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



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Posts: 980
Location: derbyshire
PostPosted: Wed Nov 06, 19 11:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I think its fantastic and a wonderful acknowledgement to your skill that you can make part of your income from such an ancient craft making the Besoms. Working out when to cut, dry and use the natural components in an age of advanced tech is such a skill.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 19 7:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thanks DD, but I have gone by the guidance of others more experienced. Being a member of a coppice group, we have people who have many years experience, and most of them are willing to pass their knowledge on to us 'nippers', even though I am passed retiring age. I will pass the information on to our son, and hopefully it will continue down the ages. I also do spoon carving and have made a few split hazel frame baskets, and I know a lot of younger people who do this, so the skills continue I am glad to say.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 19 12:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I must admit I always wanted to do basketry, never had the time with the chopping wood and the job, which is coming to an end soon for me. It is getting harder by the week, but is good money and I enjoy the act of getting up early and going to work. My main problem is that if I have nothing to do I stay in bed! The library is open on Saturday and I only just make opening time at 09.30! Normally I am up and at work around 5-5.30am.
The job pallet supply will therefore also, but I have been offered a new source of pallets, which would normally be put in a skip and sent to be exterminated somewhere or other. It appears they would be delighted if someone would go and get some! It is important that they are dry. So if it happens, I will get as much stock in during the summer as I can, dry, keep it in the dry and plank it before I cut it, if dry it doesn't have to have slats between the layers, just lining up ready to be cut! I am lucky that I have a drying shed, well a shed whose end blew out, and had already lost a lot of roof due to a snow fall. I am in the mire if the other half roof blows down!
I wondered if there are courses on besom making, thinking Acton Scott would be just the place for such an activity, as well as basketry, and for you to tutor at both courses perhaps MR?
I have had a bad 2 days with the van playing up over wheel bearings, the mechanic having to cut the bearing off the rear hub, much language passing, funny how people swear in English but talk normally in Welsh! It just has to pass the MOT this afternoon at 2 pm!
Going on to the allergy I have been given a tube of cortisone to spread over the 2 sites on my forearms, and the former bite sites, and that is working a treat already; the itching has calmed down and the sites are much less than they were already!
I am away in Bridgnorth this weekend as it is happy birthday to me!

Shan



Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 9075
Location: South Wales
PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 19 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Happy Birthday to you this weekend! Good news the cortisone is helping.

Mr Shan tried my car and of course it didn't repeat what it did.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 19 4:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thank you Shan. I am hitting the point when "Ladies" would reveal their age, to show how well they have lasted in spite of their Lordship husbands! Cars have a habit of behaving for menfolk!

I am pleased about the cortisone too, as it was getting embarrassing scratching my arms in company; a bit like my dogs used to scratch too, as if the wretches had fleas! I used to treat them annually or more if needed-guess dogs itch too, like humans, without infestations.

The other thing that has happened is that the motor-Mitzi-has passed the MOT, which it was not expected to do in my mechanic's opinion. The chap did point that there are some things which got through just, and would fail it in 6 months time, "so get them done" which I will when I come back from this weekend away.

I have just read my "post" on here from this morning; my last sentence doesn't make sense. 2nd para. should read-The pallets my job supplies will finish with the job. The offer from my neighbour of as many as I want would mean travelling to the same area that I work in now, a 32 miles round trip, but without any payment to me as is the case now. And they are stored in an outside container open to the sky! I would have to get all I needed in the summer, as this is Wales where any excuse to rain to get the grass growing is part of the weather pattern. In the next breath I am grateful and will try to erect another storage shed as soon as I finish working, to allow me to get the pallets dry till they are needed/useable.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 19 7:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Glad the vehicle passed the MOT, even if only by the skin of its teeth. Perhaps you need to consider whether you want to carry on with that one. Have a good weekend, and Happy Birthday.

I don't think I have enough experience of either besom making or basket making to teach them yet. Husband and son went on a besom making course some time ago, but the only instruction I have had is from husband saying 'that's not how you do it' and an hour from another besom maker. The rest I have more or less worked out for myself. I don't think I have yet made 50 of them. The baskets, I did on a weekend course, and another style I worked out from the basics and pictures. It seemed I got them the wrong way round; they are a Welsh style with handles across the narrow side, but I was making small ones and put the handles on the wide side.

Anyway, yesterday was log sacks. Managed 40 of them with some help from husband and son with the last 15 or so. Son split any too large logs, so that saved me a bit of energy. 20 go out today, and the other 20 tomorrow if there is no time today.

