News - January 2021 Part 1

I don't know about you but I got really fed up with dry gin, dry sherry, dry white.....and glad to get back to some real ale again.

Has everyone had their first vaccination - mine is booked for this Saturday.

I did like Allen Hennah's suggestion of putting the vaccine in beer and re-opening the pubs......that way everyone would be covered by next Tuesday at the latest!

(watch out for scams involving appointments for covid vaccinations - there is absolutely no requirement to provide personal information or credit card details)

Did anyone else spot Peter French on TV last night on one of the never ending repeats of Flog It?

Last night's episode was the one based at Highcliffe Castle and I am sure it was Peter.

We have received one or two requests for assistance with community projects.

Nick Mowll (with some help with transportation from Keith Vineycomb) has made a start on the refurbishment of the benches.

Nick reminds everyone to check their cars if they have not used them for a while.

I know I have gone from about 20,000 miles a year before I retired down to something like 2000 miles in the last 12 months - hard to justify owning a car!

It might be a good idea to take them out for a run to charge the battery and bring the engine up to full working temperature.

Also worth checking the disk brakes haven't rusted and /or seized.

I complained to the AA regarding the cost of my annual renewal and was rewarded with an £89 reduction - worth a call if your renewal is due!

And staying with cars, Keith warned Honda owners to be vigilant as there have been several thefts in the Christchurch area of catalytic convertors again - apparently Honda cats are very easy to remove and they disappear while the car is parked on your drive!

Christchurch Sailing Club asked if we could make a sloping, glazed cabinet in hard wood to display a book listing donations to the club.

Christchurch Castle are looking for a bench mounted plus a free standing light box for their stained glass workshop.

If anyone thinks they could help out from their home workshops, let me know and I can pass on the information and contact details.

We also had a request for help from one of the ladies at Greystones.

She wears shoes which are built up and during the lockdown is finding it difficult to get the work done on a new pair of shoes.

If anyone knows of someone who could help, please let me know and I will pass on the information.

Nick has blagged some wood (sycamore - nice to turn!) from a local tree surgeon for our turners and carvers.

When things get back to normal we will have to attack it with a chainsaw to get it into more manageable pieces.

And when things do get back to normal, we have an invite from Laura Bullivant who is the Community Manager at the Red House Museum for a tour of the museum and to see the sort of things their on-site shed team gets up to in repairing and restoring artifacts.