Bernard's Swan Song

It's been eight years and a lot of very beautiful and some not quite so beautiful times since we first bought Bernard. It doesn't seem that long....but there you are! Everyone thought we were mad, why on earth would we want to buy a ropey old horse truck and then even worse, spend loads of money and several weeks of spare time we didn't have converting it into an exhibition wagon? Well I can't really answer that, it was just something that we wanted to do.... a bit like ice skating in Central Park, or snorkeling off the Barrier Reef.

I remember the excitement when we first saw him in the stable yard, oooh so tatty but full of hidden promise, it seemed like an age before he finally pulled up in our front drive on the 9th April 2005 and we could start work on the grand project.

We took him to pieces, literally!

800 hours labour and three months later we had this.

We recycled all sorts of bits and pieces to build the interior living area.

Most of our friends started to understand what we were doing, but it wasn't until recently when "glamping" entered the English language that we started to feel....well, quite normal really! At the shows people would come specially to see the truck, they loved him, still do, but it's time for him to have a new adventure with someone else now.

It has taken us the best part of two years to make the final decision - 800 miles a year isn't enough for this old boy, he needs to do more. So now we're looking for a new home for him next month.

So it was ironic that our final show with Bernard would be at Breamore House, one of our favourite places in the world and also where we started out on the show circuit proper back in the early 90's. Bernard's swan song was magnificent!

So it's the end of an era for us and hopefully a bright future for Bernard and his new owners. Who knows where he'll end up, but wherever it is, I won't be able to stop myself from watching!

Rattan poles.....thousands of' 'em!

It's been a funny few weeks, by that I mean funny in an odd way, not funny haha sadly!

We knew there were two important tasks we had been putting off that could wait not longer. First was restoring the woodwork and cab on Bernard our trusty old Bedford horsebox and the second was to sort, cut and bundle a mountain of raw rattan poles into more sensible and manageable sizes.

As luck would have it the weather has been okay for the past few weekends, so in between the odd shower we donned masks, ladders and sanders then threw ourselves at the mammoth task of horsebox restoration. Bernard is 10'6" tall and 19' long, so to say it's a big job washing and sanding that lot is a severe understatement. Meanwhile we had phoned the mechanic to ask him if he could check Bernard over for his annual "plating" test, thinking that we had plenty of time as we don't need to use him until the end of August. So imagine our shock when the mechanic told us that we'd better get him down to his yard asap as the testing station was already fully booked until, (you've guessed it) the end of August!

So panic ensued, pressure applied. We worked away madly for three solid weekends and then took the truck to the mechanics yard. We're all keeping our fingers crossed now that we can get a cancellation at the local testing station, otherwise it will be a 40 mile plus trip each way to the next nearest one!

So this is what he looked like when he went to the mechanic. Woodwork almost finished and the cab only partly started. Ooooh I hope we can get him tested and back home soon, still lots to do.

So once the truck panic was over, we girded our loins for sorting out the rattan pole problem. Last Wednesday, the two of us plus two friends (probably now ex-friends) set about the task. I hate to admit it, but the old adage "out of sight is out of mind" is so true. We had genuinely forgotten just how much rattan we have. At first we were optimistic that we could achieve loads in one day, but by the end of a VERY long shift, it was obvious that the job was going to take at least another week of concerted effort. This was the mountain we were looking at sorting and is only about a third of the total.

And here we are trying to decide where to start.

So we were a bit worse for wear after that lot and decided to have a gentler time this weekend. We've pottered about gardening and doing nice, quiet things like............

......rescuing lost frogs from the middle of the kitchen floor. Don't ask.....I have no idea how he came to be there suspiciously covered in fluff from the tumble drier!

I wonder what next week will bring?

The Time Has Come To Change Our Delivery System.

By now I guess most people are aware that the Royal Mail had a review earlier this month and as usual their prices have gone up, (well they never go down do they!) But very sneakily, they have also changed the parcel sizing structure and standard compensation levels. This means that unless a package is very small indeed, we will not be able to afford to use their services as some prices have doubled in real terms.

