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Douglas Horrell

@cleftcraft.bsky.social
426 followers 557 following 704 posts

Gardener on the edge. Lover of natural complexity. Bike life. Making and teaching craft with rekindle.org.nz in Ōtautahi/Christchurch, NZ. instagram.com/cleftcraft/

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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Luna learned to ride a bike, to cope with loud noise in the city, to come back when I asked her (no small thing) and almost mastered stairs. (She would famously refuse to descend if she thought they weren't solid enough - much laughter and a few fireman's carries from that one.) 3/5
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
I for one would like to see more Francis Bacon portraits of pets.
Portrait of two greyhounds. One rendered as if flayed in the style of Francis Bacon.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Impressive! Might even beat my 2013 monster...
Very large feijoa fruit next to a baked bean can for scale.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
ALMOST as good as bikes and dogs.
Two white fluffy dogs called Fonzie and Graeme sitting in the crate of a stationary cargo bike on a picturesque cycle trail in Ōtautahi Christchurch,New Zealand.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
I think the big dog/SUV thing is often overstated. If you're not travelling huge distances then most dogs love being on a bike cause it's open air and people talk to and pat them when you stop at intersections. Here's a friend with his 50kg Bernese:
Jeremy riding a 3-wheel cargo bike with his Bernese Mountain Dog Ruby sitting in the box.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Sidenote: here's a stool I made from a single elm tree here in Ōtautahi. The wonderful thing about these skills is that there's a deep familiarity to doing something that people have done throughout our collective history - it's like learning to breathe again.
Post and rung stool made from elm wood with a woven seat of elm bark. Made by Douglas Horrell in Ōtautahi Christchurch, NZ.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
A better view of the bike side on:
Orange cargo bike carrying another bike outside RAD Bikes workshop in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 21/03/2026
Thought it was you 🙂 I have a custom bigger version of his BLT that was dubbed the Greyhound Bus, as the dimensions are based on a comfy couch for our dog. It's definitely bigger than necessary but it's like having a ute, and I use it a lot for work.
Luna the fawn-coloured greyhound is chauffered along a cycleway by her person Douglas in a large orange cargo bike with a wooden box.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
Here's Diana AKA Swamp City Basketry sitting in a huge basket she constructed mainly out of Gigantea willow.
Diana, AKA Swamp City Basketry, sits in a very large willow basket she made.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
A reminder that hell always has deeper circles:
Corkscrew shaped stainless steel bikestand with no place to lean a bike against that will not lead to the bike (and perhaps the user) falling over.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
Luna says thanks to everyone who submitted on the Greyhound Racing Closure Bill.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
A heads up for lovers of handcrafts - this beautiful pile of willow baskets and more is for sale this Saturday, 10-3 at the Steiner School Fair. Made here un Ōtautahi by my talented fellow Rekindle teachers Diana Duncan (aka Swamp City Basketry) and Gemma Stratton. #🇳🇿🧶
A big pile of beautiful willow baskets made by Diana Duncan and Gemma Stratton sitting in Diana's workshop. (📷 Diana Duncan)
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Exciting! All the best things take time. This week I had a visit from Tiana, a Hawaiian weaver and hale builder, to harvest leaves from palms I grew from seed 20 years ago. So happy to be able to help out.
Tiana Malina Te Rongopatahi Mo’iha looks pleased with a car bootload of palm leaves destined to build a Hawaiian hale for her Macmillan Brown artist residency in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Very cool! Love how you can drag the audio to identify specific birds.
Screenshot of the Merlin bird app showing a list of birds identified in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
So true. Bikes are incredible. For years before getting a bakfiets I overloaded my regular bike chronically and it always took it. Had to replace spokes regularly though!
Red bicycle leaning against a wall, with heart rimu 4x2s strapped to it.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
There's a failure of imagination in our incrementalism on transport issues. Why shouldn't the elderly take over bike lanes with their mobility scooters? Who said you need an SUV to take your dog places? Why don't businesses use cargo bikes for their sub 10km trips to avoid being traffic? 7/7
Very good elderly dog named Jess relaxing in her comfy bed in the front of a cargo bike.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
Thinking about this a lot as I haul gear all over Ōtautahi this week in our cargo bike. E-bikes and particularly cargo e-bikes could really transform those areas in Aotearoa where sprawl or geography makes cars the current choice. But which interventions would enable the shift? A 🧵...
Orange cargo bike stacked with two crates of cargo.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
A favourite tree! Great example of heteroblasty. Here in NZ they hybridise readily with other Pseudopanax sp. Cool highly camouflaged seedlings too.
