Dear Mr M. Shrimp. The comment positivity section has me wanting to share this slightly personal story. My fiancé was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer a few months back and she is undergoing chemotherapy currently. She is normally the sane one of our partnership, so supporting her through this experience has been extremely taxing on myself. The whole situation has been, to put it lightly, horrific. I have found real comfort in your back log or videos, especially "weird stuff in a can". There is something about your presentation and content which brings me great comfort. I understand a comment such as this from a stranger on the internet may feel peculiar. But you should take great pride in what you have created on RUclips; I am sure I am not alone in finding comfort during difficult periods through your videos. All the best, and a happy festive period.
We watched a lot of Atomic Shrimp videos while my partner went through cancer treatment too. She got the all clear a couple of years ago. I hope you have the same outcome.
All the best. I was only given 30% chance of survival but have survived over 5 years now & seem to be free of cancer. It helps to talk to your subconscious mind and to be really clear on what you want. The subconscious mind is your friend having many abilities to influence physical processes.
Only Mr Shrimp can weave such a tale from the breaking of a finger, with cardboard hand props building to the sense of relief at the end, that no eggs were broken: just a finger.
I have been unexpectedly invested in your finger. You mentioned that you would share the story, and then a few videos went by without the story. I found myself wondering, from time to time, how did Atomic Shrimp break his finger? Funny, isn't it, how we can become so curious about the lives of people we only know online. I loved your story of how you broke it, complete with custom graphics, animation, and a reenactment. Glad you are on the mend. 🙂
By far the most wonderfully detailed description of a broken finger I have heard in many a winter. It's always worth hanging in there until the end of your videos. Well done, and Merry Christmas to all at Shrimp HQ.
Only a true genius can make a video of his broken finger and make it so God dam interesting! I love all your content but some just… off the charts. Happy Christmas to you and Jennie. Oh of course dogo too. 🌲☃️🎉🎅🏼 👍
I sometimes feel it’s disappointing when your foraging doesn’t turn up anything for the basket, but then I think that’s just the nature of foraging as an activity and also the small joy when you will eventually find something and discover those new hidden locations for your new home region that are productive. Here’s to learning the land 🎉
For some reason I found the animation you made of you struggling to catch your balance hilarious, I think it just managed to perfectly capture the sudden panic your entire body feels in moments like that! I hope your finger heals up well, I've broken a few bones before and I'd never wish it on anyone else. Merry Christmas!
Well, nice injury story Mike but we all know you fought off a ninja attack. So modest. And thanks for the Random Stuff video, a great Christmas present, as they seem to be my favorite. MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours and to everyone in the comments!!!
Now, I usually get a bit queazy when I see or hear about other people's injuries - but your wonderful dramatic reenactment of how you broke your fingers was just incredibly charming and not gross at all ❤. Also, kudos for setting your own bone back in place correctly. I hope all goes well with the healing, and Merry Christmas to you, Jenny and Eva 🌲🎁
Wow, that is a seriously unpleasant injury that you wouldn't want to actively create. I've managed to trip myself up on my own shoes on a gravel path and landed very heavily on my hip - several months of discomfort and the obligatory deep purple-yellow-green tattoo. I suspect you'll probably have to used a finger exerciser to get some muscle back after having it strapped up for so long. I wish you the speediest recovery and hope you don't suffer any permanent difficulties afterwards. Merry this time of year to you and all at Shrimp Cottage.
I find even small-diameter elder sticks useful as dowels. Several years ago, my mother's old, real rattan furniture needed repair. The very soft wood seat had detached from the rattan frame. She had tried putting screws in but as you may know, rattan does not hold screws well. My original plan was to glue a 15 mm/ 5/8" dowel into the seat so that there would be more "meat" and I fashioned a more-or-less straight dowel from some elder trimmings. At which point it occurred to me that just the dowel may be enough. Elder is quite a hard wood. It easily compressed the rattan and soft wood of the chair, and, not being straight, the other fibers reformed around it. Once inserted and glued, the dowel was not coming out. If you did not know where to look, you would not spot the repair, and the elder has easily supported the weight of whoever has sat in the chair all these years. Elder is now my wood of choice for making dowels.
We have a black mulberry - a patio one that's supposed to be a dwarf variety, but we planted it in the ground and it's not so dwarf now! 😂 It fruits twice a year: in late spring/ summer on old wood, and again in autumn on new wood. The first harvest is definitely the better quality one - the autumn fruit tends to be attacked by fruit flies and can go mouldy in the damper/ cooler weather. The fruit should be VERY dark red when ripe, almost black - I've read that it won't ripen any more once picked, and spoils very quickly, so a lot of the second harvest is lost to the frost as I can't bring it inside to finish ripening just before the frost hits. 😢 Our mulberry tree did get knocked back quite a bit the first couple of winters. I'd suggest looking for a sunny but sheltered spot when planting out, as it does better if protected from cold winds. It took a full two years before we got a reasonable harvest, but it is so worth it. My family all say that mulberry jam is their favourite, and I've never seen fresh mulberries for sale anywhere.
That finger is exactly the only bone in my body I've broken! Mine was just as unglamourous: I stuck my hand out playing softball in PE at school and felt a sharp snap as the ball hit my hand. Held up my hand, and the little finger was stuck bent 90 degrees further backwards than usual. No pain. I called the teacher over, who laughed with me about how stupid the injury was and sent me home. I went to the hospital and by then the pain had really intensified; I went through a very similar treatment process to yours (with added relocating of the finger while on gas and air, during which I felt a split-second of the most intense pain I've ever felt in my life just as I sucked in on the gas at the precise moment they relocated it). Turns out, upon further X-rays, that it was indeed dislocated, but the top of the Proximal Phalanx - i.e. the first knuckle on the finger - had shattered during the relocation!