So to save costs whilst trying to maintain a reliable service, we are using a plethora of couriers including a two to four working day service. Regular customers may notice that their orders take a couple of days longer to arrive than normal, but please bear with us, we are trying our best to keep delivery prices the same as before. The next day England/Wales service and costs have remained the same.

The rattan embargo is still in place so the material supply for our craft is still strangled. How much longer this will continue we don't know, but we are trying to keep as much stock on hand as we possibly can so that we can all continue to work.

On a brighter note, it's not long until the Summer!! Next big job for us is to bring Bernard out of his Winter livery.

Holton Lee Summer Fair

The first thing we did yesterday morning was to look out of the window.....were the weather men right, or please just this once, would they have got it wrong? No such luck, this time they were dead right. The wind was blowing a hooley, trees bending almost sideways under the force, patio furniture all over the garden. Oooh no, not again. We'd already heard on the local news that there had been flooding on the road leading to Holton Lee, and trees down all over the place in Dorset, all in all not a good start to a Summer Fair!

We set off at 10am. All along the dual carriageway the horsebox was swaying like a ship at sea, now and again a huge gust of wind would push us into the grass verge, or worse still, towards the middle of the road - not a good omen. We arrived late, thanks to the heavy traffic as much as the weather and it quickly became obvious that an awful lot of people had decided that staying at home was the best option on such a rotten day.

Yet again we had to say thank goodness for Bernard. Our trusty old truck is the best wind break in the world. We stood in the shelter of his bulk all day and managed to rush seat two chairs without any problems, but for everyone around us sadly it was carnage. Every so often the wind would blow a gale, the stallholders were hanging onto the frames of their canopies - literally - hoping that the wind would drop soon, but it didn't. By the end of the day no less than five canopies were wrecked, mangled heaps. It was so saddening. One couple had parked their car behind the stand and tied their canopy to it. Eventually the canopy frame was so distorted that they had to take it down, revealing two massive dents in the wing and door of their car where the wind had bashed the legs against it with huge force.......There were several standholders left sitting out in the elements with no shelter. I forgot to take the camera, but here's a photo, (not great quality) taken with our ancient phone.

Bleak - almost midsummer and everyone is wearing a coat - it was such a shame. The fair itself was really well attended by the supporters of this lovely place and the ring events, music, activities and facilities were great. The children had a fab time trying on police uniforms and hats courtesy of the local police represented by a lovely lady officer who was parked next to us. She had such patience with the kids, giving them guided tours of the police van and handing out pictures to colour in.

So who'd be an event organiser? No matter how hard you try or how carefully you plan, you can't predict the weather.

We've made a decision about Bernard the Bedford TK horsebox

This year we're doing less shows than ever before. We have only definitely committed ourselves to three - Dorset Art Weeks and Holton Lee in June, then Stock Gaylard Oak Fair in August - that's it.

It will also be our last Summer season with "Bernard" the old Bedford TK Oakley horsebox as a backdrop and living accommodation. It's been a hard decision to make, but the time has come to move on and do things differently. We don't use Bernard enough, he needs to move around and be out and about more often, so in the Autumn he will be up for sale. Sad, but we have to be realistic, it will be a wrench to let him go after all this time, but there must be someone else out there who is looking for exactly what Bernard has to offer.

So this Spring when the weather improves we will bring Bernard out of his Winter sleep for the last time

Let us know if you are interested in becoming Bernard's new custodians. If you would like to see a potted history of our seven years with him, look here.

Larmer Tree - Bernard DID make it to the ball...!

We got there! Bernard passed his braking test by just 2%, phew....We had decided to risk it, to wait and see whether he passed or not before moving any stock around. Lucky! The mechanic's workshop closed at 5pm and we arrived at 4.45pm, so as it turned out we wouldn't have had enough time to mess about transferring stock from the horsebox to the trailer and car anyway - well at least not without upsetting the mechanics wanting to get home on a Friday evening!

We left for Cranborne Chase Woodfair at 7am on Saturday and were set up in plenty of time for the 10am opening. The weather stayed fairly dry, but oh boy, was it cold! There was entertainment on Saturday night and Sunday dawned bright and warm, so all in all not a bad weekend considering it's October.

Some pictures.

