violin

My mother was told she had to learn to play the piano because it was a necessary part of a ladies portfolio, consequently she played the piano well but hated playing it. We therefore did not have a piano in the house but had to secretly learn on my grand mothers piano, my grand mother was forbidden to help us. My father had learned to play the violin and play to a good standard but even this did not stop my mother having a ban on the playing of the violin in the house, it was only Roy who seemed to get around my mothers ban when he bought a guitar and the Bert Weeden book of `Play in a Day´. When mother went to the shops with Lila, a friend from when she was four years old, my father would zoom to the garage and retrieve his violin and bow, put the music stand up in the back sitting room and play, often Hungarian gypsy music.
For the sake of interest I guess, Graham made a very good violin and my father was very impressed, Graham is a very good cabinet maker and extremely meticulous, his love of models and model making as been there all is life I guess that is my grand fathers influence. I had a workshop for many years at Rotherithe in London, there I shared a building with many instrument makers and repairers which naturally included violins and guitars. The making of instruments shows very much the techniques that are needed for restoration work and it is only the lack of musical ability that stops me trying to make them, however for those interested here is a marvelous site to help you.
http://www.centrum.is/hansi/construction.html

Cupim

I have spent several years fighting a battle to get rid of any cupim, termites to you and I, in the garden and house, with largely good success, yet they have returned into one of the plants in the garden and I guess that it is bye bye to the plant, it needs to be dug up and burnt and the the ground dug for a depth of about a metre in order to get the main colony. The tell tale signs are their half round tunnels that wander the garden walls in search of dry dead wood, your house or furniture for example.

Human interaction

The result of an infestation is severe wood damage.

Because of their wood-eating habits, termites sometimes do great damage to buildings and other wooden structures. Their habit of remaining concealed often results in their presence being undetected until the timbers are severely damaged and exhibit surface changes. Once termites have entered a building they do not limit themselves just to wood, also damaging paper, cloth, carpets, and other cellulosic materials. Often, other soft materials are damaged and may be used for construction. Particles taken from soft plastics, plaster, rubber and sealants such as silicon rubber and acrylics are often employed in construction.

Termites usually avoid exposure to unfavourable environmental conditions. They tend to remain hidden in tunnels in earth and wood. Where they need to cross an impervious or unfavourable substrate, they cover their tracks with tubing made of faeces, plant matter, and soil. Sometimes these shelter tubes will extend for many meters, such as up the outside of a tree reaching from the soil to dead branches. Termite barrier systems used for protecting buildings aim to prevent concealed termite access, thus forcing the termites out into the open where they must form clearly visible shelter tubes to gain entry.

Termites can be major agricultural pests, particularly in Africa and Asia where crop losses can be severe but counterbalancing this is the greatly improved water infiltration where termite tunnels in the soil allow rainwater to soak in deeply and help reduce runoff and consequent soil erosion.

In many cultures, termites are used for food (particularly the alates) and termite nests are used widely in construction (the dirt is often dust-free) and as a soil amendment.

Humans have moved many wood-eating species between continents, but have also caused drastic population decline in others through habitat loss and pesticide application.

Avoiding termite troubles

Termite damage on external structure

Coptotermes acinaciformis Bivouac

Coptotermes acinaciformis Bivouac (after treatment)

Precautions:

• Avoiding contact of susceptible timber with ground by using termite-resistant concrete, steel or masonry foundation with appropriate barriers. Even so, termites are able to bridge these with shelter tubes, and it has been known for termites to chew through piping made of soft plastics and even lead to exploit moisture. In general, new buildings should be constructed with embedded physical termite barriers so that there are no easy means for termites to gain concealed entry. While barriers of poisoned soil, so called termite pre-treatment, have been in general use since the 1970s, it is preferable that these be used only for existing buildings without effective physical barriers.
• The intent of termite barriers (whether physical, poisoned soil, or some of the new poisoned plastics) is to prevent the termites from gaining unseen access to structures. In most instances, termites attempting to enter a barriered building will be forced into the less favourable approach of building shelter tubes up the outside walls and thus they can be clearly visible both to the building occupants and a range of predators. Regular inspection by a competent (trained and experienced) inspector is the best defense.
• Timber treatment.
• Use of timber that is naturally resistant to termites such as Canarium australianum (Turpentine Tree), Callitris glaucophylla (White Cypress), or one of the Sequoias. Note that there is no tree species whose every individual tree yields only timbers that are immune to termite damage, so that even with well known termite-resistant timber types, there will occasionally be pieces that are attacked.

When termites have already penetrated a building, the first action is usually to destroy the colony with insecticides before removing the termites' means of access and fixing the problems that encouraged them in the first place. Baits (feeder stations) with small quantities of disruptive insect hormones or other very slow acting toxins have become the preferred least-toxic management tool in most western countries. This has replaced the dusting of toxins direct into termite tunnels which had been widely done since the early 1930s (originating in Australia). The main dust toxicants have been the inorganic metallic poison arsenic trioxide, insect growth regulators (hormones) such as Triflumuron and, more recently, fipronil. Blowing dusts into termite workings is a highly skilled process. All these slow-acting poisons can be distributed by the workers for considerable periods (hours to weeks) before any symptoms occur and are capable of destroying the entire colony. More modern variations include chlorfluazuron, Diflubenzuron, hexaflumuron, and Novaflumuron as bait toxicants and fipronil and imidacloprid as soil poisons. Soil poisons are the least-preferred method of control as this requires much larger doses of toxin and results in uncontrollable release to the environment.

Termites in the human diet

The alates are nutritious, having a good store of fat and protein, and are palatable in most species with a nutty flavour when cooked. They are easily gathered at the beginning of the rainy season in Central and Southern Africa when they swarm, as they are attracted to lights and can be gathered up when they land on nets put up around a lamp. The wings are shed and can be removed by a technique similar to winnowing. They are best gently roasted on a hot plate or lightly fried until slightly crisp; oil is not usually needed since their bodies are naturally high in oil. Traditionally they make a welcome treat at the beginning of the rainy season when livestock is lean, new crops have not yet produced food and stored produce from the previous growing season is running low.

Brazilian flower power

Having a garden allows you to walk in your own make believe and to create moods to suite your own. I love the fact that I have fruit and flowers that sit and wait for me to return and appreciate them, always changing and surprising plants give the ultimate present of a flower, it seems impossible to think that anyone dislikes the presence of their calm beauty. Brazil as many plants and flowers that are similar to those now grown in Europe but it does have its secret weapons and they are outstanding and yet somehow common here. Here is an interesting list from a site selling Brazilian flower essences


flasks with 30ml READY-TO-USE FLOWER ESSENCES. Researches at the brazilian north-east native flora with few ancient native folklore medicine men knowledge.

Plume Grass: capim pluma
Clears the mind of negative thoughts. Brings optimism and faith that attract luck. Creates a psychic shield to provide protection from the negative

thoughts of others.

