Life is Good!

My wood seems such a solid thing when all else seems to shake. Perhaps it's not so, but I rely on it more than most and see it as that more than most, I think. These past two months of lockdown seem to have changed the world we once felt more solid about. People search for the normal amidst the abnormal and no aspect of life on the continent seems able to escape. It so amazes me that we rely on those we might vote for or see empowered by the democratic process despite the reality that trust levels remain firm and steady at the lowest level of any and all occupations. Those in the ministry of politics are trusted to tell the truth and practice honesty at a level of a mere 14%. That's even lower than advertising executives and journalists, business leaders and such. The ordinary man and woman in the street are up in the 80+ percentile. Why the disparity? Anyway, here we are staking our claim to reality by honest work with our hands. Or do we. There are other statistics out there that some might not like too much too.

I have often said that there are maybe five days in my life when I did not want to go to work. It is a sad thing to have to be in an occupation that leaves you unfulfilled or worse still drags your whole life into a world you might just hate. I too have experienced some of that but only when I stepped away from woodworking for a period to ensure I provided sufficiently well for my growing family. Technically at least I no longer need to work. Practically, I can't live without it. Work is the conduit through which I live a rich and fulfilled life. I can still work long days that are generally pain-free yet still high-demand enough to stir and stimulate. I am well able to intersperse my days with forays along woodland tracks and trails on the same paths as roe deer, badgers, and then too even the vole in vole runs that lay hidden beneath dry grasses to the wilds where I can watch nature emerge from its hiding. I can exercise by walking and cycling and now too I have friends around the world who I rely on as sounding boards for my ideas.

Yesterday was a different day and there was a build-up to it--different in what I usually do, that is, in that we had the Live Q&A on wood preparation. How did I feel? Being isolated in the studio and making is not much different than my day to day, really. But using more technical equipment is challenging to me, hence the two-minute later start that made me nervous because you still don't really know if something else might go wrong. But I do like the reality of being as near to real-time as digital can get you. I have never liked the artificiality of TV and such, even high definition stuff because somehow it still feels as though my mind is indeed being manipulated to believe what can and is inevitably massaged by clever editing and technology. This is the reason I do not watch TV or even too many films. Five films a year is my rough average and even then it's not just anything. So we did answer so many questions and the platform adds excitement for everyone including me. We will do this regularly from now, as long as you like it and it is helpful to get the information and support out there.

My efforts behind the other side of the camera are now more live so whether you join the thousands of other free subscribers on woodworkingmasterclasses.com or follow a week later on my YouTube channel, you will be learning as much as I can give you. I have found that quite difficult since I began but it has become easier as time progressed to the tenth project which I finished two weeks ago.

Thanks to all of you who encouraged me to include my wildlife recording here and on my vlog, facebook and YouTube. It will be hard for me to stop sharing the things I see because so many people would never see even a common grey squirrel or the mallard chicks.