This is the fabulous view. Larmer Tree Gardens are on top of a "dome" which is partly why the weather can be windy and misty here when it is calm and clear lower down. The hay bales in the foreground were a childrens "soft play" area, they loved it, it was full of laughing kids all day long.

Now some of our friends.

Here's Neil Taylor with his fabulous saddle seated chairs. We're in the background.

David Drew with his amazingly neat basketry. I was stunned when he told me that he is mostly self taught! Lovely work.

Here's Owen Jones making his famous oak swill baskets. He's been featured in loads of magazines and TV programmes and is an all round nice man!

And here's a stickmaker with his shepherd's hut. I loved the guard dog!

A real "Woody Weekend".

Oooooh dear......

Don't you just love him?

Well it's Friday morning and Bernard is still languishing in the mechanic's workshop. Overall he passed the "plating" test except for his brakes which failed by 1%. The mechanics investigated and found that a recently replaced brake master cylinder seemed to be the problem, it was sticking. Luckily we still had the old one, (some Bedford TK parts are as rare as hen's teeth!) and with a bit of persuasion it worked better than the newer one. That was yesterday afternoon....they have rechecked the braking system but are not convinced that it works all that much better than before. We'll find out..... at 3.30pm today he has a retest, (notice 3.30pm!).

Now what do we do......do we trundle down to the workshop, empty Bernard before his test then pack the car and trailer with everything we need for the show tomorrow, or do we wait and see?? If we pack the trailer and then get a pass certificate, we'll have to unpack and repack it all into the truck again, but if we don't pack the trailer before the test and then get a failure certificate, the workshop will be closing and we won't be able to get our show stuff out of the truck!!

I think at this point it would be easier to go on holiday.

Lovely weather for ducks.....with strong wings!

Well I don't know about hurricane Katia supposedly arriving overnight, but if yesterday is anything to go by then we don't need any more hurricanes, we've had quite enough bad weather thank you very much!!

It seemed like a very long day yesterday at the show and overall it was lovely, except for the weather. Why has virtually every event this year been blighted by the cold, heavy rain or high winds?

Anyway, just for a change I didn't take any photos at all, but I did make a little film, it's on youtube here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkDoOx0EXP4

A day in the life of me, my better half and Bernard, (of course).

I felt so sorry for some of the stallholders, the wind was incredibly strong at times and wickedly blustery. One minute everything would be calm then the next, a great whoosh, clatter and bang, someone else's gazebo would be bending or breaking!

We're glad to be home.

And on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, memories drift back to that awful day when it seems the whole world stood and watched in disbelief at the unfolding events. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims.

What on earth was I doing moaning about a bit of bad weather!!

Stock Gaylard lived up to expectation again!!

Long post coming up!! We've had a lovely time, very hard work but thoroughly enjoyable. As in previous years the rain continued off and on right up until about 7am on Saturday and then, miraculously the sun came out! There was the odd shower, but nothing compared to the last few days - how lucky is that?!

We were positioned under a gorgeous old oak tree at the top of the "Oak Avenue". We had access to electricity which made our lives so much more comfortable overnight having lighting and a working fridge, it meant that we slept very well and woke up refreshed for show day - setting up for any event is always hard labour.

Here's a few photos taken just as the show began.

 The view we had from Bernard's ramp across the central catering area.

Looking down the beautiful avenue of oak trees.

Here we are under that lovely old oak.

And this is what the central area looked like at lunchtime! You can see that there is blue sky but also that most people had come dressed for the unpredictable weather.

We were kept very busy and only managed to weave one chair seat all day, but it is great to be out of the workshop and talk to people about weaving and restoration. We also had a massive surprise, two of our friends from the craftsforum came to visit! Not only did they visit they came bearing fabulous gifts.......

Lunch!!!!! Wow, we never normally get the chance to eat at lunchtime, what a truly lovely, thoughful thing to do, so kind of them. We had a great time, lots of laughter and chatting, (hope you're reading this P & M!!). AND there was cake!

But the surprises didn't end there, a blogging friend of ours Leanne also came to visit and she too came bearing gifts - my favourite - blackcurrant jelly, home made! Fantastic. We met Leanne through blogger after the Stock Gaylard show two years ago, she writes a fascinating blog about her life in North Dorset and we arranged to meet up this year for a cuppa. She has written a lovely post here about her day out.