Father’s Love: carinho de pai
Develops in fathers the capacity to express affection. Heals the child’s emotional pain or sorrow related to her/his father. For the lack of paternal

love. Heals father-child relationships.

hrist-heart: coração de cristo
For all forms of egoism and individualism. Connects people to their inner “Christ-like Self”. An anti-carcinogenic flower. Develops the spiritual

quality of fraternity.

Happy-heart: coração feliz
Harmonizes the relationship between the sexes. For those with trauma in love. Brings happiness and balance to the relationship.

Star of Dalva: Estrela D´Alva
Elevates self-esteem bringing self-love. Develops the sharing potential, the feeling of being together, and the happiness of being alone also.

Clitoral Flower: flor clitoriana
Heals the rape trauma. It brings protection to the woman’s aura. Also an aphrodisiac for women.

Water Flower: Flor D´água
Clears memories of ancestral traumas and those of past lives. Helps change the tendency to feel guilty in all situations. It renews the individuality.

Joy Flower: flor da alegria
A working tonic. It brings focus and a healthy tension for work. It brings discipline.

Surrender: flor da entrega
For those with excessive worries about the well-being of others. Heals the “guilt syndrome”.

A pioneering study just released by Brazil's IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística - Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) in Rio de Janeiro on the production of flowers and ornamental plants shows that cultivation of flowers provides more jobs than agriculture in Brazil. The work confirms that the planting of flower and ornamental plants already employs, on the average, double the number of workers engaged in agriculture and livestock-raising and predominates on properties with less than 10 hectares. Based on the 1995-96 Agricultural Census, the study, Characterization of the Brazilian Flower and Ornamental Plant Productive Sector, is the first investigation of its type. The flower sector, according to the IBGE, has great export potential and represents a significant alternative for the generation of jobs and income on small properties. The study discovered 7,561 properties, leased lands, partnerships, or rural occupancies that, between August, 1995, and July, 1996, earned US$ 108.6 million (311.12 million reais), US$ 65.7 million (188.11 million reais) of which came from the production of flowers and ornamental plants on a total area of 434,935 hectares. Of the 2,963 rural establishments in which the production of flowers and ornamental plants was the principal activity, the vast majority (1,941) had less than 10 hectares, and 10,014 of the 21,844 employees of these establishments worked on properties with fewer than 10 hectares of occupied area. The average number of workers per establishment was 7.4, double the average for Brazilian agriculture as a whole (3.7 workers per establishment). Agência Brasil Translator: David Silberstein

pigeon fanciers

Here is a short story about my grand father´s love of pigeons.

The Egyptians and the Persians first used carrier pigeons 3,000 years ago. They also were used to proclaim the winner of the Olympics.
I do not remember my age but just at a guess about 12 years old, when I and at least one of my brothers where at my grand parents house, or arrived there and not getting any joy at the front door went down the side ofe the house to the back gate and entered the garden at the rear to find my grand father, Lewis George Hill, looking skyward and cooing. High above his head were two birds circling and catching the wind currents, he was fixed upon them and trying hard to catch their attention. He told us, myself and Malcolm, I think, that the birds were homing pigeons and more than likely had lost direction or had been blown off course, they were circling high to see any landmarks that could help them recapture the route back to base. He felt that they were getting exhausted and wanted them to drop down to a height were they could see he had food for them. The persistence paid off and the pigeons duly arrived on the tiled roof. From there they descended to the top of the out houses and then he encouraged them inside the small coal house. His attention was then drawn to the rings that had been placed on the legs of both birds, explaining to us that these rings could show both time and place that they had been released, for racing, with the identity of the owner and the birds registration. He kept the birds, not locked up during the day time but free to fly and sit in the open air, I cannot remember the sequence of events after but just that he discovered the owners and the birds were duly returned.

This Domestic pigeon breed and the

Racing

In short, competing birds are taken from their lofts and must race home. The time taken and distance are recorded and the fastest bird is declared the winner.

Provided it survives the many hazards associated with racing, a single pigeon could compete from about 6 months of age and still be in competition at over ten years of age. Such feats are uncommon, however, and the average racing career rarely exceeds three years.

To compete in a race, it must wear a permanent, unique numbered ring or band that is placed on its leg at about 5 days of age. For a race to be conducted, the competing pigeons must be entered into the race, usually at the organization's clubhouse, and taken away from their home to be released at a predetermined time and location. The distance between the bird's home loft and the race point is carefully measured by GPS and the time taken by the bird to return is measured using one of the two acceptable timing methods. Sometimes as in some leagues there are 2 divisions. One for the young birds (usually yearling's in their first year of competition and another for the old birds.

Traditional timing method

Inside an older pigeon clock

Some old style pigeon clocks use thimbles.

The traditional method of timing racing pigeons involves rubber rings with unique serial numbers and a specially designed pigeon racing clock. The ring is attached around the bird's leg before being sent to race. The serial number is recorded, the clock is set and sealed, and the bird carries the ring home. When the first bird returns, its trainer removes the ring and places it in a slot in the clock. The time that the ring was placed in the clock and is recorded as the official time that the competing bird arrived home. From this timestamp an average speed is measured and a winner of the race can be found.

Although serving its purpose, this method has proved somewhat problematic for a few reasons:

1. The pigeon's "official time" is not the actual time it arrived, it is the time the ring was removed, placed in the clock and recorded, which could be many vital seconds later.
2. Exceptional pigeons may arrive home first on multiple occasions; knowing it is going to have the ring removed speedily, which may be uncomfortable, the pigeon could be reluctant to enter the loft for the trainer.

city farms

In England, during and after the Second World War, there was a campaign run by the government to rally the spirit of the people by ´Growing for Victory ´and this had the effect of creating the allotment and the back garden farm. My grand parents dug up their garden and had fruit trees, vegetables and chickens, so I am not surprised that this would rub off on myself and my brothers.
Graça was asking me about my brothers and in particular my brother Roy, born Grenville Roy Simkins and using the name Gren for the first 18 years of his life until he worked at Kings Heath Park, Birmingham and met his future wife Jean, at this point we discovered that our brother was known to the world outside as Roy, I have no difficulty with the change because I have been away from my parents house for the last 40 years and when I communicate with Roy I use that name and also all my friends know him by that name, Graham and Malcolm however have not changed and for them he is Gren, the name mom always called him.
Roy as far as I can remember was not so fond of school and at the age of 15 , when he could leave school, he left school and got a job for the council in one of their parks, possibly at Handsworth Park. It was is calling and he always seems to be happy when his hands are covered with soil, he moved from one park to another and changed job titles as he went along, moving gradually into the greenhouses and there meeting Jean. Later he was involved with the production of plants for the councils bedding schemes and won many awards at the regional shows, he also had several TV appearances with Percy Thrower.
I do not remember why the council closed the greenhouses at Roy´s work but he was moved, or given an option to move to a living farm museum at

Sandwell Park Farm

The seventh stop on the Walk West Bromwich Heritage Trail is Sandwell Park Farm.

