ilultham

 I've just finished making a small batch of my seed boxes with the word "SEEDS" hand carved on the front.  Normally I finish my garden projects with linseed oil but I decided to use two coats of Danish oil this time and I'm so glad I did, it really sets them off and holds the natural colour of the wood.  Hopefully these will make ideal Christmas presents for gardeners - although I recommend early ordering as I predict transport issues in the busy lead up. I also can't see me having time to make any more before Christmas so once these are sold chances are it'll be the new year before I have more in stock (that said if they sell fast I might have to find time!).  I find this a great way to practice my carving skills and keep my little business running. If anyone wants to make one themselves then I have just been published in Woodworking Crafts magazine with six pages of instructions on how to make your own! It's a fun project!  Here's a link on where to ...

 My Middlest is 8 years old now! Can't quite believe it (I know it's a cliché thing to say). She was sweet for what she wanted for her party, just a few friends, pizzas in the new oven and some Taskmaster tasks!  If you've never watched Taskmaster it's a great show where a group of comedians have tackle different challenges. Ever since they've done a PG version we've watched it with the children and it's become a firm favourite, it really makes them think outside the box. I set up a selection of tasks outside (even got some red sealing wax to seal the tasks) and let the children have a great time tackling them!  I did just simple things like apple bobbing, guessing numbers, making paper aeroplanes, throwing a tea bag in a cup from the furthest distance and sticking post it notes to their bodies while blindfolded. Much laughter and fun was had by all.  The whole time I stoked the pizza oven for our first time cooking in it. Lets just say that I might have mis...

 It seems that garden club talks are back up and running - this is great news for me as it makes up some of my income and it's something I really enjoy doing.  I've done quite a few over the last few months, one in a WI in my own village, which I thought was particularly brave of me - especially as it was on preserving! Last night I drove to Bream in the Forest of Dean to give a talk and had a really enjoyable evening giving a talk (although my wife and I were like ships passing in the night, a kiss on the doorstep as I headed out and she headed in). their garden club has been running for an incredible 156 years! I got some lovely feedback which I thought I'd share with you from their facebook page : Jennifer Lang  -  "Kev Alviti  of  An English Homestead  was our speaker last night. He is a stay-at home dad/part-time carpenter. His wife works full time and they have three children. They have 52 veg beds, chickens, an orchard and a coppice. What an int...

 It feels like this project is nearly there now. Still quite a bit to do.  We built the sand former and covered it in a good layer of mud. I then got brave and a few days later I took the sand out and had a little firing to start curing it. I plan to do another post on this soon, but I'm going to write a magazine article as a how to first. the children were so proud when we fired it up. I wored well to the weather and managed to build a shelter around it before all this bad weather we've been having. Good job as well, I thin it might have washed away otherwise. The shelter was built from reclaimed materials and I got it up in a day.  Once we got that first clay layer dried we started adding an insulation layer. This is simply sawdust and clay, although that can make the mix quite wet so I've had lots of little fires to try and dry it before we add the final layer.  So still a bit to go, my Middlest wants to have a pizza (and task master) party for her birthday in a w...