Horse and Carriage

Okay, scrub at least one part of yesterday's post. I now have, unread and waiting for me, two issues of Popular Woodworking and now two issues of Woodworking as well. My literary cup runneth over, forsooth. I wonder if the gods will be kind and make it such that I don't actually want to read them until mid-July? Always handy to have some reading matter when going away.

Not sure I've mentioned July, have I? Number 1 nephew, owner of the Music Stand of Myth & Legend has somehow convinced an apparently sane, normal and nice young lady to marry him. So there's a wedding. In July. Don't ask about the wedding present. One is promised, but you know my rate of production; I'm hoping some time before the fifth wedding anniversary, with luck and a following wind... Not that I'm strictly sure when, technically, the wedding anniversary date will be.

You see, while I say there's A wedding - actually there's A marriage, but two ceremonies. Said young lady is by way of being 'Murrican, with a hefty dose of Russian in the mix, I might add. So first wedding here in Blighty, assorted 'Murricans whizz over The Pond, church do and so forth. Then a bit of a break (pause while bride has birthday, thus being a year older for wedding no.2. Bizarre, no?) Where was I? Oh yeah; bit of a break, then assorted Brits whizz over to what I believe may be termed The Bay Area (San Francisco) and they do it all again in August. Russian Orthodox stylee. 

I believe crowns are involved.

Your correspondent won't be doing any of the whizzing, confining myself to the jaunt across The Tamar into Devon for part one, but I dare say there'll be a video. Hell's bells, presumably two videos... It's not as though I didn't suggest the lad do the decent thing; get a ladder and elope. Heck, I offered to make the ladder, but no dice. So there we are; a joyous event. The fact it a) makes me feel very, very old; and b) I'm to weddings what Ghengis Khan was to good neighbourhood relations, is by-the-by. ;-)

Sorry, not at all woodworking related, but should my mood blacken as the month progresses, now you'll know why.

In woodworking though, further to the startling revelation that Alf Likes A Handle, I can put your minds at ease and reveal that she didn't like the next one. Strangely enough, El Presidente didn't feel the urge to start a thread on that. ;-)  In fact I've heard not much at all. I think I may be in the dog house - again. Heigh ho. Actually, if I'm already in the dog house, I may feel moved to blog about another LV thing next week. As I've had nothing to do with it at all, I could potentially let myself go a bit for a change...

Hello, stranger

What can I say, dear reader? My humble apologies. Rest assured it's not just you I've been neglecting; two issues of Popular Woodworking and one of Woodworking sit untouched beside me as I type. Been afflicted by a touch of the Woodworker's Black Dog I think, so been doing a little creative stuff of a non-woodworking sort instead. Heck, you can see how little I've been in the workshop...

Heh, it's not actually anything to do with it of course, but rather a valuable visual reminder of why you don't want to cut timber in the Spring. Alas, no option with this willow and I have grave doubts whether it'll end up as anything but firewood anyway. Heigh ho, nothing ventured, nothing gained. And yes, it really probably shouldn't still be "in the round" like that, but Bill ran away with his chainsaw before I could get it halved. Being contorted I really doubt it'll split.

Anyway, the dark canine has not been helped by the demise of another one of my woodworking inspirations; John Brown, Welsh Stick Chair Maker, Good Woodworking columnist and thought-provoking luddite. Long-term inmates of this blog will recall my own foray into chair making inspired by JB. When I first read his stuff in GWW I was firmly in the routers-are-king-this-man-is-a-deluded-luddite camp, along with many a letter writer to the editor. It wasn't until much, much later that I realised it was those columns that planted the seed that eventually lead to the hand tool nut you see before you today. You might reasonably say he has a lot to answer for... Anyway, others have marked his passing more eloquently than I ever could, so I direct you towards Chris Schwarz's blog and some thoughts from Jeff Gorman on the Old Tools List. I'll just provide some piccies; first, one of his chairs. The second, a cover from his second stint with GWW. Bless you, John; trust there's a comfy chair awaiting you. And if not, some good tools to make one.

John Brown, 1932-2008

Burma Cyclone

Not usually my habit to use this blog for such things, but if you're wanting to help but all the reports of obstruction from the Burmese authorities is bothering you, it seems Shelter Box have managed to already get in and distribute their first boxes. No affiliation, just if you're looking for someone who's actually making a difference instead of a point...

Oh, and it's not entirely off topic - there are tools in the box!

And because unfortunately the comments aren't sorted by date, those of you who may be interested in more info on the "#2" turned into a scrub way back in the mists of time, might want to go and see the latest info BugBear has found. Can't believe he didn't buy it for 50p with the box. Sheesh. Picky, picky...

Buon giorno

Or for those of you, like me, who can't speak a word of Italian - Good Day. Thursday seems, inadvertently, to be becoming my Good Day to blog. Dunno why, but there we go.

For those of you who do speak Italian, you might already be familiar with the woodworking forum Il Truciolo. Well a charming, but evidentally insane, gentleman from there by name of Antonino asked whether he could translate some of my reviews into Italian for the site and being the easily-flattered pawn that I am, I said "okay". And behold, the first one is now available. Unfortunately you'll have to register to see it, and the nature of the forum software is such that translating stuff if you're not fluent in Italian is a bit tricky, but should you be interested... 

As ever, English is comprehensively knocked into a cocked hat by the sheer beauty imparted to any phrase when written or spoken in a more poetic tongue. Viz; doth not:

"Per cominciare, devo confessare che non sono un grande utilizzatore di scrub plane"

sound a lot better than:

"Right up front, I must confess I’m not a great user of scrub planes"?

Heck, I can practically hear the famous "utilizzatore di scrub plane" aria wowing the audience at Covent Garden. Mind you I've been hearing a lot of strange things lately; time to increase the medication again methinks... ;-)