​Circumstances have forced my father, now well into his eighties, to give up his workshop activities. He was always a great one for devising a solution to some household or garden problem using wood, metal or wire, and ideally involving coach bolts for added safety! Now he wants his hand tools to find a good home in the family. After all many of these belonged to his grandfather and great-grandfather so it is fitting they continue to be passed on from father to son and daughter. I am arguing now with my brothers and sisters over who has what.
 
Using good hand tools, new or old, be they handed down in the family, or discovered in a car boot sale, has great appeal. Many can appreciate them as works of craft, or even art, in their own right. The very best, and the more unusual, have become collectors items and can fetch extremely high prices at auction. However it is the thought of using something that has been used already to create and manufacture, carrying the patina that comes with years of tender use, which is so attractive.
 
I am sure that a great deal of satisfaction can be had also in revitalising an old tool that has been neglected but which, with a bit of work, can be put back to its former use.
 
There are many sites that show you how to restore tools and the results are fantastic. I was just looking at the UK Workshop site which is one of many showing what can be achieved. It has many examples of the effect that wax, glass-paper, linseed oil and other concoctions have in bringing old tools back to life. My father looked after his tools well but I am tempted to have a go at cleaning and buffing up a few of the less-used ones even just to put them on the workshop wall.
 
One of our most popular titles is Woodwork Tools and How to Use Them. It dates back to 1925 before the advent of powered hand tools. With great line illustrations it takes you through the application and use of a wide variety of hand tools. Saws, planes, spoke shaves, chisels and the brace and borer. There are chapters also on the selection and use of glass paper, the use of cramps and a wide variety of other miscellaneous woodworking instruments. So if you are lucky enough to posses some older hand tools this book will ensure you get the best use out of them.
 
Keep your eyes open at the next car boot sale, scour eBay, or fight over the heirlooms with your siblings to find some old tools and keep them working. The UK Workshop site, and there are many others across the globe, show you how to restore tools and our vintage book shows you how to put them to good use. And if you are looking for an end result from all this labour we also have our book entitled Home Carpentry, published in 1933, which has many ideas for projects around the home.

Here are a few other sites worth a look:

www.oldschooltools.co.uk
www.antiquetools.co.uk/about.php
www.popularmechanics.com/home/tools/how-to/a14313/how-to-restore-rusted-old-hand-tools/

Recently I came across an article by Alasdair Rae in Significance a magazine/web site of the Royal Statistical Society. He writes that almost 90% of all the new build housing sold in London between 2010 and 2015 was flats. In some areas the proportion, perhaps understandably, was intense. For example there were 1,322 new properties sold in Westminster and the City of London and all but four of these were flats.
 
Of course flats are a reflection of urban living and it is unsurprising that they now comprise about half of all accommodation in London compared with slightly less than 20% for the rest of the country.
 
Living in a flat brings both advantages and disadvantages compared with life in a detached house or even a semi. Getting along with the neighbours can become more challenging in a flat where what constitutes noise or a stink is another's music or cooking. Despite any disputes there is also the need to pull together to deal with communal hallways, entrances and gardens. Meanwhile the Englishman in his detached property relaxes like a king!
 
Research into house building suggests that homes are getting smaller. According to RIBA (The Case for Space) the average home (85sq m and 5.2 rooms) compares favourably with new builds (76sq m and 4.8 rooms). Compared with our European neighbours the situation looks worse. The average home in Ireland is 88sq m, Germany 116sq m and Denmark 137sq m. Even the Netherlands is building larger homes despite a population density of 456 persons per sq km compared to the UK’s 243 persons per sq km.
 
The London Housing Design Guide recommends a minimum of 50sq m for a 1 bed, two-person flat which is 10% more than the average for new builds of 46sq m. An extra 4sq m may not sound much but it could make quite a difference. It could be a single bed and bedside table or a work desk and a new sofa.
 
Overcrowding has potential health and well-being issues too. Shelter has estimated that 77% of overcrowded homes directly affected the health of their occupants. More arguments and a lack of privacy were two constant themes that emerged form their research. Not surprising as we all like our own space and a place for retreat.
 
When William Heath Robinson collaborated with KRG Browne on the book entitled How to Live in a Flat he identified these difficulties. The second chapter of the book is entitled Economy of Space and the penultimate chapter is The Darker Side of Flat Life!​
 
However between them they dwelt mostly on the means to overcome the difficulties of life in a flat and suggested many improvements to make and benefits that that could be drawn.  Heath Robinson’s imagination struck new heights as he provided wonderful drawings for space saving, comfort and enjoyment. It was all summed up thus by KRG Browne who provided the lyrics to heath Robinson's art:
 
Be it ever so small, be it ever so humble,
You’ll still hear me cry or more truthfully mumble:
“If you’ll buy me a ticket, why, just watch me roam!
But otherwise, frankly, there’s no place like home.”

How to Live in a Flat is one of five Heath Robinson titles we have reproduced as ebooks. Replete with all his drawings these remain as relevant and amusing today as they were back in the 1930's. Have a look here.

It is 75 years since the death of the aviator Amy Johnson. She was only 37 and had acquired celebrity status for her pioneering flights, most noticeably flying solo from England to Australia in 1930. She was the first woman to do so and it took her just 19 days in her de Havilland Gypsy Moth.

In recognition of her achievements her home city of Hull held a two-month long festival this summer. One of the exhibits was a mass engagement art project entitled a Moth for Amy. Artists and designers were invited to submit their designs for decorating a moth. The result is 59 unique artworks, large fibreglass moths, each bearing a different design. These sculptures are dotted around Hull and will remain in situ until 31 March 2017 when they will see in Hull as the UK City of Culture.

To see all the designs go to http://amyjohnsonfestival.co.uk/moth-gallery/
 
Amy was very much a feminist pioneer too. The first British woman to qualify as an aeronautical engineer and a single-minded determination to show that the idea that aeroplanes and engineering was a male preserve.
 
A remarkable woman who packed so much into a very short life.
 
Words to the Wise have recreated Amy’s autobiography Sky Roads of the World as an ebook. To buy a copy look here or go to Amazon and other ebook retailers.