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Jan 10

New Year’s Greetings

Dearest Friends and Family,
Happy New Year to one and all from the Gale’s, back happily in Chichester after gallivanting over the holidays!
Mostyn has posted (or will) about most of the Christmas trip west to Cornwall, but left out Looe and Port Issac, so I will pick up there and also give a brief description of our trip to Scotland and what we are looking forward to in the 2015.
After our stay in Dartmouth at the finest B&B we have ever stayed in, we traveled to Looe, another quaint coastal town. We spent the 23rd-25th in a cozy B&B atop a hill above the city.

Lots of hiking up and down on the steep hillsides.

Lots of hiking up and down on the steep hillsides.

Looe is a lovely little fishing village that straddles the Looe Rover. At dusk we walked off to find a pub for dinner.

Looe is a lovely little fishing village that straddles the Looe River. At dusk we walked off to find a pub for dinner.

A nicely decorated pub in Looe. We decided on this one for dinner.

A nicely decorated pub in Looe. We decided on this one for dinner.

Same pub on the inside. We sat by a nice cozy fire and waited for diner to be served at 6:30. Many places here don't start serving food until 6:30 or 7:00.

Same pub on the inside. We sat by a nice cozy fire and waited for dinner to be served at 6:30. Many places here don’t start serving food until 6:30 or 7:00.

Bless those kids of ours, who had sent us gifts to each of the places we were staying and in one package was a kite!  Mostyn, an enthusiastic kite flyer,  could not wait to fly his new toy, so the next day we headed as far west as we could go and ended up in Port Isaac, a tiny western coastal town, whose claim to fame is that is where they film the TV series Doc Martin. So in addition to exploring the places we recognized from the show, we found a ‘public footpath’, through pastures ankle deep in mud up to the cliffs to fly his kite.

Is this great or what!

Is this great or what!

It was an especially beautiful day and, due to the holiday, things were pretty sleepy, meaning we were not battling traffic or crowds.

One of the tiny streets in Port Looe.

One of the tiny streets in Port Isaac.

We spent Christmas day mostly on the road traveling back home, where we had a wonderful time with dear friends playing games and eating a lovely traditional English Christmas dinner–a nice ending to our holiday!

Classic Cornish coast.

Classic Cornish coast.

The next day Mostyn’s sister Nancy, and her husband Peter, met us at a nearby beach where some of Peter’s family have the annual tradition of taking a Boxing Day Dip in the Sea!  It was a nasty, wet and cold day, but they braved it. Needless to say we did not take part, but very happily hosted Pete, Nancy, and dog, Lottie for the night, our first overnight guests!:)

We flew to Scotland on the 30th, arising very early to get the train from here to Gatwick then on to Glasgow, a quick 1 1/2 hour flight. We were met by my cousins who graciously hosted us and drove us around the area in which my grandfather grew up and where they still live, Dunoon.

Baby Deb - a photo sent to her Grandparents.

Baby Deb – a photo sent to her Great Grandparents.

Scotland celebrates New Year’s Eve with a tradition called Hogmanay. They are known to party through the night and into the next day, necessitating that January 2nd is also a holiday in Scotland!  My family was a bit more subdued, but it was a fun time and a pretty late one for us, used to going to bed at 10pm.  We learned some interesting things about the history of the family and had many wonderful conversations with relatives of all ages.  Though it did not snow, it hailed so hard one day that it looked like snow and it was much colder than here.

It was cold and the hail almost looked like snow.

It was cold and the hail almost looked like snow.

Our trip home was good, though we very nearly missed our train, as the flight was late due to a missing passenger, who we think was to occupy the seat next to us, who never turned up, so they had to remove their luggage, which delayed us getting into Gatwick.  So we saw first hand how seriously they take the policy of you fly with your luggage!

It is good to be back in West Sussex, with familiar surroundings and our normal schedule and routine.  Life is simple for us and we like it.  We may actually consider replacing only one of our cars when we come back???

Mostyn has a lot to do between now and July, when the classroom part of his course will be complete. He will then work through the summer finishing his research and writing of his thesis to complete his master’s degree.  He works really hard, but is loving it and gaining so much knowledge that will enable him to have some career options beyond just customary clock repair.

