Today was more stenciling for the rear door and manufacturing brackets for attaching the solar panels onto the roof racks. Will require a four man job to lift them onto the van. Time to start feeding the internal wiring network.
Category: Preparedness (Page 148 of 153)
I decided to replace my 511 Tactical Rush 12 with the TT Medic bag for my bleed out kit. I just couldn’t organize the rush as I would have liked.
Ive been trying to figure out the sink system for the new van build. Its one thing I don’t like is drilling holes for water flow outs in floors and having to get paperwork signed off for 240 volt electrical and LPG gas fittings. I thought the easiest way to design the sink is to use Jerry cans underneath the sink and pressurize them to the tap and have the run off to another colored can. Filtering the system was also a consideration. Many of the caravan RV styles of filters don’t last very long and require repeated replacing of the filter element. The Sawyer simply screws onto the tap and can be back flushed like the smaller counterparts. I can just attach it when I require drinking water.
https://www.aussiestormshop.com.au/sawyer-tap-water-filter
https://www.survivalsuppliesaustralia.com.au/Sawyer-Tap-Filter-Kit?b7=z1
Through out the week Sam our nature connection mentor has taken us through several installments of how to use sit spots. From thanking country to journalling. Awareness using fox walking and wide angle vision, bird language, concentric rings and baseline behaviors and body based awareness meditation and finally to day seven of gratitude and appreciation. Its been a very interesting journey over the past week, not only participating but also reading other peoples interpretations and sharing of their adventures on the Facebook group.
Sit spots help you learn how to engage nature as a mentor and guide and to use direct contact learning from the land it self, in order to help move away from the sense of seperation to a felt sense of belonging in today’s culture. I look forward to making it a journey of a life long pursuit to developing a sit spot wherever my adventures take me and to regularly practice.
Day 7 the practice of Gratitude & Appreciation as a closing ritual in today’s Sit Spot. To recognizing the end of the journey and the renewal as a wide awake, deeply connected earth being!
To look around and see something that attracts you and focus only on that and feel the organic gratitude and appreciation of itself and that aspect of nature and receive from the land and see what comes.Receptivity of the moment to moment flow. A good way to end the week.
“Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyes.
Because for those who love with heart and soul there is no such thing as separation.”
Rumi
Next week I’m going to purchase an Oyster farm kit box to give it a go. Ive done a mushroom growing course before that was US based but Id like to see what the Australian version is like besides I can use after-pay, making it easier on disability payments. The previous course I did taught to purchase spore and break it up into buckets with straw to make a one box kit into ten buckets but I cant use that many mushrooms and Id like to see how I go with one box before investing in a larger project. The recommended species by Amy at Little Acre Mushrooms were Snow Whites for the climate in my area. For $150 AUD you get a kit thrown in and the course for $100 with payments of $37.50 per fortnight. Ill see how my mushroom farming skills are then I may do something larger.
Snow White Oyster: Grows in 10°C to 24°C
The Snow White Oyster mushroom has an amazingly bright white appearance. Forming large white caps, this savory oyster mushroom is a fantastic protein swap in meaty dishes.
Warm White Oyster: Grows in 10°C to 30°C
The Warm White Oyster mushroom will be lighter in colour when grown at a warm temperature and a darker colour when grown at a cooler temperature. Forming dense bunches, this mushroom is a robust all-rounder.
Gold Oyster: Grows in 18°C to 30°C
Gold Oysters are beautiful and nutty. This tropical mushroom species is great tossed through a pasta or crisped up in a frying pan. Forming tight clusters of golden mushrooms, this variety will add some colour to your kitchen.
What gave me the idea for this project was a house mate making a Redneck recurve bow but you have to find a white fiberglass tree in the middle of no where to make one or in his case the local fodder store. I was thinking about doing the version using tent poles but wanted to make a more bushcrafty version but there weren’t many materials around here to use , so have ended up using 3 Oztrail replacement pole kits for an improvised bow.
I read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen many years ago and the main character Brian made a bow in the wilderness by carving it with an axe out of one piece of material. Using three or more pieces of thinner material seems much easier to do in a survival situation. I have made a one piece bow and it took all day and required backing to make it strong enough. Atlatls or bundle bows are much more expedient to improvise in a survival situation.
Ill be endeavoring to make a single tip bow. The difference between the single, double and raft methods are below in the second clip link. The double has less chance of snapping the tip than on a single and is far easier to attach a bow string without carving or having to build up a notch.
Bundle Bow Making
Bundle Bow Designs. Single Tip, Double Tip, Raft
Tent Pole bow
Bowyers Knot
Reverse Twist Bow String
6.9mm Pole kit
After reading the following two pamphlets many years ago I decided there was no such things as weeds they can either indicate whats wrong with the soil or place needed trace elements and minerals back into it. I never looked at farming and agriculture the same again.
Three Major groups of weeds. The first comprises of those that live in acid soil and therefore indicating increased acidity. To this group belong the Sorrels, Docks, Finger-leaf weeds, Lady’s Thumb, and Horsetail.
The second major group indicates crust formation or hard pan in th soil. Belonging here are the Field Mustard, The horse Nettle, Penny Cress. Morning Glory, Quack Grass, The Camomiles and the Pine Apple Weed.
The third major group consists of those weeds which follow human cultivation, spreading out with compost and manure, wherever man walks. Here belong the Lambs Quarters, Plaintain, Chickweed, Buttercup, Dandelion, Nettle, Prostate knot Weed, Prickly Lettuce, Field Speedwell, Rough Pigweed, Common Horehound, Celandine, Mallows, Carpetweed.
