Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Really terrifying

Forget Halloween. Don't even worry about Silence of the Lambs. If you want me really truelly scared ask me to watch over someone else's 10 year old child -- with a power-tool. The local school had a real problem on this particular day with adult supervisors for part of the their woodwork project - cutting shapes (about 18"-20") out of thick ply (I won't say what as it is the kids project, and theirs to tell people about). They got in one power-tool-wise mummy, one daddy, and moi (thanks to B saying no, she'd never used one - which is sensible) -one-on-one with the children. The kids were not a problem - well-behaved and trying hard. But I was as tense as a bowstring and totally focussed for two hours (OK, I had a break when each one finished. But I lost about a pound in sweat). I was using a table jigsaw at that age, but my old man had clouted common sense into me by then. I never really appreciated what he'd done, or how hard it is with other people's children.

B finished her relief stint in the school gardens. She was sorry to... but she's mighty stiff.

The proofs of Dragon's Ring are in. I've finished another set of sample chapters. Done some work on Dog and Dragon. Not cleaned my net. Oh and a single rock-melon seed is up - out of 6 and this planted last. I only have two more.

6 comments:

  1. We didn't get shop lessons until Grade 8. The boys got shop in Grade 7, and the girls got home-ec (cooking and sewing), and the next year they switched. Our teacher definitely put the fear of God in us, but we learned a lot, and a lot of respect for power tools. One of these days I'd love to get our shop set up properly and be able to have fun with it.

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  2. That's the problem, Dave, no one's clouting sense into kids anymore :)

    I remember making a wooden plaque with a wooden fish on it at school when I was about that age. We didn't have parent helpers though, just one teacher who had to help every child in a class of about 20 to cut out their fish. If you were frazzled after two, I bet he was a total wreck!

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  3. Well, I suspect a clip around the ear-hole put more kids on the strait and narrow than those done any damage, but fortunately I'm not raising any more, Cheryl.

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  4. Me too Blloonatic - but work and money are intervening

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  5. Yes, that's why I don't have mine set up either, Dave. Still, I've sold 3 blankets so far which puts me about 1/15th of the way to Australia for 1 of us. :-P

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  6. Way to go, I will hope for a cold winter/global cooling so you sell lots more!

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