Tonferns Miniature Violins and Guitars

Hand-made Miniature Violins and Guitars - 1/6 Scale

in 1/8 thickness wood or PVC,

hollow body - by Tony Fernandes.

Tonferns Miniature Violins and Guitars

Hand-made Miniature Violins and Guitars - 1/6 Scale

in 1/4 thickness wood or PVC,

hollow body - by Tony Fernandes.

Khasab Castle, North Oman

Khasab Castle
Musandam Peninsula

Oil painting Size 29" x 19"

by Tony Fernandes

Khasab Castle, a picturesque stronghold situated on the inner cove of Khasab Bay, was built in the 17th century by Portuguese explorers in their quest for seeking control over regional maritime trade.

'STAINED WINE GLASS'

GRAPES & VINE

on Wine Glass

Faux Stained Painting

by Tony Fernandes

CANDLE IN THE HOLLOW OF THE COCONUT SHELL

CANDLE POWER IN A COCONUT SHELL

Drawing in crayon by Tony Fernandes

                 Reminiscing poignantly of peace and harmony that our folks dwelt in, and celebrated and enjoyed salves, vespers and feasts galore in the days of yore. Prior to the start of the Vesper Services, an orchestra played in front of the the church – or at the band-stand. Young boys would vie for the sheer pleasure of holding the notation sheets for the musicians. They were also anxiously looking forward for the fireworks at the end of the vespers.

                 Walking home after the vespers in the night was a delightful moment, an experience that I still cherish. Some people carried battery-operated flash-lights, while my grandma improvised with a candle lit in the hollow of the coconut shell.

The night seemed solemn,

quiet and tranquil;

Starlit sky a real delight

In the darkness

On our way home

Holding a candle

Lit in the hollow of a coconut shell

Led us on our familiar path;

And folks from the houses along the way

Wished us a pleasant night.

(Excerpt from my book: GOA - Memories of My Homeland)

Poems, Stories, Photographs, Drawings)

GOA 'BOWLED'

'GOABOWL'

GOA SCENES PANORAMA

ON A COCONUT SHELL

(Pyrographic drawing by Tony Fernandes)

BEHOLD THE MAN

"ECCE HOMO"
Pyrographic Drawing

by Tony Fernandes
on pinewood block size 10 in x 8 in.
'TonWoodburns'

'Tonferns'

"ECCE HOMO" (in other words: 'Behold the Man')

The Latin word composition 'Ecce Homo' is a standard component of cycles illustrating the Passion and Life of Christ.

It is also used as a title of Drawings of Jesus used by many great artists, depicting the time prior to His Crucifixion. Generally, in the art world, the words represent the scourging of Christ in a painting, in a statue or in other representations of Christ crowned with thorns.

These were Latin words meaning "Behold the Man" used by Pontius Pilate when he presented a scourged Jesus Christ, bound and crowned with thorns to a hostile crowd shortly before his Crucifixion.

'TonFerns Pyrography' - technique of burning images permanently into wood by hand using various types of styli at variable temperatures) Pyrographic Drawing by Tony Fernandes on pinewood block size 10 in x 8 in. - 3/4 in thick.

~ 'TonWoodburns' ~

BEDFORD TRUCKS IN GOA

Bedford trucks were quite popular in Goa during the 1950's and 1960's. There were various models used in the mining and construction sector. Many of these were privately owned as well. They were utilized for general purpose such as in transportation of laterite stones, bags of cement, fire-wood, tiles, gravel, sand and various other construction material.

Some of them came with hydraulic dumpers and a forward tilt-cabs among others with two types of horns - one was an air-horn with a distinct loud sound for the mining area in addition to the one for use in normal driving in town.

I have hand-crafted the model shown above

from 1/8 inch plywood.

Built on a separate 1/4 in. beam chassis,

the cab is hinged on 1/8" dowel.

The carrier is hinged at the rear

with a retractable lift bar.

Tony Fernandes

THE MINI-MOKE

The Mini Moke

The model shown in the photograph above is hand-crafted from 1/8" plywood.

Tools used: sliding blade cutter, steel ruler,
hole saw for wheels, wooden dowels for axles,

cutting board and glue.
No scroll saw was used. Length: 11 inches
(Crafter: Tony Fernandes)

The Mini Moke is a vehicle based on the Austin Mini of BMC (British Motor Corporation. The name comes from "Mini"—the car with which the Moke shares many parts—and "Moke" which, I believe, is an archaic dialect term for 'donkey'. It was designed for the BMC by a genius - a famous car designer and engineer of Greek origin, Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS (18 Nov 1906 - 2 October 1988).

 I saw it and rode in it Abu Dhabi in November 1967 for the very first time. The Architectural and Engineering Consulting firm that I worked for then had a fleet of them. I was 20 years old and worked for the Consultants on the first 100 km dual carriage highway from Abu Dhabi to the oasis town of Al-Ain, a Sheikdom and British Protectorate then known as a part of the Trucial States of Oman. The Architects and Engineers used the Mini-Mokes for visiting the various construction sites in town. Also many other contractors used the Mini-Moke to visit constructions projects. It also served as a short distance shuttle for picking and dropping their personnel to the staff quarters.

Its advantage was in easy access - not much unlike the electric golf carts of today - an ideal vehicle for use as a run-about for hop-in/hop-off jobs. One had to just jump in and take off. It had a very low center of gravity, with sunken seating, more like a tub with broad raised 'pontoon' sides that served as recessed compartments - the left-hand pontoon contained the fuel tank whereas the right-hand side one had compartments for the battery and another one for a jack, tools or accessories. It was very popular with construction companies as a run-about vehicle for various jobs in town, and I was really fascinated by it as a young man - waiting for the slightest chance of hitching a ride in one.

To me this vehicle - the Mini Moke - was a real marvel - one awesome, simple and convenient form of transport, and a practical piece of engineering - front wheel drive, transverse engine, standard track, typical big steering wheel and easy to handle. It seated four persons, with space for luggage behind the rear seats. It even came with a spare tyre attached to the rear. Invariably, somehow most of them were painted dark green. Some were fitted with metal framework and tarps.

I have very fond memories of first riding in it to and fro from work, and then eventually having had the fun and pleasure in actually at the wheel in driving one myself. They were much in use until the mid-seventies.

Rear View

 Independent Front Suspension

Independent Front Suspension 

 Rear Pivot Swing Axle

I remember the vehicle quite well, and miss it so much, that I decided to include it in the range of many scale models of cars that I make out of 1/8" thick plywood and took the liberty of making a slightly extended version - as the one pictured above. There's independent suspension fitted in front and the rear wheels are fitted on a swing axle.

Please visit the following website
 to view a vast selection of Mini-moke models.

http://www.strasserhof.com/Moke/index.htm

You will find the one featured on this blog page under the following link:

http://www.strasserhof.com/Moke/index-Dateien/Page8332.htm