It was really lovely to see you Leanne!

We were kept so busy that we didn't get a chance to see much of the fair on the day, but we did see Mike Abbott before the show opened and had a chat about his new book, then we had a chat with Fabian and had a look at his most recent work, but we never did get to say hello to Martin Symes the wheelwright our friend of many years, but we shall probably see him at Frome Cheese Show in a couple of weeks time. Never mind.

A truly great day, a wonderful show organised so perfectly by the estate owners.

So that was Saturday. We were packed and had left the site by 6.30pm. We returned home exhausted but happy. Sunday and Monday might have been days off for most, but we had more things to do - another trip to the Cotswolds to continue the saga of emptying Mother in Law's home......more of that when I've recovered from this weekends jaunts!!

Bernard, our project next week......

Well it's that time of the year again. Bernard our trusty old horsebox needs his annual overhaul. The best news is at least we can move him now thanks to a wonderful friend of ours. Up until the middle of last week the clutch was seized and we had no way of being able to deseize it - our friend came to the rescue. He fiddled and thumped, moved and shook the truck, then suddenly, we heard a click.....the clutch was freed! However, our friend doesn't know how he did it - so none of us are any the wiser how to fix it if it happens again. Hey ho.

So tomorrow I will be soda blasting various bits of furniture and truck. Then we will be cleaning various bits of furniture and truck..... and finally, we will be re-painting or re-finishing various.................!

Not the most exciting prospect in the world is it? But someone has to do it. By the end of the week we will hopefully have a handsome truck AND some footstool frames to work on at our first show of the year at Sherborne Castle at the end of May. It is wishful thinking on my part but it would be great if Bernard looked as good as he did when we spent 800 hours on him 6 years ago:

But to quote one of our sons, "that ain't gonna happen". It's more likely that I'll be making up a sign saying "Please excuse me I'm a Work in Progress"!

Rush!

Another phase - it's all rush at the moment. A set of eight Magistretti drop in rush pads, another William Morris side chair, a bobbin turned corner chair, an oak dining chair, four ladderback chairs.........! My shoulders ache and there are just not enough hours in the day.

The rosewooded chair is finished, so is the big settle, at least we have a bit more room in the workshop.

I can't believe it's March already, the show season is almost upon us and we haven't even started any preparations. Bernard the horsebox has a seized clutch, so for now we can't even move him to the workshop to get all the niggly problems fixed. At the end of last year we had a nightmare time, the fuel gauge, battery charging system and speedometer stopped working virtually at the same time. I had a rant about it here. Well we're no further forward and to compound the problem, Bernard's long serving mechanic, (and the only person we know with a tool to deseize the clutch) is working in the Antarctic as mechanic to the exploration team! We're keeping our fingers crossed that when he visits his family briefly this month, he will be able to find the special clutch tool.....

We also have to restore enough furniture to work on at the show demonstrations because as of today, we have about two footstool frames - that's it! We could definitely do with having 8 days per week.

Soda blasting service for small furniture

Having experimented with soda blasting since last April, we're confident enough now to add this service to our restoration armoury.

It will not be suitable to use on all items, but there will be times when soda blasting will be the ideal way to remove a finish. More details are available here on our webpage if you're interested:

8th May 2016 - Sorry we no longer offer this service.

We had a lot of practise last year, the first project was Bernard the Bedford Horsebox!

Frome Agricultural and Cheese Show

As the run up to this show was so eventful, we were hoping for a calm day or two just "doing what we do" at an event. But oh no, chaos insisted on ruling for at least another few days.

We arrived at Frome around 5pm on Friday evening. The weather was dry and warm, but a bit breezy. Bernard had driven beautifully all the way through the twisting roads of Dorset, Wiltshire and into Somerset with only a couple of complaining backfires. Our stand was set up in an hour and a half so we still had enough time in daylight to have a wander around before dinner and sleep.

