Monday, May 26, 2008
Coffee Table Part 2
I missed wood working class last week because I had terrible cold. This week I managed to get the top laminated together. It was pretty tricky to get everything glued and clamped together. However, by the end of class it was done. I forgot to bring the camera so no picture in this blog. There won't be class or an update next week because it is a public holiday.
Monday, May 12, 2008
New Project
Since not much is happening, I thought I would post the progress of my next project each week on the blog. I am constructing a coffee table from some Fijian Kauri. I bought the wood rough sawn and spent most of tonight's class planing it down so that the sides were all smooth. It is pretty difficult to see the difference in the photos.
Before
After
Before
After
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Recent Projects
As some of you may know I was taking a woodworking course. The first half of the course we were given a project to complete that would allow us to use the different bits of machinery in the workshop. Once finished, we were allowed to complete a project of our choice. I decided (or was it Helen?) that I would build some shelves for the small gap between the kitchen cupboards and the south wall.
The shelves full of stuff
The shelves are about 2 metres high and 1 metre wide. There is a board running down the centre to split the shelves into two different sides and give it more strength since there is no back. The shelves are at random spacings to accommodate our range of books, plants, potteries and a vase.
While Helen was away on the ship she knitted me a new jumper.(Helen to add some details about the jumper, explain why it is an Arran jumper)
My new Arran (Aaron) jumper
The shelves full of stuff
The shelves are about 2 metres high and 1 metre wide. There is a board running down the centre to split the shelves into two different sides and give it more strength since there is no back. The shelves are at random spacings to accommodate our range of books, plants, potteries and a vase.
While Helen was away on the ship she knitted me a new jumper.(Helen to add some details about the jumper, explain why it is an Arran jumper)
My new Arran (Aaron) jumper
Friday, May 2, 2008
Macquarie Ridge II Voyage to the Southern Ocean
A week or so after getting back from sea I have had a chance to sit back and relax and get over my jet lag. I was on the 3 pm to 3 am shift, so it felt like jet lag having to get back to a normal routine. I have also had a chance to contemplate everything that I have learnt from this month long trip. This was my second trip out on the RV Tangaroa and the first on where I was in charge of the geology team!
It was an interesting voyage due to its multidisciplinary nature and I learnt a lot about oceanography and seamount biology. I have to admit that because of the multidisciplinary nature it was also quite a frustrating as the geology part seemed to get the short straw and the time we had for coring often coincided with the bad weather! Not totally unsurprising given the fact that we were on the Southern Ocean. We only managed to get 6 sediment cores during the whole trip. However, it was only supposed to be a reconnaissance trip for the geology coring, so in that respect it was a successful trip as I have a much better idea where I would focus the coring efforts next time.
Actually we were really lucky with the weather - we only lost 4 days of so over the 4 and a half week trip. The original trip was supposed to go a month earlier, but we got pushed back because of the NIWA International Polar Year trip to the Ross Sea in Antarctica. Unlike the last trip I did on the Tangaroa we didn't see any land once we left the Fiordland coast, SW of the south island of New Zealand. We should have seen Macquarie Island, but we went past it during the night. We knew we were close to the island because we had regular visits from the Gentoo Penguins that live on Macquarie Island. We also saw a couple of whales during the voyage and lots and lots of birds!
So hopefully I will get another opportunity to go back to the area in a few years time. The first look at the cores suggests that they are all very different and it is obviously a very bizarre and fascinating area. The seamount sleds also got quite a few interesting rocks, so hopefully I will find a student interested in petrology to look at them and piece together the hard rock story from this region.
10 m waves on the Southern Ocean
Barnacles from one of the deep sleds.
Albatross
Octopus from the deep.
The whole gang!
All kitted up in my Antarctic gear ready to go outside!
It was an interesting voyage due to its multidisciplinary nature and I learnt a lot about oceanography and seamount biology. I have to admit that because of the multidisciplinary nature it was also quite a frustrating as the geology part seemed to get the short straw and the time we had for coring often coincided with the bad weather! Not totally unsurprising given the fact that we were on the Southern Ocean. We only managed to get 6 sediment cores during the whole trip. However, it was only supposed to be a reconnaissance trip for the geology coring, so in that respect it was a successful trip as I have a much better idea where I would focus the coring efforts next time.
Actually we were really lucky with the weather - we only lost 4 days of so over the 4 and a half week trip. The original trip was supposed to go a month earlier, but we got pushed back because of the NIWA International Polar Year trip to the Ross Sea in Antarctica. Unlike the last trip I did on the Tangaroa we didn't see any land once we left the Fiordland coast, SW of the south island of New Zealand. We should have seen Macquarie Island, but we went past it during the night. We knew we were close to the island because we had regular visits from the Gentoo Penguins that live on Macquarie Island. We also saw a couple of whales during the voyage and lots and lots of birds!
So hopefully I will get another opportunity to go back to the area in a few years time. The first look at the cores suggests that they are all very different and it is obviously a very bizarre and fascinating area. The seamount sleds also got quite a few interesting rocks, so hopefully I will find a student interested in petrology to look at them and piece together the hard rock story from this region.
10 m waves on the Southern Ocean
One of the calm days!
Barnacles from one of the deep sleds.
Albatross
Octopus from the deep.
The geology boys, Pete and Dylan, deploying the gravity core.
Life at sea can make you a little crazy - Peppe and Andrea in the coring lab.
The whole gang!
All kitted up in my Antarctic gear ready to go outside!
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