On the multiplayer server I built a small village, with some houses, a garden, a well and a gallows.

Minecraft

Well, you try making a gallows!

Unusually, though, I’ve sunk some real time into the single player game. I started a new map and found a huge cave system right near the spawn point.

Minecraft

My camp, just inside the caves.

My aim, then, is to explore the caves while remaining as alive as possible. It’s not been easy.

I decided a needed a bow, so I went out at night trying to hunt spiders. I died. A lot.

Minecraft

Burn, baby, burn.

Eventually, though, I got the silk I needed, made a bow and some arrows and started my decent. I went a long, long way – and then died.

So I ran. From the spawn point, to the caves and then down and down and down, desperately trying to reach my dropped items before they disappeared. I took a couple of wrong turns, ended up at baffling dead-ends, had to jink past a zombie trying to eat my brains, but managed to pick up my stuff. My precious bow was safe… but for how long?

I only had one-and-a-half hearts left and no food, so the trek back to my camp was tense stuff, but I made it home. Now to try and get some food before my next trip into the depths.

To that end, I’ve done something I’ve never done before; I’ve started growing wheat.

Minecraft

My farm. I'm lucky there's a waterfall just inside the caves, so I could create a pool.

I’m not quite sure what I’m doing, but it seems to be growing. Hopefully I’ll get some bread out of it at some point. That would be nice.