A little thread of calm?

[Chris152]

I was working toward a wood fair we'd planned for late May, but it's starting to look like it won't be able to go ahead. That's sort of taken the wind out of my sails on that front, and my lathe's in a shared workshop which I'm less inclined to go to at the moment.

A couple of days ago I went to the library to get some books and I'm now half way through the ones I got. Murder on the Orient Express; Thackary, The Warden (quite funny) and Dickens, Barnaby Rudge (a few too many words for my normal taste but maybe that'll turn out to be a good thing). Just heard the library's now shut til further notice, so I'll be rummaging through old books about the place in due course.

I've also just created a veg patch for potatoes and about 10 seed potatoes are currently chitting (hope that's the right word). And I've started clearing around a very badly kept garden generally.

Anybody else got plans - apart from woodworking, which has to be a perfect answer - for the coming weeks/ months/ whatever?

If this turns into a thread people want to contribute to, let's keep it calm and positive?!
C

 

[MikeG.]

Mine is pretty much all woodworking, with downstairs doors next, a dresser and corner unit in the kitchen, cooker hood, some boxing, airing cupboard front.......Plenty to keep me occupied for a while.

 

[novocaine]

I have power back to the workshop as of today. Unfortunatly i also have enough work that i can do from home that i wont be getting out there any more than normal.
Im hoping to be back on track in 3 weeks tops.

I do have a load of books to enjoy too.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I already work from home, so no change for me, other than no shopping trips just means more work.

20kg of potatoes went in last month, but I have just put in the summer garden, with the exception of the tomatoes - it's still a little chilly at night for them. This time of year the garden looks perfect; all neat and tidy and organised. Usually I don't get a chance to look at it for months and it turns into a jungle. I don't think that will be a problem this year.

My plan is to get out on the water with the boards - all work and no play etc. I could be very poor, and very fit by the end of the summer

 

[sunnybob]

If youre an avid book reader and havent stocked up from the now closed library, I can recommend a paperwhite kindle.
Half a million books to choose from, finish one, download another , start reading, takes all of 40 seconds. Dont like it after chapter two (something thats happened to me a lot of over the years)? Return it and download another.
If youre a really fast reader, its well worth taking out an amazon prime account and you dont pay a penny extra for how ever many you read. Its going to be a boon over the next few months, I've just discovered i'm in the "most at risk" category.
I've read a humungous amount of books, but no longer bother with paper.

I'm keeping busy in the workshop making 100 mm blast gates, but cant finish my new system because the ducting company thats making my larger cyclone has closed for the duration.If only I had started the project a week earlier. :roll:

 

[HappyHacker]

One of the advantages of getting old is that I can now read books multiple times having forgotten most of the plot. I am currently on 1984 again.

I have so many books piled up about the place I could keep going for years and my wife has more.

But self isolating is proving difficult as my wife is already going stir crazy after a few days and is finding lots for me to do when i would prefer to be doing something else.

 

[AES]

+1 for sunnybob's recommendation of Amazon's Kindle.

I'm a VERY slow adopter of "new-fangled modern gear" but after SWMBO forced the issue a few years back by giving me a Kindle for Christmas I've never looked back. Wish I'd taken it up much earlier - apart from anything else it would have saved me a fortune on airline overweight bags charges when I was working all over the place, sometimes for lengthy periods, carrying half a dozen paper backs around. I now carry around a device about the same size as a normal paper back but much slimmer, and it's holding well over 500 full length books.

About the only thing you need to steer clear of with Kindle is if you want a "technical" book. There are plenty available for Kindle, and their "little black box" can (sort of) handle detailed drawings, sketches, photos, etc. But it's clunky to control the zoom function and overall it doesn't make a very good job of handling such stuff. Hard copy is SO much easier for that. Apart from that, IMO, Kindle's one of the greatest things since sliced bread.

Having been an avid reader since childhood, as is my good lady, naturally the house is stuffed full of "hard copy" books too, and as someone has said above, I'm at the age now where many get re-read. I'm also (VERY slowly) now starting to read novels etc, in German from my wife's collection. Improves my VERY poor German grammar.

And I'm also now getting back into my shop after quite a lengthy absence for back problems. That's allowing me to pick up where I left off on a major project I had to shelve about this time last year. One of the keys to my recovery is the fact that I should not be doing too much "too physically for too long". So after about an hour or so in the shop I come back into my office to see what's happening on UKW. Then back to the shop an hour or so later for another bash. One of the reasons why I've been able to be relatively active on here so far this year, but OTOH, progress is slow on getting that delayed project really "singing". But variety ...... "is healthy for my back" (say the quacks).

Both SWMBO and I am firmly in the high risk group but I'm a bit less so than she is so from now on it'll be me doing the shopping, etc, alone. That's "worth" a couple/three hours per week I guess.

That's about it here - no major panicking (or panic buying), just a lot of being rather cautious, lots of hand washing, no public transport, keeping my distance otherwise, and - unfortunately - no choir practice for quite a while either I guess.

But "we'll survive" and personally I don't find it too much of a hardship to be house-bound. I could even start properly cataloguing the contents of the workshop - something I've only been "intending" to do for at least 5 years now ;-)

Oh yeah, I forgot. I'm now VERY seriously considering having a go at "updating" my PC away from MS altogether and installing something else - probably Linux Mint. All "on my own" too. THAT should keep me busy (AND off line no doubt!) for months.

 

[Rorschach]

Just in case anyone here didn't know, there is a free kindle app that works on phones and tablets.

I don't have a kindle as such, I use an old 7" tablet I was given. Using the app it is now the way I read 90% of of books. Works great and with the wifi off and screen on a low, comfortable brightness I get hours out of the battery.