In Sandwell Valley is Sandwell Park Farm, a fully restored 18th century farm which was constructed to supply food throughout the year to the Earls of Dartmouth’s estate and Sandwell Hall.

A variety of livestock housed within the central courtyard and adjoining pasture are the actual breeds which would have been kept on the farm at the turn of the century.

The Victorian Kitchen Garden demonstrates the techniques used to supply vegetables and fresh fruit to Sandwell Hall. The farm also contains collection of old agricultural machinery and displays illustrating human activity in Sandwell Valley from pre-historic times.

A bit of history

Communities growing food together is not a new thing. All early agricultural systems seemed to have been co-operative activities, with land, tools and harvest all shared. However, as cultures have developed, ownership of land has tended fall into fewer hands.

This concentration of control does, in fact, affect almost all areas of life - not just land ownership.

During the 1960s the growth of community action escalated, in part as a reaction against this lack of control and access to resources. Many communities set up projects such as youth clubs, under-fives groups, tenant or resident associations, community centres and elderly projects.

Similarly, some groups around the country saw some derelict land in their neighbourhood and decided that it should be used as a community garden - a place that is run by the community to meet their own needs. Part of the inspiration for this was the growth of the community garden movement in the United States.

Over the years more and more community gardens were established, although many depended on short-term lease agreements or indeed squatting.

In 1972 the first city farm was established in Kentish Town, London. This larger project not only included gardening space but also farm animals, influenced by the children's farm movement in the Netherlands.

What are city farms and community gardens?

They are community-managed projects working with people, animals and plants. They range from tiny wildlife gardens to fruit and vegetable plots on housing estates, from community polytunnels to large city farms.

They exist mainly in urban areas and are created in response to a lack of access to green space, combined with a desire to encourage strong community relationships and an awareness of gardening and farming.

City farms and community gardens are often developed by local people in a voluntary capacity, and commonly retain a strong degree of volunteer involvement. Some larger community farms and gardens employ many workers whilst others are run solely by small groups of dedicated volunteers. Most are run by a management committee of local people and some are run as partnerships with local authorities, whilst retaining strong local involvement.

Most projects provide food-growing activities, training courses, school visits, community allotments and community businesses. In addition, some provide play facilities and sports facilities, and after school and holiday schemes.

What do they look like?

There is no typical city farm or community garden as each develops according to the local area and in response to the needs of the local community.

They are places where people of all ages, all ethnic backgrounds, all abilities and from all sections of the community are made welcome.

Why do they matter to people?

"It's all about including people, providing a 'growing space' for groups and individuals. People come to the farm because they want to work with animals, but they stay because of the people.
- Rob Gayler, Farm Manager, Lambourne End Centre, Essex

translations

This is a note about my addition of the translation service in the box so marked, it is
http://www.windowslivetranslator.com
it can be used for text only or the complete blog page, the big advantage is that the image of the before and after page are along side one another with all the photos as the original. If you first remember copy the site address from the tool bar and then paste it into the URL box of the translator.

Esta é apenas uma nota sobre minha adição do serviço de tradução na caixa tão marcado, é
http://www.windowslivetranslator.com/BV.aspx?#http://stuartsbrasil.blogspot.com/
para este local mas pode ser usada para o texto somente, a vantagem grande é que a imagem do antes e depois da página é ao longo do lado uma outra com todas as fotos como o original. Se você recorda primeiramente copiar o endereço do local da barra da ferramenta e o colar então na caixa do URL do tradutor

It occurs to me that this is an ideal tool for learning a language as the original and translation are set in context and you do not need to leave the page or make copies of the words to be translated.

scottish influence

PIONEER LOCOMOTIVES

The first locomotives used in Brazil were of course English and, as was the custom in England they were baptized with the names of personages or regions. Those with formed part of the D. Pedro II railway's rolling stock at its inauguration were named "Emperor", "Empress", "Paulista", "Mineira", "Fluminense", "Brazil", "Progress" and "Industry".
Irineu Evangelista de Sousa was an entrepreneur born in 1813, on 28th December, and after the death of his father was sent to Rio de Janeiro with his uncle in order to prevent a confrontation with his mother's new husband.

He began work at nine years old, and at the age of 15 he was working for a Scot, Richard Carruthers, who made him responsible for the import side of the business, and eight years later gave him a partnership in the business. A visit to England inspired him to start up his own business and his intuition informed him what Brazil's immediate needs would be.

He founded a shipyard and foundry in 1845, and within a year was employing 300 workers. He diversified into building cranes for the construction industry. He founded the Rio De Janeiro Gas Illumination Company, and built the pipes required to convey the gas. He also saw the need for fast and convenient transportation in Brazil, and in 1852 built the first section of Brazilian railroad between Rio De Janeiro and Petropolis. For this he was made Baron of Mauá. The final section was not completed until 1883.

In a very short time he made enough money to expand into banking, investments and other engineering projects. He constructed sugar mills for the Brazilian sugar industry, and in 1873 received authorization to lay a submarine telegraph cable, starting at Copacabana, to link Brazil with Europe. This was done in 1874, and was rewarded by being promoted to viscount. The Baron of Mauá was also responsible for the first paved highway in Brazil, between Petrópolis and Juiz De Fora.

He got involved in a number of other Brazilian railroads, and if a railroad was needed in Brazil, he was involved. He founded the current second Bank of Brazil: the first bank, not his, had failed in 1829! He was also president of the McGregor and Co bank in Mauá and funded many projects that would make Brazil the modern country that it is today. Prior to his involvement, Brazil consisted of many unconnected geographical areas and towns and effective trade was difficult.

By 1867 he had amassed a vast fortune, the richest man in his country, and he also had significant financial interests in Uruguay, his company being effectively the bank of Uruguay. However, in 1864, the closing of Casa Souto generated an economic meltdown and many banks and businesses went to the wall, among them de Souza's group of companies, and he was obliged in 1875 to request a moratorium on his debts.

Although bankrupt, he was a man of extreme integrity and he paid his creditors by selling his assets and many of his personal effects such as his houses, his jewelry and other belongings. He retained his one house in Petropolis, his Mauá Palace, where he lived out the rest of his days, a sad ending for a man that had so much to develop his country.

His politics were liberal and he was an abolitionist, the Portuguese slave trade being strong in Brazil. He was also opposed to the 1864 War of the Triple Alliance against Paraguay that eventually resulted in the ruination of that country, and the death of vast numbers of its civilian population.

The man that opened up Brazil with his railroads, roads and canals died in Petropolis on October 22nd, 1889, on the spot where, fittingly, the Secretariat of Industry now stands.

