Returned safely to North Wales

I flew out of Newark last night and here I find myself back in Britain and my North Wales home. It was sunny all the way home, which was nice for the drive, but as I arrived at Penrhyn Castle where I live the heavens opened to wonderful Welsh rain. Strangely enough New York reminded me considerably of Wales when I was there. The atmosphere and the light were the same, and so too the changing leaves in some areas. Truth of the matter is we are on a similar parallel so that’s not so strange after all.

As I was driving home along the coast and looking out to sea I became conscious of just how small the world has become and so too the world of woodworking. For over two decades I have come to know so many of you through my workshop courses, writings, articles, blogs, forums, emails and booklets and such. All of this introduced me to the problems surrounding handwork in any and all craftwork. Through this I formulated my concerns for the demise of woodworking and the next generations of apprentices and novices, amateurs, younger school age children, youth and adult men and women.  I thought about my visit for much of the way home and felt a rising excitement that some of what took place during my visit already resulted in solutions by creating new spheres for real woodworking to take place in. The extra information I gleaned there provoked me to rewrite some of my early research and development work for both the US and Europe and that will create a brand new system that will train parents and children in the art and craft of fine woodworking.

Inspiration comes from many quarters and being in New York I gained some fresh and new ideas for illustrating my new book, which was very exciting too. Again, no computer drawings but my personal sketches but with a different richness so get ready for the new work.