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gregotyn

Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area

Posted: Fri Mar 23, 18 3:47 pm Post subject:

Not much changed today from yesterday, but much warmer than yesterday. I got to work early well before 6am waiting for the delivery. The man from New Holland turned up at about 07.45 I could have had a lie in, normally the order is waiting for me outside. It was really warm this am-no coat today!

I didn't have many friends at school as I lived 3 bus rides away-starting at 0730am to get to school by 9 am., so it was a bit far to travel. My one good friend and I are still mates. He and his wife are the ones coming over again this May from Brisbane, meeting their SIL, daughter and children, and the single, daughter from Vancouver is coming too; the son is staying in Tasmania. We will meet up in the Cotswolds, and stay at the same house we stayed last time when we went to the funeral of my friend's, MIL. It was a celebration as she was in a sad state with dementia. In that state I hope someone would put me down as we say in farming. I think she eventually went because she wouldn't eat. The nurses and staff at the place were saints with exceptional patience.

I hope DIL is better now from the accident. I guess it is a problem for her in lifts without someone looking after the lift. What a nuisance that the little kiln has let you down I assume the wind blew in when it should have been on what I call shut down. Though someone said the small kilns work differently to the large kilns.
It is supposed to be warm now, no more logs till autumn, but I doubt that; they have said we have plenty of "weather" to come up here! So I expect you loggers will still be at it for a good month or so-even if it is warmer, a bit, you will be cutting for stock for next year anyway I expect. I have been jacketless at work for a day or 2 now. Going out in the morning has been a pleasure even if it is dark, there is so little traffic about except the odd timber wagon and my neighbour who leaves at the same time as me. Much better this week than last week!
I have bought a new alarm clock, but omitted to buy a pair of AA batteries to go into the clock to act as a backup. I still have to read the instructions before I can cope with technology such as that. At Â£10 it was cheap-just hope it works. My last one gave up on me a few days ago-made in 1973- and so I have been relying on my in built clock to tell me when I am ready for breakfast, but this is flawed and therefore unreliable!

I meant to ask if you can make charcoal at any time of the year, and does the weather affect the process?

cassandra

Joined: 27 Mar 2013
Posts: 1733
Location: Tasmania Australia

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 18 6:34 am Post subject:

Oh lordy - what a terrible accident! Surely they can adjust the lift so the doors don't close that rapidly (or have sensors to stop it doing it when someone is in the way like they do in most civilised countries these days). Hope she is OK - a head injury should always been grounds for alarm.

I have spent the last two days doorknocking - and it has been rather fun. It would have been even more fun if it had not been raining all day today. But my jackets are both in front of the fire drying and so too are my shoes, and will be ready to protect me tomorrow when I venture out again. You meet some very interesting (and occasionally tedious) folk doorknocking and since I won't be able to have a hope in hades of knocking on every single door I am focussing on places with new owners (where I know the area well enough to know this), and places where someone is in the yard and it's safe to pull up. Otherwise, unless the houses are close enough to cover five or more in one stop, I don't bother. I will alter that approach in the remoter areas as I know that pollies don't bother with such places as being too much effort for little return. I went to one such today and was the first politician to knock on his door in the ten years he had been there! haha.

It seems my FB page is elusive (all the more annoying when I am paying to have it boosted) and people can not find it. That being the case, I have sent you an invitation MR, to make life easier.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 18 6:57 am Post subject:

DIL is all right, apart from being a bit achey where she fell over. She went back to work yesterday having been pronounced all right by the hospital, but had to take ibuprofen to deal with the stiffness and aches. I am not quite sure what happened; I don't think the door actually closed on her, but it might have been her stick. It has only just been mended too.

We can in theory burn charcoal all year Gregotyn, but in practise it is a bit more difficult and not many people want charcoal in the winter. The ground and wood being damp make for a long burn, and that is tedious in the winter with short days. We are usually too busy with other things like firewood anyway.

I will look out for the friends request Cassandra. I have been a bit pushed for time over the last couple of days, so haven't been on it too much. Good luck with the campaigning. If you do manage to get to some remote properties it will do your campaign good especially if they are in touch with others in similar positions as the only one who bothered about them.

