3 Villages Festival

A hot sunny summer weekend and what else is there to do but go and find a village fayre or two. As it is we had a pitch at the 3 Villages Festival held by Mathon, Cradley and Storridge. It was a typical village affair with evrything from a blacksmith to local folk in funny outfits ( check out 'bogbrush' man for a laugh). We did fairly well for trade on the Saturday but we didn't need to be there for the Sunday as we just had a return of all the villagers from the previous day. All the same it was the taking part that was important and it was good to see that traditions were maintained with some Morris Dancers and a May Pole, even if it is July!

Take a pew and relax.

Finding a little time between work and The Big Chill I decided to make a chair that I could carry but that would be robust enough to withstand the rigours of a festival. A Voila! the Wyrdewood portable chair (not a pew) was born. Using 100% recycled parts it can be carried over the shoulder yet provides ultimate comfort, if I say so myself, with its flexible upper back support. Every festie goer should have one. But oh, whats that, they can't. Shame.

Overbury Craft Fayre

I finally made it, literally, to this craft event at Overbury, with the last mirror finished only the night before. This village is completely owned by one estate and therefore has managed to survive all the usual ravages of time. To visit there is to take a step back in time. The whole place is like a chocolate box picture. The hall we were in was a beautiful example of joinery skills from days gone by! Well worth a visit, I say!

It's snow joke!

Blimey is that the time! Yep, that's January for you, gone in the blink of an eye. Its a sort of non-month, if there is such a thing. You get past Yuletime and its back to work and the daily routine and then, vroom, the end of January comes whizzing up.

Anyway, not a lot to report, apart from some festie news for the new year in the shape of invites to Blissfields, Nozstock and Tiddesley Wood. All with FREE pitches, which shows we must be doing something right. After last years wet, but not wonderful, series of disasters it can only get better....we hope.

Tree and I have not been up to much otherwise. I am settling into the new job and looking to doing a coders course, which takes about 2 years, and gets way better pay.

The weekends have been spent going out and entertaining ourselves. Clayton and Lorraine stopped over a couple of weekends ago and we had a good laugh, including trying Clayt's homemade Ferrero Roche which are supposed to be fat free. They DID actually taste a bit like the real thing!!

We have also managed to see a lot more of Pip & Murali. We met up in town the other day and had a good lunch but sadly I gave in to chocolate cake with cream for afters. Enjoyed every mouthful an all!!! Can't complain though as I am only 7 pounds off my target weight now. On Tues night they came over and we cooked up Tacos with a veggie filling...Yum, Yum. Murali liked it a lot. He has promised a masterclass in Sri Lankan cooking next time. Can't wait.

Otherwise, I am hopeful of a little more snow, now its the weekend, because I don't have to worry about driving in it or getting to work. Instead I can enjoy Mother Nature when she wraps the Earth up in a white blanket and that beautiful silence that comes with it. See Y'all!!

Not so Beautiful Days.

We have not long been back from Beautiful Days Festival in Devon and are just glad to be dry and warm again. The festival started out with sunshine and good prospects but descended into a mud nightmare within hours. We would have been well miserable but for the fact that we found ourselves pitched next to Log and Homa, who we met at The Workhouse Festival. They are both very friendly, entertaining, people and we had a laugh, or two, along the way. We were a bit miffed about where we were pitched as well as we are normally down in the main trading area and this time we seemed to be out on the outskirts. A good job in some respects as the main arena turned into a mudfest to end all mudfests! Not all was doom and gloom as lots of the weird and wonderful came by our stall and we got to catch up with friends.I also got a few comments regarding my hair which Tree had dyed with the Levellers logo from about 1984. Log and Homa have invited us to stay a few weeks at their house in Bali, in the New Year, and we will now concentrate on getting some dosh together for the airfare.

Meanwhile, I am finishing off the shop, ready to hand back, and job hunting for the winter season.

Pip and Murali are moved into their flat and I will be helping them get it sorted.

Good News!!!!!

Following up the blog concerning John, the cyclist run over on at Link Top, I can report that he is now home convalescing and is expected to make a full recovery. Taking into account his age (65), and the fact he was hit by no less than two cars, I think this is bloody amazing! Just goes to show how resilient and tough the human body can be, not forgetting self will and determination on his part. Well done John!!!
Otherwise, not much to report. The shop is going slow but sure, which is to be expected at this time of year, and both Tree and I are waiting on certain Festies to get back to us and confirm so I can get on with preparing for them.
We went to the Spring show last Sunday and bought loads of new stock and bought shed loads of crystal on Monday. Ooh I love inventories and price listing.......Not! Oh well, it keeps me busy.

