A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS
One of my problems is that I have Scottish as well as Swiss genes, a combination that drives me to fiendish economy!
It is really satisfying to have highquality tools and I do have some — but a number of them are only used occasionally. There is also much satisfaction in achieving a good result without sophisticated or expensive tools.
My parents were busy GPs so my father’s talents were hidden from me. I knew that as a medical missionary he made a wooden leg for a patient, the socket of metal and leather — and famously later added a foot a short way up the leg to enable the owner to cross a muddy river bed.
He taught me basic woodworking skills when he built a canoe with me, aged 13, and a few more, when, at 16, I built a kayak. This may be why they gave me a handsome tool set for my 21st birthday.
1. My Mechanic's and Carpenter’s Tool Kit
What do I use and enjoy