The acid soil groups tell us the best which changes are occurring in the soils. acidity in the soil increases with lack of air, standing water in surface layer, cultivating in too wet a soil, insufficient cultivation, insufficient drainage, one-sided cultivation, wrong kind of fertilizers used, excess adic fertilizers, increasing sheet erosion and loss of humus.
Indicates –
Slightly acid soil due to insufficient cultivation ; Daisies, Horsetail, Field Sorrel, Prostate Knotweed.
Very acid Soil due to Wrong cultivation or insufficient drainage ; Cinquefoil, Swampy Horsetail, Hawkweed and knapweed.
Salty soils ; Shepards Purse, Russian Thistle, Sea Plantain, Sea Aster, Artemisia Maritima.
Hard Pan soils ; Wild Mustard and Horse Nettle.
Dry soils ; Mustard, Silvery Cinquefoil, Russian Thistle, Agrimony, catchfly, Broom Bush, Crotalaria, Dyers Greenweed, Rabbits Foot clover, Sweet clover, ST barnabys, Malthease Thistle, Common speedwel, Prostate Pigweed, Spurge, Shrubby ST Johnswort.
Sandy Soils : Most Golden rods, flowered Aster, Arrow Leaved wild lettuse, Yellow toad flax, Ononis, Partrdige Pea, Broom Bush.
Steepe Formation ; Russian Thisstle, Sage, Loco Weed.
Alcaline soils ; Sage brush, Woody Aster.
Lime Stone Soils ; Penny Cress, Field Peppergrass, Hares Ear mustard, Wormseed, Canada Blue Grass, Cornelian cherry, Barnabys Thisstle, Field madder, Mountain bluet, yellow Camomile.
High potasium in Soil ; Marsh mallow, wormwood, knapweed, Fumatory, Opium poppy. (Red clover disappears with lack of potasium)
Absence of lime ; Yellow Clover, Rabbits foot clover, fox glove, wild pansy, garden sorrel, sundews, white mullen, scotch broom, black vetchling.
Gypsum ; Common burdock
Moist badly Drained soils ; Smartweed, Mild water pepper, hedge bindweed, silverweed, white avens, swampy horsetail, meadow pink, hedge nettle, stinking willie, canada and narrow leaf goldenrod, tradescant, purple stem aster, joe pye weed, march foxtail, rice cut grass.
On Pastures ; Buttercups, Dock, knotweed, fingerweeds, white avens, grass leaved stickwort, ST Johnswort, pokeweed, Milkweed, Wild garlic, Briar, Thistles.
Sources of Minerals and Trace Elements –
bulbous Buttercup ; cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, potasium
broad leaved dock ; phosphorus, potasium
chamomile ; calcium, potasium,
coltsfoor ; calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potasium, sulphur.
Sheperds purse ; calcium.
chickweed ; manganese, potasium
comfrey ; calcium, nitrogen potasium
creeping thistle ; calcium, copper, iron, potasium
daisy ; calcium, magnesium
dandelion ; calcium, copper, iron
fat hen ; calcium, iron
groundsel ; iron
pimpernel ; calcium
cleavers ; calcium
great pantain ; calcium, copper, iron, potasium, silica
horsetail ; calcium, cobalt, iron, magnesium, silica
silverweed ; iron, calcium, magnesium
sow thistle ; copper, potasium
stinging nettle ; calcium, copper, iron, nitrogen, potasium
sun spurge ; boron
valerian ; silica
yarrow ; copper, nitrogen, phosphorus, potasium,
tufted vetch ; cobalt, copper, phosphorus, potasium.
Ive been trying to catch up on unpacking my gear and testing equipment while laid up. I will be testing out an Infiray ML 19 Thermal monocular and a Vortex Recce Pro 8×32 monocular over the next few months. They are placed next to a ceramic rod from Extac that I purchased this week for a size comparison. Ive been looking for a short ceramic rod to carry in my belt pouch for field sharpening. From the looks of both products Ive been happy with both after playing with them the last couple of days.The idea behind the Infiray was to have a hands free system for short range bow hunting that I could navigate with in low light.
https://vortexoptics.com/optics/monoculars/recce-monoculars.html
First time walking without the leg brace in almost five months. The physio has me on a new exercise regime of walking practice without the brace only inside and controlled with crutches, squats from a bench, leg lift, standing from a chair and hold and release stretches. In a new level of pain by the end of the day. Haven’t had much time for bushcraft.The trailer I brought to continue traveling and doing training courses leaks like sieve. Almost lost everything I owned due to water damage, so now looking for a lawyer to try and get my money back. After being in this state for just over a year I have absolutely no confidence in the government system here. Your lucky if anyone gets back to you in three months and when they do it seems they use any little technical loophole to get out of doing their jobs. Have the goal of being out of the brace in six weeks. Trying to get used to living in a house again. I don’t like the walls.It is nice having an indoor fireplace, first time having an indoor bathroom in four years. I feel like I’m getting soft.Actually been sleeping in past six am.
Every remote, rescue or wilderness first aid course Ive taken required equipment. Either Stethoscope, BP monitor, etc. No improvisation was taught. I have never seen any advanced equipment on any hiker or on any training course Ive done. So learning things such as improvising a latex glove into a CPR mask or using a baggy and duct tape to seal a lung would be a great course to do.
Ive seen one person carry a pressure bandage and Ive been the only one carrying a tourniquet in six years. Good name for a book wilderness medicine Macgyvering
Disclaimer: Im not advocating cutting a camelback tube and shoving it up someones nose just a very interesting lecture.
Improvised Torniquet