Wednesday, January 31, 2018

And Awaaaaay they go !

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PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM
ALL BLESSINGS FLOW! **HUGE VICTORY IN THE VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY THIS MORNING!

The Subcommittee #1 of the House Committee on Counties, Cities, and Towns has just voted to kill ALL FOUR monument destruction bills before them. This included HB 818, HB1097, HB1098 and HB1225!

This leaves only ONE of the seven monument destruction bills filed still alive in the General Assembly. Stay tuned for more info.

In the meantime, PLEASE write the 6 committee members who voted to kill the bills and THANK them for standing up for our VETERANS!

Delegate John Poindexter (Chair) R 
Office: (804) 698-1009
Email Address: DelCPoindexter@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Jeffrey L. Campbell R
Office: (804) 698-1006
Email Address: DelJCampbell@house.virginia.gov

Delegate John J. McGuire III R
Office: (804) 698-1056
Email Address: DelJMcGuire@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Robert M. Thomas R
Office: (804) 698-1028
Email Address: DelBThomas@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Todd E. Pillion R
Office: (804) 698-1004
Email Address: DelTPillion@house.virginia.gov

Delegate Stephen E. Heretick D
Office: (804) 698-1079
Email Address: DelSHeretick@house.virginia.gov

Many thanks to each and every one of you who took the time to send an email and make a phone call!

All glory to God.

 All honor to the Confederate soldier!


(This post courtesy of VA Flaggers )

UPDATE !

In the Sub Committee meeting this morning, we initially missed the fact that one Democrat broke rank and voted with the Republicans on the Sub Committee to kill all four Monument Destruction bills.  His contact information was not included on the previous emails.  Please be sure and write or call to thank him for standing up for ALL veterans...


Delegate Stephen E. Heretick
Office: (804) 698-1079
Email Address:DelSHeretick@house.virginia.gov

D - Cities of Norfolk (part) and Portsmouth (part)
79th District

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Another one bites the dust !


ANOTHER VICTORY IN THE VIRGINIA STATE SENATE TODAY!



 SENATE BILL 733 to alter our Veterans’ Memorial Protection Law KILLED in Committee this afternoon!  Two down…a few more to go.  This was just the second of six bills (so far) that we will be working to defeat.  THANK YOU to all of you who made phone calls and sent emails.  YOUR communication made a HUGE difference.  Stay tuned for more information coming this evening. 



 In the meantime, call and write your State Senator and State Delegate and urge them to vote against ANY legislation that removes protection of Veterans’ memorials, and to support any and all legislation that strengthens current protection. 

 Use this link to find your representatives:  



 Also, PLEASE take a moment to THANK Committee Chairman Bill Stanley and all those who voted to KILL the bill today:



 district20@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7520; Chairman Bill Stanley (R)



 district24@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7524; Hanger, Jr (R)



 district08@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7508; Bill DeSteph, Jr (R)



 district12@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7512; Dunnavant (R)-Henrico



 district11@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7511; Amanda Chase (R) -Midlothian



 district10@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-9710; Glen Sturtevant,Jr  (R) Midlothian



 district40@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7540; Charles Carrico, Sr (R)


Stay tuned!  There is much more work to do this session.  We have not yet begun to fight…





Saturday, January 20, 2018

A Day's Pay !



I wonder how many state employees that are offended by Confederate Statues,
 declined the day's pay for Lee / Jackson Day ?






Update !

This rock seems popular !
 I make these rocks and place them in various locations, some may get thrown in the trash. Some may be taken home. Some may not be found for many years (if ever). But if just one puts a smile on someones face all the effort will be worth it !

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And this rock found a good home !
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Thursday, January 18, 2018

Whack A Mole Monument Destruction !



Jumpin Jackrabbits !
The list of pending Monument Destruction Legislation in Virginia is outrageous !