Likewise, my same and only (so far) broken bone. And broken in a similar manner to yours, trying to catch a lobbed volleyball before it spent the next 3 minutes ricocheting around the court. But there, mercifully for me, the similarity ends. Your experience sounds absolutely appalling and I'm so sorry you went through that. 😳
Can’t wait for the Eva Truffle Training series ! Merry Christmas to you, Mike, hope the finger gets better soon. Best wishes to Jenny and Eva. Peace, health, and truffles to all!
Really love seeing how knowledgeable and still keen to learn you are, and the broken finger story was amazingly detailed. Best of wishes for your healing.
Oof, your finger story made me remember my own mishap a year ago. Chopping a VERY stubborn round of oak, I eventually got it sectioned and scooped up an armload. I marched across the yard in triumph, ready to show off the results of my Herculean efforts when exactly like you, a tiny bump between paving tiles sent me for a tumb!e. In my case, my head was the main point of impact, but thankfully it's mostly empty and of no consequence. What little grey matter I started with was thoughtfully removed for me by the Army. Best wishes for you, Jenny and Eva this Christmas, may you be safe, warm and stuffed with good food!
Elder used to be planted as a protective tree around the homestead. It was said to ban bad spirits. Burning it would release them. I honor such traditions regardless of my belief in them.
Elder's supposedly "protective", being able to "ban bad spirits"? I wonder if JK Rowling was aware of this superstition when she created the 'Elder Wand'; said to be the most powerful wand in the Harry Potter world. I guess that power would be "protective" in combat, but doesn't help against backstabbings or other sneak attacks - and as for the "ban bad spirits" part...both Grindelwald and Voldemort were able to hold and use the Wand, and the second man had even spent time as an evil spirit (albeit before ever getting his hands on the Elder Wand), so clearly that part's been ignored. Just a bit of idle curiosity, after I learned of Elder's superstition.
Happy Christmas Mike, Jenny and Eva! Thank you for your wonderful, interesting, entertaining and enjoyable videos this year! Glad the finger is on the mend! Cheers, Annie in Australia 🇦🇺
I feel so bad for laughing but the segment about your broken finger had me laughing. Great animation, story telling and loved the props 😂 Glad you are okay x
Glad to hear you're on the mend. I had a similar fall in 2002, when I went to watch Resident Evil at the cinema, although mine was slightly worse. I was rushing down the aisle to get a foot rest (booster cushion for young kids) when my foot caught the tread on one of the tier landings, and I went flying over several metres, clear over a flight of stairs, and broke the fall on my hands. I got up and dusted myself off, then went to pick up the cushion and thought it was strange when I couldn't close my hand to grab it. So I picked it up with my other hand and went back to my seat. A few minutes later my friend noticed a lump on my wrist, which I thought was weird, so I tried to push on it, and it was a little painful. After the movie, my friend said I should go to the hospital, so I compromised by going to the 24 hour medical centre, but they just told me their x-ray department was closed for the night, and I had to go to the hospital. I waited 3 hours in the emergency room, probably because I said no when they asked if it was painful (I have an extremely high tolerance for pain), but eventually I got an x-ray and they told me it was broken. Took 3 surgeries and over 13 weeks in a cast to heal.
Your illustrations put my boyfriend and myself in stitches…not that we were laughing at your pain, but at the humor and effort you put into explaining what happened. You have a way with words… I have been playing your videos for background noise, and we love them, but your voice also puts our 90 pound Doberman at ease. And after a long day of working and then cleaning the house, sometimes a RUclips video of hunting for mushrooms and weird things in a can helps us to relax, but also calm our gentle beast of a dog to settle down. Hope your hand heals swiftly and that you find some mushrooms to forage!!!
I can totally relate to your need to grind down that wonky bit of pavement that caused your fall. I once was attacked by a page of poorly placed wall calendar. It flew up in the breeze caused by a coworker exiting and managed to get me right in the eye. It scratched my cornea and I ended up at the clinic retelling the story several times. When they'd finally finished with me I returned to work, piratical eye patch in place, and removed the offending calendar. My eyeball has made a full recovery. I now use only year at a glance calendars, well anchored at top and bottom. Hope your finger heals quickly. I adored the animated reenactment. I need to learn how to do that...
Thank you for making days happier for many. A very happy, healthy and festive season to you, Jenny, Eva and all those you love. I do have a broken toe story that includes the sticking up bit- suffice to say, when someone says “let me help you with that blanket”,…don’t. I also reset and got the talk- no way I would have waited 45 min to get to Emerg. either.
I am so excited about the prospect of a Shrimp series where you construct your mountain man retreat in your patch of woodland. My mind’s eye is already imagining a order and eclectic and comfortable space for you to work in and relax
"Getting your eye in" is a skill I discovered in my youth, but for a different reason than foraging for berries or seaglass. When I dropped a thing and looked for it sometimes it was nearly impossible to find, but I found I could speed up the hunt if I had another item like it, for example a small eyeglasses screw, I would drop it on the floor to see what it looks like and how it behaves when dropped.
That's a great idea! I sometimes have this thing I sort of say in my head over and over so for instance looking for fossils : "if I was an ammonite, where would I be?". It seems to serve a similar function
Merry Christmas, you are simply my favourite You Tuber. The finger article got me at the bone flake but I managed to the end and was delighted to hear only two potatoes were damaged! Thank you for giving me such superb entertaining videos plus a much greater knowledge of many things. 🧑🏻🎄🎄🧑🏻🎄
i really do appreciate how much you take care to mention things your viewers might not be able or willing to handle (flickering, injury descriptions, and several other things throughout the videos).
Now THAT’S how you tell a story of how you got injured. I feel quite ashamed now of just blandly saying “I fell of a log” when asked how I broke my hand . 😁
Better the potato than your knee❤ so glad you were only out a finger as that could've been disastrous, not to mention that you so evidently and perfectly set your own break! What can't you do😂 get better soon shrimp
The animations and demonstrations accompanying the broken finger story were just brilliant. Not to discount the seriousness of an injury, but I was both entertained and amused.
