In Business

A fruitful day in the workshop, I was well prepared after staying up into the early hours taking measurements off the computer. And it was with confidence that I eventually marked up the ply to be cut.

First I went round to the carpenter though. To get some 5mm marine ply for the frame backing. We had a long conversation about wild mushrooms, the type you eat not the type that according to him you keep in your trousers,(see Trow Cartopper post) then we got onto tools. He’s always on at me about having good tools and the right tools for the job, I don’t know if he’s trying to win some trade off me, or if he thinks I cut my wood with the bread knife. Anyway I complimented him on his array of quality machinery and got back to the workshop.

I was just getting out the tools when the mother-in-law came by to ask when the boat would be finished. After much thought she's decided she’d like her ashes scattered out at sea and as I happen to be building a boat would I do the honours. Hopefully we'll be afloat before Easter I told her. Oh, I should last till then, she said. She’ll last a lot longer I’m sure, she’ll have plenty of time to come for a sail I assured her. No, she said, she’d rather go in the boat when she’s safely in her urn.

Squared up the oar looms, and cut some frame brackets and before I knew it darkness fell giving me the opportunity to learn a new lesson—if you haven’t got enough light to cut by don’t cut. Words from the gospel of the blindingly obvious but it took me a squiggly cut to realize that I couldn't see a thing. I continued working by cosy lamp light.