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... the sky is baby blue, and the just-unfurling leaves ...
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gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Fri May 26, 17 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It is definitely all go in the woods MR. And emails are back on the library scene, I am now in touch with the world-in theory. The parcel is for am adult. I will hunt the address, I have it somewhere. I try to avoid deleting anything as my memory is not that good now. I managed to get to work for around 5am to chop wood today and now have enough for around 60 nets and with my stock, I have almost hit November when the serious fire lighting starts. Another 500 to go. I want to know how to keep wood worm at bay-anybody any ideas? I can't treat the wood with anything inflammable as I don't want to give off fumes in the house, but I don't want to give wood worm to my customers either. I have spotted quite a lot this last year-well lets say double last year, but it is not a massive amount around 1/2 to 1%, this I put into my garden incinerator, but I worry how much may have got through the system.

I agree with you MR that anything new is to be read about and courses attended, but there is nothing to beat the suck it and see with a guide to get over the "well that shouldn't happen but it does"; experience rules in the end.

I am off to a friend's wedding party on Sunday evening they have asked for a contribution to their wood burning furnace, so we are all taking a log with us! I have to find a card and a shaver between now and tomorrow, my beard is, to say the least' uncouth. The lads are likening me to Uncle in only Fools and Horses-not far out either as I am at present! It starts at 8 pm when I am normally in bed doing a crossword or Sudoku I will see how long it takes me to stay awake and report back on Tuesday.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat May 27, 17 5:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I will message you with the address again Gregotyn, then you will have it twice.

Got home from the food bank yesterday to find I had a parcel. Son had ordered the bool by 'Barn the Spoon' called Spon with a bar over the 'o' which is apparently the Anglo Saxon for spoon. I knew it was coming out, and that a parcel was arriving, but didn't connect the two at first. Have read about half of it, and it is very interesting. Will have to practise some of the knife holds he describes as they could be useful for certain parts of the spoon.

We have a kiln to fire today, but I woke up to really odd light this morning. The sky was bright orange yellow closely followed by a thunder storm and heavy rain, so hope the kiln light all right. I have plenty to do while we are firing. I have a couple of spoons and a scoop to finish, a basket to get on with and a couple more besoms to make. It's all go!

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Sat May 27, 17 10:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

There was no need, but I now have your whereabouts in stereo! What a wonderful boy you have MR, to get such a book for you, must be really interesting for you, who is involved with making them in the first place. On a frivolous note do they account for left handed folks making spoons?

I have done very little today except shop, that is why I am late to the library. I do what I want when I want which is quite little but I had to get a shirt for this wedding evening do tomorrow and also a razor as I am looking distinctly rough. It appears they don't do normal mains operate razors any more so you have to have a rechargeable no what happens if it falls flat and you are on the way out with half a shave.
Got to go library closing. I am not shopping in Oswestry's Sainsburys again, all changed can't find anything!

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Sat May 27, 17 12:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Busy in the garden, but keep in mind I do ornamental rather than edible.

Holiday weekend, what I think you call a bank holiday with banks and government offices closed on Monday. This is Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer. We may / may not go to the parade.

Banana now making itself visible so summer is indeed on the way.



Asked Himself to bring some screens up from basement and I'll wash them today, plus whichever windows they belong to. Screens to keep mosquitoes out of the house. Wish I could screen ticks out of the garden - this is the worst year ever. Mostly I find them crawling on me a while after I'm back indoors, all except one found before they attach. Yuck.

Enjoy the wedding event Gregotyn. Hope the charcoal burning goes well Mistress Rose. Really admire your latest hat Cassandra. A friend just gave me a very cute summer-y hat she'd made from plarn - which is "plastic yarn." That is to say, strips cut from plastic shopping bags and knit / crocheted into bathmats, place mats, sturdier shopping bags. And casual hats.

Have a good weekend, everyone.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sun May 28, 17 6:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

We have a bank holiday here too Jam Lady; we call it Spring Bank Holiday. Your banana is doing well. They tend to be grown in greenhouses here, but there are some outdoors, but just for the leaves.

Are you going to remove all your beard Gregotyn or just trim it up? Son just trims his, or gets it trimmed for special occasions. Otherwise it tends to look a bit bushy. I know I am lucky to have him, apart from somehow he has never grown out of attracting dirt which he spreads about him and being untidy. I have read the book and there are some interesting bits. Several knife holds I hadn't thought of, and some ideas for different shaped spoons. It is also interesting that Barn leaves his spoons pretty plain on the whole, in the same way I do.