Mauá - O imperador e o rei
(Drama / Nacional) DVD

• O filme conta a história verídica de Irineu Evangelista de Souza, gaúcho que aos 9 anos - órfão de pai - vai para o Rio de Janeiro trabalhar no comércio. Com impressionante tino comercial o jovem Irineu ganha o reconhecimento do escocês Richard Carruthers, que o educa segundo as regras do liberalismo. Aos 30 anos ele é a maior fortuna do Império brasileiro e se casa com May, sua própria sobrinha. Agraciado com o título de Barão de Mauá, Irineu funda o Banco do Brasil, monta a primeira estrada de ferro brasileira e ilumina a gás o Rio de Janeiro. Aos poucos ele é considerado o homem mais rico do Brasil. Seu sucesso começa a incomodar o Imperador Dom Pedro II e seu grupo de conselheiros.
  
  DVD: Menu Interativo; Seleção de Cenas; Trailer; Sobre o Elenco; Sobre o Diretor; Áudio Comentários; Bastidores do Filme; Legendas: Inglês, Português, Espanhol e Francês; Idiomas: Português (Dolby Digital 2.0); Formato de Tela: Letterbox (4x3).
  
  Brasil, 1999. Direção: Sérgio Rezende. Elenco: Paulo Betti, Malu Mader, Othon Bastos, Antonio Pitanga , Cláudio Correia e Castro. Duração: 138 min.

Painting

I have returned to painting after a very long period of other interest and generally lack of time for me to relax sufficiently to be free of personal criticism, this I have yet to over come but I am working on it . I have put a few paintings on the Saatchi site and if any of you are budding artists it is a free site that will display your work and you can use it to sell the paintings, sculpture, photos or videos. I wish to have a style that is my own before deciding to sell my work but have thought it better to open the work for criticism and not paddle along my own sweet path. My friend Tom has two galleries in Edinburgh so please visit his site as well. Campbell and I did the interiors for both galleries.

french classic copper

This is just a bit of nostalgia for me since I used to have a good collection of cooking ware and I was fond of the copper bain marie. If you like this type of ware and the French style here is good site.
http://www.thefrenchhouse.net/category/show/9

Pitta love

Here readers is a very short posting for those readers who love pitta bread but have forgotten to go and buy some. Click on pitta for more recipes

Preparation time :	45 minutes, plus 2 hours 20 minutes rising
Cooking time :	6 minutes to 10 minutes
Total time :	3 hours 11 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes

Makes: 12 small pitta breads

Ingredients

450g strong plain flour
2 heaped tsp easy blend yeast
½ tsp salt
3 tbsp toasted sesame oil
4 tbsp white sesame seeds,mixed with a little flour

Method

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the yeast and salt. Add about 300ml water and knead to form a dough. The amount of water you need will vary according to the flour: add enough to form a slightly firm, supple dough. Remove from the bowl and turn on to a clean surface.
2. Knead well for 10 minutes, then roughly flatten the dough and push in lots of little holes with your fingers. Pour on 1 tbsp sesame oil and knead it in. Repeat the process, adding a second tablespoon of sesame oil. After 5 minutes, the dough should feel soft and silky. Add the final tablespoon of sesame oil to a large bowl. Make sure its sides are well oiled then add the dough, lightly rubbing it in the oil. Cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place until doubled in size (about 2 hours).
3. Lay out a sheet of foil and lightly sprinkle with some of the sesame seed and flour mix. Turn the dough out and knock it back. Knead for 5 minutes then divide into 12 pieces. Take the first and roll into a ball. Then, on a surface dusted with more of the sesame seed and flour mixture, press it flat and roll into a 5mm-thick oval (no thinner). Put on the foil, unseeded side down, gently pressing onto the seeds. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
4. Cover with a tea towel to prevent drying and leave to prove for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, oil 2 large baking sheets and place in the oven. Turn to its maximum heat.
5. The pitta breads should look puffy. Transfer them to the hot baking sheets and bake for 6-10 minutes until risen and lightly coloured. Don't open the oven door while cooking. Transfer to a rack to cool.

Lunch with Paco Pena

'The controversy hit the headlines in the Blair government because of the appointment of Derry Irving as Lord Chancellor. Irving'
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom.
Well to be honest I could not understand the controversy at the appointment of a very experienced lawyer and the previous employer of Tony and Cherie Blair, more the strange that Cherie should be in the centre of all this when you consider the strange antics of her father and also antics of her own, 'not long before the 1997 election, a newspaper rang (Margaret) to say they had a paparazzi shot of Cherie topless by a pool in Tuscany, reading a book. They were worried it might not be Cherie, and they would look very foolish if they used it'. Still it became apparent much later that along with Derry having problems with his son in America so did Tony with his son in London, the modern problem of trying to be parents when you have no time for the job. 'Derry Irving spent a lot of money on wallpaper, etc. The Tories on the other hand - Archer and Aitken were both sent prison for committing ...'
Can I give you this link on judiciary for it rather sums up the basics of social life and its control via government, here in Brazil I have found the odd reverse of the use of law, the government do not wish the public to be involved greatly with the countries affairs so make seemingly fundamental laws which are appeasing but never ever enforced.
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the_judiciary.htm