20 year-old NZ lancewood tree, Pseudopanax crassifolius, in front of a house and grey sky,  showing its adult tree form and foliage.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
I really enjoyed this, esp. the business idiot's enthusiasm for AI. This line stuck out.
Quote from Ed Zitron. "Much like the Business Idiot themselves, ChatGPT doesn't need to do anything specific. It just needs to make the right sounds at the right times to impress people that barely care what it does other than make them feel futuristic."
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
I mean, it couldn't be easier on this platform.
Screenshot of the Accessibility settings in Bluesky mobile App with "Require alt text before posting" toggled on.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
A few shots from previous years of Open Christchurch.
Interior corridor inside Canterbury Provincial Council Building showing pointed Gothic arches and flagstone floor. Perforated concrete blocks screen at University of Canterbury with Erskine building in the background. Exterior of Canterbury Provincial Council Building showing mixed sizes of gable and assymetry. Door with nice handmade hardware at Canterbury Provincial Council Building.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 26/04/2025
If you see this, post a picture of a tree~ #ArborDay
Huge rimu tree surrounded by ferns growing in Orokonui Eco Sanctuary near Ōtepoti Dunedin.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Being a card carrying wood nerd, @cleftcraft refers to the magical technique of cleaving - controlling splits in a log to get a desired shape or sized piece. It never gets old to hear the musical pop sound before it splits open.
A log of Robinia cleft into four pieces.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
Here's today's wooden cup rough carved. It cracked from my placing too much force on the soft, spalted alder so I won't bother finishing it - I'll keep it as an exemplar of what not to do for my upcoming class in May. Will definitely need some fresh wood before then!
Rough carved wooden cup or kuksa on a chopping block.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
Rainy day wood carving here in Ōtautahi. I'm making a giant tea mug or kuksa out of red alder, because the cold weather turns one's mind to hot beverages. 🧶🇳🇿 #greenwoodworking #woodcarving #kuksa
The hollow form in a block of wood of a carved cup or kuksa, with a swan neck gouge and pencil sitting beside it. Oval shaped hollow in a block of red alder wood, showing the annual growth rings and medullary rays.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 13/04/2025
I've only ever worn it off so no tips sadly... Came down from the garden in the dark - time to start wearing a head torch. Cut down a 5m tall self sown cherry plum and turned it to woodchip today. Pulled out expired tomatoes and harvested dry beans to make way for autumn veg. A good Sunday 😁
Home grown black beans in a wooden bowl.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
A first for me. The amaryllid Brunsvigia josephinae flowering after I bought a bulb about 18 years ago from the now defunct Parva Plants. The inflorescence stands about 85cm tall from a huge bulb and was worth the wait. I wish I'd thought to buy a few more though... 🇳🇿🌱
Brunsvigia josephinae flower stem with large pink flowers. Closeup of rich pink coloured Brunsvigia josephinae flowers.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
The tool that made them for anyone interested.
A photo of an old Barton drawknife held in one hand.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
Sometimes what we produce as waste is just beautiful. Drawknife shavings from my prep for tomorrow's beginner spoon carving class.
A pile of curling thin ribbons of alder and walnut wood shavings made by a drawknife, illuminated by dappled sunlight.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
Today's view from the nursery that will soon be replacing our lawn. Glad to have some rain today as hand watering is taking longer and longer the more I propagate. #aonzgardening
Perennial plants and grasses sitting in black plastic eurocrates on coffee sacks in a home nursery. A sun shower is taking place.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 05/02/2025
(Just had to re-up this from @fietsprofessor in the bad place 😁)
Image of car congested highway with the caption "let's have a moment of silence for all those who are stuck in traffic on their way to the gym to ride stationary bicycles".
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Following up because this is delightful @aimeew.bsky.social. Finally got a message back from Scoundrel this week about their summer break days not being posted physically. Turns out there was a good reason!
Screenshot of a message conversation with Scoundrel bar about their sign being vandalised.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 28/01/2025
Great to see this little pocket of life on busy Brougham St outside Prima Roastery in Ōtautahi. Nyctemera annulata - makokōrori or NZ magpie moth caterpillars feeding on a daisy relative. These weeds could easily have been sprayed or pulled. Nice to see what the alternative looks like. #nzgardening
Closeup of Nyctemera annulata - makokōrori or NZ magpie moth caterpillars feeding on a daisy relative plant with yellow flowers growing out of cracks in concrete. Lots of Nyctemera annulata - makokōrori or NZ magpie moth caterpillars feeding on a daisy relative plant with yellow flowers growing out of cracks in concrete.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
Having an enjoyable afternoon industriously spent with @jostle.bsky.social making copper tags out of old spouting for our orchard trees.
