Musings | Sharpe Woodcraft

10/06/2020

Just a Spoon?

Just a spoon?

Back in March 2018, my good friend David, gifted two spoons. They came with a tag, a mantra, to go on great adventures and eat great food. That year we were lucky and blessed to go to Japan on our honeymoon, the spoons came too. I have used my spoon every single day since it was gifted, it has been to Japan, Sri Lanka, Hungary, Spain and Sicily. It has been camping, on van trips, used for breakfast daily, for dips, salsa, soups, cooking and curries. It has been my companion these last two years and it hardly looks a day older for it. The only care it receives is a quick wash post use and I don’t ever leave it sitting in liquid.

There are many wooden spoons in our drawer at home and we all have our favourites for different jobs, this one is my favourite for eating everything.

Is a spoon just a spoon? Yes, but the longer you use it, the more memories are made in its presence, the more significant it becomes. That is the beauty of having something unique, something made for you.

Here’s to more great adventures and more great food!

Spoon Material: Cherry
Wood provenance: North Pembrokeshire
Maker: David Hunter, The Coppice Plot

‘My’ Spoon Material: Willow
Wood provenance: North Pembrokeshire
Maker: David Hunter, The Coppice Plot

David manages woodlands using traditional methods and tools. He makes some amazing things from the coppiced wood; from chairs and gates to spoons and utensils. He is a wealth of knowledge on woodland and a healthy source of sustainable timber for my own projects! Check out his website here https://thecoppiceplot.com

04/05/2020

Coping with Lockdown

ctrlaltd Musings

Coping with Lockdown

One of my many hobbies includes surfing. During the first week of lock down, back in March, the UK was blessed with a week of lovely swell. I, like a lot of others, who live close to the coast enjoy making the most of these little periods of good surf. Especially with enforced leave from work. However, it was made clear by the local constabulary that whilst surfing could be regarded as our daily exercise, driving to the beach constituted a risk we should not be taking. This news, backed up by carpark closures, resulted in the following project; a wooden surf board rack for the bike. Lots of racks already exist and vary in price from £35-£75, but keen to not spend any money I set out to build a rack from some spare and scrap timber left lying around. My working prototype is pictured. It has made three trips to the beach (around 12 miles under its belt) without incident. Not only did it hold together, it was also well balanced, secure and forgiving on off-road sections! Of course, there is definitely room for refinement and BBB (BikeBoardBuddy) mark 2 is already being sketched out in my head, watch this space…

Note. It has now been made clear that all sea based activities are banned until further notice, so needless to say I am not surfing until it is deemed appropriate to do so.