Yesterday wasn't ideal weather. After being promised 27 C, we started with a thunderstorm at 4.30am with accompanying rain, and although it stayed dry, it was cool and cloudy all day. Didn't help the kiln fire much as I think some water ran down under it. Finished at 9pm. We fired the little retort kiln too, and that finally went very well.

I managed to produce some more weavers then split the core and made the ribs for the basket, then assembled the frame. Got all the ribs in, which is a bit more tricky with the type I am making; called a Welsh basket Gregotyn, so perhaps the Welsh are taking revenge on the English again. Did rather better than with the first one I made anyway. I have got about half way through the weavers, and don't have any more, so will need to split some more out before I can finish it.

Also managed to do some more to the spoons I am doing and finished the bowl of a scoop I am trying. I have put a field maple leaf shape for the handle, so I am now working on that.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Tue May 30, 17 6:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Sunday we had a day out and went to the Devil's Punch Bowl. The road used to run round the top of it, but we had never really visited it before. Went for one of the more strenuous walks and got rained on, but rather nice. They said a broomsquire (someone who makes besoms or witches brooms) 'eked' a living in one of the cottages in the past, but looked like ideal place for a broomsquire to us. Plenty of birch and heather, so two types of head for the broom, and the cottage didn't look bad either. It rained on as at the end, but not cold, so not too unpleasant.

Yesterday I managed to get the last bed dug and planted out with cabbages. Put the sweet peppers in the greenhouse too, so only the second lot of mangetout peas, which are thinking about coming up to go now.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Tue May 30, 17 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Well the beard got shaved with my original shaver; reason being I looked in the wrong place before, and naturally after I had bought another one; but that is a swipe thing to change this and that, so no good for me; when I opened the destructions I realised that I couldn't understand them. I just hope my original keeps going for the rest of my life. I have had a beard for about 35 years now and can't imagine life without it, so it only gets trimmed now. I have shaved it off once or twice, due to over enthusiasm. I like it around 1/2"; it is white now, and will be ready to play Santa at Christmas when it will be around 1-2", I should be charging for that but never do!

The wedding party was very good. I don't drink a lot so 4 50/50 shandys and 4 bottles of water was as much as I could manage in 6 hours. I have lived up here for 30 years and it is surprising how many people I know-and spoke to a woman I liked, the previous librarian, who got me into reading again with crime books which I like, they have to be the sort without violence described. She has remarried since her husband died in a tractor accident and seems very happy. She once lent a book to me as long as I could read it in 2 days, so out on Friday afternoon and back in again by Monday morning. I took it back to her farm on the Sunday morning having read it through in 2 stints, and not a lot of sleep! There was limited food, pork roast as seems normal today, but in burger form and a piece of wedding cake, but enough and well cooked. The band played all sorts if a little too loud-I'm getting older-they were, however, very good. The lady saxophonist and key board player was very good. The couple are not having a honeymoon as normal, but are going away later in the year, so the groom appeared at work this morning!

I am still moving stuff to the new shed, but had to stop yesterday to start putting it away sensibly, otherwise I will need to build another one. I was just filling before with as it comes stuff, now I am giving things the 'do I need this' treatment-I suppose I will as soon as I throw it away.

I haven't seen any of the recycled plastic bags made into anything heard about it though. I use plastic bags which others throw away. They cost 5p in most shops and my neighbour threw out about 10 of the heavy duty woven plastic type for me to take to the dump, but I kept them and use some of them daily. Such a waste when you have to buy more, even if you have a lot of money, it is still a waste of it when you have them at home in 'stock'. I think what I have will see me through.

I like the banana leaf coming into view from the house, not sure if we have the sort of weather in the UK to keep bananas outside, except in the extreme south perhaps. Are the ticks the sort that carry diseases as they do in the UK Jam Lady? I am thinking of lymes disease in humans which I think can be lethal.

I hope Cassandra is ok. She was going to the show this week I think, I hope she has success.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed May 31, 17 6:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Glad you enjoyed the wedding Gregotyn, and that your shed is getting into some semblance of order. The origin of the name Lyme disease was from the US so think it is common in at least some places. I have just picked up another, which is a pain.

Had a busy day yesterday. Husband and son cut another load or so of firewood and we put that in the store, then opened and dug out the kiln. We were hoping to bag some more up, but a late start on emptying because of a shower meant we didn't have time. I prepared and put another frame for a basket in the jig and managed it all by myself this time, which meant it was far easier.

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Wed May 31, 17 1:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Here's more information about tick borne diseases than you probably want to know. Feel free to ignore.

