Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Fanciful

Just a short blog entry to thank BugBear for providing the reason for the recent mysterious footnote. He generously stepped up and offered up his own two spare Lee Valley catalogues for the unfortunates who's names weren't drawn first time round. Thanks, matey :-) Although why LV catalogues are unable to travel outside North America except in threes, I know not. Are they cowards? Can't they be trusted in pairs in case you open the envelope and find they've had lots of little supplements...? I worry about these things.

I'm afraid no woodworking to report and the workshop's still a mess - albeit one with a sound roof again. Huzzah. My mind's somewhat occupied by a strange vision; a vision that might make sense to a handful of visitors perhaps. Call it fanciful, but in my mind's eye I'm standing at the bottom of a valley. On the upper slopes to one side is the Lord of the Manor and his troops. He may have an unpopular Black Knight and one or two of the knights would perhaps rather not be there at all. On the other, exiled and actively unhappy rebels. One side seems to think it's occupying the High Moral Ground, except possibly the Black Knight who likes a fight, and the other's throwing things, except possibly one of the exiled leaders who tried to suggest peace and was shouted down. No, he's throwing things as well now. Meanwhile I'm in the bottom of the valley, and it's misty; could swear there's a lot of us down here, possibly local villagers who thought it was their valley they were endlessly toiling over to make rich and fertile, leased from the Lord of The Manor. But I can't see them, and presumably they can't see me or each other either, so we're sitting in the middle, all feeling on our own and lost, wondering what the hell's going to happen to the valley when the minority on the slopes have torn each other to bits. Some of the more optimistic ones are carrying on working in the valley. Occasionally some of the more spirited villagers dash past in the mist and attack the High Moral Ground to point out it isn't HMG at all, but are beaten back by the Lord of the Manor's more, erm, easily convinced peasants, or occasionally the Black Knight. The Black Knight is particularly keen to point out that the villagers have No Say thus enraging some of the more lively spirits who go and join the rebels on the other slope. Others just down tools and stop doing anything because, they say, what's the point if the Black Knight might smite us with his spiky ball at any moment? The Lord of the Manor is working on some improved armour and weapons for his knights under the impression that it'll make the Black Knight popular if he has a fluffy cover to go on his spiky ball. Now and again a villager will call out from the mist as ask what's happening, but the Lord of the Manor doesn't answer because the armour will solve everything. And me? I do nothing; my house is built on the Lord of the Manor's land and my hands are tied. So I sit in the mist feeling unhappy, wondering if there really is anyone else out there in the valley.

I told you - fanciful.

13 comments:

  1. Beautifully put!

    GSoW?

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  2. I rather hope the villagers in the valley will have the strength to rise up and fight whomsoever they deem to be the enemy. One side will be crushed and the survivors on the other slope whichever side that may be can move on.
    MikeR

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  3. If you should decide to quit the valley, do please leave a forwarding address, or even save us a seat on the bus.

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  4. Interesting analogy. From my point of view, the valley is a capitalist citadel where one can ignore the black night and the rebels and contribute as normal to the benefit of the other villagers, well thats my intentions in the vain hope that it all gets sorted.

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  5. Very well put, as always, Alf.

    Cheers:)

    Paul Chapman

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  6. Likewise, discussions regarding moderator actions are not permitted on the forum.
    If you have questions regarding a post or thread, please contact charley ukworkshop.co.uk

    We reserve the right to monitor the forums and delete or edit any postings that don't adhere to these rules. Any member who breaks the rules will be warned and if necessary banned

    RULES ARE RULES NO MATTER WHAT YOUR TAKE ON THEM SO YOU CAN'T QUESTION THE MODS ON THE UKW FORUM ITSELF, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!!

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  7. Anon #1 - GSoW? Why do I spend so much time feeling lost in my own comments box these days...? :-)

    Mike, what about the villagers who can't feel comfortable fully supporting either slope? Those are the villagers that I think are lost in the mist.

    Nick, you know where to find me - under a pile of wooden planes at the moment...

    Ah, BB, you are evidentally blessed with a less troubled mind than some villagers. I envy you.

    Paul, thank you. Perhaps a little too obvious, and in hindsight not as unbiased as I thought I was writing it, which I regret.

    Anon #2 - please, for future reference, no shouting. It comes into my email inbox and being shouted at in there makes me disgruntled. ;-) Funnily enough the rules themselves seem to work reasonably well; as history tells us, it's usually how they're implemented or abused that puts exhibit A (cat) amongst exhibit B (pigeons)

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  8. Ooh, pretty classy that post above.

    While I have been posting to your blog on occassion "anonomously," not so this time.

    Thank you for the fanciful means of expressing yourself. It actually took me a couple reads to put two and two together. Pretty much cinched it when I came here this morning.

    Take care, my friend.

    Mike

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  9. Alf,

    Don't want you to feel lost anywhere let alone you're own comments box.

    GSoW? = Good Surname or what?

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  10. ...now I need to edit my spelling.

    "Your not you're"

    GSoW?

    Seeing MikeW's post I must say that I'm sitting in our office in Houston eagerly awaiting the arrival of a Wenzloff saw. Tracking the Fedex shipment as I type :-)

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  11. D'oh! Stoopid me...

    Waiting for my Wenzloffs to ship, alas. But as long as their old man is cracking the whip over the Boys... ;-)

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  12. Very well put Alf,

    But I fear the Lord of the Manor and the Black Knight have banished for ever the rebels on the other side of valley.
    Regretably those living in the valley bottom can now only either watch in silence or join the rebels. Lets hope the rebels and their supporters find a new valley full of knowledge, understanding and good humoured tolerance.

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  13. Wow, Alf, and to think I missed all the action back in October. Just isn't the same without you. Maybe I'll take it off the Favorites in support.

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