As for myself, I will still be working away, hopefully getting enough custom to keep things ticking over. We will have to rely on my partners income mostly.
This weekend I am making a list of all the jobs that I would have done over the course of the year and will get them done now if possible. Family also have jobs that will need doing and there are a few rooms that need decorating so that will get done.

Not planning on staying in all the time though, plenty of countryside near us so when the weather is fine it will be long walks and exercise. Probably save us a lot of money as well.

 

[Doug B]

I can’t remember the last time I read a book other than manuals :shock: if I am forced to lay off site work for a while I’ve more than enough customer orders to keep me busy infact it would be a nice hiatus allowing me to clear the pin board

 

[John15]

I'm like a lot of members - 70+. Went to Sainsburys this morning for their 7 till 8 oldies only slot. Arrived at 6.45. There were hundreds in the queue and the store was jammed up with trolleys. I was the only person I could see who was wearing a mask - amazing, also wearing a pair of nitrile rubber gloves. Got most of the items I wanted but the shelves were emptying fast.
I've started my chest of drawers so will be spending 2 or 3 hours a day on that. Plenty to do in the garden. Lots of frog spawn and my sticklebacks have emerged from semi hibernation.
Keep safe everyone.

John

 

[sunnybob]

I couldnt help but chuckle when I saw it on the tv. Hundreds of people who are vulnerable and supposed to be on their own, forced into a shuffling mass by the companies that are supposed to be helping them to stay apart.
My daughter (in the UK) says there were a mass of "ordinary" people who got very angry that they couldnt get into the store.

Deep (solitary) breathing begin..

I have just taken up yoga, thanks to the wii fitness board I just pinched from said daughter. Its actually aimed at old and slow people (not me guv, 'onest :shock: :roll: ), and quite enjoyable.
Theres another way of passing the time. 8)

 

[novocaine]

amazon prime lets you borrow one book a month. Amazon kindle unlimited lets you borrow something like 7 a month. it isn't any title but it's a lot of books.

I love my kindle, when I broke the last one at an airport is Azerbaijan I bought another before I got on the plane so it would be there when I got home.

I don't watch a lot of telly, I read a lot of books instead.

now, back to the peace and tranquility we are meant to have in this thread. just been for a run with the wife, no interaction with people, didn't come within 2 metres of anyone and didn't touch anything. it was great.

 

[sunnybob]

The kindles are organised by the missuss,so its only her account but I'm reasonably confident we have unlimited and I download a LOT more than 7 a month, sometimes three or four a week if its a good series. Occassionaly I will go through a few in a day if i decide I dont like the way its written or the subject matter. She also downloads books but not as much as I do.
I think our monthly total would be a lot nearer 20 than 7.
sadly, very popular authors like Terry Pratchet incurs extra charges whatever subscription you have.

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I have spent the morning very gently pruning olive trees with a hand saw. Climb up a tree, admire the view, remove a few watersprouts and tidy up anything growing in the wrong direction. Back down the tree, through the tall grass and wildflowers, and up the next one. Very therapeutic.

I didn't take any photos today, but here's one I took a couple of days ago:

 

[sunnybob]

Our weather has turned bad again so no nice pics from me.
lat week I was wearing shorts and sunglasses for two days. Today i have jeans, t shirt, long sleeve shirt, bomber jacket zipped up, and have to keep coming in to warm my fingers up, dodging the rain to do so.
It aint right mate, it aint right. :roll: :roll:

 

[thetyreman]

I have spent the morning very gently pruning olive trees with a hand saw. Climb up a tree, admire the view, remove a few watersprouts and tidy up anything growing in the wrong direction. Back down the tree, through the tall grass and wildflowers, and up the next one. Very therapeutic.

I didn't take any photos today, but here's one I took a couple of days ago:

I could do with some of that, just looking at the photo made me feel more relaxed thanks

 

[Trainee neophyte]

I have spent the morning very gently pruning olive trees with a hand saw. Climb up a tree, admire the view, remove a few watersprouts and tidy up anything growing in the wrong direction. Back down the tree, through the tall grass and wildflowers, and up the next one. Very therapeutic.

I didn't take any photos today, but here's one I took a couple of days ago:

I could do with some of that, just looking at the photo made me feel more relaxed thanks

One more, and we're done, but this one is from May a few years ago, taken at the ancient acropolis about a mile from our house. Normally I wouldn't, because it is getting on for spamming, but given that no one can come and stay with us anyway, given the issues, it hardly matters.

 

[Vann]

I was hoping for some extra time in the workshop (garage at home), but I'm in the unfortunate position of being employed in transport - and apart from logs, the goods levels seem to be holding up (so far). So probably no chance of a few weeks at home.

But then it's a situation that changes daily.

Mind, I did think this wold be mostly over in three months - six months tops. But now experts are talking about Christmas, or even 18 months :shock:

SWMBO and I discussed the garden, but winter is approaching here in NZ, so there's not too much we could grow.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Phlebas]

I have spent the morning very gently pruning olive trees with a hand saw. Climb up a tree, admire the view, remove a few watersprouts and tidy up anything growing in the wrong direction. Back down the tree, through the tall grass and wildflowers, and up the next one. Very therapeutic.

I didn't take any photos today, but here's one I took a couple of days ago:

Yeah. And here's one of mine 3 weeks ago.

Southern softies...

 

[El Barto]

I have spent the morning very gently pruning olive trees with a hand saw. Climb up a tree, admire the view, remove a few watersprouts and tidy up anything growing in the wrong direction. Back down the tree, through the tall grass and wildflowers, and up the next one. Very therapeutic.

I didn't take any photos today, but here's one I took a couple of days ago:

Is this for real? If so can I come and live with you?