not hurt in any way... weird...;-)

 On I rode through the rolling hills, a lot of technical trails. It simply felt good to do so again, with the trail being its own reward... The light cleared up a bit and it was all sort of golden coloured all of a sudden...

This is a view of Dahl, a village that belongs to the city of Hagen, embedded in the hills. I really love that view..










On the way home, I dropped by Elmar´s place. Elmar works as a general sales manager for SRAM cycling company, Rockshox and Truvative and whatnot;-). Turns out he was there for a change, and came back from a ride, too. He had a beer with his fellas, Boris and another nice guy whose name I unfortunately forgot. We had  a laugh, a chat and made fun of twentyniners and 650B bikes and other such trekking bike hype;-), with bad geometry and unsolved problems, that is. I saw a Nicolai 29er prototype that had seen some testriding  by Elmar himself and has to see some serious mods until production.

Now I am not against twentyniners at all. But they are simply not new. They are basically 700C wheeled cross bikes with fatter tires and no drop bars. They have to be longer, and cannot be as playful as a 26" allmountain bike. Bigger suspension travel, over 160 mm is a big problem with them. The geometry can to date not be as quick and playful as a 26 " allmountain. But apart from that, I have no problem with them. On fireroads and for riders not so keen on technical challenges and that "BMX" feel, they are fine, fast and comfortable.

I do HAVE a problem, however, with the industry selling an old hat as a new consumerist religion. I feel horsed around with. And I do not like that. If those technical problems were solved, I daresay, I would give ´em a try for allround toodling about. 650B is another standard they want to sell us as "the" next thing. At 27,5" it is another standard, another set of components and another product line to make money with. While that is fine for people like Elmar who make a living from it (even though he is critical of that fad, too), it is a desaster for people like me who can just so afford to maintain the components on one bike that has to do everything. We discussed solutions and ideas and it simply felt great.

Get the picture that we had a nice chat?;-)

When the Elmar chicken;-) was getting cold, we said goodbye, and I rode home. It was a nice day with a lot of things to process. Have to do some more riding, I guess, and get the fun back into it...

Pre-work stroll-Pear pressure!:-)

 On Wednesday morning, I went for a short bimble before going to work. First I went to the bank. Some idiot always disposes of his crap tin cans at the same place. Since there´s a fee on them, and this wood can do with being cleaner, I collect them. 2,00€ for nothing...

 Now this is weird. Blackberry blossom in late summer...

 On my way I came across this gang of apples (Apples! They are everywhere! Plain parasites if you ask me!*g) bullying a lonely pear. Pear pressure, so to say, and I could not stand pear groups out of apples bullying pears, for this is plain absurd. So I took them away from the poor pear, and ate them all. After eating the apples, I thought I´d spare the pear and let it run free. Turns out I am an inconsequent bastard*g, so I ate that, too. First I thought about barbecuing it, but I had no Pear Grills whatsoever*g, so I ate it raw instead, They all were delicious...Does anyone know where to get a pear grill?*g

 I simply love those colours...

 The hills of home so far and distant,
My heart does yearn for a time gone by;
When songs of green my heart´s wound soothed,
And there were no questions why...

Okay, inspiration over and out...*g I sincerely hope my other readers are not put off by me having these fits of poetry, but that´s how it is, and in this case I would not care  a damn.*g My inspiration has a good cause, and that changed my life and saved me from a darkness ever so deep. Now singing seems more natural than speaking, to be true. And no question why. Just a simple smile...:-)

Beauty. It accompagnied me into the evening and through an arduous task at work.

Another funny day at the smithy

Last Sunday it was a forging session at the Industriemuseum again. Willi and Daniel showed up, to pound some metal and have some serious fun. Mr. Rothenberg came up, too, and I finished his knife. Might be he was a bit afraid of it afterwards, it was getting SHARP!!! Seems something went well with the heat treatment finally!;-) Daniel threatened Willi a bit, and they whacked each other with some red - hot tongs ... seems to be their kind of humour, I guess;-).

 Finished my Celt-Tac bush knife. The scales are pink ivory, as I found out, the hollow pins are copper tube from the plumber´s shop. I really like it, it´s a cutter, being thin and with aconvex razor edge to it. Situated around it are the well known axes made by Willi.

 A halfway decent photo of Willi´s left-handed foraging sickle. All silver steel.

 And the same in a right handed version: White paper steel, Mammoth ivory, and Bubinga wood.

That´s a wardrobe hook Daniel made. The pidgeon´s ever getting better at the trade!

 That´s a viking style kitchen and utility knife made by Jens Nettlich, three layers of spring and file steel, with the cutting layer "shoed on", meaning, a v-shaped layer of file steel is forge-welded over a centre of spring steel.

 Some ancient axes we got as a donation from visitors. The first in the row is a three-layer laminate in an ancient Westfalian form.

 Can´t see why people keep calling us weirdos...

 Willi forging a miniature axe from 6x6 mm stock. Insane!

 Daniel repairing some tongs he managed to bend... his nickname is "Beché" for a reason... man, that guy hits like a rock, and I don´t ever want to cross him any!

Besides pounding steel so hard he bent the tongs, he made these wall hooks.

 This is another knife by Willi I really like a lot. It´s a Hubertus blade made from 440C. the handle is yew, cut across the grain. The rivets are copper, and it features a sunk lanyard hole. The sheath is made by Willi, too, and meticulously finished!

 That´s a Hungarian cane axe Willi made. In Poland it´s common, too, and it´s called a Poszanka (don´t have a clue if the spelling is correct). I really like the design and the idea, and I´d like to make one myself, if it were not so haphazard to explain to the police. Willi is a bushhead, too, and a little less concerned about those things, what with living on the countryside and such.

 FLLLLAAAAAIIIIIIIISSSSSCCCHHHHH!!!!! SCHNAAAAAPPPPSSSS!!!!!;-) Had one smoky mess of a BBQ for food, and a whole lotta fun all the while!

 If you see this guy approach......









RUN!!!!;-)

 Forged a "viking" style loop tang that went quite well. Someone will get it to some special occasion;-). Made from spring steel.

 And the final touch to my little bush full tang. Did I mention I messed up the drilling? I completely messed up thedrilling. No, really, I messed it up. The drilling, that is. I messed up the drilling.

 Willi gave this "belgischer Brocken" EDC sharpening stone to me, and I am very fond of it. Thanks a lot, my friend, it is very appreciated!:-)

 That´s Willi´s interpretation of the viking style loop tang. By the way, it´s not quite correct to call it a viking knife, for the design is much much older, and there are no actual find from the viking age, but the one example from a women´s grave in Birka dates to the Vendel age. This one is silver steel.

 I rode home by bike, and it was raining hard. So I decided I´d ride through the forest, because there I´d get less of a soaking;-)

Those beloved hills of home.

And my beloved mud beast. I actually owe this bike a lot. It gets me places, it is a great and fun alternative to a car, it gets me airborne and gets me earthed back to my spiritual roots. It makes me feel alive. Riding bikes and blacksmithing has always been a part of my life, and I hope it will continue to be this way.