We are looking forward to May with great excitement, as all of our kids, and grand kids will be coming for three weeks!!  We miss them more than words can express, but stay in touch weekly by phone, text or email. My four year old grandson, Owen, is particularly chatty when we spend time on the phone!

We are hoping to have visits from several other friends and family, and look forward to that as well.  I will likely be the chief tour guide, at least during the week.  I am feeling more and more confident driving and finding my way around, so not needing Mostyn to take me places anymore.

That kind of brings us up to date and hope and pray for all of you a blessed and healthy 2015.
Cheers,
Debbie

Dec 25

Merry Christmas – Blessing and Peace to All!

We are so blessed with all that we have – our family and all of you, our friends.  Sorry we have not sent out our usual Christmas letter this year – please forgive me, but I hope that our blog partly makes up for it.

We just returned from a small holiday trip to the southwest of England and leave you with these images from the Lanhydrock House.

Come on in - we'd love to chat a while.

Come on in – we’d love to chat a while.

We'd enjoy a Christmas dinner together.

We’d enjoy a Christmas dinner together.

Here's your seat - (we know your name is not Mrs Dickinson - these were the placecards that were used in the mid 1800s.

Here’s your seat – (we know your name is not Mrs. Dickinson – these were the place cards that were used in the mid 1800s.

A lovely Nativity in the reception room.

A lovely Nativity in the reception room.  “Fear not, for I know that you seek Jesus.”

Don't hurry out - it's cold and wet out there.

Don’t hurry out – it’s cold and wet out there.  (Actually, the weather has been quite mild with not much rain.)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year – we pray God’s blessing on your lives for 2015!

Lovingly, Debbie and Mostyn

 

Dec 20

First Day of Holiday Break

The first College term has ended – wow, those twelve weeks just flew by!  Now we have a two week break for the holidays.  This is the first chance that Deb and I have had a real chance to get out a bit further than a few miles from Chichester.  So, we have planned a short trip to the southwest and will return to Chichester on Christmas day before heading to Scotland for New Years.

Our first stop has been a small seaside town of Swanage.  The 1000 year old Corfe Castle is just six miles away.

High Street in Swanage - like many other English towns.

High Street in Swanage – like many other English towns.

The castle is well known – even if you don’t remember the name, there is a good chance that you have seen pictures of it.

The castle was demolished by the Parlimentarians in 1645. You can see in this picture that the left part of the gate is significantly lower than the right part.

The castle was demolished by the Parlimentarians in 1645. You can see in this picture that the left part of the main gate is significantly lower than the right part.

This was news to me!

This was news to me!

It has a very interesting history and it was fun to imagine it when it was a functioning place.  It is very easy to romanticize however, I am sure that life back then was pretty awful by our standards.  The National Trust has done a nice job adding some Christmas themed signs around that were interesting as well as the normal museum-like informational signs.

Fantastic views from the castle top and fantastic weather!

Fantastic views from the castle top and fantastic weather!

We had glorious sun most of the day but a few clouds gave us this amazing view.

We had glorious sun most of the day but a few clouds gave us this amazing view.

We got to the castle on board a local train (the Swanage Railway) for the short trip.  The story about the railway is quite a tribute to thousands of hours of volunteer time and it was a very fun way to get there.  Follow the links if you want to learn more about the Castle or the railway.

A lot of volunteers worked to reestablish this steam railway between Swanage and the Castle.

A lot of volunteers worked to reestablish this steam railway between Swanage and the Castle.

Returning to Swanage, we had a nice leisurely stroll along the iconic south coast with some of the beautiful white cliffs visible (they’re not just in Dover).  Albeit a little cold, the sun was out for a good part of the day – and who can complain about that in the middle of December.

These cliffs really are amazing!

These cliffs really are amazing!

We are missing the kids – it will be a different Christmas for us but still a blessed time that we will always cherish and, this Christmas season as we experience new adventures, we will say our prayers of thankfulness for all the gifts that we have been given throughout our lives – this certainly counts as a big one.

we’re glad that you can share this adventure with us,

 

Dec 18

My First Clock (Part 2 of ?)

Having completed an initial design and tested it with a little model, it is time to move on to real pieces of metal.  Well – not so fast – first, make a metal model of the escapement which wasn’t part of the cardboard model I made earlier.  This practice for us who aren’t used to working in metal and it is also a good practical test of the design.

