What will you be doing today?

[DoctorSpoon]

Nice logs Spam

I had a mad morning sorting out the ducklings who aren't as waterproof as I thought they should be by now. (Hand reared ones don't get natural oils from their mum so are quite vulnerable when wet.) The rain had come in horizontally in the night, blown in through their shed wall and they were soaked when I let them out. I though they'd be fine, but it carried on blowing and raining and two of them very quickly got the shivvers then went very lethargic. I had to get them in and get them set up under a heat lamp. One looked really out of it with its eyes glazing over but JoJo cuddled it up in an old bath towel and it perked up after about half an hour.

They were really stinky and slimy because I've been away and their shed was not very clean so they had a nice warm bath:

The poorly one needed more cuddles:

then decided it was feeling fine

They have now dried out properly and are back in the garden!

 

[spamel]

Not much meat on 'em!

Glad they are a bit better.

 

[hiraeth]

I had the equine dentist in to sort out my kids pony, funny thing is he was cheaper than the dentist i see and his waiting list is shorter.

 

[ANDYRAF]

I think supervising track bashing has to be the best job!

Here's my pack frame full of wood!

/QUOTE]

doesn't your sherpa object to being loaded like that, he must have thighs like tree trunks.

 

[spamel]

No sherpa today. It was all my own work, unfortunately!

 

[ANDYRAF]

Ok,
you must have thighs like tree trunks, by the way if you can hump that over the bondhu sack the sherpa you don't need him.

 

[ganstey]

I was supposed to be going down to my wood for the day today. However, the mate I was going with was taken into hospital with pancreatitus (sp?) yesterday

Spent the morning trying to price up a decking job, but ended up with a headache

Inspiration suddenly hit early afternoon and I decided to go for a walk in some local woods. I stopped short of where I was going, as I spied a bit of woodland I'd not seen before. It had plenty of tracks, and I saw several dog walkers. So even if it was private land (as opposed to Common land) it seems there's no-one stopping people walking around. I'd taken my laplander with me, and came across several branches on the ground still with leaves on. I figured it would do no harm to collect some of this for some whitling.

When I got home I sat down in the back garden and got to work. First one was a small spreader, a la "Little Book of Whitling", using my Futura. Came out pretty good, and the Futura worked well, although it was a little big for this size of work.

Flushed with success I decided to make a 'mustard spoon', this time using my Frost's carving knife - much easier.

Still had part of the branch left, and so decided to have a go at a fork - I'm thinking more olives or pickled onions, rather than general eating.

The clouds rolled in just as I was finishing, so I went inside and treated them with walnut oil.

Top to bottom: spreader, mustard spoon, and fork, all from a Beech branch. The photo makes them look greener than they really are, although the walnut oil does tend to give a bit of a greenish tinge.

I'm well pleased with them as its the first proper whitling I've done. They may form part of a birthday present for a friend.

G

 

[DoctorSpoon]

That's great whittling ... very pleasing!

 

[spamel]

Nice carving project there. Nice one.

I see you've added another picture Andy, a bit of Airmobility there, takes me back a few years! And you have seen the picture of Ray and myself haven't you? I'm not a big bloke at all, but boy did that pack weigh some!

 

[ANDYRAF]

Isn't life strange, I had never seen a black duck til yesterday at Heligan (lost gardens of ) now you put up pictures of some. That is spooky.

 

[spamel]

That ducks' got bigger legs than me!

 

[ganstey]

That's great whittling ... very pleasing!

Thanks Nicola, that's high praise indeed coming from someone so skilled

I think I might have become addicted - might try a rooster's head or something next

G

 

[spamel]

Spoon carving demo at Eccleshall woods Sheffield then rush home and off on a dads and lads camp with a few mates and sons in the village.

Damn, I wish I had known, I'd have popped along for that! Why aren't these things advertised a bit better!

What's Eccleshall woods like? I think I was told to visit by a guy who's involved in the scouting movement down that way a few weeks back. I'll look on the map and see where it is, but I reckon it sounds familiar.