John’s Blogspot Archive

A really nice place to relax. Like most of us I spend a few minutes browsing the net after checking my emails each evening, looking for something...

Gone Walkabout. A couple of years ago I had an email from one Osbert Lancaster who lived on the shores of the Forth of Firth in the South East of...

It was a nice looking day,  slightly cloudy and very calm.  Our family does not get together as often as we’d like, two of us work shifts...

Making holes in things. I use my two cordless drills a lot when boatbuilding, one for pilot holes and the other as a powered screwdriver.  I have a...

Out in the shed,I’m not doing well today, dog tired in spite of a sleep in, off to the Doc today for my monthly visit  so I’m taking it quietly...

Back to school. Photos by  Justine Leigh. A couple of years back I had the great privilege of teaching part time at Massey University, Auckland...

Not far away from where I live is a village called Hobbiton.  Some of you will know of it, I read the book when I was about 10 or so, every few...

Tool test. Ryobi I generally tell people to buy good quality tools on the basis that a cheap tool that does not do the job is an expensive purchase....

Tail lights for the trailer.A new boat will always have a few things that need to be altered or added to make it ones own, and there can be much...

Wheel bearings.Vital, and often problematic on a trailer that has to be dunked in the water when launching and retrieving a boat.  Heavily...

Pulling the boat out the other day I noted that the trailer winch wire was looking tired and that in spite of my administering medication in the...

When I found the little space for the stove, and the lovely little kerosene ( paraffin you Brits) stove that came with the boat I was very pleased,...