You will find these list everywhere nearing the end of the year, I was going to do one but what with the ShedFlu getting me again at the the start of the week I will just let you make you own mind up.

To be honest I think in terms of shed tipping point 2009 (shed tipping that could be big) was a great year for readersheds/shedblog and me, we both had ups and downs but in the end we made it, just about.

We had some great sheds added to the site (which is the point!), a great time during shed week, made some great new friends so bring on 2010.

Anyway here are my favourite shedblog post in 2009 relive some of the great things – like bletchley park huts, The great Shed Winner (Kite Cabin) and of course the Punks not dad and their shed anthem.

There wont be many posts from now until the new year but look forward to some great things 2010 including

1) Announcement of Shed Week 2010 official sponsor – who will hopefully be organising some fun things for Shed Week.

2) Some news about fund raising for Bletchley Park (the shed charity for Shed Week 2010) that you can help with and maybe get something unique back.

3) Re introduction of the “My Sheddie” feature where I will have Q&A with sheddies so you can get an insight into the people behind the sheds.

4) Alex’s Shed working book (4 signed copies please alex)

5) The creation of a shed beer

6) More sheds from you lot – so come on Share your sheds

7) other stuff I can’t think of thanks to knightNurse

I hope you all have a peaceful festive season and are ready in the new year to treat your shed to some TLC and maybe a few new photos for readersheds.

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The BBC Antiques Roadshow had it’s second outing yesterday to Bletchley park yesterday

As you well know the Bletchley park is the charity for Shed Week 2010 and one of our shed judges Simon Greenish was on the show talking about the enigma machine – very interesting.

Alan Turing made out of slate bletchley park

Bletchley park huts

I will catch up with the full show tonight on the IPlayer as the Mrs was watching that xfactory rubbish.

So support Bletchley park now and up to and during Shed Week 2010 – Share your shed and tell the world!

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Sheddie pj slim is featured in this months edition of home cinema choice magazine

You can see more pictures of his shed over at readersheds.co.uk of course.

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I spent a great day on Friday in that London at the Home Enterprise Day Conference, which was organised by the multi-talented Emma Jones from Enterprise nation.

Basically it was a day where people who want to become home businesses owners or are already running something from home, can get some good advice from various speakers and meet other like minded people, Doug Richard (of School for startups and a former Dragon) gave the keynote and set the tone for the day, in an inspirational and humorous way, some great ideas to implement, now only if I can read my own writing.

The reason that readersheds.co.uk was there, was firstly to learn more about running a successful home based business or in our case a shed based business (which is run 5 till 9) and secondary and most importantly to meet some sheddies!

The first sheddie I met was uber shedworker Alex from shedworking (yes that Alex, the shed judge and nice boy of sheds)

I have know Alex for nearly 5 years now and we have never met (blinking online), so it was a great opportunity to chat face to face about Shed Week and some other things we may want to do.. to be honest I think I talked to Alex too much, well 5 years of sheds did seem to blurt out within the first 15 mins, so sorry Alex.. but we must meet up again soon but at a slower pace.

The other sheddie I met was the lovely Nicola Brown, know as intheShed, a designer who works from her shed (watch this space for pics of the shed soon), I thought I was passionate about sheds but Nicola could easily convert anyone to the idea of shedworking.

I also spoke to some people who are potential sheddies, one was Colin Shelbourn, who is just about to move into a shed which will be used for this cartoon business – we wish Colin luck with his shed and hope he shares it!

I also had some nice chats to various none shed people @MarketingDonut, @sansharma to namecheck two.

Overall a great day in that London, and I stayed until yesterday with mrsUW, so shopping and the odd pint instead of business talk and sheds.

Bring on Home Enterprise Day 2010!

Here is a selection of photos from the day

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

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I had the pleasure of going to see Seasick Steve with Mrs unclewilco at the Millennium centre in wet Cardiff bay last night, this will not be a review, someone more wossname will do that job  but it was brilliant!

photo credit: Bengt Nyman

Steve seems a very humble bloke but with so much talent, the voice and the way he played his makeshift guitars and banjos, his drummer Dan Magnusson was amazing, Steve’s son Paul Martin played the washboard and spoons (and did his own stuff, a bit emo for me but a good guitarist) and the lovely Amy Levere on double bass and vocals

But I am sure those instruments must have been made in some shed or workshop somewhere, and his new John Deere tractor must have a shed somewhere!

Info from Wikishedia

As well as an electric guitar and self electrified acoustic guitar, Wold owns (and plays) several obscure and personalised instruments, including:

• The Three-String Trance Wonder – This is a normal guitar that resembles a Fender Coronado, but with only three strings. It has an old Harmony pickup added (with duct tape) and is tuned to G, G and B using an E string in the A position, a D in the G position and a G in the B position. At his gigs, he often tells the story that he bought it for $75 in this condition in Como, Mississippi from a man named Sherman, who later told him he only paid $25 for it the day before. Wold vowed never to add another string, and that he would tour the world telling his story of how Sherman ripped him off.^[8] All in good fun as Sherman Cooper is a good buddy, who gave him the guitar having had it nailed to the wall as a decoration.^[7] A lot of the time he also adds (while picking up or putting away the guitar) that it is the “…biggest piece of shit in the world, I swear”.^{[citation needed]}

• The One-Stringed Diddley Bow – This is a one stringed string instrument played with a slide (He uses an old screwdriver for this purpose). It consists of a 2 foot long 2×4, with a semi-loose piece of broom wire nailed to it at both ends. It was made especially for him by James ‘Super Chikan’ Johnson.

• The ‘MDM’ (Mississippi Drum Machine) – A small wooden box that is stomped upon, providing percussion. It is decorated with a Mississippi motorcycle license plate (“MC33583″), and a small piece of carpet.^[7]
• Roland Cube Amplifer – Placed on a chair to his left and set to the ‘tweed’ setting.^[24]

• A Cigar Box Guitar – ^[25]

Anyway if you have not heard Steve before (where have you been) and like blues tinged with county and a bit of everything, then check out his work.

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