![TO THE WIRE](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/9319/473585/5ef5af36c6c5c/TO-THE-WIRE.jpg)
6.30 This is the best part of the day with everything to look forward to. After 36 years as an engineer in the Royal Navy I was about to start a second career in business when first a prostate cancer then a Parkinson’s Disease (PD) diagnosis changed my perspective. I started as a hobby artist blacksmith with my own forge high on a hill, but a move to a more residential setting meant a change of direction was needed. I saw an owl made from a chicken wire in a magazine and thought “I’d like to make one of those”, so I went on a course and knew straight away I had found what I wanted to do. I used my engineering and metalworking experience to progress and moved away from chicken wire to steel and stainless steel wire. Practice and perseverance have allowed me to now work on more intricate and complex projects. Now I work from my studio at home in the Yorkshire Wolds so the commute only involves negotiating the stairs, kitchen, and utility room.
7.30 Breakfast with my wife Belinda overlooking the garden. At the moment I’m having a game with a sparrow. I made a sculpture of a blackbird sitting on a garden fork. For the past few mornings I’ve tried to take a photo of the sparrow sitting on the blackbird’s head, seemingly his favourite perch. As soon as he’s seen my camera though he has fled.
Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Yorkshire Life.
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Denne historien er fra July 2020-utgaven av Yorkshire Life.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![Charity Starts At Home](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9319/539337/5f928fa078cd6/crp_Charity-starts-at-home.jpg)
Charity Starts At Home
How do we teach our children the importance of giving back?
![THE INTERVIEW Steph McGovern](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9319/539337/5f928f0790f35/crp_THE-INTERVIEW-Steph-McGovern.jpg)
THE INTERVIEW Steph McGovern
Live from Leeds - Steph McGovern returns to the studio after a scary lockdown lesson in live TV
![THE SCENE SETTERS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9319/539337/5f928677c9924/crp_THE-SCENE-SETTERS.jpg)
THE SCENE SETTERS
Hidden away in a North Yorkshire village, you’ll find a business making huge stage sets for global audiences, from TV’s The Voice, to the Olympics and Trafalgar Square’s plinths
![On solid ground](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9319/539337/5f928a65d8ee8/crp_On-solid-ground.jpg)
On solid ground
Dry stone walls are the thread that bind Yorkshire’s landscape. Fancy giving it a go? Pete Maynard quit his job to do just that
![The French furniture hunters](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9319/539337/5f928d60591b3/crp_The-French-furniture-hunters.jpg)
The French furniture hunters
A day in the life of Stephen and Kath Hazell who run The French House in York, one of the largest French antiques businesses in the UK
![Face value](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9319/539337/5f928e2351f7c/crp_Face-value.jpg)
Face value
We caught up with Sarah Thomas, co-founder of the York-based beauty brand that’s changing the game with waterless, vegan, natural and organic products
![Wildlife in crisis](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9319/539337/5f92887193f0e/crp_Wildlife-in-crisis.jpg)
Wildlife in crisis
From the bottom of the sea to the top of the tallest tree, there are tales of wildlife woes all over Yorkshire. The good news is that it’s not too late to save what little remains
![Decorative art](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9319/539337/5f928c66df45a/crp_Decorative-art.jpg)
Decorative art
Not simply functional, treat your walls like an extension of your personality
![Boxing clever](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9319/539337/5f9287893763c/crp_Boxing-clever.jpg)
Boxing clever
The Hare at Scawton was named Yorkshire Life Restaurant of the Year in 2019 and owners Paul and Liz Jackson had big plans for their gourmet hotspot. When lockdown happened, they put down the kitchen knives and opened the tool box. The results are spectacular
![All the dales](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/9319/539337/5f928b54f3406/crp_All-the-dales.jpg)
All the dales
This route from Thixendale to Hanging Grimston is often missed by local hikers, but it covers a number of glorious dales. Warning: there’s a one in six climb, but the views make it all worthwhile