I have a rabbit and was told to not use elder wood shavings for its habitat. Toxic to it, apparently. maybe burning them in an enclosed space is bad for humans, too?
Absolutely loved your rendition of War Of The Worlds…The Jeff Wayne version is a huge favourite of mine. Hope the finger heals quickly and hope you have a great Christmas Mike, all the best!
I enjoyed it too, and wondered how many people knew what it was (I knew from the first line). The Jeff Wayne version is also popular with me and I think that's what Mike was going for (getting his Richard Burton on).
I don't know if Comfrey grows where you are, but if it does, then I suggest you plant some. It's old time name is "knit bone"...and it truly DOES help with broken bones and sprains. I have always grown it- especially when my kids were a lot younger. ( My youngest is over 40 now 🙃). Just pick a nice leaf, mash it up, place it over the area, wrap it in a soft cloth or bandage. You can repeat/change it. It truly helps with things like tripping over a trailer bar in the dark...I can vouch for it . If you think it's a bit prickly- mash it up and put it on a soft cloth.
Wishing you a speedy recovery, but more than that I just have to share that I was actively eating the precise same type of rosemary crackers you showed from your shopping as I watched this. Not an important fact, but one of those odd coincidences that nonetheless pleased me- They're extremely nice little crackers, so I hope you've enjoyed some with something equally tasty on top this festive season!
Just wanted to let you know that the random stuff videos are my most favourite video series. I always look forward to them. They are so varied, you can never guess what will be coming up next! A great mix of everything. And you do such a good job of making it all so interesting to watch! So thank you for all the time you spend on these (and all the other) videos. I particularly loved the short, but excellent, section of wheelbarrow cam in this one. And the War of the Worlds intro. Glad to hear your finger is on the mend and I wish you, Jenny and Eva a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
Made me wince when you were describing how you injured your finger, it was this night last year when I had a bad fall while delivering christmas cards to the neighbours. Silly me for not having a torch with me! I tripped and fell over a small wall (not much of a wall as it only about six inches high!) Anyway, down I went and when i tried to push myself up I nearly passed out with the pain. All I could do was lie there until my boyfriend, who was delivering cards on the other side of our road, came to look for me and found me lying in a dip in the neighbour's lane. I spent 23 hours in A&E with my arm hanging out of it's socket and broken in two places. I was in total agony all that time despite being given regular doses of morphine. Eventually they gave me a general anesthetic and finally got my arm back in place. It's been a year of physio, it's been a hard slog but my arm is a lot better now. It'll never be as good as it was but in another six months it should be as good as it's going to get. Apparently it was an horrific break, with the bone splintered vertically rather than horizontally. When you were describing your fall, I was totally there with you with everything you said! I literally went cold hearing about your finger bending the wrong way! Horrendous! 😱 Take care, hope it heals well. Xxx
Hey so idk of you've ever thought of this, but given your love for mushrooms, have you ever thought of innoculating cut logs with fungus? There are kits you can even buy for specific species of mushroom. Apparently it works best with freshly cut logs. Seeing your pile of logs made me think of it, then you could farm mushrooms!
"Getting your eye in" happens in proofreading as well - after copy editing for decades, I can't turn it off, which can get really annoying when I'm just trying to read for pleasure! Thank you for a lovely walk in the woods on this cold Brooklyn morning!
Your remark about the never retired, ever-open copy editor's eye struck a nerve. Do wish I had a dollar for every its/it's error I spot in the local media! * I also did some continuity work and can't watch a show without checking the clocks and props. As you say, it's really annoying to see what's now passed for public view.
The medical jumping off point is much appreciated! I stayed a bit for the story, skipped the medical bits, and continued with the after collection. Merry Christmas friends!
id been saving this video for a chilled bit of time, i watched it while eating a steak and vege pie id made, i actually enjoyed the broken finger story/explanation the most, the mechanics of such an everyday incident are fascinating when put under the proverbial microscope. i wish you better luck in future, both with unruly footpaths and the foraging of fungi
A lot of people comment about how this channel's content is helping them find a moment of peace during hectic, stressful, or otherwise trying times in their lives. I think that's a great point of value, and I'm glad it helps in that manner. It certainly is always relaxing to watch a fresh Shrimp video. For me, personally, it's a godsend of rewatchable goodness for the occasional in-bed-all-day-with-a-hangover event. Not quite the same level of significance, I suppose, as helping someone navigate personal trauma, but much appreciated nonetheless.
Watching videos like this make you appreciate what our ancestors had to go through before there were shops or even before trade was invented, all the hunting and foraging they had to do just to survive
I had to get rid of my mulberry tree. The birds were pooping the seeds everywhere, and they were staining surfaces and sprouting little trees that would grow up in between my chain-link fence and be difficult to remove. A lot of extra work for what was an insipid, bland berry. I only plant natives now.
Listening to your explanation of how you broke your fingers mortified me. It was also highly educational on what happened and how one should be wary of their surroundings, as well as to make the path safer for visitors and home owners alike. Still, I'm horrified by series of events that led to your injured fingers. May you have a smooth recovery, Mr. M. A. Shrimp!
Lovely walk, cheers. And look at the colour of those ferns.. stunning. Mike & Jenny happy new year. 20:00 yeah I was wondering where Eva was. Glad she fine ♡ 🍻 🍻 31:55 oh, there she is. Love Mart & Soph
I’m 71 and have never broken a bone. Never broken a potato either but I’m not sure that’s relevant. (Not bragging- it’s largely dumb luck) Have you been too cheerful lately to tell us more about Slaughter Valley? It’s one of my favorite fictional (I hope) places, wherever it may be this week.
I am sorry AS but I laughed out loud at the "What of the shopping"! But I had done a lot of "OOhhs" "Arghs" and "Ouches" at your description of your accident! Nasty but easily done. Hope you and Jenny (and Eva!) have a lovely Christmas. Looking forward to all your videos in 2024.
