Old coins

I went to the viewing day at a local auction house the other day. Most of the lots on show were house clearence tat, but there were a few lots that caught my attention. I didn't go to the auction proper, but left instructions with the wife's uncle on how much to bid on my behalf. I only won one lot as it happens, but it was he lot I was most interested in- this tin of mixed predecimal coins:- My plan is to dicretely incorporate a coin representing the DoB when I make a wooden piece as a gift. Luckily there are a good spread of years represented, especially sixpences which are the ones I have been intending to get hold of for a while.
As I was rumaging through I noticed this William III penny from 1699. I think it will have been legal tender up until decimalisation in 1971- best part of 300 years. Its fascinating to think how many generations of people, in so many different circumstances, must have handled this coin through the ages.

I'm at home recovering from a knee ligament reconstruction at the moment, so I'm unable to do very much, but I have been doing some spoon carving and made my first walking sticks-pics to follow

Greenwood carving tools

These are the tools featured in my header, and the ones I use for 90% of my greenwood carving projects. They are, from L-R, a Helgess RH spoon knife, a Frosts 106 sloyd knife and a Gransfors Bruks Carver's axe. These were the tools that were used on a spoon carving course I attended at the workshop of Robin Wood in Derbyshire, 2 years ago. Since acquiring and using these tools I have tried a few other patterns and makers, but none have surpassed the results I have had with these. I do however have an open mind so I will be trying others and will post my findings on here in due coarse. I will also post some of the different methods I employ to sharpen my edge tools-a subject that eveyone seems to have a different slant on.