Have you ever had the experience of thinking that by virtue of some odd kink in the universe you have been precipitated suddenly into a different world? Life today has had something of that “hitch-hiker’s guide” quality about it. At a more pedestrian level, I think it probably has had something to do with the weather.
Today has been fine and warm, and it would have been a matter of criminal neglect to ignore that fact. As a consequence I have spent the greater part of the day in the garden, constructing a raised bed in which my wife can grow salad. The cutting of the wood is complete, and the object is all ready to be assembled in its appointed place …. when, that is, she can get around to moving some of the flowers which currently occupy the designated space.
I have to admit that I am rather pleased with the result, although there was an awkward moment when we realised that what she had in mind was not what I was actually making. Plan B hastily contrived! I am rather tired at the end of it all. The timber I have been using has a high resin content and has been impregnated with water-proofing stuff, the result of which is to make sawing it about fifty percent more strenuous than would otherwise be the case. Even so, I am profoundly grateful for the woodwork lessons I had in school sixty years ago. I actually know what a lap joint is, and how to construct one with maximum efficiency. There was one lesson I learned today that its relevant to both art and woodwork. The right tools properly maintained and used in the correct way count for a lot.
The day has ended well, in the traditional Bradford Saturday evening fashion, with a curry and beer. I might even get back to some art tomorrow, with luck.