Greetings everyone,

So another year nearly done, wishing you all the very best for the festive season, peace, happiness and best wishes for the New Year!

It was a great year for me, lots of travel and teaching and making stuff.

My last trip went well, many thanks to my new travel agent for making my travel arrangements so easy, thanks Celia☺

First stop was UK for the European Wood Show www.europeanwoodworkingshow.eu , congratulations to Mike Hancock and his team at Classic Hand Tools www.classichandtools.com , especially Joy, for organizing such a great event, again it was held at Cressing Temple in Essex, an amazing place!

Then after a few days R&R in Worchester with Mark & Karen Hancock, where I might just have had the best ‘pie ‘n’ a pint’ imaginable!, it was on to Herzogenbuchsee in Switzerland to demonstrate for Magma Tools www.magma-tools.de . Thanks to Marcus (the Titan designer) and Hans and all for looking after us so well and hosting this event. It was a lots of fun and always a pleasure to get to play on a magnificent Titan again!

And a special thanks To Martin Gschwandter from Magma for his support and friendship☺

Next year I’ll be back in Aurolzmunster for ‘Magma Open Doors 2014’, hope to see you there!

After Switzerland it was on to Chicago for a fabulous 2 weeks with Binh Pho www.wondersofwood.net and his wonderful family, kia ora e hoas☺☺.

So nice to take a break and hang out with a mate, make stuff and play on an incredible piece made by Derek Weidman www.weidmanwoodsculpture.com with lots of surfaces for Binh and I to embellish and a bronze base made by Ron Gerton www.rongerton.com for SOFA Chicago.

Sadly I hear that this could be the last SOFA, such a shame but the gallery market is still pretty tough and many galleries just can’t afford the huge costs of being there.

Also Binh did some amazing surface work on another one of my Waka pieces.

Next stop was Kona, Hawaii for the Hawaiian Collaboration, so much fun is usually illegal!!! Organisers Tai Lake and Cliff Johns, superbly assisted by Tiffany, their families and the greater community put on an amazing event! Nice to catch up with fellow collab junkies from other events and to meet so many fantastic aspiring junkies!

Gotta mention Arlene who donated her fantastic culinary skills to keep us well fed on local delicacies, I’m still working on shedding the extra kg’s!! Maholo Arlene

This collab had the most amazing junk/treasure pile I have ever seen thanks to the support of a local antique dealer. This lead to the creation of ‘Keith’ the steampunk ‘Ether” lamp in collaboration with, Lyonel Grant, Farrel Ruppert and Henry Pomfret, cheers for the fun time guys:)

It was nice arriving a few days early to de jet-lag, help with set up and also get in a bit of beach time:)

Not quite used to so many people in the water tho, tricky getting through the crowd without wearing a boogie board!! Surf was too short and dumpy for body surfing so after a good faceplant I opted just to enjoy swimming and getting a dose of salt water which I miss heaps on the road.

Also enjoyed a few days after the event helping clean up and working on a carved ‘pig plate’ with the woodies for a local caterer, great to pick up some more carving skills from the ‘Master’ Lyonel Grant www.lyonelgrant.com Kia ora e hoa:)

Then Ly, Tai, Farrel, Henry and I took a coupla days to explore the Island. Major highlight was watching the sunrise from 14,00ft at he top of Mauna Kea. But man was it cold!!! Well we didn’t actually go to the top of the mountain, in the background here, but close enough:) Never been that high before and the landscape was amazing, what I imagine Mars would be like! Lots of massive observatories. And volcanic activity evident everywhere! Also visited Mauna Loa which is still active, and the lava tubes and some fabulous forest and coastal environments.