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 19 8:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Cassandra sends you a Happy Birthday Gregotyn. She hopes to be on line again soon.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8576
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 19 1:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    


Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 19 8:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

And a Happy Birthday from me as well. Sorry, I should have put that on my post.

dpack



Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 45374
Location: yes
PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 19 11:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

ditto

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 19 3:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Thank you all for your happy b'day good wishes. I had a good time at my friends' home. It is, unlike mine, scrupulously clean, has running water, and Jill is a very good cook; well I have better things to do than worry about my dust, I kid myself! I came home with a dinner for tonight, microwave ready, and a few presents!
Another thing-I bought a pair of cords from Edinburgh Woollen Mills in Bridgnorth, but when I tried them on they were too small-shock horror-and we were not going to shop in Brigdnorth on the Saturday, but they swapped them in their Ludlow branch without question, for the next size up, even though I couldn't find the bill, they only had the label still attached, so I guess that was all that they needed. I was a happy bunny!

I don't have to consider 'Mitzi' going, she is to be ousted when I can decide what to have for replacement. I would like a pickup this time with a back to keep things safe and dry, with just 2 seats with a foot length behind the seats for tools to be kept safe. It has been a very reliable and hardworking machine for me over a few years now, and is still going very well at about 90k miles. It is time from my point of view, I want a change, and to spend money, before I retire and want something else, and then worry that I can't afford it!

There is nothing wrong in developing your own style of besom or basket, MR. "The Hampshire", could be the design name and you should register it! You must have enough experience if you are selling them. I sort of wondered if you could design and develop a basketlike receptacle to allow the besom to sweep the leaves into it, sort of dustpan and brush of the leaf world?

Ty Gwyn



Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4562
Location: Lampeter
PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 19 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

90k is nothing for a diesel engine,but the chassis do go.

gz



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 8576
Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
PostPosted: Tue Nov 12, 19 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

You could do a lot worse than what we have now Gregotyn....a Berlingo multispace...other makes have followed with the same style.....we just keep the single seat in the second row most of the time, sometimes the double seat if we know we will have to carry two extra people. With just under 5 foot behind the front seats and car insurance instead of van, it's a win win!

Mistress Rose



Joined: 21 Jul 2011
Posts: 15539

PostPosted: Wed Nov 13, 19 7:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Glad you had a good time Gregotyn. Nice that you got the cords changed without any trouble. If they have the shop name in, they can hardly say you didn't buy them there.

We have a Ford Ranger single cab and a 11/2 cab too. The single cab has very little room behind the seats, but enough to store a few bits. The 11/2 cab has two seats in the back, but not very comfortable, but they can be folded up so we can put quite a lot, like 10 bags of charcoal, inside. Both are the old style. We don't do many miles, but quite a lot of them are off road, so the suspension gets a work out. One is Y reg and the other 51 reg, so not doing badly.

Yesterday was a happy day doing log sacks. Luckily we didn't stay too late as the wind was blowing through the log store, and it was really cold. Husband and son delivered a load of logs in the afternoon, so I went home at that stage having done 22 nets full.

gregotyn



Joined: 24 Jun 2010
Posts: 2201
Location: Llanfyllin area
PostPosted: Thu Nov 14, 19 2:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Basically Mitzi is rattling. I cannot grumble as it does ok to the gallon for a 3.2 engine-25-30mpg at 40ish, but that comes down the faster I go. If I'm towing a trailer and in a hurry I guess that comes down a fair bit more. Overall it has done me well, and only recently started to cost me. I found with the Land Rover the acceleration was not there or the comfort, but the economy was better than Mitzi and I suppose I preferred the "sit up" seats, even if a bit hard, in the Land Rover. Both are well in the climbing and field situation and both good in snow.

It sounds as if the Berlingo isn't a bad size at all gz, but can you get a 9ft length of wood in the Berlingo, from rear right to front left over the front seats? Just possible in Mitzi, but had to be through the window in the Land Rover. The best vehicle I have seen was a pick-up, Ford Ranger like yours, MR, ex council, so well maintained, 2 seats at the front and a large back area that I could have slept and sat up in! 16 plate and£14,000,+vat, and 60k miles, which I thought a lot, with £4000 for mine at 90k. We'll see!

My friend of some time wants me to buy the second size up of the new Transit he tells and shows me how good it is, but too small for me as the back is not even long enough for me to sleep in at a show if I wanted. I would have to saw the wood before I could put it in the back. I will be going to Newtown about 40 miles from me and see what they have got. One dealer specializes in pickups so he should have what I want-haha! I know whatever I buy has to start in the morning at around 5am and be reliable in any weather. All being well I will retire soon, I keep saying it, but the work is getting harder and I am getting older, it can only be the money!

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