Thank you so much for this perfectly timed video. A comment positivity treat was just the tonic I needed today 😊. Loved the whole video as always but you particularly had me laughing out loud when you started reciting war of the worlds and also your broken finger anecdote. Thanks for the chuckles. Have a very well deserved festive holiday and happy new year to you, Jenny and Eva, from Belfast.
Merry Christmas. Love your videos. Glad you're going to be ok, but sorry to hear about the injury in the first place! I'm looking forward to another fantastic year of content. :)
Merry Christmas Mike Jenny & Eva. I don't like to laugh at other people's misery but your section about your broken finger was wonderfully entertaining with the cardboard hand etc. Including what shopping survived. ❤
Merry Christmas from Tennessee USA. I enjoy your channel; love humor and variety of skills. So happy to see you and Jenny enjoying the new location. I think you are both wonderful.
Apart from the log piles, it is also nice to put some smaller branches and leaves so hedgehogs can spend the winter under. Hedgehogs are beneficial for your garden.
Good on you for creating a log pile for beetles. You may have to wait 7+ years but I hope you are in the right part of the country for stag beetles. I used to see them in my garden when I lived in London, but now I'm in the north west I don't get them any more. I believe it's something to do with a line of chalky deposits that crosses the country around Hampshire (I used to live there too and the water was so soft and chalky it came out of the tap looking like watered down milk!) But anyway, the chalk means less rotting wood and creates a gap over which the beetles can't spread although I think they have got to Yorkshire. I _hope_ you are on the right side of the chalk for stag beetles. They are amazing little beasts, especially when they take to the air.
Another top video. I sympathise woth you about the broken finger, having broken a couple - one very badly, the other cracked - nearly a year ago. The fruitless fungi hunt (that almost sounds like a childrens' picture book title) made me think: now you are in Dorset, you could do worse than contact the forager and author, John Wright. He could possibly give you a steer as to where you could find fungi in the area. He's written several books, one of which, 'The Foragers' Calendar' (#notspon), is very useful indeed. You actually sound like the great 'Whispering' Bob Harris, from The Old Grey Whistle Test. And that's a good thing.
I once had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic, and therefore developed a bad case of urticaria, followed by oedema on parts of my hands. One of them being my right thumb. The swelling finally got too much, and so the blood vessels of said thumb started to burst, which made my thumb become black and blue all over (and even my skin got a few cracks!). The pain was ridiculously strong, since there is not much room for swelling in our fingers, and therefore the many nerves in the periosteum get under too much pressure pretty quickly. It felt like someone had parked a tank on my thumb. When I saw the story of your injury, I could imagine your pain and felt even more sympathy for you. When you mentioned that purple hue, your finger developed, I remembered the very accurate nickname my mom had given to my completely purple thumb: "The blackpudding thumb" 🤣 I wish you all the best and a quick and full recovery for your finger, so you will soon start associating purple with all the positive, beautiful and tasty things again! 💐 And thanks for the passage from "War of the worlds" - I love the story, and your interpretation sounded great! 🤗
I will be very interested to see how you go about creating your mountain-man hut. I live in the mountains of Pennsylvania, amongst almost nothing BUT woodland, and I think a mountain-woman hut might be just the thing. Merry Christmas to all at Shrimp Cottage!
I was absolutely riveted by the story of your broken finger, the stunt work by the cardboard hand doing the reenactment was superb, Oscar worthy stuff! Hope it wasnt as horrifyingly painful as it sounded! 😱 Merry Christmas to all at Shrimp HQ , thank you for the hugely enjoyable vlogs all year!!
Dear Mr M. Shrimp.
The comment positivity section has me wanting to share this slightly personal story.
My fiancé was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer a few months back and she is undergoing chemotherapy currently. She is normally the sane one of our partnership, so supporting her through this experience has been extremely taxing on myself.
The whole situation has been, to put it lightly, horrific.
I have found real comfort in your back log or videos, especially "weird stuff in a can". There is something about your presentation and content which brings me great comfort.
I understand a comment such as this from a stranger on the internet may feel peculiar. But you should take great pride in what you have created on RUclips; I am sure I am not alone in finding comfort during difficult periods through your videos.
All the best, and a happy festive period.
Your fiancé has a wonderful and special partner! Prayers and healing thoughts to her ❤
I'm sorry to hear that. Cancer is the worst. Wishing both of you all the best.
We watched a lot of Atomic Shrimp videos while my partner went through cancer treatment too. She got the all clear a couple of years ago. I hope you have the same outcome.
All the best. I was only given 30% chance of survival but have survived over 5 years now & seem to be free of cancer. It helps to talk to your subconscious mind and to be really clear on what you want. The subconscious mind is your friend having many abilities to influence physical processes.
Peace Health & Happiness, sounds great to me. Thankyou so much. Wishing you & all your family a very happy Christmas & an excellent 2024.
Only Mr Shrimp can weave such a tale from the breaking of a finger, with cardboard hand props building to the sense of relief at the end, that no eggs were broken: just a finger.
Truth!
Makes sense to not burn those logs. Got to respect your elder's ;)
Haha, love it!😅
You win the internet today, dude. 😃
hahahaha
'specially your dead elders 😮
*groan*
“With the willing assistance of haste, gravity and stone masonry”! 😂😂😂 You tell the story so well!
Those potatoes probably saved your knee. You should investigate root vegetable based body armour when you're back to full speed 😄
I have been unexpectedly invested in your finger. You mentioned that you would share the story, and then a few videos went by without the story. I found myself wondering, from time to time, how did Atomic Shrimp break his finger? Funny, isn't it, how we can become so curious about the lives of people we only know online. I loved your story of how you broke it, complete with custom graphics, animation, and a reenactment. Glad you are on the mend. 🙂
By far the most wonderfully detailed description of a broken finger I have heard in many a winter. It's always worth hanging in there until the end of your videos. Well done, and Merry Christmas to all at Shrimp HQ.
