You may have noticed that I have been away for a while and have not made any updates to the site or shop. Sometimes life takes over and before you know it, time has passed and things that should have been done are late, put on a semi-permanent back burner or abandoned completely to be replaced by other things that need doing.  I am fortunate to have a small group of very loyal and understanding friends and a very patient wife who all understand that I sometimes just need time. They leave me to do what I need to do to get back on track and are there for me while I do. I am grateful for them. But I haven’t been idle. I have been working on a few commissions, mostly flower fairies for a friend (the campest straight man I know, who insists he’s not gay, he just helps them out at the weekend) and his family. And I have made a much needed extension to my tiny shed.  By the standards of many more fortunate woodworkers, the tiny extension to the tiny shed would seem a waste of time but it has been a game changer for me, even if it just gives me somewhere to escape to when the rest of the shed looks like a bomb site. Initially the extension was just going to be a wood storage area but as well as that it has become a second work area. I managed to use up most of my supply of scrap wood to build it and only had to buy a few bits, mainly the corrugated sheet for the roof. Once the shed was sorted, I managed to start getting some pieces made to re-stock the shop too, so I will be gradually posting them over the next few days. Thanks for your patience, and thanks for reading. My tiny shed extension

During the lockdowns in 2020, I was contacted by a representative of a local school to say they were building a bug hotel and wanted to know if I could make a sign for it. Of course I agreed and, as I love the idea of kids learning to respect nature, I was happy to do this as a freebie. I had just collected some old decking from a building site and thought that would be perfect for this. The person from the school was delighted with the sign and said they would send photos of it in situ. They also asked if the kids could send “thank you” letters, which I agreed to. Sadly, I never heard anything more but I do hope that the bug hotel and the sign are still doing well.  

Well, having finally got my shed into some sort of order I decided to make another mess. On the positive side, I now have a fair amount of wood, cut and ready for carving. A couple of commissions to finish and then I will start work on re-stocking the shop with some new designs. #carving #woodcarving #signcarving #recycle #shed

Ever wish you had never started something? My “workshop” (or “shop” as the Americans call it, odd folk) is an 8ft x 6ft shed that is so full of stuff that I can barely move even when it is tidy. On the subject of Americans, I follow some great woodworkers on YouTube, but when they talk about their “small shop”, while standing in a space bigger than my whole house, I have to wonder if “small” is another example of of us being separated by a common language. Anyway, I had the bright idea of making some changes and so yesterday I dragged everything outside that was in the way of where I wanted to work. Of course not long after that, it started raining, and this is how it looks after piling everything back in. 😖 Normal service will be resumed asap. #woodcrafts #woodcarving #reclaimedwood #recycle #carving #signcarving #shed