First, I made a more precise drawing of the escapement.

This is called a square escapement - not all are like this but it is an easier place to start.

Here’s a page from my notebook.  This is called a square escapement – not all are like this but it is an easier place to start.

 

2014-12-04 04.29.18

Blank brass sheet 1.5 mm thick.

The brass squares are now rounded off. The edge is marked blue to make it easier to see later.

The brass squares are now rounded off. The edge is marked blue to make it easier to see later.

Now it is time for hardware.  Start with three squares of brass.  After marking and putting a hole in the center, they are mounted in a mandrel (holder) and rounded in the lathe.

The cutter is shaped, hardened, and tempered.

The cutter is shaped to the tooth profile that I designed, then hardened and tempered.

In this picture the cutter is stopped after cutting the teeth so that you can see it in relative position.

In this picture the cutter is stopped after cutting the teeth so that you can see it in relative position.

Next I have to make a cutter so that I can cut teeth into the wheel.  Now I can put the wheel blanks into the cutting machine and start making teeth.

 

Here's the escape wheel on top of my design drawing - pretty!

Here’s the escape wheel on top of my design drawing – pretty!

I next marked and cut out the anchor in brass (because it is easier) so that I can test the escapement design.  Sorry I don’t have any pictures of that process.

Then, I mounted the wheel and the anchor onto plywood with two brass studs set at the right distance apart.  This allows me to test the interaction of the pallets (tips of the anchor) and the wheel.  In a real clock the pendulum is connected to the anchor and the tips of the teeth push the pallets which then pushes the pendulum to keep the clock going.  So, you can see that this is the heart of a clock – if the teeth do not push the pallets properly, the clock will not run.  To give you a sense of size, the wheel is 48 mm in diameter – that’s a little less than two inches for you Americans.

It works! If I move the wheel slowly clockwise, the anchor will move back and forth; tic- tock.

It works! If I move the wheel slowly clockwise, the anchor will move back and forth; tic-tock.

Now I will make the real deal – a brass wheel and steel anchor.  After that it will be the plates and pillars.

Stay tuned,

 

Dec 14

My First Clock (Part 1 of ?)

The best way to learn how to repair a clock is to learn how to make one first – if you know how to make one, you will know the fundamentals necessary to repair one.  In addition, some repairs require parts to be replaced which would require making them since, in general, replacement parts are not available.

The first step in making a clock is to decide on some critical design criteria:

1) How long do you want it to run.

2) What is the driving power; weight or mainspring,

3) How large is the clock,

4) What method will be used to regulate the time.

In order to have some commonality in the class a number of these things were decided to be similar; we would have a weight driven clock, using a recoil anchor escapement, running for 30 hours, and a frame approximately three inches wide and five inches high.

The next step is to calculate the general gearing of the clock:  Assume that the primary indicator would be a 12 or 24 hour dial (I decided to have a 24 hour dial on the front of my clock) calculate the number of teeth on the wheels and the number of leaves on the pinions.  Create a layout of the wheels within the space of the frame.

These calculations can easily be done by hand but I created a small spreadsheet to help with making sure they were correct and to facilitate recalculation as I tried different options.

Excel Spreadsheet makes trying different options easier.

Excel Spreadsheet makes trying different options easier.

You can layout the wheels anywhere as long as the gears mesh properly and the arbors stay inside the frame dimensions that you decided on — I decided to make my wheels line up vertically.  You do have to have a good ability to visualize things in three dimensions, so if that is a problem for you, don’t think about trying to be a clockmaker.  Engineers use different drawing projections to understand what something looks like from different perspectives.  So I drew my clock layout front the front and the side.

Here's a page from my notebook that show my first pencil drawings of how the clock will be laid out.

Here’s a page from my notebook that show my first pencil drawings of how the clock will be laid out.

Next, it is time to make a little model to see if the general concept makes sense.  I drew my design on some stiff cardboard, cut it out and put it together with some tooth picks.

Here's my model clock without the front plate on - so you can see the wheels.

Here’s my model clock without the front plate on – so you can see the wheels.

 

Here is the model from the front.