SB 733
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:
Removal of certain monuments and memorials. Provides that for any monument or memorial erected prior to 1900, notwithstanding any Act of Assembly regarding the preservation of monuments or memorials enacted prior to 1900, the governing body of the locality in which the monument or memorial is located may remove the monument or memorial to be prominently displayed in an outdoor location on the grounds of a locality-owned history museum that is located within one-quarter mile of the existing site, provided that the governing body has affirmatively voted to relocate the monument or memorial. However, if the monument or memorial is not owned by the locality, the owner of the monument or memorial shall be given an opportunity to reclaim or relocate the monument or memorial within six months of notice from the locality. After six months, if the owner of such a monument or memorial declines the opportunity to reclaim or relocate the monument or memorial in question, the locality shall be authorized to proceed with the relocation.


HB 818
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:
Memorials for war veterans; Monument Removal Fund. Provides that a locality may request funding from a special fund to help offset the costs of the lawful removal or relocation of certain monuments. The bill establishes the Monument Removal Fund (the Fund) for such purpose. The bill provides that the Fund shall appear on the individual income tax return and is eligible to receive tax refunds.

HB 1097
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:
Removal of certain monuments or memorials for war veterans. Provides that upon the affirmative vote of a governing body of a locality in which a monument or memorial is located, the locality may relocate the monument or memorial to a museum of the locality's choice. However, if the monument or memorial is not owned by the locality, the owner of the monument or memorial shall be given an opportunity to reclaim or relocate the monument or memorial within six months of notice from the locality. After six months, if the owner of such a monument or memorial declines the opportunity to reclaim or relocate the monument or memorial in question, the locality shall be authorized to proceed with the relocation. The bill also repeals an 1890 Act of Assembly related to the placement of a statue in the City of Alexandria.


HB 1098
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:
Removal of certain monuments and memorials. Provides that for any monument or memorial erected prior to 1900, notwithstanding any Act of Assembly regarding the preservation of monuments or memorials enacted prior to 1900, the governing body of the locality in which the monument or memorial is located may remove the monument or memorial to be prominently displayed in an outdoor location on the grounds of a locality-owned history museum that is located within one-quarter mile of the existing site, provided that the governing body has affirmatively voted to relocate the monument or memorial. However, if the monument or memorial is not owned by the locality, the owner of the monument or memorial shall be given an opportunity to reclaim or relocate the monument or memorial within six months of notice from the locality. After six months, if the owner of such a monument or memorial declines the opportunity to reclaim or relocate the monument or memorial in question, the locality shall be authorized to proceed with the relocation.


HB 1099
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:

Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol; removal of Robert E. Lee statue from National Statuary Hall Collection. Creates the Commission for Historical Statues in the United States Capitol to provide for the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue in the National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol and to recommend to the General Assembly as a replacement a statue of a prominent Virginia citizen of historic renown or renowned for distinguished civil or military service to be commemorated in the National Statuary Hall Collection.

The Commission will consist of six members appointed as follows: one member of the House of Delegates appointed by the Speaker of the House of Delegates; one member of the Senate appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules; two nonlegislative citizen members who are Virginia or American historians appointed by the Governor; one nonlegislative citizen member appointed upon the vote of the Commission members appointed by the Speaker, the Senate Committee on Rules, and the Governor; and the Director of the Department of Historic Resources. Only the members of the General Assembly, the Governor's appointees, and the appointee of the Commission members will have voting privileges. General Assembly members and the Director of the Department of Historic Resources will serve ex officio. The Department of Historic Resources will provide staff support to the Commission.

The Commission will also be required to (i) select a sculptor for the new statue with preference given to a sculptor from Virginia, (ii) estimate the costs associated with the replacement of the Robert E. Lee statue, including costs related to construction and placement of the new statue, the removal and transfer of the Robert E. Lee statue, and any unveiling ceremony of the new statue, and (iii) recommend to the General Assembly a suitable state, local, or private nonprofit history museum in the Commonwealth for placement of the Robert E. Lee statue.