Spirit of the Oak - redux

Just a small update to the previous blog re the mirror I made with the Dryad face. Since making it I have come across a piece of agate that matches perfectly with the colour and size of the eye in the mirror. This has added a whole new dimension to the piece, I think you will agree!

Tom Harvey and the Pershore Plum Fayre

The title of this blog sounds like a fairy story although, trust me, it is not. Tree and I went to the Pershore Plum Fayre on Bank Holiday Monday to sell some of our wares and set up a lovely pitch in St Andrew's garden. The weather was good and we put all the mirrors outside. This attracted a lot of people, especially to Tree's lavender bags and weaving kits, which sold well. I then started to get a variety of people saying "Are you Tom Harvey then", having looked at my mirrors. This went on for some time until I finally had enough and said to one, particularly annoying, old gentleman," Who is Tom Harvey"? It transpired that there is a tree in the Abbey grounds that was crowned after a storm. Left with just the trunk of this huge tree the abbey paid for a sculptor called, you guessed it, Tom Harvey, to carve it. I went and had a look and was very impressed, not least by the fact that everyone thought I was him, after seeing my work. I wonder if Mr Harvey would feel the same way in reverse.

Shop update.

Just a quick one to show some of the modification to the outside of the shop.Having painted the passageway, I have now covered that awful gate on the right up to the shop. Hooray! No more looking at that ugly bin. I think you will agree that there is a definite improvement. Thanks to Tree, the hanging baskets go up this weekend as well!

Tiddesley Wood, Spring Open Day

It was only two days ago and yet it seems like a week! The weekend started out with a freaky coincidence on Saturday. I was sitting in the shop reading about orthimancy, (the belief that one can divine the future by watching birds) when a blackbird swooped into the shop and sat next to me. It looked around and then, without distress or panic, flew out again. Now, you might say that was coincidence but I had just read that a blackbird indoors is an omen of bad luck. Just then the phone rang and Tree told me that the van was at a garage and wouldn't start! Freaky or what!!
Anyway, to cut out a long story, we got to the wood, with the help of a lump hammer to hit the starter motor each time the van stopped, and set up the tent with, literally, minutes of daylight to spare. We took a walk, later on, into the wood in the dark, which was cool! I slept at the foot of the doorway to the tent and during the night we had a visit from an inquisitive badger trying to get to our food. All I could see was his nose poking under the flap!
It was better that we set up the night before as this meant we were a lot more chilled before the off. The weather was cool, yet dry, and we set up an altar, to mark Beltane, next to the Haj tent.
Lots of people we knew came to visit us including Dave and Nathalie, Dan and Sarah, Linda and Emma. I also got to meet with Sam and Vicki ,from the Pagan Association, who made the effort to come from Birmingham to see us and the fayre.
All round it was a good day and the mirrors went down well. We were too tired when we got home to do anything and I spent Monday doing absolutely nothing. We had hoped to go to The Green Man at Clun, Fayre but Tree had to do some paperwork and the van had a flat tyre, so we gave it a miss.

Hoorah for broadband!!

At last, I finally got my arse into gear and sorted out broadband for the shop. Not too momentus an occasion, you might think, but I have contact with the outside world again. Sadly it will not all be game playing and surfing for me as I will have to get the virtual shop up and running as well. The shop is looking a lot better now I have put in the shelving, as you can see from the photos, and we are getting a lot of new stock in soon. With business being quieter this time of year, Tree and I are thinking of taking a month off work next year and travelling instead. We may as well take advantage of the situation!!

....and Breath

At last, a quiet moment to catch up on the blog ! That is not to say that I have been rushed off my feet with customers, but rather that I have been busy finishing off all the fiddly bits like shelves and electrics. We have been fairly quiet midweek but are hopeful for the weekends. The main thing is getting people to come up the passageway. The rent has been covered for this month already, so no complaints !!We have already been described as “ The best kept secret in Ledbury”, and we have had a lot of positive feedback regarding the pagan items we stock. Someone remarked that we were similar to a shop in Glastonbury, which I was pleased about. Although the shop looks good as it is, if I say so myself, I want it to evolve and grow in a free form, rather than a conventional, way. Otherwise, there isn’t any news other than the fact that I feel guilty for ignoring everyone at the moment, but it can’t be helped. When things are a bit settled Tree and I will visit you all…promise! In the meantime, India is just around the corner, time wise silly, not literally, and I can’t wait ! Catch Ya soon.