Husband and son did 3 loads of logs and delivered the second lot of log sacks yesterday. In fact I went out with husband with the last load as son had to go and collect DIL from work and she didn't want to be too late. Found out the person we delivered to was the son of my former Brown Owl in Brownies, and that I know his younger brother and sister. I never really knew him as he was older and went into the navy very young. Son now knows his wife through choir, so life goes in a big circle.

gregotyn

Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area

Posted: Sat Mar 24, 18 11:03 am Post subject:

I hope the door knocking is going well, Cassandra, and surprised you are finding places where others have feared to tread-a feather in your cap for that! Indeed that should increase the vote for you even if it is only from word of third party mouths. This is not supposed to be fun, it is meant to be a job of work the 'Knocking process'. But if you are enjoying it then so much the better. Actually meeting new people is always fun and a challenge in so many ways. You have to state your aims and hopes to those who are not necessarily even potential converts. I do find that youngsters today have minds of their own, as a child/adolescent, I was in the parental vein, but now not as sure as I was and prepared to listen to others. Our current labour leader is so far to the left he may fall off the end if not too careful, the direct opposite of "Call me Tony" Blair. Anyway best of luck!

Pleased for your DIL, MR, and glad she could go back to work even with aches, pains and medication.

I assume that it is not worth stock piling charcoal, probably involves too much dry areas to stop it absorbing moisture and rending it useless. But also the reasons you have given-too much other work. I was thinking that you miss out on the charcoal sometimes when we all want bbqs. I seem to remember you had folks asking for the stuff in early spring last year. Do you have a stitching machine for bag closure or an easier method-like a tear off sticky strip?

I am off to cut and chop kindling; I'm so far from having the 'stock' that I am used to having. The net delay meant all I have now is about 6 nets-bonus is I checked this morning and none needed today. But I will have to check in the morning. 6 days a week I pass the shop, so am able to assess if they need today or tomorrow. One outlet is much easier for me than you, with so many, MR, and of course only a few will order to top up most I expect will order because they have run out....Human nature!

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575

Posted: Sun Mar 25, 18 6:56 am Post subject:

I think in the past you might not have thought Corbyn so left wing Gregotyn. Politics has moved a long way to the right over the last 30-40 years. My father brought me up to 'debate' things with him, or as he called it 'putting points'. I called it arguing, but he liked it as mental exercise. I did ask him towards the end of his life what his politics were, as I had never really been able to make them out, and he said he was the ultimate floating voter. Mine remain, as they always have, that everyone should have free health care, free education, and that there should be a welfare state to help those who fall on hard times, whether through sickness or loss of work. This now makes me rather left wing, but I started out as a Conservative.

The only way we could stock pile charcoal would be to store it in sealed plastic barrels indoors, but we have neither the storage space nor barrels, so not a thing we tend to stockpile I am afraid. The top end of the bags comes ready sewn, and we fold and staple the other end.

Some of our outlets do order when they are getting low, but sometimes before we can get to them they have run out. The odd one does leave it too late, but generally they know we may not be able to react instantly, so give us some warning.

We went to an Association of Pole Lathe Turners meeting yesterday, down in Dorset. An interesting place; a very smallholding that the person running the day was getting back up and running. There was a 300 year old thatched cottage, enough room for him to make his hurdles in a corner of the front garden, then plenty of room out the back for a couple of sheds, poly tunnel, veg beds, pond, fruit cage and chicken enclosure. He had a couple of chickens, but the rest were got by the fox a couple of weeks ago. We were working in and around the polytunnel and shed with the pole lathe. The main project was a ladder for an earth burn with two halves of a curved pole and turned rungs. Several people had a go on the pole lathe, but I just made a spoon out of a bit of birch. Rather a large spoon as I chose a bit bit of birch, so large stirring spoon. Not quite finished and hard work as the shave horse was a hammer head, and I couldn't work out how to hold the spoon to do some of the cuts I usually make with the draw knife, so most of it axed out. I need to look at it again today and perhaps see if I can do a little more with the draw knife and knives.

cassandra

Joined: 27 Mar 2013
Posts: 1733
Location: Tasmania Australia

Posted: Mon Mar 26, 18 8:16 am Post subject:

In some respects I am a bit more conservative than some of my lefty friends Gregotyn - I did, after all, grow up in the country so such things as gun ownership are a lot easier for me to grasp than the average city-slicker lefty.

My attempt to pass as an Independent has been fairly badly damaged by a well intentioned friend who has invited every vocal lefty in the south of the State to like my page. I have frantically emailed a farmer friend to ask him to invite some of his friends to follow me also, to reintroduce a bit of balance. I have also made a post about my personal philosophy which is that you can't know you are right if everyone you talk to agrees with you - that just means your friend think the same way you do. I frequently notice this with all political colours - they are so shocked when a vote does not come out the way all their friends said it would (Brexit being the prime example where the samples were from the South).

I do enjoy the doorknocking - you meet lots of really interesting people. Two I spent rather too much time on yesterday were fascinating - very rational and informed, but at the same time continually trying to fish for my religious beliefs and muttering about Christ-led parliaments and such like. Now personally I think that everyone has some urge to the divine, but to have one particular religion dictating government when we are a multicultural society seems a bit less than sensible - especially here in Oz where at least 50% of the population declared no religious affiliation at the last census. So I skirted around these comments with references to a natural inclination to the divine and did not encourage development of such topics.

