What do you do when retirement finally gives you the gift of time? For Julian Lee, the answer was clear: blacksmithing.
Julian has always loved working with his hands - metal, wood, clay, you name it. But during his long career in specialist education, hobbies had to take a back seat. Retirement changed that, giving him the space to return to his childhood love of making things, with metalwork holding the biggest spot in his heart.
Setting up a backyard forge, however, was no small task. It meant months of preparation - gathering tools, learning new techniques, and wrestling with heavy equipment. The anvil alone took three friends to move and had to be anchored with chains salvaged from a boatyard.
With his forge up and running, Julian has found retirement less about slowing down and more about taking on challenges in a whole new way.