It's the little things

Hi …hope you are all well.

It’s been a while…too long…I don’t know where to start. Let me check our last catch up to see what we were talking about…

Ok…so we ended up with me about to put on my handyman hat. That job was completed successfully. But it got me to thinking (well, to be honest I never stop thinking) that I desperately needed to do something to make my shed space more user-friendly. It’s a small space ( 7metres by 2.4metres) that is my workshop, storage and brewery. The lack of space meant that I had to do a lot of work outside…not ideal in Tassie at any time of year. So, it was time to bite the bullet and see what I could come up with.

This is part way through the reorganisation. Drop saw bench is done…new workbench to come.

I needed to re-organise. Due to the narrow nature of the space, I decided it was logical to try and put thin things on the sides and more bulky items at the end. The brewery sink was pretty much the only thing that couldn’t be moved…everything else was fair game. I made a to-scale representation on paper, with cut out shapes replicating the footprint of the major items (drop saw, workbench, shelving etc.). These were then shuffled around to find the most efficient use of the space. This also gave me the idea that everything needed to be on wheels. With the amount of stuff that needed to be in the shed, things had to be double-stacked. If I did it right I could Tetris things around and still access everything without too much difficulty.

The majority of the frame for the new benches was made from timber I recycled/repurposed. In a previous life it was bunk beds I made…over 20 years ago.

Heavy duty castors that have a wind down facility to ‘lock’ the benches in place.

To make all this work I decided I had to make some new benches. Make things modular. So, some time later I have a new bench for the drop saw. A new workbench that incorporates the table saw (and works as an outfeed table) with a special drawer that hosts the router table when it’s not winched to the ceiling and attached to a sliding rail (to slide it out of the way depending on what area I am working in). All of this is connected to a dust collection system to try and keep the workshop relatively dust free. So far, I am really happy with the outcome. I still wish I had a bigger shed, but this I what I have, and short of moving house, this will always be it.

Heidi is making the place her own. I don’t think I have ever met a dog with so much personality. She is…actually I don’t have a word for her. At times she is manic, chasing her favourite toy. Or, furiously running in the cat wheel, talking to Michelle begging to play, steadfastly refusing to go for a walk or just being damned cute and cuddly. She has definitely spiced up the household.

I have again been privileged to be the official photographer for the amazing Paper on skin. The event continues to go from strength-to-strength. The garments come from all around the world and the artists never cease to amaze me with their talent and creativity. Here is just a small selection of the amazing pieces. A big thanks to Tara for her assistance again this year. Check out her work at tarapalphotography on facey and insta.

Artists and works (in order of appearance: Lorenz Cherry. Daisy. Natalie Hamblin. Quel Dommage. Darryl Bedford Alchemy. Simone Guascoine, & Kate Masterson, Nature’s Reset. Rosa Hirakata Shifu Paper Cloth . Ann Lines Grace. Lorenz Cherry Daisy. Svenja Xanthoparmelia Susan Ruptash Shift. Renata Jamieson A Homage to Circles. Polly Crowden ll’Aerdryn Dragon Rider. Brielle Killip and Chris Geissinger Radiant Metamorphosis. Sally Baldwin. After the Bushfires: Regeneration

This pic is from a shoot for the opening of the readytech Centre of Excellence in Lonnie last week…a “by the way, can you do a quick portrait of our CEO while you’re here?” shot 

Today is this little fella’s first birthday.

Happy birthday Angus.

Until next time folks.

Take care and be nice to each other.