Overnight the wind picked up to a gale and the rain lashed down heavily, but it stayed warm making for a very uncomfortable and disturbed night in the horsebox. By morning we were exhausted - the wind had calmed a little and the rain had passed leaving a murky grey sky. By 9am we had had breakfast, the sun was breaking through the overcast sky and lots of happy show visitors had started to filter through to our countryside area. I decided to get out the camera. It didn't work....ah....I'd forgotten to put the memory card back in! Never mind I had the video camera with me, I could take stills with that....ah....it'd got a flat battery! Oh well.

We kept busy all day working on a few footstools and a rush chair. Did I get to try any cheese? No! But we did have a very nice kangaroo meat pasty for lunch. By 6.30pm we were packed and ready to leave. Would Bernard start? Thankfully yes, he sparked first time, so we said quick goodbyes to our fellow crafters and set off for home. We were making really good time until 10 miles from home. We ran out of fuel. I should say here that there are two remaining gremlins in Bernard, the first lives in the battery charging system, it doesn't always work so sometimes the battery just goes flat for no reason and the other gremlin is in the fuel guage, that doesn't work at all. So we have a big stick for dipping the petrol tank to check the level and we try to preserve the battery wherever possible.

So picture the scene...it is dusk, we are on a very fast straight country road trying to hitch a lift to the nearest petrol station which is about 7 miles away. Eventually a very considerate man stops in a van with strangely blacked out windows and offers my other half a lift, which he gratefully accepts. Meanwhile I stay with the truck, trying to make the speeding motorists aware that we have broken down before they smash into the back of the box! I talked with our sons on the mobile, neither of them could come to our rescue, one was working and the other at a friends house without his car. I stand next to Bernard listening to the crickets at the roadside hoping that my other half hasn't been abducted. It's getting dark and I dare not turn on the horsebox lights it would flatten what battery we may, or may not have left, (remember the second Gremlin?)

Then there were flashing blue lights.........the police arrive. After the usual questions, "what's happened, what are you doing about it...etc" the two officers were very helpful. They parked back from the truck and put on their warning lights. I was glad of the company! Within ten minutes the same strange black car arrived with my other half and petrol can on board, what a relief. The fuel is poured in, but it will take some pumping up to the engine, will the battery have enough power to start the engine? It seemed to take a lifetime but thankfully it did start. The policemen must have thought I was a madwoman because as the engine fired I shouted, "Yeeesssss, there is a God" Maybe that's why they followed us half way home!

The very kind man who rescued us said that he was only able to offer a lift because he had no-one else on board. He is an Undertaker.

(Note to self - fix the trucks Gremlins)

Bernard passed his test.........

After Bernard failed the annual "plating" test on Monday, we sent him to a mechanic who said that the handbrake would need to be adjusted and he would "take it from there", it could be that the only wheel cylinder that we haven't replaced has started to leak but the mechanic wouldn't know this until he delved a little deeper.........oh, please just let it be the handbrake.

The handbrake was adjusted, the brakes were bedded in, a bit of tweaking here and there and then the brakes were tested on a rolling road.

Bernard passed! Not only did he pass the test, but with flying colours - the braking system has never worked so well.

So, yesterday evening we collected him from Poole complete with a new 12 month pass certificate - deep joy! One less thing to think about, (to quote Forrest Gump).

So we shall go to the Frome Agricultural and Cheese Festival on Saturday after all.

Failed!!!

Bernard failed. Brakes, again! This time the handbrake's not good enough and there's an imbalance on the efficiency of the back brakes, (whatever that means). Our mechanic friend isn't at home so we can't do anything about fixing it.

Hey ho, looks like we'll be turning up to the show at Frome with the car and trailer!

Bernard's test

As I type, Bernard is being driven to Poole testing station for his annual "plating", the MOT test for trucks. The test is at 10am and I've got my fingers crossed so tightly that it hurts.

Last year was a fiasco. Our youngest went along with my other half just for the ride. The only booking we could get then was in Salisbury, which is a long drive away for us! Everything was fine, until the tester checked the brake lights....they had stopped working for no apparent reason. The testing officer decided that this was very, very serious and they would have to impound the truck!!! Luckily we had found a recovery company who are prepared to insure us for just this kind of event, it costs, but at times like this it's worth a million pounds. A phone call was made and the mechanic arrived in minutes - it turned out that his workshop was on the same industrial estate as the testing station - what a stoke of luck. But he couldn't work out why the lights didn't work either. He persevered for about 10 minutes fiddling with wires and bulbs. Miraculously he touched something and they worked, just in time for the tester to witness the fact! We never did get to the bottom of why the lights failed that day.

