Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Me and my Da.



Dearly.
When I was quite small my parents split, acrimoniously as many do, and my father buggered off to Ireland with someone. I remember missing him terribly and learning a taste for anger at the separation which was to endure through and impact upon my entire life thus far.

Some of the best memories of my childhood relate to my month long summer visiting rights spent with him and my sister in Donegal while I was still quite small. The experiences left a lasting impression upon me.

Now that I too am apparently grown, I’m lucky that my relationship with my father is close and strong. We are very different, but I know that despite years of separation I have become very much my father’s son. And I love him.
Thankyou Da.


The first chunk of this clip is in Gaelic, live through it and you shall be rewarded with magic.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

There’s Something in the Woodshed.



Things have been getting a little out of hand. I’ve been experiencing one of those cycles that Wendy and I occasionally go through- the one where despite a fair number of working weekends (or sometimes bits of them at least), I get to feeling like I haven’t got much done, and have to prod my memory hard to convince myself otherwise… ow.
Which is silly because now I look at the pictures, um, there’s proof.
This little collection is all recent woodwork I’m afraid, but I have indulged in a couple of nice steelwork dings too- just haven’t got pictures yet. We’re still poor as ever so represented here is all stuff made of offcuts, odd bits, and surprises. Cool.

This is the other hearth. Still not grouted but at least now finished around the sides with some lumps of teak that were too big to go through the chopsaw so had to be hand cut and then were a total slidey sod to fix and glue all the giganto mitres together. And still in want of final sanding/oiling. It doesn’t matter how many times I think ‘O, that’ll be simple and quick, I’ll do that’, I never bloody learn.

Here’s part of the next run of deckhead materials. Nice surprise this. It was originally gleaned and denailed for becky’s stables by John. In spite of looking at the time like heavily weathered pine it had a run in with my planer instead and never made it to horseyland. Two days work (!?) later it turned out to be cedar (hooo!) and is now cut into chunky T&G ready for some more neck craning installation this weekend..

Er, how the hell am I going to explain this one?
I know. My dear friend and expert in the art of making big bits of wood smaller came to visit. And we went a bit mental. Apart from looking like a big pile of timber, what you’re looking at is the completed carcases for the ‘snug’ seating-to-be up forward. The reason for the jumble is that I started piling bits of teak on top in order to visualise how to take them further and came over all lazy at photograph time. The carcases are bolted to the hull side battens and the theory goes that when all finished the completed seats will still be removable as units.

Mind you, if these kinds of joints that I’ve started cutting are anything to go by finishing the seats is going to take a year and my brain leaks every time I look at them already.

And last of all, remember Christmas? We were ill. Somehow I accidentally/on purpose made the cabin deckhead go all stripey; having turned up a couple of oddball veneers in the last lot of ply last year it seemed a shame not to exploit them. Then we felt a bit better and had the worlds quietest new year underneath it. Lovely.

There's more, but I'm thinking this assortment is random enough already, so I'll save it for another posting.

Her Majesty’s a Pretty Nice Girl.

And now, since we’ve actually got around to telling everyone else….
Here is The News. Bonggg.


Brace yourselves, Becky and I. We’s getting married.

This Summer.
Ohshitoshitoshit!!