The bill requires (a) the Commission to hold at least one public hearing prior to making any recommendation to the General Assembly on a new statue and (b) the costs of the Commission's work to be borne by the Commission from such private funds collected by the Commission and general funds as are appropriated by the General Assembly.


HB 1225
SUMMARY AS INTRODUCED:
Memorials for war veterans. Provides that a locality may remove or provide for the upkeep, maintenance, or contextualization of any monument or memorial for war veterans located in its public space, regardless of when erected. Current law makes it unlawful to disturb or interfere with such monuments or memorials or to prevent its citizens from taking proper measures and exercising proper means for the protection, preservation, and care of such monuments or memorials.


Please contact your state representative and ask them to save our history !

A list can be found here !
LIST 

Don't wait for Joe to do it, be Proactive !

DT

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

VICTORY IN THE VIRGINIA STATE SENATE TODAY!





SENATE BILL 444 to gut Veterans’ Memorial Protection Law KILLED in Committee!  One down…a few more to go.  This was just the first of four bills (so far) that we will be working to defeat and the first to get a committee assignment.  THANK YOU to all of you who made phone calls and sent emails.  YOUR communication made a HUGE difference.  Stay tuned for more information as we have it available.  In the meantime, call and write your State Senator and State Delegate and urge them to vote against ANY legislation that removes protection of Veterans’ memorials, and to support any and all legislation that strengthens current protection.

 Use this link to find your representatives:


Please take a moment to THANK Committee Bill Stanley and all those who voted to KILL the bill today:

district20@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7520; Chairman Bill Stanley (R)

district24@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7524; Hanger, Jr (R)

district08@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7508; Bill DeSteph, Jr (R)

district12@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7512; Dunnavant (R)-Henrico

district11@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7511; Amanda Chase (R) -Midlothian

district10@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-9710; Glen Sturtevant,Jr  (R) Midlothian

district40@senate.virginia.gov    804-698-7540; Charles Carrico, Sr (R)

Stay tuned!  There is much more work to do this session. 
 We have not yet begun to fight…


( This message from the Virginia Flaggers )



Friday, January 12, 2018

Lee Jackson Day 2018


I'll take this time to repost an appropriate post from the past !


Have a safe and Blessed Lee Jackson Day !

DT. 

Monday, January 1, 2018

By The Numbers !

The following post is from the Virginia Flaggers --



Despite An All Out Assault, The Confederacy Marches On !






Many of you have probably seen the latest hit piece from one of the Anti-Confederate bloggers, claiming that 2017 will go down as the "year the monuments came down". The haters and monument destroyers are declaring total victory and dancing in the streets.

Most people in the heritage community know all too well that symbols of Confederate history have been targeted for removal since the Charleston tragedy in 2015. Although the perpetrator of that atrocity had nothing to do with Confederate heritage, those who hate our heritage saw an opportunity and seized it.

There had been calls for removal of flags and monuments, and renaming of streets and parks for several years, but the calls grew louder and more strident after 2015. The Southern Poverty Law Center devoted a great deal of time and effort to charting the monuments' locations -- and slandering them as tokens of Jim Crowism due to the time periods in which they were erected.


What the SPLC doesn't admit is the fact that the "spikes" in their chart showing periods of monument raising coincided with the 25th, 50th and 100th anniversaries of the War Between the States, not Jim Crow legislation.


Despite the voices clamoring for Confederate destruction, it wasn't until late spring of 2017 that Mayor Mitch Landrieu started the monument removal craze in earnest, setting the precedent for removing them using untrained personnel under cover of darkness. Subsequently, monuments were removed in Baltimore, Tampa, St. Louis, Dallas and other places. In none of these cases were the people allowed to vote on the issue, and poll after poll proved the majority did not want the monuments taken down.

YES, we have suffered some setbacks. YES we have lost some monuments in major cities. YES we need to be prepared for the fight that waits for us in 2018.


