If you have an ounce of Celtic heritage, you owe it to yourself to learn about spurtles, brose, widdershins and deisea. Derek Andrews' translation of these strange-sounding words is, well, charming. That isn't normally the kind of word one associates with a guy who is tough enough to handle life (and the weather) on a finger of land leaning into the gales of the North Atlantic.

Derek started his woodturning business in 1995 after moving to Nova Scotia from England, and he works out of a studio adjacent to his home on the north shore. While his gallery is open throughout the year, it is busiest during the summer months, when the weather in Nova Scotia can be most pleasant. The studio lies on a scenic route called the Sunrise Trail - a popular vacation destination, "much loved," he says, "for its hospitality, lobsters, warm bathing waters and great scenery."

According to Derek, the spurtle, or porridge stick (shown at left, below) was used before the advent of rolled oats. The oatmeal had to soften and become edible, so it had to be cooked for a long time. The spurtle was used to stir it frequently to prevent the formation of large lumps. In Shetland, porridge is called milgruel, and is sometimes made with bere-meal which is a kind of barley. The Gaelic name is brochan.