Well, it’s not often I can ever top one of Scott’s stories, but…

He brought tears to my eyes with a description of a stepladder. 
> On 15 Aug 2017, at 19:18, scott grandstaff  wrote:
> 
> 
> I have my old wooden ladder under my back porch.
>     Kind of a metaphor for us old Galoots.
> Its made a wonderful life for me. It has helped me, and helped others which
helps myself in the bargain. Its been there when the chips were down.
> 
> Got this ladder used about 20 years ago. (just like the porch)
> Yard sale or somesuch. (porch was free)
> It was used, but not that much.
>     I have 20 years of jobs associated with this ladder. It has lived a really
long time in wooden ladder years.  In this time, only once, in all his time, did
I need to go over all the fasteners and generally do the serious ladder
maintenance once over. Look at and adjust every part of it, you know.
> 
> Well it was time.
> Summer and low humidity means it was as loose as it was going to get.
> Lots of screws to be drawn up. Rivets to be tightened. And the main top, the
strong part all the rest of the ladder depends on? That needed more support.

.. snip ..

My grandfathers step ladder came to me from my Mother.  Only a small thing,
stood about high enough to reach the ceiling, dust the top of the wardrobes, or
similar.  What I now know to be sash cord was used to brace them open.
Well, like all of us, time takes its toll.  Like Scotts steps, they needed
fettling.  Those steps were made by my Grandad Chester - he died before I was
born, so all I have of him is the stories of my Mum (Mom, Paddy) and some
photos, and a couple of trinkets.
My Mum used to say that he could make anything, and one day they needed steps,
so he made some.  When I lifted them to the bench for surgery, my accumulated
store of knowledge and restorations, and finishes, and hand working all kicked
in.  Still the tool marks faintly visible under the grime, if you know what
you’re seeing.  Still some moulding struck down one edge that shows it came from
the scrap pile.  Still some old screws where he first assembled it.  The T&G
making the top platform a bit cupped.

It’s difficult to know just what to do with something like that.  I can see the
work of the man all over it.  I can visualise him at whatever bench, in whatever
tool/work shed he had, needing something to let him get on with a job, or maybe
my Grandma saying “I’ll have to buy some steps.”  and Grandad Chester (for it
was he) answering “I’ll make you some - save the brass’”  and casting around for
some bits of scrap for sides, steps, top, support legs.  That must have been
well over 70 years ago.

Maybe that’s where I get some of my skill from, maybe that’s why I have the
Yorkshiremans instinct to be careful wi’ t’ brass.

Thanks Scott.   Another memory vignette brought back thanks to the wonders of
the porch,


Richard Wilson
Yorkshireman Galoot
in a warm and sunny Northumberland