Here is the model from the front. I hope you like it– my dial is going to rotate on the front so there won’t be any moving hands.

Another reason for the model is to live with the idea for a while and see what other things pop into your head.  I have already come up with some modifications from this design.  Normally a clock would have an hour hand that is connected to the gray wheel in front.  It would rotate once per 24 hour day.  I am thinking about making the dial revolve instead of an hour hand revolving.  I can make teeth on the inside of the dial wheel itself instead of having the large gear in the middle rotate an hour hand.

Well, I would like to say that you will be able to watch this clock come to life over the course of the year–and I hope you will–however, there are other priorities for me, the first being getting my Masters paper written, and second is doing some work on some old clocks–so we will see how far I get with my clock.

keep ticking,

Dec 04

The Place Where Time Begins

The original observatory at Greenwich where John Flamsteed spent much of his time.

The original observatory at Greenwich where John Flamsteed spent much of his time.

Does time really have a beginning?  This past week the Clocks students from West Dean College went to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, http://www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory.  In 1884 at the International Meridian Conference in Washington DC, 22 countries voted to adopt Greenwich observatory as zero degrees longitude—a loose interpretation of the place where time begins.

The observatory was built in 1676 for the purpose of making a more dedicated effort to understand and plot the motions of the planets and stars.  The purpose of this was to create a method for determining longitude at sea—this was such a critical issue that in 1714 Parliament passed The Longitude Act.  The Act established a prize for the first person who developed a proven method for accurate determination of longitude at sea.  2014 being the 300th anniversary of the Act, the museum has created an exhibit in honor of the person, John Harrison, who developed a watch that met the accuracy requirements.  It is a complicated and captivating story—Harrison spent his lifetime designing, building, and testing his designs and at 80 years of age, in 1773, he was awarded £8,750—not quite all of the promised award.

With timekeeping standards much improved, it was natural to find ways to disseminate accurate time to everyone that depended on it.  The red ball that you can see on top of the building, called a time ball.  Historically, this ball was used as a calibration aid for ships.  At precisely 1:00 PM, the ball is dropped so that ships within sight can set their clocks.  The ball and its mechanism has been maintained over the years and is still dropped at 1:00 PM each day.

Rory McEvoy talks about the Royal Astronomers’ lantern clock.

Rory McEvoy talks about the Royal Astronomers’ lantern clock.

While at the Observatory, we were given celebrity status with a visit to the Observatory’s horology workshop.  Greenwich Curator of Horology, Rory McEvoy, showed us several clocks that they had been working on.  One of the clocks was a lantern clock with an alarm function.  It was used by the astronomer to wake him up for observations of the stars at certain times of night.  Just in case you might get the wrong impression, lantern clocks were not clocks with lanterns used for seeing at

Martin Burgess’s clock incorporating Harrison’s design principles.

Martin Burgess’s clock incorporating Harrison’s design principles.

night time.  It is simply a name that has been given to a certain style of clock—nobody knows for sure why, even though there are a number of theories.

He also showed us a modern clock, designed and built by Martin Burgess, being tested there in the workshop.  This clock is of artistic design and demonstrates some of Harrison’s unique design principles.  The clock has been sealed and on test for eight months and is still keeping time to less than a second off.  Mr. Burgess completed his first clock of this design in 1987—it is now displayed at The Castle Mall in Norwich; http://sculpturefornorwich.co.uk/NorwichSculpture.php?id=406.

After our visit to the workshop, we went to the Flamsteed House Octagonal Room—the place where John Flamsteed, the first astronomer Royal, took many measurements of the stars and moon.  Also included in the Octagon Room were famous clocks used by the early astronomers in timing their measurements.  One such clock is a reproduction made by past West Dean Clocks student Johan Ten Hoeve; http://www.johantenhoeve.com.

A few floors below the Octagon Room we observed Clock, Ships, and Stars—the exhibit at the Observatory displaying four of Harrison’s timekeepers that led to his ultimate achievement.  There were also other interesting things on display as part of the exhibition which closes on 4 January, 2015.

The Clocks students explore the Octagon Room at the Observatory.

The Clocks students explore the Octagon Room at the Observatory.

The Mostyn Tompion in the British Museum. Made by Thomas Tompion, this clock celebrates the coronation of William III and Mary II in 1689.

