Winter Draws on

 Or should that be Winter Drawers On ?

Well, Halloween and Bonfire night went by un-noticed in the Jones House.  I don't feel like a Rant at the moment about the crazy costs of those two non-events...so I won't.

I went to my Wood turning Seminar last month, Organised by the AWGB (Association of Woodturners of G.B.) an amazing weekend of watching very talented professional Turners doing demonstrations.  It was in Stone, Staffordshire at an event centre called Yarnfield Park - Staying in On-site accommodation.  Accomodation good,  the food was nothing to write home about, but it was adequate.  Couldn't fault the breakfasts but the rest, well it was sort of OK.

The turning on the other hand.  Just a few Pics

Fire Bowl by Neil Turner

Seed Pod by Neil Turner

Coloured Platter by Paul Hannaby

From the Bank  by Joey Richardson

The Photographs are not brilliant, but you can google the individuals and see much more.  The thing is, have they inspired me to go on to greater things.  Well, the inspiration is there but the talent and the artistry are sadly missing.

Onwards and Upwards!

Season of Mists and mellow Fruitfulness

 Autumn has suddenly arrived and it only seems like a few days since my last posting,  The garden is dying off and there are still some jobs I have been meaning to do since about April.  No point worrying about it, the garden will still be there next spring, and maybe I will start again by NOT fulfilling my plans.

I have been doing a bit in the shed,

Yew Bud Vase with Aluminium repair to crack.

Penguin Family of Three.

Bare Snowmen out of leftover softwood.

I have put some of these on my Folksy page.  I've been seriously thinking about scrapping the aforementioned web site as in almost a year I have sold about 6 items.  Is it worth it?  I decided to put a few more things on and see Christmas through.  If there is no improvement I will come away and think about craft fairs or car-boot sales.

One problem with a pass time like Wood Turning is what do you do with the produce once all the Family and Friends are sick to death of getting bits of wood for presents.  You finish up with every shelf in the house full,  boxes and bags in every available bit of cupboard space,  still, with the way energy bills are going at least they will keep the Wood-burner going for a few hours.

Over the next few days I am going to a Wood turning Seminar  (or should that be Senimar ?)...Three days of demonstrations by professional wood-turners.  I may come back loaded with Ideas and inspiration...Oh no!  more pieces to store.

Have a look at my folksy page  https://folksy.com/shops/HowardJonesWoodBits   and please tell your friends.

Back Soon.

Late Summer

 As I said in the last posting,  I really don't know where this year is going.  The Garden is getting past it's best,  the Tomatoes are ripening in the greenhouse and yesterday we had the first good dose of rain for sevral weeks.  It filled up my various water butts anyway.

As well as the Tomatoes in the greenhouse I have thie above "new" Passiflora  (Passion flower) not sure of the name of this one, it was given to me a few months ago as a small cutting, but it is alive and well and hopefully will thrive.  My original blue one (Passiflora Cerulae) has been flowering all through the summer,  everyday there are 4 or 5 flowers visible and they only last for a day or so.  

I planted that one in a ring culture pot last year, so the roots have gone into the ground and will find enough moisture to survive even in the dry spells.  I may do the same with the new one in the spring assuming it will survive the winter.

Yesterday, I spotted this Red Admiral sat on my Hydrangea (Annabelle)  The flowers are fading now, just becoming tinged with brown, but the butterfly was happily sat there for about 15 minutes.  

I haven't seen many Red Admirals this year,  our normal butterflies are Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Painted Lady.  Of the hundreds of butterfly species, those are just about the only ones I ever see,  maybe they just don't like this part of Lancashire...or maybe I am not observant enough !

Just fro interest,  I frequently put photographs on Instagram.  search for me at ' howardjones641  '

Time Flies

 Well it is almost threee months since my last posting,  I can only use the lacking motivation exscuse,  I haven't done very much of anything over the summer.  Bits of shed work,  bits of gardening, bits of reading, bits of playing the ukulele.  

I have been busy this last few days,  I spent a few days in Gloucester,  sadly to attend the funeral of my oldest cousin,  she passed away recently, just short of her 96th birthday.  I will always think of her as 'Young Laura'  Her Mother was my Dad's sister, My Aunt Laura.  cvonsequently her daughter was 'Young Laura'

As a young woman, she spent a couple of years as a Land Army girl towards the end of WW2,  Had an interesting life apart from the last few years when dementia took over.  I will miss her telling me I look like my Father and wanting to hug me.