I've never broken anything in my life so it was interesting (and very painful sounding ) to me lol
I especially enjoyed the animation of the flailing legs 😂
@@camsy83 same, actually laughed out loud 😂
Everything about that was peak entertainment, didn't think I needed that but I did.
The flailing legs had me in tears! :D @@camsy83
It's all those little factoids and nuggets of info that Atomic Shrimp drops effortlessly that I enjoy.
More wheelbarrow-cam, please! That looked fun 😁
maybe a whole other niche YT wheelbarrow channel 😊
Only a true genius can make a video of his broken finger and make it so God dam interesting! I love all your content but some just… off the charts.
Happy Christmas to you and Jennie. Oh of course dogo too. 🌲☃️🎉🎅🏼 👍
I sometimes feel it’s disappointing when your foraging doesn’t turn up anything for the basket, but then I think that’s just the nature of foraging as an activity and also the small joy when you will eventually find something and discover those new hidden locations for your new home region that are productive. Here’s to learning the land 🎉
Wheelbarrow cam is the best addition to the channel. More in 2024 please
The basket might be empty today, but those mossy greens are a feast for the eyes!
this summer I saw 3 (juvenile) spotted woodpeckers foraging on a smallish (2 inch) dead branch I'd left leaning against a fence.
For some reason I found the animation you made of you struggling to catch your balance hilarious, I think it just managed to perfectly capture the sudden panic your entire body feels in moments like that! I hope your finger heals up well, I've broken a few bones before and I'd never wish it on anyone else. Merry Christmas!
Well, nice injury story Mike but we all know you fought off a ninja attack. So modest. And thanks for the Random Stuff video, a great Christmas present, as they seem to be my favorite.
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you and yours and to everyone in the comments!!!
Now, I usually get a bit queazy when I see or hear about other people's injuries - but your wonderful dramatic reenactment of how you broke your fingers was just incredibly charming and not gross at all ❤. Also, kudos for setting your own bone back in place correctly. I hope all goes well with the healing, and Merry Christmas to you, Jenny and Eva 🌲🎁
good day when atomic shrimp uploads
Wow, that is a seriously unpleasant injury that you wouldn't want to actively create. I've managed to trip myself up on my own shoes on a gravel path and landed very heavily on my hip - several months of discomfort and the obligatory deep purple-yellow-green tattoo. I suspect you'll probably have to used a finger exerciser to get some muscle back after having it strapped up for so long. I wish you the speediest recovery and hope you don't suffer any permanent difficulties afterwards. Merry this time of year to you and all at Shrimp Cottage.
I find even small-diameter elder sticks useful as dowels. Several years ago, my mother's old, real rattan furniture needed repair. The very soft wood seat had detached from the rattan frame. She had tried putting screws in but as you may know, rattan does not hold screws well. My original plan was to glue a 15 mm/ 5/8" dowel into the seat so that there would be more "meat" and I fashioned a more-or-less straight dowel from some elder trimmings. At which point it occurred to me that just the dowel may be enough. Elder is quite a hard wood. It easily compressed the rattan and soft wood of the chair, and, not being straight, the other fibers reformed around it. Once inserted and glued, the dowel was not coming out. If you did not know where to look, you would not spot the repair, and the elder has easily supported the weight of whoever has sat in the chair all these years. Elder is now my wood of choice for making dowels.
We have a black mulberry - a patio one that's supposed to be a dwarf variety, but we planted it in the ground and it's not so dwarf now! 😂 It fruits twice a year: in late spring/ summer on old wood, and again in autumn on new wood. The first harvest is definitely the better quality one - the autumn fruit tends to be attacked by fruit flies and can go mouldy in the damper/ cooler weather.
The fruit should be VERY dark red when ripe, almost black - I've read that it won't ripen any more once picked, and spoils very quickly, so a lot of the second harvest is lost to the frost as I can't bring it inside to finish ripening just before the frost hits. 😢
Our mulberry tree did get knocked back quite a bit the first couple of winters. I'd suggest looking for a sunny but sheltered spot when planting out, as it does better if protected from cold winds. It took a full two years before we got a reasonable harvest, but it is so worth it. My family all say that mulberry jam is their favourite, and I've never seen fresh mulberries for sale anywhere.
the detail about the bags was very unexpected and surprising, glad you never got any broken glass in you too from those jars
That finger is exactly the only bone in my body I've broken!
Mine was just as unglamourous: I stuck my hand out playing softball in PE at school and felt a sharp snap as the ball hit my hand. Held up my hand, and the little finger was stuck bent 90 degrees further backwards than usual. No pain. I called the teacher over, who laughed with me about how stupid the injury was and sent me home. I went to the hospital and by then the pain had really intensified; I went through a very similar treatment process to yours (with added relocating of the finger while on gas and air, during which I felt a split-second of the most intense pain I've ever felt in my life just as I sucked in on the gas at the precise moment they relocated it). Turns out, upon further X-rays, that it was indeed dislocated, but the top of the Proximal Phalanx - i.e. the first knuckle on the finger - had shattered during the relocation!
Likewise, my same and only (so far) broken bone. And broken in a similar manner to yours, trying to catch a lobbed volleyball before it spent the next 3 minutes ricocheting around the court. But there, mercifully for me, the similarity ends. Your experience sounds absolutely appalling and I'm so sorry you went through that. 😳
Watching Mike potter around his garden is one of my favourite ways to relax!
Can’t wait for the Eva Truffle Training series ! Merry Christmas to you, Mike, hope the finger gets better soon. Best wishes to Jenny and Eva. Peace, health, and truffles to all!
The story of the broken finger was so beautifully told and illustrated. Haven't laughed that much at a video in ages!
Really love seeing how knowledgeable and still keen to learn you are, and the broken finger story was amazingly detailed. Best of wishes for your healing.
