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Just doing nothing is a real challenge.

Chris Hobson

Chris Hobson

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
My wife Liz and her sister Jill recently visited Jill's daughter Zoe Near Cambridge, mixing with Zoe's brood who attend pre-school and get exposed to lots of bugs and diseases. So, not long after getting back, both Liz and Jill developed a really nasty sore throat and cough. At first I thought that I had escaped but no, a few days later I got it too. In my infinite wisdom I decided that I would spend the next day in my wood shop where it is pretty damn cold. Of course the next day I felt terrible and I belatedly realised what an idiot I'd been. So I spent the next day on the couch wrapped in a dryrobe under a quilt browsing my phone and watching random You Tube videos on the telly.

My problem is that I'm really not good at doing nothing. So I'm constantly restless and itching to get busy again. Anyway, on the next day it occurred to me that old episodes of The New Yankee Workshop will be available on You Tube. So now I can watch Norm all day I'm a bit happier.
 
We've got hooked on various people on YT over the years. None of em encourage us to do anything in partic, just interested in either places they go or work that they do - much like The New Yankee Workshop (think that used to be on some TV channel on Saturday mornings, hadn't it? though can't say we've looked for it on the Tube) seeing the processes and the finished products.

There's no harm in it anyway - I remember 'Going for a Song' and someone (?Arthur Negus?) keep saying 'You can imagine the man making this (whatever) ...' Well with YT, we don't need to imagine the man, cos we can watch him doing it!
 
Norm has more toys than I do but I am gradually catching up. I noticed that, on the early shows, he had a thickness planer that was just like mine which I found surprising because mine is quite a cheap one. It could be that his was a better one and mine was a cheap copy. Anyway, a few shows in, he had a different one that looked a bit more posh.
 
We watch an American chap called Phil, at Shady Acres, who is specifically a woodturner and gets all sorts of weird and wonderful bits of wood to make things from. Some of the trees we've not heard of, or maybe we might know the tree but the timber thereof has a different name in the States.

Er, could it be that once the prog took off, premier tool mfrs saw it as an ideal opportunity for free advertising, so donated their best equipment? she asked, cynically 🙄
 
The manufacturer's names are blanked out on his power tools but, if you know about such things, you can often tell what they are.
 
I’m not good at doing nowt. I feel guilty even if I’m not well. I often iron whilst watching telly so I don’t feel guilty for catching up with Strictly or Masterchef. Mr Eggy never warms a seat either. We rarely do anything after clearing away the tea things though. I don’t feel guilty after 6pm! 😉
 
Chris Hobson said:
My wife Liz and her sister Jill recently visited Jill's daughter Zoe Near Cambridge, mixing with Zoe's brood who attend pre-school and get exposed to lots of bugs and diseases. So, not long after getting back, both Liz and Jill developed a really nasty sore throat and cough. At first I thought that I had escaped but no, a few days later I got it too. In my infinite wisdom I decided that I would spend the next day in my wood shop where it is pretty damn cold. Of course the next day I felt terrible and I belatedly realised what an idiot I'd been. So I spent the next day on the couch wrapped in a dryrobe under a quilt browsing my phone and watching random You Tube videos on the telly.

My problem is that I'm really not good at doing nothing. So I'm constantly restless and itching to get busy again. Anyway, on the next day it occurred to me that old episodes of The New Yankee Workshop will be available on You Tube. So now I can watch Norm all day I'm a bit happier.
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… and there are always Richard Rafan videos. I hear them as I come home, the tell tale sound of woodturning.
 
I run out of steam in the evening too but, during the day, I'm normally so busy and active. Being ill and not being able to do stuff is driving me a bit nuts. I perked up a bit today so I did a couple of short stints in the workshop, well wrapped up, came back inside before I started to feel cold.
 
As others have experienced, this particular nasty bug likes to trick you into thinking that you are on the mend before reducing you to a groaning wreck again. This morning I went out to the farm supplies shop and to Asda to get a few things, well wrapped up, heater on in the car. By the time I got home I was feeling lousy again. So I'm back to feeling frustrated and watching Norm again only now I'm buying woodworking trinkets from Amazon as well.
 
Chris Hobson said:
As others have experienced, this particular nasty bug likes to trick you into thinking that you are on the mend before reducing you to a groaning wreck again. This morning I went out to the farm supplies shop and to Asda to get a few things, well wrapped up, heater on in the car. By the time I got home I was feeling lousy again. So I'm back to feeling frustrated and watching Norm again only now I'm buying woodworking trinkets from Amazon as well.
Click to expand...
Don't forget to order the man glitter :D:party:
 
I don't need to buy that I've already got an inexhaustible supply. I did buy some measuring tools to go with the lathe and a set of drum sanders. I've been browsing some of the other toys that norm uses, biscuit jointers are around £60 but I can get a bit for the router that will do the job for £12.
 
Chris Hobson said:
I don't need to buy that I've already got an inexhaustible supply. I did buy some measuring tools to go with the lathe and a set of drum sanders. I've been browsing some of the other toys that norm uses, biscuit jointers are around £60 but I can get a bit for the router that will do the job for £12.
Click to expand...
Oooh my hubby would be so impressed. He bought a second hand bandsaw this year from a very nice gent who was selling up and moving onto a narrow boat. He gifted us several books on wood turning and projects.
 
Over a week after being struck down, I feel as though I might be on the mend again. My throat is still really sore, hurts to swallow, hurts to speak and I'm still coughing up the occasional icky green lumps, but I don't feel rough any more. So I'm back to doing piano practice and I spent a couple of hours in the workshop constructing my router table.
 
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