I am going to go a round about way to get to Paco but it is part of the strange way that I meet people. When I first arrived in Edinburgh to live with Susan I arrived with a large lorry full of
wood and machines from my workshop in Shotleyfield, I had to arrange a workshop before hand although not having much knowledge of Edinburgh, I therefore went on size and price for rent as well as finding a location near Susi´s work, she taught at a junior school in a deprived area of Edinburgh. Along with other things in my life I had not planned the move but accepted it, so the fact that after the first six months I was spending most of my time as a mother to Joe, Susi`s child by Bill(he is now a women after his sex change) and a cook cleaner for Susi I had very little time to find work let alone do it.
I was losing money rapidly having a large workshop but no work, not wanting to give up I initially tried to get teaching work to supplement my workshop and the half that I was paying for the house bills. It became clear that I needed to get a cheaper location and therefore a smaller workshop. Sarah, Susi`s sister, spotted an advert in the Times newspaper for a council workshop space in the centre of town near the Waverly Station, when I saw it I said yes straight away and signed the rental agreement that day.
The workshop at New Street was one of 16 classrooms in an old junior school and it meant that I was central as well as having company. The company proved a great support as my marriage to Susi was awful and saw me in the end seeing the doctor and psychologist and then divorce. My neighbor at New Street was Andrew and he was an ulpholster who was of retirement age and as such was planning to retire. Our joint neighbor was William Trist, a cabinet maker(sadly William developed a brain tumor and died a few years ago, he left a wife and two children) who had been working in Edinburgh for more 12 years and therefore had many clients and good contacts, which he was in no way going to share with me. Andrew had fallen out with William over an unpaid bill, Andrew and William working closely for a number of years due to their close proximity, therefore Andrew started to feed all his own clients to me and also went out of his way to recommend myself to others, of these Laurance Black and George Haggerty were to prove significant. George mainly because he introduced me to a great friend Murdo Mcload who then introduced me to Michael Bennett-Levy and Laurance gave me many clients , one of whom was Derry Irving. I did get introduced to and had for many years has a client, Jimmy Boyle, a former Glasgow gangster who served 15 years for murder, and then reinvented himself as a successful sculptor and prisoner's rights activist. see small black and white photo above.
I had repaired many pieces of furniture for Derry and one day he asked me if I could make a handrail for the stone spiral staircase in his house on the banks of Loch Long, near Tarbet on the west coast of Scotland (The Tarbert Seafood Festival is one of the premier festivals in Argyll in Scotland. Tarbert's beautiful natural harbour is the perfect backdrop for a festival that showcases some of the finest seafood that Scotland has to offer. The arrival of the Seafood Queen and Princesses by fishing boat to be crowned in this picturesque fishing village heralds the start of the festival, which includes live bands, street entertainers, children's entertainers, mouth watering cookery demonstrations and a traditional boat) the timber we chose was spalted Birch, spalting is a timber that as been subject to fungal attack and it leaves the wood with an effect similar to a black line drawing, having completed the handrail, we where left with a lot of off cuts, so it was decided to make a garden table that was dismountable for storage during the severe winters. I had origionaly tried to get Derry to let me make some chairs from a few beautiful African hardwoods but strangely he did not want to pay 3000 pounds sterling for the two arm chairs!
I cannot be certain of the dates but do remember that Edneide and her daughter Ednanda were with me at the time of delivering the table to Tarbert, Derry had suggested that I arrived at about mid day but the roads to Tarbert weave in and around the different Lochs so the journey from Edinburgh to Derry´s house takes about four and a half hours, we arrived late and quickly unloaded the table, Derry said that there were visitors and he wanted us to stay for lunch. Edneide and Ednanda did not speak any English so it was going to be a bit difficult trying to get them to be involved in the conversation. Surprisingly two of the guests were Paco Pena and his wife, or not surprising in that Derry had been an instigator in getting Paco to go to England with his Flamenco dance company, they on the other hand spoke Spanish so Paco and his wife very graciously involved my wife and step daughter in the conversation and allowed me to enjoy the meal without having to interpret.

potters turn

I know that michael as the horrors of Zoe setting up a kiln in France and myself building a forge, when Zoe returns from her night class with another bowl he mutters that it is yet more junk that he will have to lose somewhere, not true about Zoe's ability for the pots are nice pieces but I know what he means. The house can get very over run by new buys and craft magazines, Zoe is into renovation mags at the moment so that must be driving Michael a wee bit potty.
When Jacky and I lived near hexham and she had the part share in a shop, Lizzy ran the antiques side and some beds in our part, Jacky sold Liberty furnishing fabrics and made to order curtains and cushions. We also sold pottery and small table lamps , which I made quite a few, metal folliage chandaliers as well as a varied range of decorative items. Jacky liked the Emma Bridgewater sponge ware and by all accounts so did a lot of ladies in Hexham, the pottery was fun with little chickens, pigs and cows gently printed on with sponge or cork or something else. We had what ever was not sold in the kitchen at home, as part of our collection as well as a lot of pottery that had been collected in Exeter and London. In Exeter we had a lovelly cider jar with a tap and six pottery goblets made by a local potter, later in London we found a new potter that was producing similar work and started to buy their pots for use in the kitchen, the potters were Joanna and Andrew Young. David Mellor was a strong influence on our kitchen and I see from the A & J Young web page that he is still supporting them. I also collected antique French glass and loved to buy odd calvados glasses when ever we where in France, ususlly Dieppe as it was a quick crossing and we would go there to do some shopping and have a nice meal.
I am all for encouraging Zoe to explore art in what ever form it is and even better when the art can be used for day to day.

As a frequent part of set designing was to create outdoor scenes it was also a frequent part of the work for David and myself to create life like hedges and trees that were also fire proofed to give a minimum of 30 minutes escape time. Anything that is in front of the iron curtain needs to be inherently fire proof (every theatre as a drop down metal screen which is to stop any fire on stage from entering the auditorium, most then have some wool or better silk curtains that are the ones that most people see and are lifted in an elegant scissor motion, this allows these curtains to be dropped rapidly) all that is on the stage behind the iron can be flame retarded by spraying with chemicals.
For several years David and I would sit there cutting out calico leaves, lots and lots of leaves, with scissors, scattering them on the workshop floor and then spraying them with what ever colour was needed for the season of the play. One play that certainly springs to mind was Anton Chekov's 'Three Sisters' but there have been many plays requiring the stage to be littered with fallen autumn foliage.
David hit on the idea of us looking up any small company that produced artifical flowers and see if they had any cutters for leaves as well the the flowers, the company we found was Burt Brothers in Bow, London and they had everything there, it reminded me of Exeter were there was an old merchants shop selling vertually anything you needed from a wick for an old oil lamp to an out of date cycle chain, the youngest chap in the shop was about 75 years old and the older brother was in his 90's, this was the same for Burt Brothers.
They cut calico or silk leaves and then veined the leaves for us and we only had to colour the little gems.

Cloth and Paper Flowers

Paper flowers

Five main processes may be distinguished:

• The first step consists of putting the fabric in gelatine in order to stiffen it.
• The second consists of cutting up the various fabrics and materials employed into shapes suitable for forming the leaves, petals, etc.; this may be done with scissors, but more often with stamps that can cut through a dozen or more thicknesses at one blow.
• The veins of the leaves are next impressed by means of a die, and the petals are given their natural rounded forms by goffering irons of various shapes.
• The next step is to assemble the petals and other parts of the flower, which is built up from the center outwards;
• The fifth is to mount the flower on a stalk of brass or iron wire wrapped with suitably colored material, and to add the leaves to complete the spray.

Paper and cloth flowers are also made with origami.

Scots aside

Being English born but with some inbuilt desfunction as far as patriotism is concerned, I for instance support Scotland when they play England, support Brazil when they play against anyone, now heaven knows what I will do about supporting France, I still got a really rough introduction to living in Scotland and in some ways it as not been too easy starting life afresh in Brazil as one white Gringo.
I cannot remember the first time I visited Scotland but it was probably to the feastival in order to watch the Incredible String Band, that is for all intense and purposes now virtually lost to history, I will try to recover some info for this post. My memory of the band was from my school days and that John Swift, he lives in Scotland now and I hope still plays a lute made by my friend Stefan (Hexhamshire) was a friend of Robin Williamson. The groups simple and elfish style, also I was fond of Tyranasaurus Rex with Mark Bolan who sadly died young in a car accident, do you remember the 1968, 1969 and 1970 Isle of Wight feastival. Well on 26 June 1970 I got married and Jacky and I lived in a tent, well friends of mine went to the 1970 Isle of Whight feastival and let us stay in their caravan which was near Exeter, on a fixed site, absolute luxury, shower, kitchen and a double bed with sound system and lots of records, you can image what two young love birds did there. Heaven I tell you.