Oof, your finger story made me remember my own mishap a year ago. Chopping a VERY stubborn round of oak, I eventually got it sectioned and scooped up an armload. I marched across the yard in triumph, ready to show off the results of my Herculean efforts when exactly like you, a tiny bump between paving tiles sent me for a tumb!e. In my case, my head was the main point of impact, but thankfully it's mostly empty and of no consequence. What little grey matter I started with was thoughtfully removed for me by the Army.
Best wishes for you, Jenny and Eva this Christmas, may you be safe, warm and stuffed with good food!
Elder used to be planted as a protective tree around the homestead. It was said to ban bad spirits. Burning it would release them.
I honor such traditions regardless of my belief in them.
Elder's supposedly "protective", being able to "ban bad spirits"?
I wonder if JK Rowling was aware of this superstition when she created the 'Elder Wand'; said to be the most powerful wand in the Harry Potter world. I guess that power would be "protective" in combat, but doesn't help against backstabbings or other sneak attacks - and as for the "ban bad spirits" part...both Grindelwald and Voldemort were able to hold and use the Wand, and the second man had even spent time as an evil spirit (albeit before ever getting his hands on the Elder Wand), so clearly that part's been ignored.
Just a bit of idle curiosity, after I learned of Elder's superstition.
Happy Christmas Mike, Jenny and Eva! Thank you for your wonderful, interesting, entertaining and enjoyable videos this year! Glad the finger is on the mend! Cheers, Annie in Australia 🇦🇺
loved the re-enactment. Very funny with the cardboard cut out and the spinning legs!
I feel so bad for laughing but the segment about your broken finger had me laughing. Great animation, story telling and loved the props 😂 Glad you are okay x
Glad to hear you're on the mend. I had a similar fall in 2002, when I went to watch Resident Evil at the cinema, although mine was slightly worse.
I was rushing down the aisle to get a foot rest (booster cushion for young kids) when my foot caught the tread on one of the tier landings, and I went flying over several metres, clear over a flight of stairs, and broke the fall on my hands. I got up and dusted myself off, then went to pick up the cushion and thought it was strange when I couldn't close my hand to grab it. So I picked it up with my other hand and went back to my seat. A few minutes later my friend noticed a lump on my wrist, which I thought was weird, so I tried to push on it, and it was a little painful.
After the movie, my friend said I should go to the hospital, so I compromised by going to the 24 hour medical centre, but they just told me their x-ray department was closed for the night, and I had to go to the hospital. I waited 3 hours in the emergency room, probably because I said no when they asked if it was painful (I have an extremely high tolerance for pain), but eventually I got an x-ray and they told me it was broken. Took 3 surgeries and over 13 weeks in a cast to heal.
First we had volunteer squashes and now sacrificial potatoes! Great video as usual; get well soon.
I love the different "War of the Worlds" interpretations.
Your illustrations put my boyfriend and myself in stitches…not that we were laughing at your pain, but at the humor and effort you put into explaining what happened. You have a way with words… I have been playing your videos for background noise, and we love them, but your voice also puts our 90 pound Doberman at ease. And after a long day of working and then cleaning the house, sometimes a RUclips video of hunting for mushrooms and weird things in a can helps us to relax, but also calm our gentle beast of a dog to settle down. Hope your hand heals swiftly and that you find some mushrooms to forage!!!
The story of how you broke your finger agonized me. But dang, it was explained with such rich details that I couldn't stop watching.
Get well soon!
I can totally relate to your need to grind down that wonky bit of pavement that caused your fall. I once was attacked by a page of poorly placed wall calendar. It flew up in the breeze caused by a coworker exiting and managed to get me right in the eye. It scratched my cornea and I ended up at the clinic retelling the story several times. When they'd finally finished with me I returned to work, piratical eye patch in place, and removed the offending calendar. My eyeball has made a full recovery. I now use only year at a glance calendars, well anchored at top and bottom. Hope your finger heals quickly. I adored the animated reenactment. I need to learn how to do that...
Thank you for making days happier for many. A very happy, healthy and festive season to you, Jenny, Eva and all those you love.
I do have a broken toe story that includes the sticking up bit- suffice to say, when someone says “let me help you with that blanket”,…don’t. I also reset and got the talk- no way I would have waited 45 min to get to Emerg. either.
I'm kinda shocked anything on Earth had the strength to break Mike's Pringle fingers.
Merry Christmas to you and Jenny. Have a good one 👍
I really needed that walk! And I have to say, the ones along town streets are so lovely and cosy. More of those please!!
I am so excited about the prospect of a Shrimp series where you construct your mountain man retreat in your patch of woodland. My mind’s eye is already imagining a order and eclectic and comfortable space for you to work in and relax
"Getting your eye in" is a skill I discovered in my youth, but for a different reason than foraging for berries or seaglass. When I dropped a thing and looked for it sometimes it was nearly impossible to find, but I found I could speed up the hunt if I had another item like it, for example a small eyeglasses screw, I would drop it on the floor to see what it looks like and how it behaves when dropped.
That's a great idea!
I sometimes have this thing I sort of say in my head over and over so for instance looking for fossils : "if I was an ammonite, where would I be?". It seems to serve a similar function
Merry Christmas, you are simply my favourite You Tuber. The finger article got me at the bone flake but I managed to the end and was delighted to hear only two potatoes were damaged! Thank you for giving me such superb entertaining videos plus a much greater knowledge of many things. 🧑🏻🎄🎄🧑🏻🎄
i really do appreciate how much you take care to mention things your viewers might not be able or willing to handle (flickering, injury descriptions, and several other things throughout the videos).
Now THAT’S how you tell a story of how you got injured. I feel quite ashamed now of just blandly saying “I fell of a log” when asked how I broke my hand . 😁
Better the potato than your knee❤ so glad you were only out a finger as that could've been disastrous, not to mention that you so evidently and perfectly set your own break! What can't you do😂 get better soon shrimp
The beautiful call of the Jackdaws at the beginning warmed my heart!
the absolute hilarity of the outro music being titled "Shattered Paths"...!