HOWEVER. What they are calling a "total victory" amounts to the removal of LESS THAN 5% of the Confederate monuments in the United States....and that's using the SPLC's VERY UNDER REPORTED numbers and the media's VERY EXAGGERATED numbers of removals. I believe the number is much more like less than 2% in reality. 

While some are claiming that 2017 was "The Year Confederate Monuments Came Down", it was also the year that Confederate monuments, along with other historical artifacts, came under the protection of state law in Alabama for the first time. It was the year that new monuments went up across the United Sates, and some existing ones were rededicated. It was the year in which dozens of new Confederate flags were raised.

Several news agencies and anti-Confederate bloggers posted timelines with monument and memorial removals.  We decided to do some research and create our own timeline.  This one shows new monuments, flags, and markers installed and dedicated since the removal of the battle flag from the South Carolina State House grounds in July of 2015. The list It is by no means 100% complete, and we encourage you to send us any additional items or corrections for updates, but even so, the list is extensive.  Take a look:

The Confederacy Marches On

List of Confederate monuments, memorials, and flags installed, rededicated, or successfully defended since July of 2015

2015

July -- Alamance County, NC --  County Commissioners vote 5-0 to keep the Alamance County Confederate monument in place after over 1500 attend a flag rally and pack the commision meeting.  ACTBAC, NC

July -- Richmond, VA -- New marker to Dr. Rufus Benjamin Weaver dedicated at Hollywood Cemetery

August  --  Bulloch County, Georgia -- Commissioners vote unanimously to leave the Confederate monument in Statesboro in place.

August  -- Raybun County, Georgia -- County Commissioners vote to keep monument and flags dedicated to Rabun County soldier.

August -- Danville, Virginia -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised on Highway 58 the same day City Council votes to remove a 3x5 Third National from the Confederate monument on the grounds of the Sutherlin Mansion, the Last Capitol of the Confederacy.  Va Flaggers

August -- Danville, Virginia -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised at Westover. Va Flaggers

August -- Danville, Virginia -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised at Robertson Bridge - Va Flaggers

August -- Danville, Virginia --  Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised on the Danville Expressway.  Va Flaggers

September --  Richmond, Virginia -- I-64 Kershaw’s Brigade Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised at Savages Station - Va Flaggers

October  -- Shiloh, Tennessee -- New Mississippi Confederate monument dedicated by the SCV and UDC on the Shiloh Battle Field

October -- Danville, Virginia --  Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised on the Danville Expressway -  Va Flaggers

November -- Danville, Virginia -  Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised at Stokesland Cemetery - Va Flaggers

November -- Danville, Virginia --   Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised and dedicated on the Danville Expressway - Va Flaggers

November -- Danville, Virginia --  Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised and dedicated on Hwy. 58 - Va Flaggers

November -- Danville, Virginia -  Roadside Memorial Battle Flag Raised on Central Boulevard - Va Flaggers

December -- Danville, Virginia -- Danville Museum of History and Fine Arts Director Cara Burton announces her resignation after month of turmoil and backlash.  She was the first to call for the removal of the flag on the grounds of the Last Capitol.

December -- Roanoke, Virginia -- Roanoke City denies the NAACP’s request to prevent the 28th Virginia Infantry, SCV to carry Confederate flags in the annual Christmas parade.

December -- Holland, TX -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag installed and dedicated on SH95.  Major Robert M. White Camp #1250, SCV


2016

February -- Prince George County, Virginia -- I-95 Wade Hampton Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised and dedicated.  Va Flaggers

April -- Columbia, SC -- Battle Flag at the Citadel protected by state law

April -- Pensacola, FL -- Roadside memorial battle flag raised and dedicated on I-10 - Steven R. Mallory SCV Camp #1315

May -- The East Feliciana Parish -- Parish Police Jury voted unanimously to leave the Confederate Monument in Place in front of the Parish Courthouse in Clinton, LA.