The Mostyn Tompion in the British Museum. Made by Thomas Tompion, this clock celebrates the coronation of William III and Mary II in 1689.

Next we were off the British Museum, http://www.britishmuseum.org,  to see their clock exhibit and for an evening lecture where the achievements of the aforementioned John Harrison were put in the context of his life and times—an interesting topic presented by Andrew King.

The Clocks students pause for a memory. The Maritime Museum is shown in the background.

The Clocks students pause for a memory. The Maritime Museum is shown in the background.

It was a day full of history so we decided to make some history ourselves with a group photo beside the river Thames; the Maritime Museum in the background.

 

Nov 22

My first project clock

I suppose that many of you, especially the clocky types, have been wondering exactly what I have been doing at school.  I have shared a couple of the small projects that we have been assigned to help learn some of the skills of making parts for clocks, but a few weeks ago I got my first “project” clock – actually it was only the movement of a clock; the case has been lost somehow. My assignment was to write a condition report on the clock.  Fairly forward but harder than you think because it needs to be very detailed and part by part.

Clock Dial

Matted dial with a subsidiary seconds hand and silvered chapter ring.

My Project Clock

My Project Clock

The clock I was assigned was interesting because it was from a rather famous maker, about 300 years old and previously undiscovered – most clocks by well known makers that still exist are known about – this one has been hidden away in an attic for sometime, probably because it somehow got separated from its case.  I can’t say who the maker was because that may get the wrong kind of people interested in doing the wrong thing with this clock.  The clock has had some modifications and is missing the date function that it originally had.  An unscrupulous person may fix it up, add a case and try to sell it as an original.

I was able to put this back together without the use of photos or diagrams.

I was able to put this back together without the use of photos or diagrams.

The core of the assignment was to take it apart, examine and take detailed photos of every part (I took 291 photos).  Then, write up what I found.  My report is not quite done yet but I am up to 42 pages with 33 photos included.  Part of my assignment was also to do some research to determine parts that are likely or not to be original to the clock.  This meant several hours of research in the wonderful West Dean library – they have just about every clock book that has been written.

I won’t go through the details but I will leave you with some photos of the clock.

A lovely old, original screw - noticed the "V" groove and the rounded threads made with a screw plate.

A lovely old, original screw – noticed the “V” groove and the rounded threads made with a screw plate.

A nasty crack in the cast brass plates that were hammered and smoothed by hand.

A nasty crack in the cast brass plates that were hammered and smoothed by hand.

Really nice work on this hammer spring mount.

Really nice work on this hammer spring mount.

Nov 22

The Clockmakers Livery Dinner

The grand entry to the Goldsmiths Hall.

The grand entry to the Goldsmiths Hall.

Probably one of the most memorable events of this England adventure for us will be the Clockmakers Livery Dinner that Debbie and I attended this week.  At the Pasadena Symposium that I helped organize last September, I was invited to become a member of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers.  This Company is one of the oldest Guilds in the City of London, having been established by Royal decree in 1631.  In September, just after I arrived in the UK, I was formally admitted to the Company.  Sadly Debbie had not made it over yet, so she missed it.
We thought that we might miss this dinner, which is the most formal of the year because I didn’t get my reservation request in soon enough.  However, about a month ago my friend, Will Andrewes, who was the visionary for the Pasadena Symposium, invited us to come as his guest.  I was so excited to get this opportunity because I had heard about it from Will’s wife Cathy.

Deb & I at Clockmakers Dinner

The dinner was held at the Goldsmith’s Hall, the current version of which was built in 1835 and survived the 1st World War with just minor exterior damage to one corner.  The purpose of the dinner is more or less a year end celebration for the company and giving out of some awards.

Being a formal dinner, it was white tie for the men (a first for me) and evening gowns for the women.  Prior to the reception there was a clock exhibition, surprisingly many of the same clocks that were part of the exhibition in Pasadena.  It was fun to see them again.  After the exhibition the evening began with formal introductions; each person or couple is announced (with loud voice) to the Master of the company and a few of the board.  The reception was champagne or orange juice and mingling.  We met the Director of the Royal Maritime Museum, Greenwich and his wife – they were very friendly.

