Weekend in Nottinghamshire

As you go further North people seem friendlier, not so insular and aggressive as nearer London. Had a nice meal out on Friday and were invited to share a table with some locals who entertained us, told jokes and recommended a good pub to eat at on Saturday.

An admiring crowd watching me demonstrate at Thoresby Park. Thank god for the demonstrators fee as not many sales were made.



Discussing the finer points of adzeing a yew seat with my mate Neil Taylor who was next to us.

Photograph was taken by John Holt a visitor to the show (email:- chinook.holt@btinternet.com.)



Funny how you come across odd things like this . . . must have been left by the fairies !


Went to see my Dad on Monday. He's doing well and was supposed to be released today but it's been put back to Friday. He needs to get up and move about a bit more. We'll go and see him tomorrow and see if we can get him to have a walk round the hospital with us.

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Robin in Sherwood

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We're going to Thoresby Hall in Sherwood Forest near Nottingham tomorrow to do our first Weekend Demonstration at the Craft Show in the Park . . . quite a long way for us.

Distance :- 143 miles( 231 kilometres )

Duration :- 2 hours 16 minutes (at about a constant 60mph ?)

Back to the on-the-road Travelodge lifestyle then . . . I really enjoy getting out of the "comfort zone" and routine. Anyone local who follows my blog - say hello. Maybe you could blag your way in if you said you were bringing a log for me !

The weather's been great lately, very warm and Springlike - I really love this time of year. White and Pink Frothy Blossoms and Yellow Daffodils and Forsythia . . .


PS. Pics are all clickable for a bigger view.

Frame Stool video

The new video is now uploaded and available to watch on YouTube.

What a palaver - I originally made the film 15mins long and when I came to upload it this morning realised that 10 mins is the maximum length of film you can upload. (Hence all those Part 1, Part 2 etc) so a third of it had to be consigned to the cutting room floor.

Is it just me or has the quality on YouTube gone down the pan ? It seems out of focus.

Kamba

These are the tools and material for weaving the stool seat. At the back is a hank of Kamba - available from Graham Cole (g@gcole.uklinux.net). It's a Fairtrade product from Tanzania and is excellent for weaving seats.






We made some more of the film yesterday and hopefully we'll finish tomorrow. Today we've been to see my pa - he looks good to go . . .

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Ash frame stool

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Vanessa's made a film of me making an Ash frame stool, the wood coming from the Woodland Trust's Fordham Hall Estate, here are some of the stills.

The tools and raw materials

My folding wedge and peg vice.

Eyeing up

An arty shot

A "plain vanilla" frame stool

We had a lot of enthusiastic help making the stretchers and legs at Countryside Live last year.

Our new film coming to youTube soon . . .watch this space.

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Organic Woodland Products

I had a meeting the other evening 'twixt Wheathampstead and Lemsford in Hertfordshire with some likeminded folk to discuss the 2009 "Beanpole Festival". Steve Gibson is one of the folk, shown here with Middy


- who I bought a lovely 7lb Elwell felling axe from at Hatfield Farmers Market quite a few years ago.

My aim is to chop a tree down with it someday.

Also there were Tom Hewins, Tony Gallow and Richard Thomason representing the Small Woods Association & The Greenwood Trust. The main information seems to be at Allotment
Forestry.

Coppice/Pollarding

I've been trying out the new chainsaw today .

Pollarding some elders . . .

Before

After

I kept a few nice pieces for spoon carving (very good) but the rest went on a big bonfire. The stumps will send out new shoots all over and we can grow a smaller, fresher tree that we can reach the flowers and berries more easily.



The "Big" Hazel also got the same treatment . . .


I got a lot of pencil, whistle and whimmy diddle material - it's the first big cut after about 8-9 years. I cut it high and put the wire round to keep off the bunnies. We've got a bad problem - I'm going to get a guy to come in with his ferrets and nets.
Also it'll let the beehive get the morning sun and warm up quicker. At the moment the bees are collecting pollen from a big Pussy Willow tree.

Tomorrow we're going to visit my Dad in King's College Hospital, Camberwell. He's had the operation to remove the tumour on his liver and is bouncing back - we saw him yesterday and he's still got that twinkle in his eye and sense of humour. Hopefully it'll be a surprise !