Go Back   GZ 250 Forums > General > Off-Topic Discussion

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 12-18-2010, 10:32 AM   #1
alantf
Senior Member
 
alantf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Tenerife (Spain)
Posts: 3,715
Nothing to do with bikes.

I thought you might be interested in an old Spanish custom. Amongst the Christmas decorations, all Spanish houses have a Belén (the Spanish word for Bethlehem). This is a model of the stable where Jesus was born. One of my hobbies is making them, & if any one sees one of my models, & asks me to make one for them, I use any spare time the following year, making them, out of any spare bits of wood, MDF board, etc. The "gravel" is the grit our budgerigars have, & the "sand" is fine sawdust. I use any old remnants of paint, so they cost me virtually nothing, & I can give them as presents the following year.

This is our Belén.


This is the one I've been working on this year, for one of my grand daughters. She wanted a pond, so I used a scrap of broken mirror.


You might notice a VERY strange custom. Every Belén has a figure of a man with his trousers down, taking a crap! Don't ask me why - it's just one of those strange Spanish customs.

If any of the family in England want one, I have to design them so that they flat pack, to fit in a suitcase. This is one I made for Jan's nephew.






__________________
By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.



Login or Register to Remove Ads

Last edited by jonathan180iq; 12-16-2013 at 04:08 PM.
alantf is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old 12-18-2010, 10:43 AM   #2
alantf
Senior Member
 
alantf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Tenerife (Spain)
Posts: 3,715
Re: Nothing to do with bikes.

Had to use another page - it won't let me upload more than 5 pictures in any one post.







I put a low wattage light in them all, so that the interior of the stable is lit up.

I'm not a religious person, but I do think that it adds to the true meaning of Christmas.
__________________
By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.

Last edited by jonathan180iq; 12-16-2013 at 04:06 PM.
alantf is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old 12-18-2010, 10:48 AM   #3
music man
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas
Posts: 1,127
Re: Nothing to do with bikes.

How much you gonna hook me up with one of those for. Of course the shipping would cost me a billion dollars, but hypothetically speaking? My wife wanted me to ask.
__________________
"Tell me what kind of wreck you're going to have and I'll tell you what type of helmet you need." [Author Unknown]



Login or Register to Remove Ads
music man is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old 12-18-2010, 12:22 PM   #4
dhgeyer
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Merrimack NH USA
Posts: 722
Re: Nothing to do with bikes.

Nice work! Cool hobby. Not too sure about El caganer. Kinda cool that they made Obama into one, though. I'd love to get my hands on an Obama El caganer!
__________________
54 HD Hummer,64 Honda150,66 Ducati250,01 Vulcan500,02 Vulcan1500,83 Nighthawk650,91 K75,95 VLX,04 VLX,01 GS500E,01 Ninja250, 02 Rebel,04 Ninja500,06 Concours,96 R850R
dhgeyer is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old 12-18-2010, 12:54 PM   #5
burkbuilds
Senior Member
 
burkbuilds's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Shannon, Georgia
Posts: 1,268
Re: Nothing to do with bikes.

Cool stuff Alan. Very creative work. Two thumbs up from me. Merry Christmas.



Login or Register to Remove Ads
burkbuilds is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old 12-18-2010, 12:56 PM   #6
alantf
Senior Member
 
alantf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Tenerife (Spain)
Posts: 3,715
Re: Nothing to do with bikes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by music man
How much you gonna hook me up with one of those for. Of course the shipping would cost me a billion dollars, but hypothetically speaking? My wife wanted me to ask.
Like I said, they cost me virtually nothing to make. They just take time, but being retired, I have plenty of that. The only problem is, that to make them flat pack, for transport, I can't make them as intricate as I like. I'm afraid that the ones Jan takes to England are the poorest of poor. I certainly wouldn't want anything less than the best to be shipped halfway round the world. Every one I make, I try to make it better than the one before.
__________________
By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.
alantf is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old 12-18-2010, 11:40 PM   #7
Water Warrior 2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Squamish B.C Canada
Posts: 11,409
Re: Nothing to do with bikes.

Alantf, you are truly a giver. Definitely a labor of love to create these gifts. A big well done.
Water Warrior 2 is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old 12-19-2010, 12:35 AM   #8
alanmcorcoran
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Anaheim, CA
Posts: 2,926
Re: Nothing to do with bikes.

Like. Beats the hell out of birdhouses. The guy taking a crap - we have to have more on that - that is superweird even by Euro standards!

I'd like my Manger with the three wise men on a Yamaha, a Suzuki and a Kawasaki (they can be parked outside the manger if the WM are inside with the loot.) Instead of the dude taking a dump, how about Sarah Palin gutting one of the sheep? (Name your price.)

Here's an overseas shipping idea - build it with a wooden "cover" that goes over the whole shebang so it's basically a box. I know it's extra work, but it kind of adds to the longevity of it for storage too... just take the cover off after Thanksgiving, and presto! Instant Christmas.
__________________
[hr:5yt6ldkq][/hr:5yt6ldkq]
http://alanmarkcorcoran.com Motorcycles, Music, Musings and More…
alanmcorcoran is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old 12-19-2010, 05:19 AM   #9
alantf
Senior Member
 
alantf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Tenerife (Spain)
Posts: 3,715
Re: Nothing to do with bikes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Here's an overseas shipping idea - build it with a wooden "cover" that goes over the whole shebang so it's basically a box. I know it's extra work, but it kind of adds to the longevity of it for storage too...
We keep ours in a large plastic box. The Belén sits on the flat lid, & the box goes over the top. That's fine for static storage, but just imagine it in transit! Thrown around, upside down, used to stand/sit on, bounced about on a truck. The result would be a pile of splinters & sawdust at the end of its journey. :sad:
__________________
By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.
alantf is offline  
Reply With Quote
Old 11-07-2012, 07:38 AM   #10
alantf
Senior Member
 
alantf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Tenerife (Spain)
Posts: 3,715
Re: Nothing to do with bikes.

[attachment=0:21lks46t]Picture 010.jpg[/attachment:21lks46t]
[attachment=1:21lks46t]Picture 005.jpg[/attachment:21lks46t]
[attachment=2:21lks46t]Picture 004.jpg[/attachment:21lks46t]
[attachment=3:21lks46t]Picture 003.jpg[/attachment:21lks46t]

Thought I'd add a few pictures of this year's effort. It's for one of my grandaughters. She's just moved apartments & hasn't got a convenient table to stand it on, so I've had to make one.
__________________
By birth an Englishman, by the grace of God a Yorkshireman.

Last edited by jonathan180iq; 12-12-2013 at 10:21 AM.
alantf is offline  
Reply With Quote
Reply



Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:47 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.