Woodwork & Hair colour

What a (long) weekend it's been! Someone asked me this morning if I enjoyed my day off yesterday - I had to reply that it was as busy as a day here, but only in a different place.

But it's been a good one, I have to admit.

You see, I've got a new toy and I bought my own Christmas prezzie. The new toy is a jigsaw, my first official Power Tool! And the Christmas prezzie is, finally, a rather-redder-than-normal hair colour.

So what's the deal with the jigsaw? Well, it's been on my wishlist for years now. Along with a circular saw, router, drill and such. But as I'm busy making Christmas prezzies, I finally needed one. Not to cut a fruitcake or the fabric for cushion covers, but because I am actually Making some 4,5cm square wooden blocks for my nephew! You just don't find those kind of toys in the shops anymore - the sort that feel good in your hand, that don't have "made in China" stamped on their plastic bases, and that don't break a few days after they are received. So on Friday I not only bought a jigsaw, but a long piece of pine which I've been patiently turning into blocks, sanding out the sharp corners and smoothing the sides. I saw this last week and a rather large light-bulb went off in my head. "I can do that!" So I am. Except that instead of a number of animal puzzles, there's just one - the other sides are taken up by letters, numbers, shapes and plain blocks of colour. Nifty! And I'm even making the wooden box they go into - made to fit both the blocks and the current size of said nephew. It's a gift I hope will last a long time, long enough to pass on to siblings and perhaps even a generation or two down the line.

In the process I've discovered that certain unworked muscles are likely to be rather stiff after a few hours at the jigsaw - especially if one is using one's knee to hold the wood steady, thanks to no real work space and definitely no clamps. Let's just say I have some interesting bruises today! I've also discovered the usefulness of leather gloves and protective eye-wear...

And, while I was expanding my horizons, I sucked it up and finally bought that hair colour I've been hankering after for a few months. The one my son has "given me permission" to try. It's a L'Oreal Colour Experte variety called "Ginger Twist" - and let's hope it works... Certain folk have been urging me to go red-head for a while already. So it's not exactly RED-head, but it's close enough.

Perhaps it's something about the end of the year that wakes one up with a deep breath and asks "what can you change?". I know of blogger friends starting new work, moving location, ending or beginning relationships. The air seems to be charged with a feeling that something new is on its way - the holiday spirit creating both a sense of relaxation and urgency to pull one's self up by the bootstraps. As 2006 approaches, there's another chance for those New Year resolutions, self-examination and a good hard look at where you're heading. There's a positive vibe tingling in each of us (well, perhaps just most of us), a chance to do something new and wonderful with the months ahead.

And as lowly as jigsaws and hair colour are, somehow they seem part of the larger steps my soul is taking in new directions.