Starting the day with something different. The daily morning fire lighting using a different skill and material. Willow bay herb..

     Willow bay herb is a pink flowering annual plant that flourishes in one area of the valley, (see above and below photos). At this time of year it produces its seeds. A white cotton like fluff that is well known as a source of excellent fire starting tinder.

     So in true foraging mode I noticed an opportunity to stock up on a source of tinder for winter fires. Having only taken what I needed, leaving a plentiful amount on the plants for other foragers and the seeding of new plants. I used some to light the days fire..

    The photos below show the process, of showering the tinder ball with sparks until a sizeable ember is created and starts to smoke. By blowing the ember until all the tinder becomes bright, glowing enough to ignite the next grade of fuel...

    In moving a few logs today I found a awesome toad in a hole, the toad was about a year old, measuring around 2 to 3 inches long. What was amusing was that the toad was sharing the small hole with a huge slug almost twice his size! (you can see the slug in the bottom right of the photos, under the side of the hole...)