I’ve spent the last four days at RHS Harlow Carr, Harrogate (or Harrowgate as we spell it in Bolton Abbey!), busy on the pole lathe

It was a very good four days where I met lots of interesting and interested people.  But I was struggling a bit with the lathe for the first couple of days.  Then I realised that it wasn’t just the unfamiliarity of the knock-down travelling show lathe, but the fact that it was out of level on the sloping ground.

Sorted it out with a couple of chocks.  This being the first outdoor event of the year (apart from work, which is always outdoors at Strid Wood!) I had a couple of teething problems, like forgetting the burning wire to scorch rings on the demo dibbers.  I had to improvise with some copper wire I had.

DON”T TRY THIS AT HOME!  The wire conducts the heat very well, right up to your fingers, it also gets hot enough to lose its strength and snap.  However, I got by until I could cobble up a new steel wire (brake cable from the bike) one.

I managed to get over and see Phil Bradley, basket maker.

He makes some fine stuff and I got this basket from him:

It’s based on a half bushel fruit basket.  Phil’s email address is philbradley248@btinternet.com, he’s based in Cumbria but works around the North of England.

Jane got to have a look around the garden and spotted a wall being made home for alpine plants – I think we’ll have another project in our garden soon.