It's the UK Primitive Archery Meet this coming weekend, 14th/15th with many turning up on the 13th. Should be really great. Looks like about 48 archers are booked in for the shoot itself on Sunday, with maybe 20 more turning up at some point for other fun and frolics going on.
I just wondered how many who post here are coming and how will we know each other? I could have known Lord Mad Bowyer here for years, be talking to him this weekend and not even know! (I made up the Lord Mad Bowyer bit!).
As this is the first event of this kind in the UK it's a bit hard to know how it will turn out. Will people want to talk, do and make stuff, shoot, see what other people have made, swap, stuff? Maybe it will be some of all of that? Walter Robson has been putting in some real hard work to get the course out and a whole load of preperation done so we all owe him thanks no matter what happens.
I'm taking just about everything I can think of, stuff to do, arrows to make, bows to work on and I know I'll probably just talk! I'm bringing stuff to show, bows and arrows, etc. I'm bringing stuff to play with, atlatl, fire making gear, tomohawks etc. I'm bringing trade stuff such as hardwood bow bellies, bamboo bow backings, bamboo arrow shafts, whistling arrow heads, pine resin and pine resin pitch glue sticks, linen for bow strings etc. I may need to bung the trailer on the back of the Volvo! I don't think I will be able to part with any of my self staves, but what if someone has a self stave I want and would swap for one of mine? Oh the agonies of what to take and what to leave behind. Maybe I should bring some of my hazel and dogwood arrow shafts. I think my wife may well think I'm leaving home with all my "junk" and perhaps she won't be too sorry to see it go?
Anyway, looking forward to this event and to meeting other UK primitive bowyers and archers. Should be great fun.
See you at the weekend.
Mark Hill aka Mark in England
