Easter Break

Mark Baker

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Easter is here and our deadline is looming irrespective of the holiday break this weekend. Deadlines for magazines are strange in as much as they are not elastic – they are unmoveable once set – although some contributors have been known to stretch their deadlines a bit. Any deviation from the dates will have knock on effects for other title,s and of course, the people who work on them, too.

So irrespective of holidays, visits to manufacturers and other such things, nothing can get in the way or be allowed to impede the smooth through put of stuff; our lives are governed by them and everything has to work in synch with them. There are back-ups and contingencies aplenty – if the forward planning is done right. That said, like in the workshop, even the best-laid plans sometimes go awry and we have to think fast on our feet. I have likened the process to juggling water, plaiting fog, or herding cats. I am sure there are many such sayings, but you get the meaning. It’s like making the last cut on something, you are almost there, the end is in sight, and bang! You have a catch or something similar happens and then, after the initial shock, it’s a case of, ‘what now?’

As mentioned, we may have a few escape routes, or tricks we have learned that we can bring to bear on the situation, but it is often the case that we learn more from the foul ups that occur than from getting everything right. We learn by trial and error and without this we do not grow or develop.

I have t finish off the guttering this weekend. The roof is almost finished – someone is just finishing off the top layer – so the gutter sees the last part of my involvement to it for a good few years to come. I need to tidy up the garden, too. I have 30 new plants to site and bed in – the acers are a real treat at the moment.

I will, of course, be seeing friends and relatives and then we come back to the deadline of the magazine, only a few days later to go into another bank holiday. All fun, but seriously draining to make sure all is ready.

Have a great weekend break, everyone, and we will be back in the office on Tuesday.

We have not had any details of major Woodworking events that are occurring over the Easter break, but it is worth pointing out the major events that are coming up during the year so you can check out the details and pencil them in your diaries.

Wood-Works @ Daventry

When: 7-8 May

Website

AAW Symposium

When: 24-26 June

Website

AWGB Seminar

When: 12-14 August

Website

Norwegian Woodturning Cruise

When: 15-27 August

Website