One Million

I began this blog on the 14th of September 2009 primarily to keep my far-flung family apprised of my activities. The power of Google slowly started directing strangers to my blog from all corners of the globe and then one day, an email notified me that someone in distant England had commented on one of my posts. Visitor hits grew steadily and readers started signing up to follow my blog!

At the outset, I had no idea whether I could sustain the intended weekly posts, nor did I have any expectations of reaching an astronomic number of visitor hits. When I logged in this morning, my visitor counter had clicked just over one million hits which gave me cause to reflect on the past seven and a half years of blogging.

I don’t always succeed, but I attempt to keep my writing succinct and to the point. For instance, to a recent reader’s comment, I replied, “I keep fingers in several pies and consider myself more of a resourceful problem-solver than cabinetmaker and much of the time, I’m more enthused by the destination than the journey.”

I could have added: ‘My memory is in such a state of deterioration that now, after a period of only a few weeks, I usually forget the entire cabinetmaking process and when I sight one of my items of furniture, I merely recall the original antique (that inspired it). Thus I have the opulence of walking round the place under the delusion that I have acquired all this heart-fluttering seventeenth- and eighteenth-century furniture.’

Even though I’m a little embarrassed by them, I do appreciate readers’ commendations; however I can take little credit for any apparent capabilities. Unlike a doctor or lawyer, I have not applied myself to lengthy academia on the subject – I simply inherited ‘good hands’. My father has hands like feet (sorry!), but my mother was exceptionally talented in many artistic and crafty disciplines. Her father was also highly gifted and her grandfather was invited to exhibit at the RHA on three separate occasions.

I am grateful to those readers who raise their heads above the parapet to comment on my posts. Though I seldom publish them, I also get many a laugh from trolls’ contributions (particularly when irony eludes them).

The furniture itself continues to mellow through daily use and biannual waxing. Accommodating all the (predominantly case) furniture is an ongoing headache. The four chests I made for the ill-fated book, though lovely, cause me great consternation (I will likely abnegate a few of them, so if you are at all interested in owning one of the chests, feel free to email me).

In conclusion, I enjoy writing the blog. It has renewed old friendships, acquainted me with new friends and the furniture making has helped keep me active.

Two million hits? I doubt it. And to be prepared, I’m making a start on my coffin once the serpentine chest is finished.

Jack Plane