Snowline Productions Filming on the Land and Spring came!

Sooo... I helped Snowline Productions last week with their short educational films about camping outdoors.  We spent most of the time on our land but one day we ventured off into the wilds of Exmoor and found the most beautiful little spot by a river near Hoare Oak.

Above is presenter Paul Deegan, freezing cold on a frosty morning waiting for a shot to be set up. It's worth having an explore on his website, he is quite simply one of the most inspiring men I've ever met. He'll kill me for saying that on here but I'm not scared, I can 'ave 'im! Even if he has been up Everest! 'Right, come on Paul.. you & me.. outside... now!'

This is Al of Snowline. He's quite long but extraordinary on a camera anyway.

This is Elliott of Snowline. He has terrible habits but they don't seem to hold him back when he's doing the sound or using the camera. I believe they do hold him back with the ladies though.

There are so many stunning little Hawthorn trees on Exmoor.  Gorgeous, hardy little things.  Pushed and pulled into place by the elements.

We finally have bud burst on our Beech trees! My favourite spring leaves are Beech and it makes my heart sing to see them!  Over the four days we were filming the Hawthorn & Willow hedgerows went from the vaguest hint of bud burst to a bright mist of green. 

 The willow catkins are astonishing this year!  It's almost too intense to stand underneath them there are so many bees feeding! I've seen more bees on the land so far this year than I ever have.  All different sorts too, I even saw a Bee Fly!

 Ridiculously, stupidly & messily excited about the fact that our coppice is FULL of ash tree seedlings! In some areas like a huge carpet of green!  I'm hoping there'll be enough left for me to collect after the red deer have had their way, so I can start my tree nursery!

I also had the chance to properly extend the porch on the bender. I've been pesked by the doorway ever since we built it.  It's still not perfect but it's definitely better to get in and out of!

 We got a visitation from a Homing Pigeon!  She was just wandering around the field so tired she couldn't fly.  Luckily Al spotted her before The Stink did!  We gave her water & some oats & a perch to rest on.  She didn't leave our camp for days! Was lovely to have her mooching around!  I tweeted about it and was chuffed to bits to find out that @Irkafirka had illustrated the tweet! Just looook at this...

So, all in all another fabulous time! I've not even written about the Bushcraft tweetup on the land we had last weekend! No doubt I'll blast you with that soon!




hen xx