Catch up.

well wanting to write must be an improvement.

We're almost in February and the most snow we've had is here.  Plenty time for more.  Below is style I like. the carver is Polish.  I like the over all roundness and his clean cuts.

There is of course he's sampled some of that high octane fuel the call voga

Update

I feel an explanation is called for.  The lack of activity I could n't avoid.  Janice's health continued to decline up to her death in 21/4/12.  To be honest I had a breakdown mentally this was obviously caused by her death.  This was exasperated by her family's reaction, or lack of action.  However thanks in a large part to the support of a neighbour I'm crawling out of athe dark pit.  My carving has been occasional .  Mainly because of the demands on my time, housework cooking exercising Jimee.
We have an additional family memer Ming a Siamese I bought as a kitten. So let's hope I can keep this blog uptodate.

holiday

We came north a bit for a break.   Hoping a change of scenery would help Janice.  It worked out well.  The cottage is the Old Post Office at Dubford on the south side of  the Moray Firth.   An old building, stone built with walls 3 foot thick. With recent winds reaching 90m.p..h  I'M GLAD.

  There is also a sawmill here, so I 've got some more lime wood  to spoil.   First time for years I've not carved something.  The withdrawals  are setting in , but tomorrow we return home.

hybernation ends

First an apology for neglecting this blog for almost a year.
There isa reason,we went to Kracow for a holiday, when we disembarked my wife Janice collapsed on the runway.   Then a series of collapsing till the last one on our return to Scotland.   She spent 14days in the acute ward of the hospital.    Since then the illness has not been identified so no treatment.  She is on oxygen 24 hrs a day.

   Obviously my priorities have changed, time has to be spent doing chores I have left to Janice.
However we hope than I can return to blogging.

Rab C Nesbitt: "Rat" - Series 1 Episode 2 (Part 1/3)

de Gaulle

First sorry about de Gaulle being a messy eater, I did n't notice that ketchup stain till after I took the photo.  For a couple of reasons I'm running out of carving wood so this is a bit prefabricated, 4 pieces in all.  Interesting but restricting.    I'd like to carve all WW2 leaders . However for the time being I'm fish stuff out of the trash bin.

Cauld laddie

If nothing else its seasonal!  I fished a messed up carving from the bin and got this out of it around 5 inches in height, limewood.

opinions needed

 Can I begin by saying I'm not keen on what goes under the guise of PC.  Nor do I believe in tramping over the feelings of others.

 I recently posted my latest caricature, Hitler.  This seemed to provoke an over reaction from a fellow carver.  " throw that efigy into the stove".   First of all I will not do as dictated to. 

  This is one of a deries of WW2 figures I want to carve, de Gaulle is almost finished,

 My question is , does anyone else find this caricature offensive?
Let me know.

Seasonal greetings

    For anyone who follows this blog and some do;
A merry Xmass and a Peaceful New Year for you all.

snowed in.

Well it takes little for us to be beaten by the snow here in Scotland.  We've had above average and we're grinding to a halt.  Janice went to her work yesterday and is snowed in.  Her relief can n't get there.  Still its not all bad, plenty food and heating both here and at her work .  I've made a big pot of golash in the slow cooker.  The dogs' treats, liver I've cut up and micro waved.  So send it down.  The carving is a 5 inch one of the madman, I hope to carve other figures from WW2..  Unfortunately I'm running out of wood .  De Gaul might be next he was a thin man and I've a bit of wood that might fit the bill.

quote

The principal mark of genius is not perfection, but originality.”

  The claims of originality, in fact copywrighting carving designs has often amused me.    After voicing my concers another carver suggested some quotes on the topic.   The one above I feel its accurate.  It also rules out me, and alot of others from claims of originality.

thoughts

 Here's some of the Santas I've carved.  The shelf sitter looks as though he's in his underwear.

Whatever

The snow for the first time today shows signs of a thaw.  Because of the changing wather in this part of the world we'll get this regular in the winter. Snow thaw, snow and all the mess it suggests.

Both Janice and I are keen ebook readers and have used this a lot because of the weather.  I'm reading a book on the loose of freedom of speech, I'm half way through it and have to say its made me more convinced that being PC is not something I find I want to aim for.  Seems to me that if I  do n't follw the dictates of a minority, usually of foreign origin I become a racist.  Do n't hold with being rude nor offensive but feel I retain the right to express myself.

snow

Well we've got snow here ahead of the normal time,  But its here, not a lot but 6/8 inches fortunately we can expect it to shift with the climate we have here.  Managed to give the dogs a run and although its was a short run we enjoyed it.

The above are two carvings I've finished, the pistol wheelding has been a pain.  The original came from an Woodcarving magazine and I reduced it to six inches.  That was a mistake that showed up in the carving.  Ah well live and learn.

izart

   This is the end result of a doodle, maybe it influenced by my research or a visit to Auschwitz.  Whea ever or where ever it came from its different. 

I think I'll go for another carving on a similar theme , or maybe the very opposite, an SS Guard.  We'll see fed up with Santas.

mrclaus

A couple of  photos of the last carving I've finish, 4 !/2 inches plus base.  This one is going to the STates.

Geordie

This is Geordie a Scottish gnome who looks after the haggis in the winter time.   He's out giving them their night time feed, larks tongues dipped in heather honey

Ekern Santas

 These I carved from a pattern in Gerald Ekern's book.  I like the design and they were fun to do.   The book I bought on Ebay and my friend Jack forwarded it from the US.

  Just now I'm doing a clean up of bits left from previous carvings .   The other source is almost finished carving, one's I should have finished but did n't.

  I'm told there's a saw mill nearby which sells limewood so I'm going to chack it out .

  Maissee behaves better at the Saturday class .  Each time she showed aggression I corrected her.  Better than the previous week but a long way to go.  We just hope this socializing works.  Having a dog on a lead all the time is not something I want.

more wood I've spoiled

 A bit unkund but a caricature of my pal Jack and his hound.  Fortunately he has a great sense of humour and the Pond will be between us when it arrives.

   Another pal, 5 years old goin on 50, has gone off with my little carvings of Santa.  These were put on a shelf he can n't reach.

angry fishermen

 EEC regulations are making for a lot of unhappy fishermen in this part of the world.  So I carved this wee fella to represent their anger.  The regulations are restrictive and yet fail to answer the problems related to over fishing.  The over fishing on our costal waters is caused not only by our vessels but all EEC members fleets.   Brussels has a knack of letting regulations over rule commons sense.  

PMS

My wife commented that " You never carve female caricatures"! Well that's cured now. 

For my own protection this carving is not based on anyone I know nor anyone I might not know.