It's that Time of Year December has Arrived

Over the last three months handling NDIS and providers such as Occupational Therapists in trying to have bathroom alterations done as well as a new wheelchair became a nightmare. Hours spent chasing, organising, trials and tribulations a plenty in the end formal emails sent to NDIA and NDIS head office as well as Ministers due to problems. In the end I handed all over to those in power in NDIS and NDIA HQ I couldn't take any more accusations or stress. I am now onto my seventh Occupational Therapist here's hoping.


My phsyio Alex who spends an hour with me in Hydrotherapy on Wednesdays and in rooms Thursdays has made big changes to muscles and movement.
Chrissy my support worker also has been brilliant can't complain, taking a load off Sue twice a week.

December that month many hate due to end of school, Christmas prep and shopping no idea what you complain about.

I did my shopping partly on line I ventured into the three day sale in November to inspect the HM-46 I had had my eye. I laid everything out that I wanted on this machine bringing the price up to about $5k
While at the sale one of the H&F fellows pointed out the HM 48, I did some checking on line and sums.
It got delivered and installed prior Christmas. My new HM 48 Milling Machine from Hare and Forbes many thanks to Matt Hare and Dave Hurst for their time, patience and arranging delivery etc through Websters.
I had one major request prior delivery and assembly, that was that the access to the coolant was to be toward the front not in the rear as usual. They obliged thanks gents

Space cleared and ready.

A quick phone call had some dimensions greatly required but that is not in manuals. Total weight is around 500kg.





It is installed thanks to Websters.
Not bolted down it seems the concrete has a slight rise right in the middle of the stand giving a rocking if and when pushed on at height. Annoying so at this point no swarf has been made. I also got some tooling to get me started/ I do have other which is used already on the Myford ML7.

Our visitors this year are a family of Tawny Frog Mouths they have being about for two months. All photos of them by Sue.

Almost forgot we picked this nice Flax spinning wheel up for Sue, it is European with adornment of either Ivory or bone and has bobbins missing and a repair required to one leg. Yes that is Flax attached.




Merry Christmas and Happy new Year belated as these post have been.

Getting Closer to Christmas and New Year

November, although organised after deciding the vegie patch was to go, in its place would be a new garden shed to house stuff to do gardening with and maybe some timber and wood.

A big thanks goes to Den's Handyman Service Den has become an asset to us for work we can no longer do ourselves. Den formed up laid the concrete and struggled to erect the shed. It took four of us to complete it with the winds over two days assembling and erecting it. Den who's off sider deserted him for two days, Eric our neighbour Sue and myself the three of us holding panels up while Den raced round screwing and pop riveting.

The slab is 3x3x100 with five 200x500 deep piers into the ground to stop movement over the years. The shed is 2400x3000Lx2500H double doors.

 Den and young Shaun work as a good team, preping and forming pore due Monday so it had a few days to dry and settle.

 Thats the last we will see of Den's truck  when the job was completed it has been replaced by a new vehicle.

Yes thats the true temp taken at 8am.

 I had organised for Concrete taxi to do the mix and deliver mixed on site, barrowed through to the back yard. This is not an ideal way to do a pour. If the ruck could have fit through the side gate then it would be.

Gave the cement a few days to dry keeping it moist for 3.

Sue made a new garden, bought some plants, Tea Tree x3 these will hopefully help keep the northern side cool once they grow tall enough.


Another warm November morning not even 9am.











 One job done another starts.

The day Belinda and Sue came up to inspect the house Mark called in to see how I was doing, he took one look at the floor plans and insisted we have the glass sliding bedroom door changed as soon as possible. Thanks son.
No way was the wheelchair able to fit through it in an emergency such as fire. Ok so it took just over three years but its done, we also replaced the single sliding window above our bed to dual so air circulation is better and Sue can open her side while mine is not as far open ha ha.

I couldn't help but laugh when Gary the boss had his son Calum on site along with Michael, when Michael lifted the screen doors up to install them thy were 50mm short.
Someone had inadvertently given the assembly guys (Michael) the original measurement sheet not the updated one. Garry ow takes more notice of what he's handing out.
 The double slide was not one, Greg's Glass and Glazing had done trials before instillation back in the factory. Now wide enough to enter and leave i the wheelchair just need to watch that first step. Air flow vastly improved and tinting cut down heat.

Thanks guys.