Isle of Wight Festival was held on August 26 - 31, 1970. It was held on Afton Down an area on the Western side of the Isle of Wight. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970. It was widely acknowledged as the largest musical event of its time (until Summer Jam at Watkins Glen in 1973), greater than the attendance of Live Aid, Woodstock and Rock in Rio. The Guinness Book of Records has cited its attendance as 600,000, this is just above the organisers' estimate of 500,000.

The Isle of Wight Festivals had already attracted a massive reputation in 1968 and in 1969 by attracting acts such as Jefferson Airplane, T.Rex, The Move, Pretty Things, Joe Cocker and Bob Dylan (in his first performance since his 1966 motorcycle accident) and The Who in its foundation years. The organisers Fiery Creations (apparently alias brothers Ronald Foulk and Raymond Foulk) were determined to make the 1970 event a legendary event. In this aim they enlisted the mercurial talents of Jimi Hendrix. With Jimi confirmed artists such as The Doors, The Who, Joan Baez, and Free willingly took up the chance to play on the Island. The event had a magnificent but impractical site, a strong but inconsistent line up and the logistical nightmare of transporting 600,000 on to the Island with a population of less than 100,000. The aftermath and commercial failings of the festival ensured it would be the last event of its kind on the Isle of Wight for thirty-two years.

Mark Bolan changed his group to T Rex and they became popular whilst i was still in London, I met Mark when I was in Exeter and actualy arranged digs for him for one night, I had asked him back to my friends flat but they stupidly refused, what a hell of a contact I lost because of that.

I reckon that Jacky was part smitten with me because I arrived at college with long hair and a beard, at one time my hair was over half a metre in length and I dressed in unsual clothes that I bought from the charity shops or at the local auctions, clothes from the 1930's along with ex naval and fire brigade clothes, I could easily have fitted into the Incredible String bands photo without any problem. Sorry there are no photos of me from that time, another loss to three times divorced, Edneide one day burnt all the photos of Jacky and Susan! When we moved to London we used the back garden as a mini alotment and became yet another of John Seymores self sufficient bohemians.

If any one is interested to hear about John Seymore, photo John with whisky I reckon and not home made beer, after the 70's there is a web site for his school of self sufficiency at Killowen, Ireland. http://www.self-sufficiency.net/History.htm
and here is a short extract that shows the results of one divorce and not three.......................

John had retired from farming in 1980 when he sold his farm to his children in Wales. He had got into terrible debt after his divorce from his first wife Sally. He was unable to buy another home for himself because of his debts but he had heard from a friend that there was a small cottage in Ireland which he could rent for £10 per week. This sounded perfect to John, here was a rural idyll in which to devote some time to writing. It was then he asked Angela if she would like to go along with him. Angela was one of the young students who had been working at the farm. She had already been doing secretarial work for John and, being Irish, she was deemed an ideal companion.

Take care with marriage and it may take care of you.

breakfast with friends

‘Ingraçado’ I have spent my Sunday cleaning the house so that I do not have mountains to do before leaving for Scotland, as you can expect living here the plastic sacks of opened rice and haricot beans were full of small insects and I sifted them all out and squashed the beasties, I apologise to those Buddhists reading this, put the rice and beans into sealed tubs and thought that’s that. Ha but today I poured the cereals into the breakfast bowl and caught a glimpse of several insects hoping around, they look uncannily very much like tiny grains if they stay still, this is what they have learnt to do if you start fishing around with your finger trying to find them.

I have had some success with not being invaded by the tiniest ants which love things sweet and that may well be because I do not have a great likeness for sugar as such. Rubem and Mirian’s house have problems with these tiny ants as does Graça’s seventh floor apartment. I had got used to eating ants with everything when I was first here and it was when Edneide and her family tribe left, that I realised it is very much to do with lifestyle and not a permanent problem.

I was once not only fond of cooking but also a good cook, even when living with Susie I kept trying to cook meals that were above the norm, Susie and Joe however were hamburger and chips in front of the TV types and did not like me cooking up a full Indian meal that was then placed on the dining table, hell, how could they watch the latest East enders episode if they were stuck eating their meal in the kitchen, no way. They did however like Chinese cooking and I had some experience of this in London, David’s wife Billy was Malaysian Chinese and her father had been a chef, she gave cookery lessons to which Jacky attended and so then I learnt some techniques, she being the far superior cook by a long way.

I am starting now to re think my life and part of this is to find a renewed interest in cooking, I have in fact always been thin but am even thinner at the moment, I lose weight rapidly and could do with eating more to be visually better, here most people walk around with not much on, close to the beach and constant temperatures of 30 degrees, 21 degrees at night, good do you not think. Winter is determined by the on coming of more rain and the rain tends to make the temperature drop.

I have done my good turn the other day in that I drove into Salvador to collect and pay for a small shipment of Guarana, Arrembite, capsules for John Falconer and Lucia, they have the Brazilian Sensation restaurant in Edinburgh. John met Lucia in Brazil more than 24 years ago, do not remember how long they have been married, they have been running the present restaurant for the last 15 years or so and surprisingly it is John that does a lot of the cooking, although Lucia is any match for him. Lucia to be honest does not like restaurant life and has a small Samba dance class that she takes every week, this is her love and she dances well. The restaurant is a juice bar during the day and serves food by appointment in the evening. It has aweb site and can be found there for information over their fruit pulp and freeze dried fruit products.

http://www.braziliansensation.co.uk/Restaurant.html

Coppiced woodland

In the pictures above you can see coppiced woodland and the mobile saw mill that can be used for conversion of timber on a small scale. Whilst at Shotley Field and making furniture there for a largely agricultural client base I had full intentions to construct a solar kiln, to dry timber, and buy a very similar milling outfit for my own conversion of timber. I had contact with about four small timber mills and timber dryers, some used converted lorry containers and old refridgerators to form kilns, which on the whole worked. The problem for me was to get the dimensions , thickness, that I needed because I would be ordering timber at least six months in advance of use, I was generally taking orders for furniture at least 18 months in advance for me to cut timber and have it dried. So my idea was to cut and dry for my own use, cheaper and more practical. I had cut and was storing three large Beech trees at the time that I became divorced and had to leave them for others to use for what ever they wished, I had no space to take these logs to Edinburgh.
The old farmland was often fenced with either drystone walls or by coppiced hedges. Coppicing a hedge and then cutting at a steep angle allows for very rapid growth and dense thicket within the hedge, preventing all but the smallest animal escaping. It possibly needs less maintainance than dry walling, which generally needs an inspection by the farmer every few days. The principle is to crop the top of the Holly, Hasel or Beech, whatever is used, and then near the base of the small trunks make a cut into the trunk so that will split under gentle pressure, this is to lay the hedge sideways and thus promote more growth at the base and not the tips of the small trees.
By the way the fugus in the photo is an edible one, at Shotley Field we had lots of different types growing wild near the river and in the woodland, from horse mushrooms the size of dinner plates to puff balls. http://cuisineparadisekitchentips.blogspot.com/2007/04/mushrooms_13.html

There are many features of the British and European forrest and heathland that require maintainance and in many cases restoration. http://lucyannwrites.blogspot.com/2007/08/butterflies-and-coppicing.html
A habitat is generally understood to mean simply the place where an organism lives. It may also refer to the place occupied by an entire community of organisms. Woodland, ponds, hedges and rotting wood are all habitats. The habitat of an organism or group of organisms (population) includes other organisms as well as the surrounding physical environment.

