The joys of two pin bowling or an artistic statement by Herbert the Cat

I had just shown two of my tall turnings to a customer and put them carefully in the middle of a table. Berty took one look at them, took a good long run up and...........

STRIKE!!

........after taking a deep breath, I picked the pieces up off the floor and surveyed the damage. A few more splits in the edges and a snapped shaft or two. Ta Herb. He obviously thought they could be improved and wadya know, I think he was right. They are much shorter now but I prefer them. Perhaps the customers will now please buy them instead of passing them by!

Before of one and after of two!

The pale one had the shaft destroyed more or less so I added a piece of box that was going to be a candlestick!!

Its a bit galling when a cat has better design sense than the 'master' (ha! that'll be the day)

This is Herbert with two of the downstairs tenants.

Turn turn turn

At last, some time to myself. Whilst its been fun helping Ronnie with the shows and making gypsy caravans and all that stuff, it calms the soul to get back to standing at the lathe and just letting things happen. I know that many turners plan what they are going to do but for me its just 'bung the wood on the lathe and see what happens'. This tends to produce rather more free form results I feel.

Anyway, here's a few to get me back in the swing. Probably in the wrong order.

Some pie dollys made from old beech worktop. The tops were bent to hell and left a few cracks which were duly filled with superglue and dust. These are off the Spain, Ronnie having failed in her bid to keep them from the new owner!!

One of two huge slices from an unknown tree. It had been left out too long and was rotten to the core but off the bandsaw, there was some interesting burr so I decided to carry on. The other slice resisted all attention and is on the firewood pile.

A piece of wet fig - turned reasonably thin and left to dry out. Very quickly as it happens but it split, twisted and generally moved. Like the wood, like the result.

A piece of yew chosen at random from the ridiculously large pile of the stuff filling up one end of the barn. Great colour this one but there is a split from a branch in there to add a bit of character too.

All this has spurred me on to get the air tool and compressor out and retake the path I was on before all the back therapy. SEVEN MONTHS since I was a turner. Yikes, how the time has flown.

In a rush as usual

I wonder why it is that we all leave things to the last minute. We have some excuse as stuff we ordered took ages to arrive but even so, I suspect its us really.

We have an important flower show to do this weekend so naturally this week's list has included fitting a towbar to the car and converting the old trailer tent into a miniature gypsy caravan so all the climbing roses on their frames can fit inside and be protected. We've only known about the show for a year or so.

I am not particularly looking forward to the experience as I've never towed anything before and this backing thing seems a little tricky. I suspect a bit of practice out in the garden might pay off.

I am also trying to get an 'antique' computer desk made, do some antique repairs and, if I'm really lucky, get some time on the lathe.

Its a good thing I'm retired.