If you go down to the woods today...

...you might find me there.

I got confirmation from the solicitors today that everything has gone through smoothly and I'm now officially the owner of almost 6.5 acres of mature woodland.

It hasn't been an entirely smooth passage however.

Unfortunately my mate Dave couldn't raise the necessary capital to fund his half of the purchase and so I had to make a decision; let it go or go for it. I went for it.

For the first time in many years I've had to borrow some money, but sometimes in life you have to take a risk.

I'm finding the whole thing both exciting and slightly scary in equal measure. One thing is certain though, no matter what happens now, I am going to gain a great deal of pleasure from the whole adventure.

And there's lot to do. 

Securing some parts of the perimeter will be necessary, as will the installation of a gate to the roadside access point.

A couple of small bridges will need to be installed to make crossing the brook a little easier with my shiny new wheelbarrow.

I've also started building the framework for a log store to season some of the many windblown tree's that will need cutting up.

The log store frames are taking shape.

Plenty of windfall to sort out.

I will have a plentiful supply of logs to keep me warm once I have some shelter and a brazier in place. A tarp hung from the trees will do for now.

I need to clear a small area currently engulfed in brambles so that I have a reasonable storage and work area.

Then there's the composting toilet and decent shed to build...

And maybe a short mountainbike trail :)

There is some litter and debris to clear too. I have been pottering around and collected a whole bag full of litter already and there is probably another couple of bag fulls still to gather. Winter is good time to start though because it is visible and so it should be cleaned up in no time at all.

One bag full of litter cleared already.

Time will be my only limiting factor in the immediate future. I only have a few days free to get on with the rudimentary tasks before I start a 12 week contract working away from home Monday to Friday. This means that I only have weekends available until Spring. I'll just have to get up early and crack on. Now where did I leave my Wellies?

Oh yes, the BBC's "Homes under the Hammer" also called me today and they want to come and film me in the wood. How cool is that? :D

Even in the depths of winter there is still some life around.

You can also follow Chase The Rainbow here:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Strava

YouTube

Thank you for looking, see you soon.

Please don't forget to Like, Share, and Comment, if you enjoyed it :)

Consume less, live more. Plant more trees.