The conversation today during Afternoon Recreation...

Twice a day the community come together for recreation.

The evening recreation is usually on a spiritual topic

but the afternoon one is quite open.

Discussing...

how to make an old shed's foundation

into a goose pond.

Background information to the conversation of today's recreation.

When the city of Tours needed a bishop,

St Martin the great monk was chosen

but Martin was reluctant to become bishop,

which is why he hid from those who came in search of him.

Finding nowhere else to hide

he took emergency shelter in the nearest place possible.

Alas it was a stable filled with geese.

The noise made by the geese betrayed St Martin's whereabouts.

He was taken from the stable to be consecrated bishop against his will

but not without his first killing one of the geese

that had so unkindly betrayed him.

This incident left us the tradition of eating goose

for his feast day, Martinmas,

which is only ten days hence.

St Martin with our recreation's

conversation.

The conversation focused on the challenge of catching a goose for St Martin's Day.
During but 30 minutes we discussed the following subjects:

the effects of wind on bullets;
the keen sight of geese;
deer stalking,
antler points, antler shedding, the effect of minerals on the number of points
the 14 year old Armish boy who caught a 30 point buck with his hand made bow and arrow; it was one of America's largest bucks, weighing 304 lb.
personal experience of deer stalking with a rifle
personal experience of hunting with bow and arrow
personal experience of using the "recurve" bow, it's range
the different hunting seasons in America
different kinds of bows and quivers
the manufacture of arrows, both carbon and wooden
the way the arrow tip for hunting wild fowl is not sharp because it kills by impact and does not need to pierce the body of the bird
the "hard line" archers who make their own wooden arrows and shun carbon ones!
personal experience of owning and using a "recurve" bow
two styles in bow shooting
how the crossbow is classed as a firearm
the speed of the white tail deer in fleeing from bowshot

In all it was a very interesting and lively discussion

about survival and living off of the land.

There is no shortage of wild geese on Papa Stronsay,

but catching them has often proved to be "a wild goose chase"

even with a rifle...... But not always.