Bernard was allowed home complete with a "Pass" certificate.

This year the Gremlins have been haunting the offside front indicator light and the horn - sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't........please let them work PROPERLY today. We need to drive him to Frome on Saturday.

Stock Gaylard Oak Fair 2010

It all came together beautifully! After a superb bright red sunset and a night of showers on Friday, Saturday dawned bright and blue. This was the view from Bernard's ramp on Friday evening.

The long avenue of oak trees looked stunning in the late Summer sunshine, not a breath of wind moved the branches. At 10 o'clock the visitors streamed in, the oak avenue and the surrounding fields soon filled with people. There was a lot to see. The fair was bursting with inspiring craftspeople and artists.

Opposite us was a man who had made the most beautiful "rocking creatures" for children - an elephant and a rhino, they attracted a great deal of attention and quite rightly so!

We only managed to weave seats onto a couple of footstools, (we were a bit busy) but this was one of them.

It's made from hazel coppiced in our garden five years ago and now has a green rush seat with beige chevrons.

We also met a couple of fellow bloggers, it was lovely to finally meet people face to face that in some ways you feel you already know a little. A great day all round, except when we came to leave.....Bernard wouldn't start, he had a flat battery. Luckily we were parked on a hill and it took seven of us to push him down the slope to bump start the engine!! The trouble with old trucks........

One week to the Game Fair.

Less than one week really, the show starts next Friday. Are we ready? Sort of I suppose, it has been difficult to work at all with the demolition going on around us, but that is now coming to an end. Here is this weekends full skip!

The hall porter's chairs are going back together, just waiting for the glue to go off, the fourteen footstools are refinished waiting for new seats to be woven on them at the show. We've also restored a very pretty balloon back cane chair and a high back inlaid rush chair to work on as part of the demonstration. But best of all, I have made some baskets, (light relief)!!

I also finished making the film of Bernards restoration in May, so will be posting that on YouTube soon and the film of us using the soda blaster on small furniture is also finished - if you want to have a look, this is the link here

The Three Counties Show

We're home again! Bernard is running so much better now, the trip to Malvern for the show was a dream. Trouble is he is running so well that he doesn't want to go slowly. At 50mph he thunders along happily, but at 20-30mph he judders and spits, there's always a challenge with an old truck!!

The Three Counties Show was beautifully organised as ever. Fabulous scenery and first rate entertainment for the visitors. Jive-Pony did their breathtaking acrobatics on horseback, (website here) Adams Axemen demonstrated their lumberjack skills (website here), birds of prey flew for their handlers and hunting dogs showed off their abilities to retrieve - all of this was in just one of the arenas!

The Malvern hills are just beautiful, here is a photo taken from the truck on the way to the show:

And here is a hang glider/parachutist riding the thermals over the peaks:

There are lots of tempting things at the show..........a man can dream can't he?

But for me the best part of the whole show is..........................

The livestock! Especially the pigs.

Getting ready for the Three Counties Show

Dorset Art Weeks at Stewarts Garden Centre was a great success. The weather was fine for both weekends, not a drop of rain so we were able to work out in the open air. It was lovely to meet and chat with all of the other crafters, artists and designers too. Nina with her super animal portraits - I loved her pigs! Then Tiggy's stitchery with the rich colours of India, I bought some great beads from her to use in a basket.

So now onto the next...... The Three Counties Show is held at the Showground in Malvern, Worcestershire from this Friday until Sunday. It is a stunning location nestling in the Malvern hills, but it's a long way to travel from Dorset. Today our friend Phil has had a look at Bernard and changed his leads and plugs - as a result the tinkling noise from the engine has miraculously disappeared and he seems at bit more powerful! Hopefully we will be able to get to Worcestershire a bit quicker this time than the last and on less fuel. We've spent most of the day cleaning out and preparing the inside for the weekend so that I can get back into the workshop for at least two days to finish off some more work before we have to leave again. I'm desperate to make some more baskets!

This is us at Malvern 5 years ago!