Sunday, November 25, 2018

Almost there and beauty

The beat goes on...

The rhythms of collecting the type drawer, setting the composing stick, finding the spacers, selecting each letter of type individually, setting it into the stick, repeating with each letter until the fullest alphabet that can be made has been made, removing the block from the stick, sliding it over to the chase, lifting it and hoping it doesn't explode, positioning it, locking it up, testing it, locking it up again, carrying the chase to the press, inking the type, proofing on scrap paper, getting the 5 x cards ready, inking, printing, inking printing, inking, printing, inking, printing, inking printing, taking the chase back to the table, unlocking the chase, dissing each individual letter of type back into its correct place in the type drawer, carrying the type drawer back to the cabinet, collecting a new type drawer...continue.

I got to set and print the type on both days of the weekend, and the finish line is well and truly in sight now.

I think I made it through to T on Saturday...

This is 72pt Rockwell Shadow which is clearly missing the 'C'. It is so large I couldn't get more than the name on the card.



A quite tidy Rockwell Light



A bit of fun with Script Bold



Spectrum is pretty sensible and safe - but good for printing books and poetry I think.



And then Studio Bold offer something completely different again.
It is quite fascinating to see them all appear in ink - you get a really different feel for them when they are printed, compared to when they are in their individual compartments and are reading back to front.



And once again, it's Spring on the mountain. We planted a tree down the back on Saturday morning and on return to the house, the sun was catching the purple agapanthus out the back and I thought it was like a purple haze...



The roses are also blooming and we picked 4 buds at different points along the blooming line...
Saturday  morning.


 Sunday morning.

 The warm weather is really encouraging their opening.


A beautiful day dawns on Sunday


And the veggie garden gets watered.


A full weekend!

8 comments:

  1. I sigh with the simple (wonderful) order of it all ...

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    1. Thanks Liz...an ongoing quest for wonderful order.

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  2. love your RO?KWELL Shadow solution, seeing your beautiful garden and that view

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    1. Thanks Mo - it was a good resolution and will always remind me that we have no C! And the garden is going well and the views is always a wonder...

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  3. Feel so envious of your beautiful type, I agree it is lovely to see it on paper. Some people seem to think agapanthus is a weed, I love it and miss that I haven't got it here (rented house) but notice some down the road, 3 flowers in a lovely Bizen pot always please me, think my secaturs may take a walk.

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    Replies
    1. I hope your secateurs have gone for a bit of a wander Penny! I love the colour and the gathered colour of aggies too.

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  4. I think you would enjoy this podcast - Stephen Fry in his series Great Leap Years talks about the invention of movable type.
    https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/stephen-frys-great-leap-years/id1365035136?mt=2&i=1000408963906

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  5. Thanks so much for that link Carol and apologies for my tardy reply! I have saved the podcast and shall listen one day soon in the studio - great!!

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.