the best laid plans...

...are apt to go astray.

Things are not as they should be, but they are tolerable for the moment. The pursuit of things train-like is on hold while domestic chores take their place at the top of the "to do" list.

Managing the property is consuming more time than planned, mostly due to several unexpected situations that manifested all at once. Solicitor Murphy will have his little jests. Getting over the latest batch of hurdles will take a bit more effort.

On the shop front; there is actually a shop space. It is a little jumbled at the moment, but I have successfully assembled the drill press and put it to use punching a number of 3/8" holes in an 18" length of 1/2" x 2" mild steel for a rototiller "digging bar" (wish I knew what it was actually called). I was also able to add some fore-aft stays to the arches of a garden arbour by cross-drilling two lengths of 1/4" steel rod and fastening it all together with some washers and cotter pins. A bit more like blacksmithing than machining, but you have to start somewhere.

It looks like there will be space for all of my machine tools, however, room for an indoor layout will not be available for some time :-(