Eleanor
I originally thought a web site would be a good idea to promote our business Furniture restoring.  I have added more sections to the site and in past years my passion my allotment . Though I no longer have a plot Lizzi has asked for some assistance helping her to get hers in shape. I Have recently had a number of experiences which have made me take stock of a number of things, it has been a revelation.


In my forties I was given an opportunity to attend college. I made some friends, met a group of people who have had a major effect on my life and to whom I am eternally grateful.
We were very fortunate when we arrived at the then college of building and printing, there were still a group of skilled lecturers passionate about their work. Only a few are left now as most have retired. They were a fascinating group happy to answer our questions and assist when we were confronted by what we thought insurmountable problems.We moved through basic skills like sharpening chisels and making dovetails, to our eventual piece a few years down the line, a reproduction regency games table, which encompassed all wood skills we had acquired over the years.
We also had  the polishing shop from sanding and preparation to mixing colours and polishing. None of the premixed for us, we use powders which are mixed with a carrier and can get not a bad match. We also discovered chemicals to remove stains, fuming, cabinet scraping and spent a little time in the spray booth working with modern lacquers and stains not nearly as easy as it looks. These classes were taken by Mr Clunes a fountain of knowledge.
Then there was traditional upholstery another revelation, we found out how chairs developed through history. We started of with wee bedroom chairs and progressed to wall building, springs and a variety of knots. I can now take almost any chair to bits and put it back together again. Occasionally we get a chair with no interior, they are the difficult ones, even they impart clues  usually the nail holes tell us where the webbing and fillings went.
All in all I really enjoyed the learning experience, and it has given me a new direction in life
I consider myself really fortunate not having the pressures that are now considered so essential in our society now,home owning ,I am very lucky I have a home rented from our local housing association in a Glasgow tenement, This is high rise living before the concept was invented,buildings constructed to house the clyde shipyard workers and all other trades dependant on the huge workforce of an industrial city. Warm cosy solid buildings that are now a city landmark, they are usually four story buildings of red or gold sandstone exteriors that can house up to 9 family homes up a close, with shops or  homes on the ground floor.
My other passion is the Allotment, I grow most of my own food there which in this economic climate is a massive saving. I also know that there have been no chemicals or agents to tamper with the quality . The crops may not all be the same size or unblemished but there is nothing like digging up your own potato's or picking your own peas .
 My son Jonathan grew up here and has in the past couple of years moved off to a more rural enviroment.
He and his partner live in Darvel in Ayrshire with the dogs! 3 dalmatians and a new family member Soozie the schnauzer. Jonathan works as a bank manager and does a rather large commute daily, he and Mark are often away at the weekends doing the dog show circuit .  http://www.dvojica.co.uk/1.html