working the wood in the year of the wood horse

I was inspired, after a lengthy hiatus to get the tools out and get working on some new projects. As the Chinese new year of the wood horse galloped into town, a myriad of creative ventures began appearing on my path, many embracing the element of wood and some bigger in scope than others. 

With our eldeset son beginning high school he was in need of a desk and we were housing the perfect one in the farm stay, a beautiful piece made by my grandfather for my eldest brother many moons ago. After moving the desk out I was left with a big empty space to fill and the perfect beginnings for my first project. I have now prepared the wood to form a base for a futon style day bed/window seat, making use of a beautiful stack of timber left over from the old house as well as recycled pieces collected from old farms in the area and the like. 

I have always enjoyed working with aged timber, though its cracked exterior and ragged edges can sometimes make it difficult to see through. For me it represents getting back to the core of the matter, shedding those bits that have been withered in time and allowing the truth of the matter to be seen. Working this wood now has bridged the connection to my ancestors, particularly my grandfather who worked with this element so often, it seems that in the year of the wood horse we can find the grounding needed to achieve our goals on this eartly realm, but as horse energy reminds us, let’s kick up some dust on the trail left behind.