I managed to have a short visit to Gloucester centre,  although during the hottest two days on record

A Lightship in Gloucester Docks

A view of Gloucester Cathedral

I hopefully will visit again when the Temperature is more clement.

I have managed to visit my shed this week, I have been trying to tidy up and re-organise inside the shed for several weeks,  It is still not totally to my loking but I have turned a few bits

These three items are made of Mulberry,  Purpleheart and Yew.  I will be taking better photos in the next day or so and putting them for sale on my Folksy page.

https://folksy.com/shops/HowardJonesWoodBits

Enough for now,  I WILL be back shortly.

Ne'er caste a clout 'till May is out!

" Ne'er caste a clout "  obviously means don't take your clothes off!  The debate is, does the old saying refer to the month of May? or does it refer to the May flower (the flower of the Hawthorn tree) ((Crataegeus Monogyna)) ?

To be honest it doesn't matter but it has been bitterly cold this last week or so.  Mainly due to a high pressure area to the north-west of us bringing Northerly winds.  Chance of frost just gives me another excuse NOT to do any gardening.

I have been in the shed for short cold spells,  mainly pottering about trying to get some order in there and sorting through half finished pieces of wood to see if they can be re-worked into something good enough to put on my selling page of Folksy.com

This is an Elm bowl (Ulmus spp) about 8 inches across,  Partly spalted with the edge of a burr showing.

 Really interesting grain pattern.

This is a small piece of the Plum tree (Prunus spp) I felled last year  in my garden.  It is small at around 5 inches across.  The colour in the wood is amazing.  Sadly it has developed a small crack in the foot section so I won't be putting it up for sale.

Well now May is here, I have turned the heating down and started looking forward to a ride on one of the motor-bikes...Rain is forecast for later,  I knew I should have kept my mouth shut.

Easter ?

 Well the year is certainly flying by,  but at least I have been a bit more active the last couple of weeks.

I was invited to a talk recently organised by the local Archaeology group...South Pennine Archaeology Group to be precise,  also known as SPAG.  A very interesting slide show and talk about a section of the Leeds - Liverpool canal.

There I was introduced to a gentleman who runs a Ukulele 'club' in Helmshore (close to where I live)  I haven't been there yet but hopefully this coming Wednesday morning I will find out if I am good enough to keep up with other strummers.

Last Wednesday I went with a couple of friends to see a woodturning demonstration at one of our neighbouring clubs. I am Secretary of Pendle Woodturners and Carvers in Burnley,  We went to Blackburn club to see a Mr Chris Parker aka The Bald Woodturner.  Interesting, as he specialises in Texturing and colouring.  I do try colouring occasionally but haven't had any serious attempts at texturing.

Had some time in the shed as well.

 Bud vase made from a branch of Copper Beech from my Garden (Fagus Sylvatica purpurea) 6.5"tall

Yew (Taxus Baccata)  about 5 " tall - This has been reshaped from a previous attempt that wasn't right.

Earring stand / Trinket tray.  Made in English Oak  (Quercus Robur)

All the above will probably go onto my Folksy site  this evening.

www.folksy.com/shops/howardjoneswoodbits.

Menagerie

 Well, two weeks have flown by since my last posting!  Where does the time go?

I have been busy in my little shed,  mainly making more wooden animals...not REAL animal you understand, but cute little ornaments that people seem to fall in love with.  I haven't yet tried to sell any on my 'Folksy' page but maybe I should.  

I made some paler coloured mice today, not quite finished yet so hopefully will put a pic on soon.  I didn't finish them because my butterfly brain went on to finishing a Yew bowl I have been pondering about for ages.  

It is a real "Warts and All" type of turning.  Yew (Taxus Baccata) especially old Yew is well known for having faults, cracks and inclusions and I am starting to embrace these faults.  The colours of this 8.5 inch diameter bowl are just amazing.  I am pondering whether or not to keep this one...I may put it for sale at around 35 squid and if I get no takers in a couple of weeks then I will keep it.

Anybody new to this mighty organ can have a look at my selling page 

https://folksy.com/shops/HowardJonesWoodBits

Back soon.  TTFN