Jump They Say

Looking for woodworking content. Sorry, move along. Nothing to see here.

However, I thought a brief "howdy" to demonstrate there's still life, of sorts, on-going chez Alf might be a Good Thing. Plus positive news on The Patient - onto crutches now and supposed to be walking about as from yesterday. Huzzah. Now the fun part; where she's not fit enough to do stuff, but fit enough to be able to hover about telling us where we're doing it wrong... ;-)

Life on Mars?

Things have come to a pretty pass when concerned readers start to email to see if there's life still extant at Alf Towers. 'pologies, folks, various things in "real life" have coincided to make surplus, blog-posting time a non-existent commodity. I'm typing this with one hand whilst spooning breakfast cereal in at pace with the other while the going's good! So bad is it that I've yet to read a word of the Popular Woodworking that flopped onto the mat last week. I know; shockin'. Thank goodness I put a pic of Phil's plane on the blog or I'd have forgotten what it looked like...

Anyway, a quick update on The Patient for those interested. There was a bit of a cock-up with transport provision for the first run at getting this fancy tendon support (i.e. there wasn't any), but the subsequent attempt this Tuesday was okie-dokie and The Patient is all all set to go. Except (at last) she's had some advice as to how much weight she can put on the busted ankle, and basically it's "none". Seems there's an oblique fracture along the tibia as well as dislocation in the actual ankle area, so hence the plate and the long healing time (or something like that - I don't watch enough hospital dramas). Anyway, that means she's basically no more mobile than before, and as the fancy support is not to be worn when a) sitting or b) lying down, in essence she's not using it at all anyway. Sigh. There is, as you may imagine, a certain amount of doom and gloom all round. Heigh ho, time will presumably take on its familiar role of "great healer" and I'll be looking back at this in wonderment and saying "hey, I forgot about that".

Meanwhile I chain myself to the kitchen (within sight of the workshop, dammit), plug myself into the old iPod and try and forget about it now... ;-)

Little Wonder

As The Bard famously writes, usually in life it's "When sorrows come, they come not single spies but in battalions." (Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 5) Yep, sorrows. And so true is this that it's one of the few Bardisms I inflict on folks in day-to-day life. But old Will missed a trick - joys are coming in battalions at the moment! Totally unexpectedly I had a parcel from Mr Phil Edwards of Philly Planes (I fear we may have stumbled into another one of those Battles of Generosity. Note to other Selves engaged in these on-going wars: more "self", Selves!).


No way I can adequately described my delight really, and the pic doesn't do it justice at all. Literally straight out of the envelope and onto the nearest piece of scrap (couldn't help myself). I've hopelessly failed to demonstrate the handy size, the gorgeousness of the wood, the fineness of the mouth, etc etc. Phil's not getting great reviews just 'cos he's a nice bloke; though he is that too.

Those persons at the Mini Bash last year will remember the dinky smoother Phil brought along? Well my drooling at the time didn't go unnoticed and apparently this is the result. 'Tis in Cocobolo, although I gather from Phil he thinks that might be the last in that problematic timber. Another tool maker succumbs to its side-effects, alas. But hey, in't she a beauty? Love the round-top iron.  Anyway, you may assume I'll be revisiting this one with proper specs and try to get some pics to do it justice. Not to gloat, of course; just for completeness.

Yeah, okay; and to gloat just a little. Is that so wrong? Well even if wrong, understandable at least...

Thanks, Phil! 

Drive-In Saturday

You know how I periodically rail at the uselessness of the Honda "Jazz" motorcar for the purposes of transporting timber? Would you believe The Management (Transport Division) have just gone and bought their third in a row? Not just the same model, but virtually indistinguishable - it's the same darn colour and everything! It's like "spot the difference" - this time there are reversing/parking sensors, but other than that (and the lack of mud) there's not a thing changed.

Anyway, given The Patient is hors de combat, I went in with the Old Man to swap the old one for the virtually-identical new one this morning. The salesman (virtually a family friend now!) spent most of the time saying "there's no point in telling you how that works, because you know" and variations on the theme. Never was new car buying less exciting, as far as I'm concerned.

Seemed to cheer up the OM though, which is no mean feat in recent weeks, so maybe it was worth it.