We are in business !!!

Well the shop finally got open on Friday and just in the nick of time. Thursday night and I was still signwriting and varnishing the A board. Tree's mum and dad came over and gave us a bottle of Champagne, which was nice. I could rattle on about the whole set up but I thought the photos would speak for themselves. The top photos are the shop as we took it over and the bottom how we opened. Spot the difference ?

A man of independent means.

What words can adequately describe the joy of no longer being in the employ of a capitalist corporation ? To be honest I am not sure, but who cares ? After twenty seven years, I am a free man !!! It hasn't quite sunk home yet as I am working very long hours getting the shop ready. The walls are painted and the displays mounted. The counter is made but not glazed and I've yet to carve the signs and make the 'A' boards. We have decided to open on the 17th November, as this gives us a bit more time to get everything ready. As I write, the printer at my feet is churning out flyers ready for the launch. As I said in previous blogs, I must apologise to anyone we have left out or ignored over the last few weeks and we will catch up as soon as the shop is open. By the time we get to December I will need the holiday in India !! Of course this could now be a chance to meet some new suppliers directly !! Love to one and all. See ya soon.

Yew seats, you see, Yew seats !!!

As promised, I have just uploaded the photos of some chairs I've just finished to the Wyrdewood site. But, in case you're too lazy, here's a taster.

Don't worry children, it's just a man in a silly mask.

Following on from yesterday, I had to show how the sublime becomes the ridiculous. It speaks for itself !!

Oops !!!

Ok, we all know about health and safety but let's face it who really listens ? It's far better to just wait until you have an accident and then listen, right ? Wrong ! There's a thing called kickback when you're using a chopsaw, but the name doesn't really describe what it is. It was inevitable that using one, as much as I do, I would, sooner or later, find out. Kickback would be better named logchuck and so it was, as I was trimming a staff, that a chunk of wood flung off and hit me on the side of my head. The resultant damage was minimal, to me that is, but sadly my glasses paid the price. The great Daniel Mack, in his book "The Hedge carpenters companion", said,"no amount of time should be spent worrying about accidents that will become the stuff of stories in later years". This does not mean I will be complacent, but rather more inclined to wear a safety visor and act all knowing and wise to the unititiated.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's collapsing from overwork, we go !

What can I say, no excuses, I have neglected my blog (slaps wrist). Since we heard the good news about Beutiful Days, I have been working non-stop. Even the van has had a lick of paint ! But, as they say, all work and no play...so Tree and I have made a resolution to get back to our walking and to take some time out for ourselves. On the plus side, I have made all the mirrors I need for the Tiddesley Wood Spring Open Day , which is a bit of a relief. I just need to make some back up stock now.As soon as I have achieved that, I will definitely get back to the old routine.
See Ya all soon.

P.S In case you were wondering what the photo is about, I took this one of Billy pissing about with a torch. He looks like the mirror in the original Snow White and the seven dwarves, don't the think.

Air drying ( or how to crick your back )

As Tree has had a bad cold for the last few days, we decided that we both needed a spot of fresh air and to sort some of those jobs that have been nagging at us. We thought hard and made the choice to go and see Adrian Viner, our friendly sawmill guy, at his farm. As the saw bed is situated right next to the cowsheds the air was, how shall we say, ripe !! The long and short of it is, we came home with all of the Yew, Sycamore, Holly and Oak cut and ready to air dry. That was the easy bit !! The hard bit is all the stacking and spacing, called sticking, which allows the air to flow evenly around the wood. Shifting well on about twelve hundred weight in wood is no joke and by the end of it I had cricked by back and knew I would suffer later for it. However, seeing all the wood sticked makes me feel good, knowing that it is only a matter of six months and I can start using it.

The Old Tool Store, we love 'em !!

Not usually being the kind of person to endorse anything, I have decided to make an exception when it comes to The Old Tool Store .When making certain rustic items of furniture, you need very unusual tools. In my case I was looking for a hollow auger. Try as I might, the only place I could find them was in the U.S.A, at very unreasonable prices. Veritas make a modern version but still not what I needed. Then I found The Old Tool Store and was mightily happy !! Some may say that is very sad. I say "Try finding one on the net, for two months, with no success". In case you were wondering, a hollow auger cuts circular tenons onto the end of wood prepared using a spoke pointer (another thing I got from The Store). They have truly earned their place on my links section !!!