Lyme disease was first described / named / identified in Old Lyme, Connecticut. It is carried by deer ticks, much smaller than dog ticks. The nymph stage of deer ticks is smaller than the size of a head of a pin. Nymph stage can transmit both Lyme and viral tick transmitted diseases but percentage of infected nymph stage ticks is smaller than infectious adults. Ticks do live on white tailed deer but even more so on white footed deer mice.

Infectious agent for Lyme disease is a spirochete. I'm not clear if having once had Lyme disease one will afterwards always test positive (as is the case for syphilis, also caused by a spirochete.) I've had Lyme disease three times, caught early and easily cured with doxycycline antibiotic. Problem is not false positives with the more common test, but false negatives.

There used to be a vaccine, something like 75% effective. However, a very small number of individuals developed a reaction, similar to rheumatoid arthritis. Rather than developing a test for such individuals the vaccine was pulled from the market.

Worse than Lyme disease are several virus also transmitted by ticks - Powassan is newly described and life threatening virus with neurological issues and high percentage of deaths. Numbers of infections are - so far - very low. It is a nationally notifiable issue.

If we're going into wooded, brushy parts of the property (and remember the property is mostly forested) we should be spraying pant legs with DEET after tucking pants into socks, spraying DEET on palms of hands and rubbing over face and neck. Oh joy. Not.

Gregotyn, my father used to periodically grow a beard. And periodically shave it off. He would do so on a weekend, shaving one side of his face and going around half-bearded (or however you would describe it.) My mother hated that, said it was so disorientating to see him from one side with a beard, then he'd turn his head and was clean shaven.

Next week I'll be away for a few days, going to a native plant conference in Pennsylvania. With - what else - plants for sale and a post-conference day trip that includes a nursery visit. I don't go every year but when I do go I always have a good time.

Today is the regular knit on Wednesday meeting at the local cafe so let me get things together and get ready to head out the door. Bye for now.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 17 7:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have been tested several times for Lyme disease, and it has always turned up negative, so hope it is right. A good vaccine would be very useful for outdoor workers. Luckily we don't get those mice in the UK, so the main worry is deer. I picked up another tick yesterday so there are a lot about at the moment. We had a mild winter and it has been quite warm lately. Keeping an eye on it for reaction.

Have fun on your trip Jam Lady.

Had another busy day yesterday. After doing the shopping and delivering some charcoal on the way, I came home, hung the washing out as it was washed, and baked biscuits. There were several other jobs to do, but at least husband cooked the dinner; lamb curry from the left over lamb from the roast.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Thu Jun 01, 17 1:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

That is interesting gen regarding the ticks, Jam Lady, I only thought that it was lymes disease that they carried, and that it was host specific.
I used to do half beards for a day, with my local shopkeeper saying what was different about me today? And I had to tell her!!

The wedding party was good MR. The lad who married has asked me to take some of the pallets they used as seating back to work or to take them home if I want to; so not too far to go for my next load of wood. I find it pays to be selective when you choose the pallets in the first place. I will pop up and see them tomorrow afternoon and sort them out as into wants and rejects. It is quality wood which burns I am after-dry and ideally larch from Scandinavia/Russia

I am having to make a change to the new shed and put a piece of steel above the doors. It appears that 2 men could lever the doors up high enough to be able to get them to fall off their hinges, so I will be stopping that as an idea.
Congratulations on your first solo jigging, MR, though why would it be easier?

We have had fairly good weather but it rained quite heavily one day. On the whole it has been good enough to be without a pullover.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 17 6:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Useful getting the pallets Gregotyn. Glad you enjoyed the party too.

It is easier in some ways to do a job by myself as then I don't have two other people telling me how things should be done without understanding what is needed, as was the case last time. I managed to assemble the whole frame myself yesterday, while they were delivering charcoal, and having seen the technique for bending over the pins used, managed to get if right, and frame assembled really nicely. I have sorted the first 5 ribs and got some binding and the first few rows of weavers in to stabilise everything, so ready to go for the show now.

