One of the things I re-learned about myself while in Brisbane is that I’m a klutz.

We spent much of the time doing building surveys. I picked up the knowledge part pretty quickly (“Bathroom? Check the partitions. Laminated cement sheeting, I see. Could be Tilux and contain asbestos fibres.”) but when it came to sampling the material, I reverted to the Primeval Klutz.

Awkwardly holding my shiny new hammer and chisel, I would timidly tap at the sheeting, barely making a scratch in the wall. Or, as it happened once, gouging a big hole in a verandah awning (“Wah! I made a hole!”).

I would spend many minutes trying to angle my pliers so that I could twist off a bit of sheeting.

I’m so clumsy when I have to do anything practical.

This is why I’ve decided to take up woodwork.

This Christmas holiday, I’m going to obtain some wood and begin making something. I don’t know what. I think I’ll have to visit the library.