The reason I say I spent too much time with them is simply because they don't have the right to vote not be citizens, haha.

Another chap greeted me at the door like a long-lost friend and assured me 'everyone' was talking about me. Since he didn't elaborate, I have to assume his glee indicated the talk was friendly. But since we are now past the day of thunderstorms, strong winds and rain (again) I will be back on the road again tomorrow.

Jam Lady

Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2506
Location: New Jersey, USA

Posted: Mon Mar 26, 18 8:57 pm Post subject:
A nice article about traditional brooms made from sorghum, aka broom corn. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/t-magazine/broom-making-craft.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575

Posted: Tue Mar 27, 18 6:28 am Post subject:

Interesting article Jam Lady. That sort of broom isn't a British tradition because we don't have the raw material. Ours are either birch twigs or heather. As we don't have heather, I have gone for the birch option. I have managed to harvest a reasonable amount from the wood this year, so with peeled hazel handles, they are very much in the local folk tradition. Trouble is, I can't find out what a female broom squire is called!

Cassandra, yes, you do need to try to get a balance of people interested in your web page if you can, but you can't really dictate who will like it in the end. I agree with you about guns, and in this country we have the same trouble with knives; too many people see them as weapons and not as tools. Of course they don't think about their kitchen knives or steak knives. Yesterday for instance, I went up to the woods with two knives in the lunch bag, because I had a spoon I wanted to work on. Anyway, glad the door knocking is going well. Hopefully some you speak to will tell their friends that at the very least you sound like a sensible person who will represent them well, and get more votes.

The weather here was lovely here yesterday, a really nice spring day. A few more flowers out, but the wood anemones are being very tentative at the moment. At the moment we are back to light rain, but with any luck that will clear over. Son and I bagged some charcoal yesterday. The firing we did wasn't very successful as some of it burnt out as we were afraid it had, but the rest was good. With what we had already that gave us 5 bags, so I have to deliver them today. That outlet also wants to see our leatherwork, so I am taking over some samples. Not sure if anything will come of it, but nice they are interested.

gregotyn

Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area

Posted: Tue Mar 27, 18 2:19 pm Post subject:

I was a chairman of a Young Conservatives once, MR., and I still believe that everyone should have free education till they are 16 at least-but to include further education, universities and the like; free health care for all and I mean free including dentistry. And that welfare for those who haven't got work or cannot work is free too. There is always going to be abuse of it, but as long as those who need such help, get it, then it should be there no serious questions. I don't mind contributing either. What I think now is that the haves have gone "ott" with their salaries so that the lower down are working to eat and watching those fat cats with huge incomes doing not a lot for it! When their company goes "calculatedly" bust and they go away to live on some perfect island they own, that really gets up my nose-the people who are put out of work having earned the island for them.
Yes I do think that Corbyn is extreme left wing; a frightening prospect to me. I found Margaret, however, too far right. I always thought the lib-dems, with Cameron, was ok. Not sure if "4 houses Harold" was left wing, except in parliament; 2 of the properties being provided by the public.
I forget to vote sometimes I so must not complain if things are not as I want.

I enjoyed the linky Jam Lady. Now that would get me over to the USA, to watch, as my days of 'doing' are getting less, I have arthritis in my wrists and it is not much fun, as I also have a problem with my upper right arm. Chopping wood is going to become much harder soon, I may have to give up or find a machine to do the job for me, nothing much available as yet. I suppose the answer is to develop one myself and find an engineering company to make it properly!

A potential bomb if you get over excited with religion in a political situation, Cassandra. Well done you for keeping the 2 separate when they wanted to go the religious way; it is time to go if folks want to go the religious route, if you can get away!

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575

Posted: Wed Mar 28, 18 6:24 am Post subject:

If you ever develop a kindling splitter that will do the chopping of odd bits of wood rather than whole logs, we may be interested Gregotyn. Our whole logs tend to go for firewood, or if too small, for charcoal. Kindling tends to be odd bits that are too small for either, thin bits that get split or cut off the sides of logs and unsuitable hazel rods. We don't really do very much of it as it is so time consuming.

I delivered the first of the season's charcoal to one outlet yesterday, and they are interested in taking some of our smaller leatherwork too, which is good.

Husband and son did a bit more coppicing yesterday, once the mist/drizzle had cleared a bit. I stayed home as there wasn't much I could do, and there were several jobs to do at home.

gregotyn

Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 18 2:20 pm Post subject:

I have a friend who is something of an engineer. More importantly I have small machine which will do the job, but, the inevitable but, it needs a cast iron body, and I guess it needs for a one/two off a lot of money to progress it from having seen, developed to a manufacturing point. But I will ask around if there is any one who casts to a design that will stand up to the task. It has a motor on top and a blade to do the cutting. I would be quicker by hand, but my arm is wearing out.
There is good news, someone wanting a bbq! It snowed on the mountains above me, yesterday and Tuesday. With a friend saying it took a lot longer to come up and over. I don't like that hill at normal times, but snow would do me in and I would have to walk! I hope the leather work sells well for you too.

