Shed TV - August 2012

Tue, 21st August 2012

What's new on The Shed Online in August.

G'day Shedders – I'm here at “Shedquarters” where it's all systems go for our August Membership Drive. Remember, there are three ways you can help out:

August Membership Drive

• Invite a mate: there's a $50 hardware gift card for the first 20 blokes who get six or more friends, colleagues or family members to sign up!

• Spread the Shed: order a Shed Online mousemat and poster. Wack it into your office, club, or Men's Shed. Take a creative photo and send it in to us. There's $50 hardware gift cards for the best five entries.

• Spin us a yarn: take a look at our “word of the week” and write a story, song or poem about the topic. Our new word is “FIELD”. Tell us a story from the sports field, a field out on the farm, or even your experience on an airfield. The best-judged entry each week will win a $100 hardware gift card. Take a look at the entries for last week's word, which was “ROAD”, and get inspired to make your contribution.

You can find out all you need to know on our Membership Drive page.

Let's look at what's new on The Shed Online this month...

Shed TV

• Andrew Gaze interview: The Olympics are in full swing. We interview five-time Olympian and flag-bearer at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Andrew Gaze.

Activities

Take a look at our new activities.

• How to fix a fly screen: Maurie demonstrates how to replace fly screen on a window or door, in our Handyman D.I.Y activity.

• BBQ Mushrooms: Tom's back in the kitchen with a delicious recipe for barbecue mushrooms.

• How to get further education: Find out how you can sign up for a course to learn anything from a new language, to french polishing or how to polish up your business skills in our "Further Education" activity.

• Watching your weight over winter: Check out our tips for losing those cold weather kilos. Do your body a favour and take a look at the new "Watching Your Weight Over Winter" activity.

• How to upload a photo: There's a new technology tutorial – we show you how easy it is to upload a digital photo to a discussion post. A picture tells a thousand words, so next time you contribute to one of the discussions, you'll be able to add a photo of your own.

• Gardening Q&A: And there's a new Q&A activity on the subject of gardening.  Maybe you want to know why your vegies aren't verdant? Or need advice on pruning perennial pot plants on your patio? Andrew Laidlaw from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne will be available to answer your questions. Send them in to webteam@theshedonline.org.au and we'll post Andrew's answers next month.

Book club

• The Catcher in the Rye: We hope you enjoyed our first Shed Online book club read, “The Catcher In The Rye”. Look at Ryan's review of the novel, and have your say on the topic in our book club discussion.

• Announcing our book for September – Daughter of the Forest: The next book we'll all be reading is "Daughter Of The Forest", by Juliet Marillier. It's an historical fantasy novel, based on a story by The Brothers Grimm. Our book club host this month is Mick Woodman, and he'll be delving into the themes of this novel next month.

Health - Depression

• Depression videos: Our health focus for August is the topic of depression. Watch videos that look at men and separation, and men and depression.

• Depression Q&A: Also, we have a depression Q&A this month, hosted by beyondblue. Send in your questions and we'll post the replies next month.

From the Blog

• Mental Health in Rural Australia: In the blog you'll find a new article about a number of Rural Mental Health initiatives, contributed by Alison Fairleigh.

• Film reviews: Also, new film reviews of the Aussie classic "Muriel's Wedding", and for all you pool-sharks, "The Hustler" from 1961, starring Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason.

Remember to get involved with our Membership Drive. Help us build Australia's Biggest Shed.

Stay tuned for more Shed Online updates later in the month.

'Til next time, Shedders!