Last bit of 2024

 

As Autumn merged into early ...

 

Winter I was determined not to make the mistake I did last year of buying a Jehovah's Witness calendar. Would you believe every door I opened on it someone told me to fuck off!

 

Long before that whilst there was a few leaves on the trees, I was given a new contact by retired Colonel Steve who has a nose for sniffing out what I need. I didn't even know that what I needed was some beautiful tulipwood.

 

Colin is rather more than a tree surgeon ...

 

... with a fleet of forestry tractors and equipment. He's from Southampton way but is clearing woodland a bit closer to me. The tulipwood was as described and making a deal was low stress and a reasonable price - so reasonable that I actually overpaid him for some slightly iffy Yew that he had stacked nearby for a bit too long!

 

I went over with a couple of trailers and Colin had them loaded in a few minutes. One log was never going to go on my bandsaw as it was so I left it there and a did a deal with New Forest Rob for him to come and quarter it for a share of this lovely wood, which he was up for.

When you have something a bit more titilating than ...

 

... Oak or Ash to mill we are more motivated to delve into it and Mike and Tuesday Dave happily got stuck into it producing some book matched beauties like those below

 

Nature is rather impressive, innit! This will make an unusual table

When I was a young Policeman ...

 

... a female colleague handcuffed me in the corridor of the section house. She stated she was arresting me on suspicion of being extremley well hung and good in bed and marched me to her room.

 

Ten minutes later she unlocked the cuffs and opened her door. What's going on? I asked. You are free to go she said - I'm releasing you due to lack of evidence. It gets worse ... when I met my wife I asked if I was the only one she had slept with. Oh yes she said hr eyes gleaming - all the others were at least 7 or 8s.

 

The stock that brings the type of customers ...

 

... that we like - skilled woodworkers who know how to deal with air dried and rather raw timber is more likely to not to be the sexy stuff as as above but Beech, Sycamore Cherry Ash and particularly clean knot free Oak.

 

I can never have too much stock of the latter

...

Thanks to my mate Ant for sourcing and cutting and stacking this

Some blokes seeking a thrill with a handful ...

 

... of spare cash will visit a lady of ill repute or gamble with it. Not me though - I head for Andy the walnut king's yard and fill the pick up with fully seasoned ready to sell burr elm and very clean walnut.

 

It's certainly no gamble - everything acquired will be out the door in the next year and by visting Andy I get a sniff of new additions some of which are well out of my price range.

Big Dave, Andy's muscle showed me a selection of 2, 3 and 4" walnut - it was difficult to choose so I had the lot !

The burr Elm was in smaller ...

 

... slabs 4 to 5 foot long which suits me as they will head off for coffee tables or cut down further for boxes and other beautiful things from the imagination of my talented punters.

Stock like this speaks for and sells itself!

 

Hope to see you over at the woods with your cash (or someone else's, I'm not fussy) before too long.