The Livery hall - gold leaf abounds!

The Livery hall – gold leaf abounds!

After the reception we went in the Livery Hall for dinner – a huge room, decked out with columns and gold leaf everywhere.  A really interesting part of the hall is that the chandeliers were all lit with 48 real candles and supplied all the light in the room for the evening.

Real candles in the chandelier.

Real candles in the chandelier.

 

Trumpeter

 

 

Debbie drinks from the loving cup.

Debbie drinks the loving cup.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to the excellent four course dinner and all the silver to go with it, there was a musical interlude of trumpeters and a “Ceremony of the Loving Cup”, where a large silver cup of spiced wine was passed around for everyone to take a sip.  But the passing was done in a very ceremonious fashion with the one person taking off the lid, one drinking, and another “protecting” the two whilst the drinking took place.  This is said to have originated more than 1000 years ago – the protector is present so that the person who drinks may be assured of no treachery, such as that practiced by Elfrida on the unsuspecting King Edward the Martyr, who was slain while drinking at Corfe Castle.  The ceremony is interspersed with numerous bows.  I am not sure we did it right but none the less it was unique and enjoyable.  After the ceremony, there was a few introductions and speeches and then the evening was done.

We spent the evening at a nice hotel near the Tower of London and woke the next morning for a short walk around the tower to see what remained of the poppy display and see a few of the sights of London.

The Poppies

In memory of the fallen soldiers of WWI.

Leandenhall Market dates back to 1881.

Leandenhall Market dates back to 1881.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trip home was fun too – it’s nice to watch the English countryside fly by – castles and all.  We’ll remember this for a long time!

Arundel Castle - looks like the battles are still raging.

Arundel Castle – looks like the battles are still raging.

Nov 08

Debbie’s month long impressions

So thought I should update my home front side of things here in blogland!  And now that I have been here over a month thought it an appropriate time to do so.

One thing has not changed and that is how much I miss family and friends from home! I am keeping up regularly with the girls and grandchildren and that helps a lot, but just not the same seeing photos of them in their Halloween costumes as being there!  We are constantly on the lookout for things we think they will enjoy doing when they all come over in May, including restaurants, parks, walks, and child centered exhibits.  Today for example we bought fresh bread from a bakery off the High Street (what they call any main street in any city) and saw they make really good box lunches for kids and its right across the street from a lovely park, with loads of play equipment.  Check… that will be a must for when they are here!:)  Oh and the bread and cake we bought are really good.

Last night we attended a Bonfire night at West Dean celebrating some guy named Guy Fawkes who guarded explosives and protected King James 1 way back when???  I have to admit while I stood there in the wet grass after dark waiting for the fireworks that were promised, I wondered why we were there!  The bonfire was anti-climatical due to rain in the day that soaked the pile to burn, thus the bonfire bust, however the fireworks were unbelievable for such a small village celebration.  There were only about 150 people in this open field and the show lasted a good 15+ minutes and they literally were fired over our heads!  It was truly amazing, so thanks Guy for having a celebration!  I will however need to learn to dress warmer.  4 layers, gloves, 2 pairs of socks and scarf and hood were not enough and it was not that cold.

For lunch yesterday I dined with the elite of Chichester at Goodwood Kennels with my landlady.  It is a quintessential British members only golf club with stunning views and great food.  The kennels are used for the hounds that do the fox hunt, which is why the club has it’s name.  We had such a nice visit and I think in another life I wouldn’t mind being of the privileged caste!:)

Tomorrow we have been invited to lunch after church by a lady I met Wednesday at a Women’s Bible study at a church we have attended a couple of times.  It turns out that in retirement she and her husband go to India to teach teachers at the school Mostyn went to as a child.  What a small world that they have Hebron in common!

On the 18th we have been invited to a very formal event in London with the Clockmasters Guild that Mostyn was installed into just before I came.  We had to go and get a formal ‘kit” rented for him at a men’s store here.  He will be in tails, white vest and white bow tie, but said no to the top hat! Thankfully I had packed a dress from one of the girls weddings which will work for me.  We only hope to not embarrass ourselves by using the improper cutlery or burp or something!:)  We will take some photos to enclose in a future blog.