May -- Dahlonega, Georgia -- New Confederate monument installed  dedicated on Memorial Day - Blue Ridge Rifles Camp #1860 SCV

May -- Stuart, Virginia -- Portrait of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart rededicated in a ceremony and placed on the wall of honor in the Patrick County municipal building.

May -- Danville, Virginia --  Roadside Memorial Batle Flag raised and dedicated on Highway 58 - Va Flaggers

May -- Danville, Virginia --  Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised and dedicated on Highway 29 - Va Flaggers

May -- Danville, Virginia -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised and dedicated on Highway 29 - Va Flaggers

June -- Easton, Maryland -- Talbot County Council Votes to keep Confederate Statue on courthouse lawn.

June – Baltimore, Maryland -- New monument to William R. Clark, 1st Confederate Soldier killed in Baltimore by 6th Massachusetts, is dedicated.

July -- Lake Charles, Louisiana -- “The South’s Defenders” monument successfully defended.  City council voted 4-2 NOT to pass a resolution requesting its removal.

July -- Danville, Virginia -- Gen. William Lewis Cabell Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised on US 29 Bypass - the largest to date in the Commonwealth.  - Va Flaggers

August -- Alexandria, Virginia -- State legislators refuse city's request to seek General Assembly approval to move the Confederate monument located there.

September -- Rustburg, Va - New Confederate Monument and Flags installed and dedicated.  Campbell Guards SCV Camp

October -- Fredericksburg, Virginia --  City Council rejects effort to rename section of Jefferson Davis Highway.

October   -- Harrisonburg Virginia -- Marker dedication at the Turner Ashby Monument

October -- Moore County, NC -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised and dedicated on Jefferson Davis Highway - Nathan Bedford Forrest SCV Camp # 803

October -- Elm Springs, TN -- Groundbreaking for the new National Confederate Museum on the grounds of SCV National Headquarters.

November -- Burlington, NC -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag Raised on Highway 49 - ACTBAC, NC

November -- Roxboro, NC -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised on Hwy 158 East - Roxboro Grays SCV Camp 1932

November -- North Carolina -- Roadside Memorial Battle flag raised on Highway 321 - Maj. Charles Q. Petty SCV Camp.

December --  Easton, Maryland -- Talbot County reaffirms keeping Confederate Statue on courthouse lawn.

December -- Middlesex County, Virginia -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised on Rt. 33 - Lane-Armistead SCV Camp #1772


December -- Danville, Virginia -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raised Mount Cross Road. - Va Flaggers

2017

January -- Chesapeake, Virginia -- Chesapeake Expressway Jackson Greys Roadside Memorial Battle Flag installed and dedicated on the Chesapeake Expressway - Va Flaggers

February -- Reidsville, NC --- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag Raised on Highway 87 - ACTBAC, NC


February -- Mathews County, Virginia --Confederate flag installed and raised at Fort Nonsense, Lane-Armistead SCV Camp #1772.

April -- Hartsville, South Carolina -- Roadside Battle Flag raised on Highway 151. Confederate Patriots of America

May  -- Montgomery, Alabama -- Gov. Kay Ivey signs into law the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act that requires local governments to obtain state permission before removing or renaming historically significant buildings and monuments.

May -- Charlottesville, Virginia - Judge issues injunction to halt the planned removal of the Robert E. Lee monument from LEE Park.

May -- Brandenburg, Kentucky - Confederate monument installed and dedicated in city riverfront park.

June -- Paris, Texas -- Court rules Confederate monument will stay.

June -- Gettysburg, PA --  Hundreds attend the rededication of the Virginia Monument on the 100th anniversary of its dedication - Maryland Divsiion, SCV

July -- Mathews County, Virginia -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag raise on Cricket Hill Rd. - Lane-Armistead SCV Camp #1772

July -- Rockville County, MD -- Confederate monument erected at site of ferry used at the Dickerson-Leesburg crossing, named for Maj. Gen. Jubal A. Early, a Confederate general who reached the outskirts of Washington during an 1864 raid.

