Yew can have too much of a good thing

Yet another yew tree donation. I love this wood and it is rightly sought after but I now have more than I can use in this lifetime and possibly another. Why don't people cut down boring trees? As I'm moving more towards piercing, texturing and carving, I need some plain wood so that colouring can come into the equation too.

Swapsies anyone?

My cup runneth over

If I was chuffed before, this equals it. My little egg just made the cover on the World of Woodturning site. Overwhelmed!

I was nervous about posting anything there as the quality is so high - never expected this - another drink in the offing I think.

Very moving

A good example of why its best to rough turn and then put away for six months. This bowl was really an experiment in piercing but it is still astonishing how much a piece of wood that I know has been stored for at least 20 years can move once the stresses have been relieved.

First pic is July. I have just let some copper wire in to strengthen the edge which had split.

More than a bit chuffed

Just heard that my entry into the UK Woodwork forum monthly turning competition has just come first. I expected to get a point per month for entering. To actually win anything is astonishing. Had a drink or two tonight.

My award just arrived, I continue to be chuffed.

Yew on yew

When we first bought this house, I made a table out of some old planks I found in the barn as we had nothing to eat our meals on. It turned out to be the most fabulous yew I have ever seen. Since we now have proper dining tables, it has been converted into a coffee table and resides in its temporary (read semi-permanent) abode in one of the bedrooms. As the kittens find any object within reach of interest, the tall yew wotsits have been removed from the kitten's area of operations and so sit on said coffee table along with a couple of model (OK toy) cars and Veronica's hi-fi (A couple of squillion watts a channel compared with my eight!).

In theory, these things are for sale. Quite how my adoring public are going to see them I'm not sure.