The animations and demonstrations accompanying the broken finger story were just brilliant. Not to discount the seriousness of an injury, but I was both entertained and amused.
I love the sound of forest leaves crunching underfoot: wonderfully relaxing and soporific.
I have a rabbit and was told to not use elder wood shavings for its habitat. Toxic to it, apparently. maybe burning them in an enclosed space is bad for humans, too?
Absolutely loved your rendition of War Of The Worlds…The Jeff Wayne version is a huge favourite of mine.
Hope the finger heals quickly and hope you have a great Christmas Mike, all the best!
I enjoyed it too, and wondered how many people knew what it was (I knew from the first line). The Jeff Wayne version is also popular with me and I think that's what Mike was going for (getting his Richard Burton on).
I don't know if Comfrey grows where you are, but if it does, then I suggest you plant some. It's old time name is "knit bone"...and it truly DOES help with broken bones and sprains. I have always grown it- especially when my kids were a lot younger. ( My youngest is over 40 now 🙃). Just pick a nice leaf, mash it up, place it over the area, wrap it in a soft cloth or bandage. You can repeat/change it. It truly helps with things like tripping over a trailer bar in the dark...I can vouch for it . If you think it's a bit prickly- mash it up and put it on a soft cloth.
Wishing you a speedy recovery, but more than that I just have to share that I was actively eating the precise same type of rosemary crackers you showed from your shopping as I watched this. Not an important fact, but one of those odd coincidences that nonetheless pleased me- They're extremely nice little crackers, so I hope you've enjoyed some with something equally tasty on top this festive season!
Just wanted to let you know that the random stuff videos are my most favourite video series. I always look forward to them. They are so varied, you can never guess what will be coming up next! A great mix of everything. And you do such a good job of making it all so interesting to watch! So thank you for all the time you spend on these (and all the other) videos.
I particularly loved the short, but excellent, section of wheelbarrow cam in this one. And the War of the Worlds intro.
Glad to hear your finger is on the mend and I wish you, Jenny and Eva a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
Finger TLDW: "Whoopsie-doodle!"
I'm glad the shopping survived! Two potatoes were a valiant sacrifice
Made me wince when you were describing how you injured your finger, it was this night last year when I had a bad fall while delivering christmas cards to the neighbours. Silly me for not having a torch with me! I tripped and fell over a small wall (not much of a wall as it only about six inches high!) Anyway, down I went and when i tried to push myself up I nearly passed out with the pain. All I could do was lie there until my boyfriend, who was delivering cards on the other side of our road, came to look for me and found me lying in a dip in the neighbour's lane. I spent 23 hours in A&E with my arm hanging out of it's socket and broken in two places. I was in total agony all that time despite being given regular doses of morphine. Eventually they gave me a general anesthetic and finally got my arm back in place. It's been a year of physio, it's been a hard slog but my arm is a lot better now. It'll never be as good as it was but in another six months it should be as good as it's going to get. Apparently it was an horrific break, with the bone splintered vertically rather than horizontally. When you were describing your fall, I was totally there with you with everything you said! I literally went cold hearing about your finger bending the wrong way! Horrendous! 😱 Take care, hope it heals well. Xxx
Thank you for this Hollywood-quality re-enactment of your finger-breaking accident!
Hey so idk of you've ever thought of this, but given your love for mushrooms, have you ever thought of innoculating cut logs with fungus? There are kits you can even buy for specific species of mushroom. Apparently it works best with freshly cut logs. Seeing your pile of logs made me think of it, then you could farm mushrooms!
"Getting your eye in" happens in proofreading as well - after copy editing for decades, I can't turn it off, which can get really annoying when I'm just trying to read for pleasure! Thank you for a lovely walk in the woods on this cold Brooklyn morning!
Your remark about the never retired, ever-open copy editor's eye struck a nerve. Do wish I had a dollar for every its/it's error I spot in the local media! * I also did some continuity work and can't watch a show without checking the clocks and props. As you say, it's really annoying to see what's now passed for public view.
The medical jumping off point is much appreciated! I stayed a bit for the story, skipped the medical bits, and continued with the after collection.
Merry Christmas friends!
Wow that was an extensive and detailed description of your injury. I didn't expect that😂 merry Christmas dear Mike.
id been saving this video for a chilled bit of time, i watched it while eating a steak and vege pie id made, i actually enjoyed the broken finger story/explanation the most, the mechanics of such an everyday incident are fascinating when put under the proverbial microscope.
i wish you better luck in future, both with unruly footpaths and the foraging of fungi
Merry Christmas Mike! Your videos are a high point of my weeks, thank you for sharing yourself and your life and interests with us ^__^
A lot of people comment about how this channel's content is helping them find a moment of peace during hectic, stressful, or otherwise trying times in their lives. I think that's a great point of value, and I'm glad it helps in that manner. It certainly is always relaxing to watch a fresh Shrimp video.
For me, personally, it's a godsend of rewatchable goodness for the occasional in-bed-all-day-with-a-hangover event. Not quite the same level of significance, I suppose, as helping someone navigate personal trauma, but much appreciated nonetheless.
Watching videos like this make you appreciate what our ancestors had to go through before there were shops or even before trade was invented, all the hunting and foraging they had to do just to survive
I had to get rid of my mulberry tree. The birds were pooping the seeds everywhere, and they were staining surfaces and sprouting little trees that would grow up in between my chain-link fence and be difficult to remove. A lot of extra work for what was an insipid, bland berry. I only plant natives now.
Listening to your explanation of how you broke your fingers mortified me.
It was also highly educational on what happened and how one should be wary of their surroundings, as well as to make the path safer for visitors and home owners alike.
