The YouTube

I spend a huge amount of time on YouTube. Seriously, it's changed my life. A few years back, it was Itai who got me hooked with watching SV Seeker, where Doug in Tulsa builds this huge steel ship in his backyard. That was the start, now I have many, many favorites. Currently I wait patiently for episodes from Leo at Sampson Boat Co - he is restoring Tally Ho a 100 year old wooden boat (unbelievable quality of work). And there is Acorn to Arabella, where these two young blokes started with cutting down trees to build their boat. It's not all boat building, I currently have 62 different channels I monitor. From archaeology (Primitive Technology is incredible. This chap in N Queensland Australia basically builds everything from scratch, stone tools, clay etc) to the dozens of people doing restoration of old tools and equipment (Hand Tool Rescue, My Mechanics, LADB Restoration) and of course lutherie (OBrienGuitars, Eric Schaefer Guitars, StewMac) the list is endless.

Anyway, yesterday after picking up bwo from the airport, she was in San Diego visiting a sick aunt. I stumbled on Baumgartner Restoration. I started watching him restore a George Inness painting.Then spent many hours watching video after video (the ones with the narration are best). What precision and dedication. 

That's the thing. On YouTube I get the level of detail that I am always searching for. I find TV documentaries very disappointing these days.  All bells and whistles and flashy noise, with little content and depth. My $10 a month for a YouTube subscription (no ads) is the best money I have spent for ages.

It's been sweltering hot the last few days. I miss England every day. This picture is of the path from our house in Petersham to Richmond along the river. It's winter and not yet dark (probably 3pm). The air is cold and frosty and it feels like it was a million miles and hundreds of years away from where we are now.  Sigh.