The big news is that I am driving!  Albeit very cautiously and getting lost frequently and even abandoning one event because I could not get out of the car park due to steady traffic and having never been out in the dark, I just got way too nervous.  I have not used a manual transmission for many many years, but that part is kind of like riding a bike, but using my left hand to shift, now that is just weird!  I found myself ‘looking’ for the gear shift with my right and finding only the door latch!  I did make it to Sainsbury’s (their Target) by myself this week, but parked in a puddle and had wet feet until I got home.  We bought a Puegeot  Quicksilver for those who care.  A small 2 door little number that will suit our needs just fine for this year and we will likely be able to sell it for about what we paid.  So now we wait for a parking space in our neighborhood.  We are currently on a waiting list and still have to use the car park about 2 blocks away, which is not a big deal unless you have heavy groceries, which I had with my wet feet!

I have joined a group of women that meet at the library weekly called Knit and Natter!  They have accepted that I don’t knit, but I do crochet and was able to make several sets of these coasters I make to contribute to the things they sell to make money for children with cancer.  I have only been twice, but these ladies are a wealth of information and so happy to include me and there is indeed plenty of knitting and nattering that happens!

I have also been identified by 2 different store clerks, who had remembered me from past shopping trips.  So I am feeling ‘known’!  It’s likely the American accent which they seem to think is really cool here!  We have also been ‘adopted’ by the sweetest older couple we met at church, they are amazing and have made us feel very welcome.  We had them for dinner this week and I made Chicken Tortilla Soup and her comment was she had never had a soup so full of flavor!!  Thus English fare is true to the stereo-type of being rather bland!  They quite enjoyed it and she even asked for the recipe, so we have made some dear friends.

So my first month impressions are that life here is quite acceptable!!:)

 

 

Nov 01

A Hoop and Spurs

You can see a hoop on this old clock (I didn't work on this clock)

You can see a hoop on this old clock – (I didn’t work on this clock)

Perhaps this sounds a little like something to do with horses and cowboys or a San Antonio basketball team but, yes, really, it has to do with clocks.  Some old English clocks were attached to the wall with a hoop – essentially a hanging bracket.  The spurs were used at the bottom of the clock frame to hold it out from the wall.

This week we spent two full day sin the forge learning the old craft of wrought iron work.  Yes, we put iron in the fire and pounded it submission.  In our case, into the shape of a hoop and spurs.  One of the goals here at West Dean is to gather an appreciation, if not the skill, to build/restore clocks in a way that is “sympathetic” with the way that it was originally made.

My Station

Here’s my station in the forge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a much harder job than it seems.  We practiced with Plasticine initially but that didn’t last long and we were on to banging red hot metal with a hammer.  Day one, we made practice pieces – pointed tapers on the end of a rod, and bent over tapers, and bends in different directions.  It all seems to be possible when you are dealing with a relatively long piece of metal but when you try to manipulate a piece that is only 160 mm (that’s around 6 inches for you Americans) and try to get bends in precise places, it is definitely more of a challenge.

Here I am cutting off a spur after creating a sharp point in the end.

Here I am cutting off a spur after creating a sharp point in the end.

As soon as the rod cools enough to loose its red color, it is really easy to forget that it is still very, very hot.  Fortunately, I made it through the exercise without and serious mishaps – but I could see it happening really easily.

First we made some length calculations.

First we made some length calculations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first bend.

The first bend.

 

Cutoff only takes a couple hits from the hammer. That's not orange paint - it is hot!

Cutoff only takes a couple hits from the hammer. That’s not orange paint – it is hot!

 

 

 

 

 

Then some more bends.

Then some more bends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's my finished hoop.

Here’s my finished hoop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next week we start the process of designing and making a clock.  I am not sure that I will have time in the year to complete it because I have a Master’s project to do and write and that make not leave enough time, but I will make some of the main parts of a clock.

P.S.  We have had the most amazingly warm and dry October for this part of the world – the last two days especially have been beautiful and warm, around 20 C (68 F). As is so often, I am absolutely taken by the fields and the sheep right out in front of the school.

A short ten minute walk back from the forge to the clock workshop. Amazing!

A short ten minute walk back from the forge to the clock workshop. Amazing!

I’ll let you know about some of my other projects soon,