Yesterday we bagged the rest of the charcoal and husband and son went to deliver it. This week we have delivered 55 bags to various places including one private customer. The shop down the road also wants some more, which is very unusual, but someone asked on our FB page where they could buy it, and it seems to have worked. Husband and son have to get some more timber in today for another firing next week. I help at food bank today, so a bit quieter for me.

cassandra



Joined: 27 Mar 2013
Posts: 1733
Location: Tasmania Australia
PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 17 8:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

had a lady in at the History Room today that I think was possibly the most irritating individual I have struck in a long time!! Here in Tassie we have a group of people who base their own sense of superiority and importance on the fact they are descended from the first European free settlers here. One arrived today. Here opening words were to announce her membership of the First Settlers Society (sort of like the Daughters of the Revolution, JL) and went on to announce she was organising celebrations for the 375th anniversary in Sorell (a rural town at the far end of a shallow inlet from the ocean). Now, I am sure I am not the only person to assume that this meant she was barking mad, since we were not settled for a couple of hundred years later. I pointed out that we were not settled till 200 years ago, and she over-rode with further assertions about the importance of this anniversary. It took me fifteen minutes of interjections saying "I struggle to see the connection between Sorell and this event" before I found out she was a) talking about the Dutch mapping of parts of our coast in 1642, the Municipality of Sorell and its coast (which was indeed mapped at that time). It took another 15 minutes of icy cordiality to get her out the door with assurances that if she were to send us a summary of their goals and aspirations (and for goodness sake, not a personal presentation) that I would raise it at our next meeting. Her arrogance and disdain that I was unable to intuit her meaning made me want to strangle her. Her membership of the organisation, by the way, was in no way relevant to the remainder of the conversation, purely to assert her superiority.

On a happier note I have finished decorating the display window at the History Room (largely with my own stuff) to meet the theme of 'Paint the Town Red' for 19th June.


Yesterday morning I had to hare up to Campbell Town to deliver my exhibits for the Show before getting back to Oatlands to open the History Room, and was in there again today. At least yesterday's visitors were all pleasant and interesting.

I have also been busy spinning up yarn in six different fleece colours - I had a 'sampler pack' of Shetland in four colours, and a quick rummage in my stash produced the two remaining colours. All are now spun, washed, dried, and soon to be balled as well. Now all I need is a 2.75mm 60cm circular needle, but if all else fails I will use straight needles for the basque. This is what it should look like if I manage to get it right:


I have also been busily collecting lichens off my firewood, which have been stuffed into paper bags as each log is consigned to the fire. On a FB forum I discovered that it is possible to put it in ammonia:water, 1:2 parts and extract the colour. I think it is going to be yellow - at least from the hairy lichen. The flat lichens may well produce something else and the lobed onces something different again. But this is what it looks like at present:


gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 17 1:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I have been worried about you, Cassandra, just want to know that you are OK. I hope all goes well with your exhibits in the show.
How do you manage to cope with the over self important types without being too rude, Cassandra? You are in an employee in a public place, you must have a boss of some sort somewhere who should be dealing with the over zealous, who want more than they should expect. Very often they are simply good talkers and lucky that the real work is done by others; but somehow I think you may get the last word.
I wondered if you could get some thin see through red cellophane to cover the windows to give an impression of even more redness to what is already a lovely display.

So I guess you are on your own now with the basket making MR, the poor lads are now redundant as far as jig assembly is concerned. I know what you mean about help as sometimes they are not as wise as those who have to do the job. I get help from the boys at work. The thing is I have to have room to work. The lads will take in a delivery and adapt according to how they feel I should be doing it in their eyes. I do battle then with my boss explaining to him that I should have taken photos of what it was like when I started and that he was responsible for the mess and chaos and I was the one who said stop, and this is what we are going to do now-sort the mess out so that we have room for "stuff" to come into the warehouse. I remembered when I started that the place had things scattered everywhere, nothing was together and we climbed over pallets to get to other things probably also on pallets. Very often there would be several pallets of the same thing open as the nearest was what they used. anyway the new lad good lad is so in the mould of the boss that this am I threw a bit of a wobbler and we have now gone back to some semblance of order-half a morning of what should not have needed to happen and so a waste of productive time. In fairness it is always a bit of a mess in spring/summer, because we have unusually large amounts of extras-seasonal needs like silage wrap and silage netting, plus oils for servicing and an excess of filters for tractors, I stick its well paid, and makes me get out of bed in the morning otherwise....! I am chopping wood like a mad man as soon as I get to work, then at the day job from 7am till 1pm, and back home to cut more wood for tomorrow's chopping session. I am becoming robotic!

Jam Lady



Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 2501
Location: New Jersey, USA
PostPosted: Fri Jun 02, 17 1:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Umbillicaria (rock tripe) lichens yield a wonderful purple when extracted with ammonia. And at the New Jersey Mycological Society's Fungus Fest every autumn there is a superb display of yarns dyed with fungi.



These are yarns that were dyed with fungi and lichens - wonderful range of colors.



And as you can see a couple of these titles are Scandinavian, but then so is Ursula who does the presentation. She was going to teach a class for interested members but there weren't enough who signed up to run the class. For all I know I was the only one.

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