Copper spouting being cut up, cleaned and turned into hand punched tree tags. Hand punched tree tag that says Hetlina & Kinleys Lane.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Because our grapefruit is taller than the house spraying is out so I've been trialling biological control with some tasman lacewings from Bioforce. The picture shows lacewing larvae eating the smaller whitefly larvae. Should know in a year or two whether it's been successful.
Tasman predating citrus whitefly on a citrus leaf.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
It's huge, I forget how many hectares. We spent a couple of hours and didn't even get to the track down to the water where you can apparently see sea lions.
Two large tī kōuka (Cordyline australis) with perennial plantings in the foreground
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 10/01/2025
Throwback to last week's visit to Fisherman's Bay Garden on Banks Peninsula. A thoughtful blend of perennials and drought tolerant plants with natives. I walked away with a full brain and a handful of salvia seeds after a nice conversation with Jill Simpson the owner. #nzgardens
View down hillside to the sea at Fisherman's Bay Garden Purple Salvia nemerosa and Stipa seedheads in Fisherman's Bay Garden bedDrought tolerant perennial plantings at Fisherman's Bay Garden Steps leading up the hill through the biggest perennial plantings at Fisherman's Bay Garden
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 02/01/2025
Hairpins are also fun to carve from smaller wood.
Three carved wooden hairpins with chip carved designs on a green cloth background.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 30/12/2024
Up in Whakatū this week visiting family, and one of the highlights was buying this knife from local knifemaker Richard van Dijk at the weekend market.
Handmade carbon steel knife made by Richard van Dijk lying on a chopping board.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 10/12/2024
Why I'm talking about it? I've had greyhounds since 2009 and met lots of volunteers and a few trainers through the groups. Over that time the industry PR offensive has really scaled up, as it became obvious their days were numbered. Here's Luna our 11yo hound demonstrating her sundial pose. /ends
Luna the 11 year old greyhound basks by a sunny window
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Thanks! Yes we're usually looking for wood like in the photo. About 15-40cm diameter is the sweet spot for usability.
Five straight small logs from a Banksia trunk.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
Just had to share this. A lovely scene of freshly cut walnut wood being shared around by some of the members of Ōtautahi Spoon Club. It's growing into such a kind and fun group of people.
Members of Ōtautahi spoon club taking some wood from a recently felled walnut tree. A particularly proud Ōtautahi Spoon Club member with an armload of fresh cut wood. A large pile of felled walnut branch wood.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 13/11/2024
Meanwhile here in the southern hemisphere, I submit my own somewhat grislier version of #treebybike 😉
A tree being transported by cargo bike, in parts.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 19/10/2024
Astonishingly low, almost totally unusable. The only rack in New World Lincoln, NZ supermarket carpark. For context the surrounding carpark has space for 150 cars at least and several wind turbines to signal its progressive stance on climate 🤔
Cripplingly low bike rack at Lincoln New World Supermarket, Canterbury, NZ
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 16/10/2024
The RHS book Propagating Plants is a great resource if you ever come across it. One of my favourite references. It describes propagation techniques and then lists what works best for each particular plant.
Image of cutting propagation from RHS Propagating Plants
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 23/09/2024
@cyncharron.bsky.social here she is the day she discovered that our bed (very off limits) gets glorious afternoon sun. That expression - no sense of wrongdoing whatsoever, just pure bliss.
Luna the greyhound discovers that the afternoon sun hits our bed and luxuriates in it.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 13/09/2024
LOVE our cargo bike. It's fantastically useful and has been a game changer. But at 2.9m long it's like having a half car in the garage. These should totally be borrowable in Ōtautahi. Just like a car, they spend 98% of their life not moving around so sharing makes sense.
E-cargo bike with a regular bike is its cargo box.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 24/07/2024
LOVE big dogs, but do not understand the point of huge ones. Size can be relative though - I've had a 25kg staffy x put my back out, but see 34kg Charlie below, who was my tiny mother in law's constant companion in her late 70s. Watching that dog wait for her to catch up on the stairs was 💔
Charlie the giant greyhound sitting in a chair that's too small.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 19/07/2024
NEVER before has this 24 year old fridge magnet felt so relevant. (The bucket is much more important than you think.) #beprepared #crowdstrike
A 24 year old fridge magnet listing essential items you will need to survive Y2K, including a bucket.
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Douglas Horrell @cleftcraft.bsky.social · 16/06/2024
Was listening this afternoon to @seaqub.bsky.social on The Detail talking about fragmentation of society and breakdown of community in NZ, and it makes me deeply grateful for the communities I'm part of. Today was our annual basket willow harvest at Kainga. Community in abundance.
Grading basket willow rods by size during harvest.
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