The weather today lived up to expectations at the Weald & Downland Museum. I spent a good couple of hours this morning setting up to demonstrate in the rain. Fine weather for the ducks, and in fact my first visitor was a duck.
As it was quiet at the museum today I took the opportunity to go up to the woodyard and look at the good progress they've been making there recently.
I got to disturb Ben from the work he'd just started on a beam of oak with his very nice new draw-knife. The answer to the obvious question 'What's it going to be?' was 'A wagon'. Right, of course, my fault for asking.
And to prove the point here's the wagon it's aiming to become. I know from watching some of Ben's previous restorations that it's going to be a very interesting project. It's great to have seen this just as the work starts, so I'll be back to look at progress.
I went over to see Julian who was busy hewing a log into a beam. Having just learnt my lesson, I refrained from asking why? The shed he is using has just been re-sited to the woodyard and restored so it provides a good workshop space and a great place for demonstrations. As well as the hewing Guy was making a batch of Sussex style chestnut gate hurdles in the next bay along. The museum has an almost insatiable appetite for gate hurdles which are often used as folds for the Southdown sheep before being retired to a host of other uses.
One of the good things about the woodyard is that the kettle is always on, but unfortunately I had to go back to my demonstrating at this point. I hope to back up in the woodyard in a few weeks to take part in one of the 'woodyard weeks' that Julian is organising.
On my way back through the museum I spotted the recently finished continous hazel hurdle fencing around one of the small fields by Bayleaf the farmhouse, and contrasts with the newly laid hedge in the background and the gate hurdles I'd just been looking at.
I got back to my shelter to discover that even the ducks had given up. 'A Dandy Day' was what Duane the tree-cutter on the TV documentary Ax-men would have pronounced it. Such a contrast from a couple of weeks ago when I didn't get a break all day as throngs of interested visitors kept me at the lathe. Still at least I got time to get around which is rare, and some useful work done. I'm ready for a glorious sunny day tomorrow with hordes of visitors (I can hope).
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