MEAT from roadkill. Making your own bushcraft knife. Both topics are covered in the book that has persuaded me that today's youngsters are not necessarily doomed to endure a childhood filled with mobile phones and PlayStations and all those other gadgety things I don't even pretend to understand.
Growing up enamoured with tales from Huckleberry Finn and Swallows and Amazons, I entertained ideas of rowing off to my own island for the summer, building a shelter and living off the land. But I have been fearing that the younger generation, with w
hich I am utterly out of touch, had other ambitions. Not so.
Go Wild!, a new book by Jo Schofield and Fiona Danks, keeps the adventurous childhood dream alive. Tying proper knots, making a Masai catapult and cooking on a bonfire are just a few of the subjects revealed to the uninitiated.
Despite the can-do, no-mollycoddling' attitude in Go Wild!, however, I did notice a disclaimer: "This book contains some potentially dangerous activities." It went on to explain how the authors can accept no liability for what happens to you when the dart from your home-made blowpipe penetrates someone's skull. I paraphrase, but you catch my drift. So, kids, you should learn how to survive in the wilderness, but tell your parents not to sue if it all goes horribly wrong.
My favourite bushcraft pin-up is Ray Mears, king of survival skills. I confess to finding it very odd, though, that he always seems to be carrying a little too much weight, despite living on plant roots and random insects. But I'd still choose him over Bear Grylls any day. I own a copy of his Essential Bushcraft book, bought in advance of my recent ill-fated wild camping expedition. It covers roughly the same ground as Go Wild!, but in much more detail. From turning tree bark into rope to hand-carving a spoon, this is essential reading for those of us on a mission not just to reduce our carbon footprint, but to obliterate it altogether. As Mears says, "What could be more natural than to recognise the wild things around us and find food, shelter, fire and water?"
Having been found wanting in the survival-skills department, I had hoped to go on one of my idol's bushcraft courses, but they always seem to be booked up months in advance. However, I recently discovered that Scotland offers quite a number of opportunities for learning how to survive in the great outdoors. Companies such as Bushcraft Ventures (www.bushcraft ventures.co.uk), run by a chap who was apprentice to Mears for five years, Islay Bushcraft (www.islaybushcraft.co.uk) and Mountain & Bushcraft Ways (www.guiding onskye.co.uk) are just a few of those running courses which can help improve your wilderness knowhow.
Plenty of these courses are aimed at families, backing up my sentimental notion that the innocence of childhood is being restored. "We need to be tuned in to the natural world," say the authors of Go Wild! "We need to know how our actions affect it, how enjoy it yet treat it with the respect it deserves." Admirable sentiments that apply to all of us. Although the book's photographs of a rabbit being skinned are not for the faint-hearted. Nor are the instructions: "Cut off the paws by scoring with a knife and then snapping."
I salute the new generation of ultra-green, survival-savvy children, but for the time being I think that my bushcraft activities will be restricted to foraging for edible plants and whittling a penny whistle.
Healthy planetINSPIRED by its founder's passion for Africa, Jo Wood Organics presents the new Amka eau de toilette. Meaning "to wake" in Swahili, Amka is a fresh fragrance containing ingredients that are 95 per cent organic. And since it's available in recyclable 50ml bottles, you can enjoy it with a clear conscience. Amka, £36, at selected stores and via mail order (0845 607 6614, www.jowoodorganics.com)
5 minutes to save the worldTURN down the thermostat on your central heating system. I know you've heard this one before, but Cambridge University physics professor David Mackay recently announced that this action was the most effective energy-saving action the average person could take. Heating is usually the main form of energy use in buildings, and you can reduce the cost by ten per cent for every degree you turn it down by.