 

One of the QMAC members from Coffs Harbour lost his home and business as a Blacksmith due to the fires.
I knew Seth had just purchased some 100+ hammer handles as he makes Blacksmith and other types of hammers, so I offered to make what I could. Another member Adam supplied me the timbers Blue Gum, Crows Ash and Bloodwood. Not the greatest materials as splits and cracks were deep, but here goes.

One had me duck for cover as it flew past my left ear. Not the best I've turned but material guided me, only one oval shape the rest I turned plain round but shaped for better grip. Sizes came about due to splits and cracks Here's hoping they stand up to a beating. 



Strip down has begun of the Jig Borer I'll post a full review on it when it is completed.

End of a Decade

What a year 2019 has been here's hoping we have better vision ahead with 2020 ha ha .

October through to  December three whole months this could be a long post or maybe it will be a scattering of whats been going on. Nope change of mind a post for each month??

October usually celebrating Octoberfest good old German Food and Beer, as we don't drink other than Ginger Beer it was just food. Sauerkraut and meat balls, Sauerkruat and Kranksy, Scrambled Eggs and Schpek.

A few home made loaves and a few other tasty treats made by Sue. Roasted Pumpkin to go in Pumpkin Bread, Strudel and cookies.

 

Sue was given a bag of Alpaca by Svetlana Ward, Malcolm Ward's wife of Boutique Timbers fame. Over  a number of months she processed the majority of it into two lots dying it different colours. As a gesture of thanks Sue offered Lana to make her a shawl, but also made a second out of the other dye lot. That one Lana has given to Greg Wards wife Lynn. 

Dyeing the Blue

Dyeing the Red, Yellow blend.





Below left drying the fibre, centre sorting, right the sorted lot.

Left carding, right the Rolags when carded for the Blue.






Below carding the multi colour

 The main one shown here is the Blue the one for Lana which was hand spun Alpaca on a Tahkli spindle for part of it, then the remainder hand spun on a Wee Peggy spinning wheel. It has some 1000 beads knitted into it. The second one had no beads.
The colour change in the photos is daily light situations. Click on images to enlarge.

Both ladies have them just prior Christmas I will try post a photo of the proud owners wearing them when they send us one.

 Of course this is not all Sue did she was busy with a lot of charity knitting as well as gardening when she was able. Completing the double weave blankets by fixing minor problems, making these two beautiful cushions from the last throws of the shuttle to finish off the warp from the blankets. Along with making me some 30 or 40 pen sleeves for the pens I make.

Ipswich was not the only place to suffer drought but it came and devastated many a garden and lawn which looked like crispy thin shoelace fries but smaller it crackled when you walked on it. The vegie patch as much as Sue tried to maintain it even watering just wouldn't help.

This was taken in May green and lush, with in two months it was a dust bowl 25C throughout winter and no rain. 30C in October was just to hot.

We had Corey our lawn maintenance man dig over all garden beds, refresh with manure and Tea Tree Mulch. Just in time for a down pour of 25mm of rain first in 5 months.


The gardens bloomed but not for long a choice by Sue to remove the vegie patch completely was made. She had struggled long enough to keep it going and over the next 6 months would not be able to put the effort in until a full recovery after surgery due in December.

I had been doing lost of small projects to tidy up and clear the decks nothing major. I did score some very nice old Volumes of books though.

The two volume sets I am very pleased with as they are in exceptional condition, after a minor clean up, leather bound and with complete sets of fold out Data Sheets.
The two Metal Lathe ones will add to a growing collection of this series. The Metal casting is something I am very keen to do, but truth is unless it is done somewhere other than home, with assistance and/or mechanised means I will not be handling hot metals. However that doesn't mean I won't design or can't prepare moulds or patterns or the sand etc. Not to mention the clean up once cooled down.

The two volumes sets are full of some very interesting English motor vehicles servicing and repairs as well as photos etc.

   

The Bedford Vam manual has special meaning having built bus bodies on these Bus Chassis when working at Custom Coaches during my time as an apprentice.
The Gregory's directory what a find, it is so old many suburbs of Western Sydney prior the 60's let alone today are still just farm land. The coach drivers doing commentary back then wouldn't have had much to talk about ha ha ha.

It is about toward the end of October the bush fires started their rage in Queensland and New South Wales.

Scored a back swing for Sue it needed a repaint and good clean. Stripped it completely and painted it.