Firsts

The last few days I have had some new experiences, We have harvested our very first Pumpkin, a fine specimen which will make a good Hallowe'en Lantern. It is about 11 or 12 inches diameter and weighs in at (I guess) 25 lbs

I have placed a Kodak Brownie 127 next to it to give some idea of scale.

Another first, is the first proper attempt at "Bowl Turning" I have recently aquired a small woodturning Lathe, A proper one! previously I have attempted turning on a rather primitive 'bolt on the bench' type of contraption - which has taught me a few things, but the difference in using a real lathe is amazing. So, from a blank of Plane tree (Platanus acerifolia) I have turned a rather splendid wooden bowl. I have also done a few practice pieces like mushrooms and tea-light holders

The Final First, is an attempt at candle making. She who must be obeyed enjoys having a candle burning, and most of them only burn half way, if that. So with a cheap mold and a boiling pan (bain-marie) type pan within an pan, I have been melting down the left over bits and making new ones. Not taken a photo of the candles yet, having problems getting photographs positioned in this blog so I may start using flicker and giving you a link to that.

I have also started using the aforementioned flickr, If you want to look at a couple of motorbikes, go to www.flickr.com and do a search for hgj1948