Tony sent me a wonderful thingy, a mini soil compressor for making air pruning soil blocks. It arrived this morning and that’s exactly what I called it.
Not just in itself but it’s wonderful because it works with the bigger thingies, too. I love it when someone can show me a complete system. And—bonus—the supplier has lots of other goodies like the broad fork that I have seen but not sourced.
All in all, a great gift. Monica says, “Many thanks.”, too because she’s taken responsibility for the conventional, annual crops. We’re designing her an oak-framed shed cum greenhouse that reminds her of an Australian bungalow. Got that in your mind’s eye?
She herself is recuperating from an earlier-than-expected operation to remove her gall bladder. All went well, though she’s confused that the keyhole surgery required five different keyholes. Must have been combination-locked in. Not one to be held back, as you know, today she was interviewed for a course to become a certified electrician so that she can sign off the work we’ll do in the barns, workshops, Kevin’s house etc.
I have to leave her to show the Bristol flat, which she had arranged to do in advance of accepting the cancellation. Then it’s over to Reading with my neighbour to collect all those metalwork tools he promised. His mum is moving house, which has spurred him to act. He’s now going to install them in the two new, small sheds he’s built, rather than in my Shippen. This is a good thing because milling machines etc, while useful, are a bit to square-edged for my style and I’m happy to expand my smithy to take over that whole end garage. I have Ralph cogitating upon a machine-hammer design to save my elbows. Google Neeman Tools and look at their three videos entitled “The Birth of a Tool” and you’ll see exactly what I’m aiming for.