Landscapes are made up of an interweaving of habitats, often with no clearly defined boundaries. Landscapes have been shaped over aeons by weather, geological movements and latterly by humans. Humans have been an integral part of the landscape for thousands of years and have been shaping and altering their surroundings ever since the discovery of agriculture in Neolithic times in Britain. In order to retain a diversity of habitats and species, it is vital that we continue to have an input through habitat management and restoration.

Over the last hundred years there has been an unprecedented change in the UK countryside and this has resulted in the destruction of British habitats. It is important to appreciate that it is the habitats which are the key to having a diversity of species in the country. You cannot have wildlife without the habitats. These changes have been brought about by modern agriculture, forestry, the extensive urbanization of the countryside and the expansion of every town and city. This is not solely a European problem as here in Brazil the rate of economic growth, partly due to the colapse of other countries economies, is certainly driving an expansion of housing and the vast majority of this is without any form of planning, nearly always take place near rivers and consequently leads to pollution and pollution that is quickly spread.
There is this year a great increase in the mosquito population all over Brazil and the near epidemic proportions of virus related illness such as Dengue. I can vouch for the unpleasantness of Dengue as I caught it a month ago and it left me drained for weeks, there are 4 types of this virus and it can kill.

Wood and me

I suppose I should spend some time on talking about wood as it as been part of my families history and mine, for the last 28 years of my career has been spent learning something about its nature and its spirit, mind you I am not one to go hugging trees, their beauty is certain and the idea of them having thoughts is well, absurd.
Please if anyone is to be hugged its your friend, neighbour, mother, father, brothers, sisters, bank manager(if you have difficulty getting a loan) but trees no. There is however one attribution that I think does work for family and trees and that is possitive thoughts and patience, it is also very much what you need if you wish to have a career using timber for making objects or just growing timber.
I have had quite a few assistants in the past and see them virtually all struggling to make wood into furniture, I have to tell them that the only result from a battle with the timber is that they will lose. Like a lot of things in life one day you discover that its not such hard work as you once thought, bending to the needs of the timber and designing accordingly, making ajustments in response to pieces of timber that is front of you, even some exceptions like the steaming of wood to bend it for chair or violin making still requires the cabinet maker to select the correct grain and pay attention to its density and brittleness, not all timber can be steamed bent and still be strong.

The illustration of various timbers is perhaps easier for me if I give the link here to John Boddy Timber, they are a family run business that I have used for more than 20 years and have great faith in the fact that they are truelly concerned at buying timber that is replenished and will not buy from dealers that rob the world of lumber. http://www.john-boddy-timber.ltd.uk/species_az.htm


Wood is hard, fibrous, lignified structural tissue produced as secondary xylem in the stems of woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs. This tissue conducts water to the leaves and other growing tissues and has a support function, enabling plants to reach large sizes. Wood may also refer to other plant materials and tissues with comparable properties.

Wood is a heterogeneous, hygroscopic, cellular and anisotropic material. Wood is composed of fibers of cellulose (40% – 50%) and hemicellulose (15% – 25%) impregnated with lignin (15% – 30%).^[1]

Wood has been an important construction material since humans began building shelters, houses and boats. Nearly all boats were made out of wood till the late 1800s, and wood remains in common use today in boat construction. New domestic housing in many parts of the world today is commonly of timber-framed construction. In buildings made of other materials, wood will still be found as a supporting material, especially in roof construction and interior doors and their frames and exterior cladding. Wood to be used for construction work is commonly known as lumber in North America. Elsewhere, lumber will usually refer to felled trees, and the word for sawn planks ready for use is timber.

Broadly, there are two methods by which timber can be dried: (i) natural drying or air drying, and (ii) artificial drying.

Air drying

Air drying is the drying of timber by exposing it to the air. The technique of air drying consists mainly of making a stack of sawn timber (with the layers of boards separated by stickers) on raised foundations, in a clean, cool, dry and shady place. Rate of drying largely depends on climatic conditions, and on the air movement (exposure to the wind). For successful air drying, a continuous and uniform flow of air throughout the pile of the timber needs to be arranged . The rate of loss of moisture can be controlled by coating the planks with any substance that is relatively impermeable to moisture; ordinary mineral oil is usually quite effective. Coating the ends of logs with oil or thick paint, improves their quality upon drying. Wrapping planks or logs in materials which will allow some movement of moisture, generally works very well provided the wood is first treated against fungal infection by coating in petrol/gasoline or oil. Mineral oil will generally not soak in more than 1-2 mm below the surface and is easily removed by planing when the timber is suitably dry.

Kiln drying

The process of kiln drying consists basically of introducing heat. This may be directly, using natural gas and/or electricity or indirectly, through steam-heated heat exchangers, although solar energy is also possible. In the process, deliberate control of temperature, relative humidity and air circulation is provided to give conditions at various stages (moisture contents or times) of drying the timber to achieve effective drying. For this purpose, the timber is stacked in chambers, called wood drying kilns, which are fitted with equipment for manipulation and control of the temperature and the relative humidity of the drying air and its circulation rate through the timber stack

Kiln drying provides a means of overcoming the limitations imposed by erratic weather conditions. In kiln drying as in air drying, unsaturated air is used as the drying medium. Almost all commercial timbers of the world are dried in industrial kilns.

A tree grows by a system of transporting the water and minerals in the soil up the trunk to the leaves and there are many changes that occur in the movement of this water with its solution of minerals.

The basic principle is called osmosis.

When water evaporates from the mesophyll cells of a leaf and diffuse out of the stomata (transpiration), the cells involved develop a lower water potential than the adjacent cells. Because the adjacent cells then have a correspondingly higher water potential, replacement water moves into the first cells by osmosis. This continues across rows of mesophyll cells until a small vein is reached. Each small vein is connected to a larger vein, and the larger veins are connected to the main xylem in the stem, which in turn is connected to the xylem in the roots that receive water, via osmosis, from the soil. As transpiration takes place it creates a "pull" or tension on water columns, drawing water from one molecule to another all the way through the entire span of xylem cells. The cohesion required to move water to the top of a 300 foot redwood tree is considerable.

