A Community Hub and a lamp

This weather man, a few days with no rain, a bit of sun and everyones smiling, not going to work and looking out the shorts and tee's.  Supposedly it's supposed to be snowing on Sunday! So Gemma says and she knows everything!

Exciting times are going down in the mean streets of Lochgoilhead as we speak.  There's a small group of folk who have some good ideas and are charging on with them.  A community hub to grow yer tatties, make a space for local business' and just a great spot for everyone to go to in the village.  Theres nothing like it here just now and from growing up in the village it annoys me that it seems to have went backwards.  Maybe not backwards but just not moving or growing in any way. There was a meeting on Saturday and we got to it late due to other commitments, we missed the heckling from the pitchfork crowd but managed to get there early enough before all the cakes were munched.  From where I'm standing it all looks positive but with any sort of change pending it brings with it some negative attitudes.  Why?  I know! Thats what I always wonder too.  Are these people crazy, are they depressed, do they just like to stop progress? Whats wrong with them, there's a movement of good stuff happening and they're missing out on being a part of it, people can be all sorts of strange. Eventually they'll go along with it and then use the services that have been set up no doubt.  Who knows, it could be the Venice Beach of Scotland, I'm excited about it.  Anyone who wants to have a look and what going on, check it out here The Goil Hub The newest post on the site has a quote from a post-it note - They had post its for people to put their ideas on and stick them to the wall, I saw 2 funny ones, one said they would like a gym, the next one said they would like a hairdressers because it's badly needed in the village, both of these services are in the village already.  Too much of grandpas cough medicine I think. - Anyway theres a quote from one of the post-its, its deep and I start to walk around the village and wonder who wrote it, who could it be?!

Since I've been trying to work on my furniture game recently, my newest wee project was a floor lamp, this was kind of a prototype with some leftover material I had kicking about.  It's made from merranti with the shade being done in birch ply end grain.  2 people thought it was a basketball net I was making and another person said "A hope yer no gonna hing yersel pal" Translation would be "I hope you're not going to hang yourself my friend"

I set about it with the spray gun and some funky yellow paint, I picked up some magenta coloured corded cable, you know the kind all the cool stylish people are going for nowadays? and I've got an Edison style bulb to go in and we're done.

I had planned on sitting it in the living room but these kids of mine will be climbing on the couch then dangling from it.  I liked the look when it was just the plain wood before it was sprayed so I think on the next one I'll get some walnut and a high gloss finish with some colourful cord and a different shaped birch ply end grain shade.  I like the birch ply end grain shades and I'll make them in various sizes.  One thing I'm thinking on doing is some curves rather than the sharp bends but I suppose that could be a different range once I'm up and running. That's all the design notes I've constructed so far in my design studio.  

Plaid, hairy face, hair that's too long = Typical woodworker/maker in 2015 who's doing too much design for his own good and should stick to bashing in nails.

While I had the spray equipment set up I had some old ikea garden furniture, the usual brown kinda colour that drains you so I went to town.  Gemma picked the colours and I think she did a good job, what a great view too, we're lucky

That's all for now, if you know anyone who likes really funky stuff with bright colours I'd appreciate sharing this with them and showing them this lamp and other stuff. If you want to see some more pictures of stuff I've been doing just head to Instagram and feast your eyes. I think If you even search #madeinscotland my stuff should come up, maybe, I'm not too sure.

Remember its better to be a pirate than to join the navy.