Still, I'm horrified by series of events that led to your injured fingers. May you have a smooth recovery, Mr. M. A. Shrimp!
Lovely walk, cheers. And look at the colour of those ferns.. stunning.
Mike & Jenny happy new year.
20:00 yeah I was wondering where Eva was. Glad she fine ♡
🍻 🍻
31:55 oh, there she is.
Love Mart & Soph
Great vid. Elder burns no problem, its good for getting the fire going before putting on the bigger logs.
Man that voice makes me crave for a "Sick Shrimp Audiobook", too bad it requires pain and suffering. Wish you a speedy recovery!
I’m 71 and have never broken a bone. Never broken a potato either but I’m not sure that’s relevant.
(Not bragging- it’s largely dumb luck)
Have you been too cheerful lately to tell us more about Slaughter Valley? It’s one of my favorite fictional (I hope) places, wherever it may be this week.
I broke my knee falling down on ice. My buddy said I suffered from TMG…Too Much Gravity!
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you Mike, and to all your wonderful fans!
I am sorry AS but I laughed out loud at the "What of the shopping"! But I had done a lot of "OOhhs" "Arghs" and "Ouches" at your description of your accident! Nasty but easily done. Hope you and Jenny (and Eva!) have a lovely Christmas. Looking forward to all your videos in 2024.
Glad that you were not injured worse! May your healing and new year go well.
Thank you so much for this perfectly timed video. A comment positivity treat was just the tonic I needed today 😊. Loved the whole video as always but you particularly had me laughing out loud when you started reciting war of the worlds and also your broken finger anecdote. Thanks for the chuckles.
Have a very well deserved festive holiday and happy new year to you, Jenny and Eva, from Belfast.
Merry Christmas. Love your videos.
Glad you're going to be ok, but sorry to hear about the injury in the first place!
I'm looking forward to another fantastic year of content. :)
Merry Christmas Mike Jenny & Eva. I don't like to laugh at other people's misery but your section about your broken finger was wonderfully entertaining with the cardboard hand etc. Including what shopping survived. ❤
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you, Jenny, Eva and all your friends and family. Hope your finger heals quickly and without any issue!
Just watch you don't get blinded, deafened, electrocuted or sliced up when you go at that hexed flagstone with the angle grinder.
Merry Christmas from Tennessee USA. I enjoy your channel; love humor and variety of skills. So happy to see you and Jenny enjoying the new location. I think you are both wonderful.
Thank you Mike I just love to listen to your story's ..x
May your potatoes be mashed conventionally, your hamper filled without hamper, your ideas be abundant and your Christmas be merry and bright.
Apart from the log piles, it is also nice to put some smaller branches and leaves so hedgehogs can spend the winter under. Hedgehogs are beneficial for your garden.
Good on you for creating a log pile for beetles. You may have to wait 7+ years but I hope you are in the right part of the country for stag beetles. I used to see them in my garden when I lived in London, but now I'm in the north west I don't get them any more. I believe it's something to do with a line of chalky deposits that crosses the country around Hampshire (I used to live there too and the water was so soft and chalky it came out of the tap looking like watered down milk!) But anyway, the chalk means less rotting wood and creates a gap over which the beetles can't spread although I think they have got to Yorkshire. I _hope_ you are on the right side of the chalk for stag beetles. They are amazing little beasts, especially when they take to the air.
Another top video. I sympathise woth you about the broken finger, having broken a couple - one very badly, the other cracked - nearly a year ago.
The fruitless fungi hunt (that almost sounds like a childrens' picture book title) made me think: now you are in Dorset, you could do worse than contact the forager and author, John Wright. He could possibly give you a steer as to where you could find fungi in the area. He's written several books, one of which, 'The Foragers' Calendar' (#notspon), is very useful indeed.
You actually sound like the great 'Whispering' Bob Harris, from The Old Grey Whistle Test. And that's a good thing.
Merry Christmas, we watched this video Christmas Eve as it ticked over to Christmas Day :)
This channel is great! Really a diamond in the rough
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Atomic Shrimp & Family 🎅🎄⛄️🥳Thanks for another wonderful video 😊
I once had an allergic reaction to an antibiotic, and therefore developed a bad case of urticaria, followed by oedema on parts of my hands. One of them being my right thumb. The swelling finally got too much, and so the blood vessels of said thumb started to burst, which made my thumb become black and blue all over (and even my skin got a few cracks!). The pain was ridiculously strong, since there is not much room for swelling in our fingers, and therefore the many nerves in the periosteum get under too much pressure pretty quickly. It felt like someone had parked a tank on my thumb.
When I saw the story of your injury, I could imagine your pain and felt even more sympathy for you.
When you mentioned that purple hue, your finger developed, I remembered the very accurate nickname my mom had given to my completely purple thumb: "The blackpudding thumb" 🤣
I wish you all the best and a quick and full recovery for your finger, so you will soon start associating purple with all the positive, beautiful and tasty things again! 💐
And thanks for the passage from "War of the worlds" - I love the story, and your interpretation sounded great! 🤗
I will be very interested to see how you go about creating your mountain-man hut. I live in the mountains of Pennsylvania, amongst almost nothing BUT woodland, and I think a mountain-woman hut might be just the thing. Merry Christmas to all at Shrimp Cottage!
Omg I almost fainted at the finger story. Serves me right for listening
You are such a legend Shrimp. Long live Shrimpy!
Maybe an awkward comment, but I liked the phrase "Little Brown Mushroom," when you pointed one out - it's such a pleasant string of words.
Merry Christmas and a injury free happy healthy fungi filled New Year to you.
A speedy recovery, and happy holidays to you and yours!
I was absolutely riveted by the story of your broken finger, the stunt work by the cardboard hand doing the reenactment was superb, Oscar worthy stuff!
Hope it wasnt as horrifyingly painful as it sounded! 😱
Merry Christmas to all at Shrimp HQ , thank you for the hugely enjoyable vlogs all year!!