July -- Newton, NC -- Roadside Memorial Battle Flag installed and raised on Rt. 16, George Rabb Confederate Memorial Park dedicated - CF Connor Camp #849 SCV

August  -- Phoenix, Arizona -- Governor Doug Doucy tells the press the state's Confederate monuments are part of history and it is not his mission to tear them down.

August --  Patrick County, Virginia --County supervisors pass resolution of support to protect, maintain and not remove the county's Confederate Monument.

August  -- Chickamauga, Georgia -- statue to Confederate soldiers raised by SCV

August  --  Hacker group "Anonymous" threatens vandalism at 13 Confederate Monuments across the South. Patriots convened to protect and guard each one, resulting in NO vandalism or destruction at any of the threatened locations.

August  --  College Station Texas -- Texas A&M officials say that statue of Gen. Sull Ross will not be removed.

August  -- Chapel Hill, NC -- University of North Carolina refuses Governor Cooper's offer to remove Silent Sam.

August   -- Corinth, Mississippi -- Col W P Rogers Monument guarded by police and citizens after online threat

August -- Talbot County, Maryland --  County Council reaffirms its decision to leave the “Talbot Boys” Confederate monument in place.

August -- National Parks Service announces all Confederate monuments and memorials will remain on park property.

August -- Crenshaw County, Alabama -- New Confederate monument installed and dedicated at Confederate Memorial Park, Alabama SCV

September  -- Tyrone, Georgia -- Town Counsel voted 3 to 1 to keep in the Town Hall a mural depicting a Confederate soldier after a state representative called for the mural's removal.

September --  Virginia Beach, Virginia - Confederate monument can't be moved in Virginia Beach, city attorney says

September  -- Ft. Myers, Florida -- Officials decide Robert E. Lee statue will remain downtown, Lee portrait will remain in County Commission building, and Lee remains as county name.

September  -- Aiken, SC -- New monument erected in  by the Bernard Bee Camp 1575, SCV.

September - Lexington, Virginia - VMI officials announce they will not remove any Confederate monuments or memorials on school property.

September -- Loudon County, Virginia -- Board of Supervisors vote NO to a request to ask State permission to remove Confederate monument at the Leesburg Courthouse.

October  -- Chattanooga, Tennessee -- Hamilton County Commission votes to keep the bust of Confederate General A.P. Stewart in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse

October  -- Prince William County, Virginia  -- Supervisors reject effort to rename section of Jefferson Davis Highway.

October   -- Harrisonburg Virginia -- Marker dedication at the Turner Ashby Mounment

October -- Delaware Confederate Monument expansion completed after the local NAACP’s demand for it to be removed was denied in the summer of 2017.

October -- Hamilton County, Tennessee -- Hamilton County Commission vote to keep the bust of Confederate General A. P Stewart in front of the Hamilton County Courthouse.

November  -- Dallas Texas -- City stalls plans to tear down UDC6 War Memorial and the Denton County Confederate Arch Monument.

December  -- Richmond, Virginia --  City council voted against one councilman’s recommendation to seek the permission of the General Assembly to move the monuments on Monument Avenue

December --  Easton, Maryland -- Talbot County reaffirms keeping Confederate Statue on courthouse lawn.

December -- Mathews, Virginia - Roadside Memorial Battle Flag Raised on Rt. 14 - Lane-Armistead SCV Camp 1772

Quite a list...and it is growing!

Folks, now is not the time to throw in the towel or have a pity party. Now is the time to rise up and join us in the fight.  Now is the time to roll up our sleeves and step up our monument defense strategies, and put plans for new monuments, memorials, and flag sites into high gear.

Let's make 2018 "The Year That The Confederacy Fought Back" !
  
"Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave."

Patrick Henry, St. John's Church, Richmond, VA, 1775


________________________________________________________________________

And on a much smaller scale but with just as much dedication I'm making Mini Monuments --


I'm just getting started working with granite, 
I've got a set of chisels and a few ideas I want to try !


D.T.