I'm not going to dwell too much on last Summer because it was well over a year ago now and I'd love to catch up to the present.
My Summer was great and I had a lovely time living and working on the Isle of Lewis for a few months. I like having such a change of pace in the Summer because it rejuvenates me and makes me feel inspired again.
I found out that I didn't get the job I had applied for in Warwickshire. I was a bit sad for a while but I know I wasn't right for the job. I spent a few months up in Lewis then headed back to Oatridge College to continue working on my own creations and help out.
That lasted until the Winter and I decided that I wouldn't continue to use the forge there. I had a lovely time in Germany just before Christmas and got to see a lot of craft markets which were very beautiful.
Then I had a lovely Christmas followed by a few weekends snowboarding which was absolutely fantastic. It makes me very happy, and when I'm happy I can work very productively which I think is the case with most people.
Unfortunately, shortly after this amazing few weekends I ended up hurting my leg pretty badly so it was a bit difficult to walk for a while and I wasn't really thinking about forge work at all.
However...I received a message from my work colleague from Oatridge College saying that my old work had had a phone call from another blacksmith asking if they knew anyone who could help him out and my name had been mentioned!
I worked up the courage to phone and made arrangements to meet him at his workshop to find out details about what kind of work I'd be helping with.
I think that must have been about late March or Early April, and I'm happy to report that I'm still working there!
The gentleman I work for is called Jim Whitson and his company is 'The Blazing Blacksmith'. Here's a link to his webpage
http://blazingblacksmith.co.uk/
I found it a bit difficult to start with as I'm sure anyone going into a new job finds it...and I'm not going to lie...I made a fair few mistakes.
I also had a bit of a problem with my back again and ended up getting physio sessions...again...which was difficult to work around although work was in itself was difficult because I had to be careful not to damage my back further. I had a lovely physiotherapist and I'm so grateful for all the help I received.
I'm also very grateful for not being fired for missing so much work, so thank you Jim!
I think I'm making real progress and I honestly love working here. I don't have as much time to work on my own projects, but the work I'm helping Jim with is beautiful and I'm learning so much from him.
In the next post I will update you with some pictures of the projects we've been working on, but I want to state that the photographs are of work designed by Jim Whitson and if you want to share them you need to get his permission first!
Thanks for reading and I will keep you posted about what's going on!
Take care.
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