I am away for Easter going tomorrow to the people I go to for Christmas. 3 Easter eggs suitably packed for children. Though the boy is 6, he ought to be over the egg job, but he will want the chocolate!

I won't be around till next Tuesday, so all enjoy your break, guessing Cassandra will be out in the field with the campaign. I don't use the friend's computer, in case something goes wrong, but I do read the posts, just to keep up to date!

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575

Posted: Fri Mar 30, 18 6:48 am Post subject:
Have a nice weekend Gregotyn. My little boy is 37, but I still buy him some chocolate for Easter, and he gets us some too. I don't know that anyone will have a barbecue, but the outlets want some just in case. Rain here, but pretty cold for Easter.

cassandra

Joined: 27 Mar 2013
Posts: 1733
Location: Tasmania Australia

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 18 7:13 am Post subject:

Gregotyn, you sound like a lefty for all that you define yourself as conservative, haha. Enough teasing, I hope you have all had a lovely Easter (or are about to). I have taken three days off - Good Friday for obvious reasons, yesterday because it was great weather to do the washing and I was running out of respectable looking clothes, and today because Easter Sunday is also important for many, even those who do not bother with Church.

Today I headed to the Market in Oatlands and waved my cards around. someone has volunteered to distribute leaflets for me, so I will take her up on that offer lickety split! It will save me having to tramp around Oatlands at least.

Today was Easter Sunday, April Fools Day and the end of Daylight savings so it was a bit tricky navigating the posts on FB - one almost conned me into posting it to my candidate page, but I worked out it was a Joke before I made a Fool of myself haha. And it was supposed to be warm and sunnyish, but starting the day in 3/4 sleeved cotton top, I soon added various layers and am now in front of a fire.

I have been following a page on FB that specialises in Fair Isle knitting, and as they work themselves up to Wool Week in Shetland the posts are coming thick and fast with some really luscious patterns. I have finally succumbed and ordered a pattern book called Shetland by Marie Wallin which has some really luscious patterns. I will have to mortgage the house to buy the necessary yarn from J&S but the finished item would be heirloom quality, so perhaps I will.

I plan to spend the evening in a torpor of chocolate overdose and once again force myself to bed at 9 (

o'clock to reset my body clock.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575

Posted: Sun Apr 01, 18 8:04 am Post subject:

We got back from a few days in Devon yesterday. We went down to see some friends; sadly she has what is supposed to be terminal lung cancer, but at Christmas she was given days to live and is still determinedly with us. She has said she will be there in the summer, so we will go to see them then, if she is there in body, and her husband if only in spirit. The weather was horrible, so one day we had to use the car as it was so wet. We get enough wet working, so can do without it on holiday.

Spring is making another forward push, but it hasn't been above 6C even in Devon over the last few days, so it isn't much of a push. I have plans for moving a compost heap so my onions can go in, but not sure if the weather will let me.

You seem to have been doing well Cassandra. It might be as well to be seen out and about in Oatlands as much as possible, even if you don't do too much door knocking. I know you can't be everywhere, but you don't want to completely ignore your home patch. Agree with you about leaving off campaigning over the Holy Days, as it shows you are at least sensitive to other peoples ideas.

Our clocks went back last week, which confused our Devon friends who were sure it was this week. Last weekend did seem a bit early, but as today is 1st April, that is a bit late as it is always the end of March here. Luckily they are retired, and didn't have any appointments that day, so they were able to sort themselves out in time.

Good luck with the campaign. Am hoping to hear you won the seat after the election.

Mistress Rose

Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15575

Posted: Mon Apr 02, 18 8:19 am Post subject:

Finally managed to get out into the garden yesterday. The fritillaries are up in the lawn and a few in flower; both pink and white, there are more primroses and the buds are swelling on the apples. We attacked a very rampant blackberry that I had been gently working on. It is Himalayan Giant, which has huge stems, huge thorns, but also pretty big and well flavoured fruit. Managed to get a lot of it and the buddliea it was climbing over cut out, so we now have half a dozen stems that will fruit this year with any luck, and that I can get to. I also managed to move all of one, and part of another compost heap, so that can now stay put for a bit, and hopefully, I can clear another so that I can spread the remaining compost on the raised beds and start a new one where they were.

Gregotyn, please could you just measure the length of the rug wool as I have plenty I want to use up, so don't really want any more.

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