Simple skills

It was a beautiful autumn afternoon and I headed to the local woods to wander about, see what I could find and soak up the peacefulness of an English woodland. Maybe practise some bushcraft skills. The paths were muddy and slippy. I needed a walking stick to steady myself. I cut a hazel rod but it kept slipping in my hand. It needed a collar of some kind to stop it slipping. So I found a thin whippy piece of hazel. If you twist it while still attached, the fibres will split and become flexible. You can then cut it free and make a "withy". It's an old woodsmans' method of making some rough rope to tie things up with. I wrapped it around the top and it worked fine. I love having those simple skills and knowledge that our forbears had, to make useful things from the natural materials around us. No need to go shopping or go online. No carbon footprint  and no waiting in all day for the courier to arrive. Renewable materials and 100% satisfaction.