Water is primarily "pulled" upward due to the cohesion of water molecules within the xylem tracheids and vessels. Like a steel wire, the chain of water molecules is literally pulled through the plant's vascular system, from the roots to the leaves. As water molecules move out through the stomata into the atmosphere, they are replaced by new molecules entering the roots from the soil. Since the water in xylem ducts is under tension, there is a measurable inward pull (due to adhesion) on the walls of the ducts. It has been estimated that only about one percent of all water molecules transported upward are used by a tree; the other 99 percent are needed to get that one percent up there. Water molecules must literally grow with the plant in order to form continous chains within the xylem tubes. Free water: The bulk of water contained in the cell lumina is only held by capillary forces: it is not bound chemically and is termed free water. Free water is not in the same thermodynamic state as liquid water: energy is required to overcome the capillary forces. Furthermore, free water may contain chemicals, altering the drying characteristics. Bound or hygroscopic water: Bound water is bound to the wood via hydrogen bonds. The attraction of wood for water arises from the presence of free hydroxyl (OH) groups in the cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin molecules in the cell wall. The hydroxyl groups are negatively charged electrically. Water is a polar liquid. The free hydroxyl groups in cellulose attract and hold water by hydrogen bonding. Tangential boards (crown, plain or flat sawn) are used extensively for beams and joists. They are stronger when placed correctly edge up with the load in the tangential axis. These type of boards suffer from 'cupping' if not carefully converted, seasoned, and stored properly. Annual growth rings form an angle less than 45 degrees. Radial boards (radial, figured or quarter sawn) are typically cut on 'the quarter' and produce a pattern of the medullary rays especially in quartered oak. Such timber is expensive due to the multiple cuts required to convert this board. The radial face of the board is slightly stronger and stiffer than the tangentially face but the cross section and condition of the timber has more effect on strength. Annual growth rings form an angle greater than 45 degrees. Crown sawn is obtained by sawing tangentially to the annual rings. It is also referred to as 'Plain Sawn' or 'through and through'. Rift sawn is the cut which falls between crown and true quarter sawn. It is straight grained and in oak, does not reveal any 'silver ribbon' grain features. Quality floor boards are prepared from rift sawn timber because it wears well and shrinks less. Annual growth rings form an angle between 30 and 60 degrees. Quarter sawn boards are radial cut from the centre of the tree. It produces the distinctive silver ribbon effect (in oak) across the whole board. Annual growth rings form an angle greater than 45 degrees. True quartered boards producing the best features will have the angle on or very much closer to 90 degrees. 'Figured' - is the cut between 'rift' and 'true quartered'. It has varying degrees of 'silver ribbon' (in oak) showing through but not the full figured effect found in true quarter sawn boards. Different species have their best features enhanced by choosing the best cut appropriate to their species.

Do not miss Antiques

Olga I am totally smitten with your antique shop, vast collection of wonderfully selected items and that is to say that the quality is through all the different articles that are for sale, 'Parabems' for it is a joy to brouse your virtual shop and the blog is divine too. Readers please go to this Alladins cave at http://www.alhambraantiques.com/index.php?tpage=aboutus .
If you are not too exhausted after the walk see her more personal look at Olga's blog http://olgagrandascott.blogspot.com/
I do not need to write more but you will see what I mean .

Different visions of the same world

I am now near the time for my visit to Scotland and visit my friends as well as my brothers in Engand, this part will be more strange now that I am not going to see my mother, who died on the 12 February this year at the age of 91. I will be helping Michael with work and I have some furniture orders to complete for clients there. Michael has decided to give the antiques fair at Olympia, in London a chance, for with the move to France he could do with broadening his client base, although he virtually only uses the internet to sell antiques, he specialises in early scientific and medical apparatus he also sells paintings and prints, he does not encourage clients to travel to Scotland to view his vast collection of often strange and intriguing articles, that can be judged for their historic significance or their eye catching qualities. Like paintings or sculpture the art of the instrument maker can leave one thinking about the technical abilities that have been lost and gained over the centuries.
I am reminded of a conversation with my God-son Giles Arthur, the son of my ex friend John Arthur who now lives with my ex-first-wife, Giles was studying architecture at Edinburgh and unlike his father he has still kept contact with me, then he does not need to be embarressed at his conduct, we talked of the aspirations of the past and the reasons for constructing monuments or buildings of grand proportions, my take on it is that we humans (nos humanos) are forever rediscovering what we knew in the past, the pieces of paper that held the plans have blown away.
I feel that the difference is in the past it was important socially, to construct one grand design whilst over the generations the rise of individualism as now made the desire for us to create the smallest article and distribute it on a grand scale. This too is the bloggers art, rediscover and distribute.

Here is a clip, I trust she does not mind me doing this plug for her site, from Olga Granda-Scott who as started ablog which has all the charm of a good magazine article and for me the base of blogging and the desire we have to give not always to take.

I certainly don't intend for this blogging thing to be easy. But I'm hoping it might even help me (and my husband) sleep better at night. Here I go, I'm making an attempt to join the 21st century by beginning my blog on anything and everything that crosses my path. Some of my friends have recommended I join Facebook, which I haven't managed to bring myself to do, so this is an effort to do something at least within that realm. I, of course, welcome lots of of input, questions, suggestions, and the like to keep me going and keep others interested.
The title "Dancing thru Paris" I find VERY cliche, but I couldn't come up with anything else, so feel free to come up with something better for me and I'll quickly change it. My husband is starting a blog called "finegoodthings" and I'm super jealous of his title so please help out!
I've been officially working at Alhambra Antiques for 7 years, and this business is about passion. But we can't get so absorbed in it that it is all we live and breathe. We need to enjoy life and our children as well. For those of you who don't know yet, I'm pregnant with #3!
I keep reading about people who wanted to make a change and just up and moved somewhere else in the world. We aren't quite there yet, but at 27 years of age, I'm NOT ready to expect that I'm going to live the next 50 years of my life in Coral Gables, beautiful though it may be.
This is all my parents' fault. By the time I was 5, I had traveled through much of South America and the Caribbean. Then they let me travel/live through Europe as a teen. They are definitely responsible for my wander lust. No doubt about it.
So here I go, I'm going to "THINK BIG". I'm going to dream and achieve.
I have found her partly because of the name for her blog---Dancing through Paris
http://olgagrandascott.blogspot.com/ the photos reminded me of Olympia so again I trust she does not mind my use of her photos. The photos of the two antique acupuncture manaquins are from Michaels collection, for sale now, as well as the inside of Michaels kitchen at Monkton, the house is for sale and can be seen at http://www.primelocation.com/uk-property-for-sale/details/id/RETT_EDI070733 and Michaels site for buying antiques is http://www.earlytech.com/