Stuff

apart from building fountains i have invested a considerable amount of time in sorting out all my rubbish. being a hoarder it does not bode well when you have limited space. i needed to get rid of some stuff (because i wanted to get other stuff).

i endeavored to replace the leaking roof on my single garage that i'm using as a workshop for all things with wheels. i had attempted many different things to try and safe the old fibrous cement roof and had just given up. i could stand the damp wetness no longer, everything that was inside this garage was getting destroyed by the leaking roof. so a new roof was going on. one days really hard work paid off. i officially have a dry place to work. i don't have to strategically place everything away from where the leaks where anymore. this was incredibly freeing!

now that it was dry i could go ahead and solve a problem that i have had for ages!

i have always coveted a proper too rack. to keep everything within reach and nicely organised. having some old crates on hand and just having heard of the french cleat system i got cracking to make this space accessible. i started with the garage looking like this:

there was no access and everything was being stored on top of each other and nothing was being packed away because it was too big a mission.

so for my tools i made this:

this was GREAT fun since every little shelf was a project on its own. all the shelves are modular and the entire rack can be re-arranged to suit the need at the time. having worked with it once or twice now, i'm in love... 

the racks look like this from the side:

i also made a shelf to triple the floor space along the back wall, it so worked out that the honda and the bike lift fit into the gap as if it was made for it! and although still full, i can walk in and use the workbench without removing anything from the garage. 

the work bench underneath the tool rack has been relegated to the driveway and the one on the other wall has been given a new back board and a new work top. the  bench vise was mounted on it and it was moved in place. 

the little blue table in the front (it was my childhood desk in my bedroom) will be put on wheels and will become a moving island in the garage that is the perfect height for stripping a DOHC CB750 engine. 

there is still a lot to be done but the place is becoming a much more functional space, adn i did not need to get rid of too much of my junk... 

Cornered

It seems that i'm not very diligent...

since my last post i have had a new addition to the family, a little boy full of life, and life has changed dramatically. for the better, but right now we are MUCH busier. apart from that there has been a couple of things that have happened, everyone has been ill and things are returning to a greater sense of normality. i'm feeling a little more human and it feels like my creative me is rearing his head again and it is feeling fantastic!

for the Honda, i have slowly been gathering more spares to do a complete rebuild on the engine. it is the right thing to do i suppose, these old bikes are great and the are reliable if kept in a proper state. so i thought it good to start with a clean page and take 3 engines that i now have and make one good one. new seals and gaskets EVERYWHERE, etc and so on. and what i don't use might be useful to someone else and could help me get some of my money back...

with all of that happening in the background. i have had this ugly little corner in my garden that has been a thorn in my side for some time. we have attempted to get various different plants to grow there, and it has not been very successful... too little sun and being stingy with municipal water is not a helpful combination. what this area needed was a water feature...

i have a relatively old house and a modern looking thing would be completely out of place. i don't really care for "rock art" so that was out too... decided that i'll design my own.

being in shade most of the time minimizes water loss due to evaporation, and is a great spot for the lilies that we have been trying to propagate. when this was published the new leaves had just made their appearance. this has really made a great difference to my little back yard and the has brought a nice calming feel.