- visited Israel
- presented to an audience of over 500 people
- chilled with the CEO of my company
- received a perfect rating for my annual performance from my boss
- visited many wonderful, hidden gardens in London (http://www.opensquares.org/)
- visited Nymans Garden
- visited Wakehurst Place
- visited Sissinghurst
- visited Yalding organic garden
- lunched in Wisley's Conservatory Dining Room
- had a stay in the wonderfully opulent Cliveden House
Garden-wise, the place is looking great. I've had a good crop of mange tout and peas. The French beans have started producing and the borlotti beans are exhibiting admirable aspirations. The kohl rabi are starting to swell, courgettes are starting to form, aubergines are flowering, peppers are getting taller by the day, the swiss chard are looking amazing, the parsnips are bulking up, the onions and garlic are nearly ready, the carrots are romping and the new purple radishes are two inches tall one week after sowing. A few beans and peas:
All in all, a rewarding return on the investment!
Wood-wise, things have been slower going. I don't think I entered the workshop for nearly three weeks. Two weeks in California followed by busy weekends and other business trips. However, the last couple of weeks have enabled me to get cracking on the birch logs I picked up in May. I've been keeping them as cool as possible so they are still pretty green inside. Birch is a lovely wood to work, this is my first time! What I have learned thus far is that birch hates being cut against the grain. Some woods are somewhat forgiving of such amateur mistakes, but birch is rather more intolerant of such novice errors. However, items carved from birch show little resistance to being cut after pieces have been aired for a few days. This makes it a great wood for a sporadic carver. Here's a pot scraper I made for a friend recently:
Got a bunch more wood projects on the go. Will throw up some pics soon...
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