Future Foundry (by alaric)

My father Lionel and stepmother Lynn were here to stay for a day again, so while Lynn took Sarah shopping, Lionel sorted out the little garage I am planning to make into my metalwork shop.

He did such a great job:

...that there's more space than I had hoped for, so I will instead make it into my full metal workshop. I was planning on just doing the forging and casting in here, and shouldering the metal machining into my grandfather's old workshop - but that can now stay as a wood workshop.

I just need to wait for the rest of my tools and the foundry stuff to arrive - hopefully not before I finish my backlog of work, because it would be frustrating to have it all there waiting to be set up when I don't have the time...

Lionel also found time to enjoy feeding Jean:

Whereas I, in an honest effort to (in one stroke) keep her warm, absorb any more partially-digested milk that should come out, and keep her sitting upright (which she likes, and cmplains if laid down when she's feeling inquisitive), managed to make her look like a Boohbah:

Experiments in Parenting (by alaric)

We've been trying to implement a regime of cloth nappies, since they're a bit more comfortable (less tight elastic bits) and a lot cheaper than disposable nappies.

However, we have yet to find a way of tying them without making the poor girl look a bit silly:

Speaking of looking silly, why do babies look so odd when being winded?

Transistors (by alaric)

Now, my knowledge of electronics really centers around digital stuff, so transistors have always remained a bit of a mystery to me. Sure, I know the gate or base input controls stuff flowing between the other two oddly-named pins, but I've never really known how this works out in practice - if a 12v battery is placed betwixt the collector and emitter of an NPN transistor, and the base is supplied from the +12v rail via a 10KΩ resistor, what would happen? Read more »

Our Idyllic Life In The Countryside ™ (by alaric)

Today, we had lunch in the sun by the waterfall.

Home at last! (by alaric)

Well, we're now settling in for good in Gloucestershire.

Hooray!

Now we need to start organising all the people who are clamouring to come and meet Jean...