The Barnes Family

Author: tim

  • DIY furniture

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    tim
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    I’ve always enjoyed woodwork – ever since I was introduced to it at school, building simple things like a pencil case and a tray. True craftsmanship is a discipline I find hard, however, so I’ve tended to find quick and efficient ways to make things. I enjoy the puzzle-solving aspect of design as well. These are…

  • Small website updates

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    tim
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    I’ve added a “Blogroll” – this is a standard wordpress feature that puts favourite links in the sidebar. These are just a few of the sites I enjoy. You can find more on the Favourites page (from the links at the top of the screen).  I’ve also added a set of random images from the…

  • New speakers in the living room

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    tim
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    I’ve spent the past couple of months building a new set of speakers based on a design by Wayne Parham (Pi Speakers). They are three-way horn-loaded speakers, using high quality PA (public address) drivers that are a lot more efficient than the speakers they are replacing.At the weekend I finally was able to install the…

  • Santorini!

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    tim
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    2201 One of the world’s great photogenic places.  Extraordinary beauty, and a quiet sense of isolation make it a great place to visit. 2127 I was there in May, following a conference. May is a good time to visit. It was hot, but not unbearable, and I did a lot of walking. The roads are…

  • Serendipitous Sail

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    tim
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    I was out walking in Bourne End last week while in the UK, and I was surprised to see a clutch of OK dinghies – 4m sailing dinghies – sitting on the grass by the Thames. This is a boat I used to sail when I was a teenager in New Zealand. It’s a single-hander,…

  • Sailing in the Bay

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    After a busy week we all went up to Redwood City and spent a couple of hours out on the water in a Merit 25. The boat is apparently based on the J24, but has better accomodation and is more of a cruiser. The boys enjoyed taking the helm and helping with the rigging, and…

  • Our boat is sold

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    tim
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    1520 Yamkat has been sold. She is now in the hands of her new owners, and we wish them well. We learned a lot from her – dealing with maintenance, learning to sail her, dealing with emergencies at sea. Somehow she represented more about challenge than pure enjoyment for most of the time. Part of…

  • We’re installed in the US of A

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    tim
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    It’s great to be back in our house – even though there’s a great deal of work to be done. It was very sad saying goodbye to all our friends and family in Europe, and I am looking forward to the opportunities I will have to visit them again. Having been in a rented house…

  • Happy Christmas!

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    tim
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    What a year it has been! Sadly our last in the UK for a while, but rich beyond measure. We’ll write a proper retrospective later – perhaps in time for the Chinese New Year (our excuse for a late Christmas letter!), but this time around I would like to acknowledge all the gifts of kindness…

  • Barcelona photos – first batch

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    tim
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    1651 I’ve posted the first set of pictures from Barcelona. Topics include: La Sagrada Familia Park Guell and Gaudi’s house Exploring the city I’ll have more as and when I can get them processed. Still to come are Casa Millo, and some of the cathedral and Tarragona. Enjoy. tim