I’m going to Lords tomorrow. That’s all I have to say about that.
Hello my dusty and shaving covered friends. I hope you are all well, all jabbed-up and looking forward to being let out to play in a couple of weeks’ time. I am writing to you now, late, because as always retirement is a busy time and I have no idea how to fit everything in!!
I am trying to get into the spirit of the season, so much so that with Wimbledon happening this week I decided to lash out a little. In the spirit of Wimbledon fortnight I bought a punnet of strawberries and looked to the internet for the best way to serve them.
It suggested that I halve the strawberries, dust with icing sugar, and pile cream on top.
A word to the wise - pile cream tastes disgusting.
A few things in the news this week, so let’s get to business.
July’s Monthly meeting
July’s Saturday workshop
August’s meeting
New camera equipment
Off to Welsh Wales
July meeting
As we were planning to get together in July we didn’t book a demonstrator for July. I have been trying to look for someone, but we due to the short notice we have decided to simply have an online social chat instead. To that end I will open a Zoom meeting on Tuesday evening 13th July. The meeting will start at 7pm and probably last until about 9pm. The link for the meeting is shown below, just click on it to join the meeting and have a chat. I would love to see as many of you as possible joining in as we would like to find out your thoughts about getting together in August, face-to-face as it were.
Lets see how many we can get joining the meeting to have a say and talk about the coming months at the club.
I remember the teacher asking me to tell him something I was not very good at starting with the letter N - so I said Spelling
July’s Saturday meeting
This month our regular Saturday meeting is due to happen at our normal time of 10:00am on Saturday 24th July. This is 5 days after the suggested lifting of restriction that are due to happen on 19th July so we will keep our fingers crossed. The Saturday workshop, as usual, will concentrate on helping beginners to get a good grounding in their new hobby. We will certainly have three lathes out to be used (my small lathe has died and gone to meet its maker.)
Along with his initial newbie education there will be the usual tea and biscuits. After a lengthy discussion in the committee meeting last month we voted narrowly (carried by one vote) to buy new biscuits for the Saturday workshop to replace the ones we have in the tin which are only 17 months old - but hey - sod the expense.
I doubt we will see Brian Collins there with his wood, but the shop will be open and there will be plenty of things to spend your money on. As previously mailed - Brian had an accident in his workshop and broke his arm, so I don’t expect him back in the next few weeks that’s for sure. We wish him well and a speedy recovery. Poor Brian!
August meeting
We can get together properly in August and so on Tuesday 10th we will gather in the hall and have a members evening. Just in case you have forgotten the format of a members evening - we gather together, get all of the lathes out and do some turning. More than that - there will be a project to make - and each team will hope that their project will be the best and that they win the team prize. I already know what the project will be - and I am not telling! Cruel aren’t I Hee Hee. IT is something we have not done before, it is something I have never seen made by one of our visiting demonstrators, and it is something that has never been the subject of a monthly competition (I have checked). I hope you are curious - it will be good fun to make and even something that is perfect for beginners.
We wanted August to be a members evening so that we could get together on foot, allowing people to make their own space, and making it easy to catch up with people. Compare that to getting together for the first time and having to sit shoulder to shoulder and I tihnk there is no competition.
I shall dress accordingly. I can nowadays, unlike when I was a nipper. We were a poor family you see and all my school clothes came from the Army Surplus. I was the only Japanese General in my class.
New Camera equipment
Led by Mike Allen we have been investigating new camera equipment. Our first demonstrator is due to come and see up in September so we need to get our act in gear to allow enough time to get it and learn how to use it. Colin Cooper will be building us something to put it onto, and we are planning on losing most of the wires that are mostly aimed at tripping people up every month. We think we know what is needed - and we are very close to getting it.
Off to Welsh Wales.
I am away at the end of this week to go and play in Wales on my motorbike for a long weekend with some grown up bikers from the advanced riders group. I am looking forward to it, I know the roads in Wales are particularly well maintained - and they are picturesque, and they wind around a lot and I am so looking forward to it!! I will ride my bike all the way there as well, better than last time. I remember flying to the West Coast of Wales once with the Welsh version of Easy Jet, it was called Easy Boyo. The plane was delayed though, and after a long wait a stewardess in a thunderbirds-style miners helmet said there would be a four hour delay. I said why is that then - she said the pilot heard a funny noise in the engine, and it's taken 4 hours to find a pilot who can't hear it.
Be lucky my friends - hopefully we will see you on Tuesday evening on our Zoom call.
Phil Boulter
07836 274345
01635 826009