Meet the Faces Behind the Frames: Tim the Optometrist

We thought it would be nice to take a moment to share some information about us, the Respectacle team, and what we do outside of work. While we do have the opportunity to get to know our customers when they pop in for an eye examination, or to source some new glasses, most of our conversations tend to focus on work-related topics. Only occasionally do we get to talk about the activities and hobbies that reflect our personalities and passions. So, read on if you want to learn more about how we spend our free time!

Tim our optometrist, has been practising optometry for over 40 years now. He’s a valued member of the Respectacle team and is very highly regarded by his patients. When he’s not at work, Tim keeps himself very busy with many different interests and hobbies.

 

Have you heard of the Wombles? No, not the floppy-eared, pointy-nosed, furry creatures who lived on Wimbledon Common! We’re talking about the wonderful group of people who voluntarily pick litter from hedges, verges, and laybys around Leicestershire and Warwickshire. Tim is a proud member of The Wombles and does his bit to clean up the community in his spare time.

Continuing with the theme of giving back to the community, Tim also sorts and reconditions tools for a local charity, who then ship these tools and machinery to third world countries, to be re-distributed to people in need to help them become more self-sufficient.

Many of his patients know that Tim has an interest in trains, in particular old steam trains. To celebrate his 40 years as a qualified optometrist earlier in the year, we bought Tim a day out at the Great Central Railway in Loughborough. As part of the experience package, he was able to drive a steam train!

During the autumn, Tim likes to make cider in his spare time. It’s been his hobby for a number of years, and it’s become an important Hanby tradition. Tim remembers how he used to help his dad produce a rough, cloudy, scrumpy cider, which apparently would leave you feeling rough the next day! Mr Hanby senior had a mini apple orchard and would use the windfall apples for his brew. A family tradition, he learnt the craft of cider making from his grandfather in Gloucestershire, who collected unsaleable fruit from his orchards, which were crushed using a horse-powered millstone and stone trough. The pulp was wrapped in horsehair mats and pressed in a large screw press. The cider is fermented naturally in wooden casks. Tim does it a bit differently today.

Tim collects his fruit in various ways: from his own apple trees, donations from family and friends, and wild trees he finds along old railway lines and hedgerows, while avoiding roadsides due to high pollutant levels. He uses a diverse mix of varieties, including Spartan, Bramley, Russet, Perthyre, and Gascoyne Scarlet, along with some unknown varieties.

After washing the apples, he uses an electric fruit mill to shred them into a pulp (or pomace as it is known). Tim has always been inventive and has tried several methods in the past to shred the apples, including using a kitchen mincer and a potentially hazardous combination of a bucket, stainless steel blade, and a drill! However, neither of these methods was very efficient, making the fruit mill a safer and more effective choice.

After thoroughly cleaning and sterilising all his equipment, Tim starts the cider-making process by pressing the pomace in a wooden basket using wooden packing plates and a hydraulic car jack. Juice flows out quickly at first, and each pressing produces about 2 gallons of juice. Tim checks the sugar levels, which indicate the potential alcohol content, using either a hydrometer or a refractometer. Most of the time, he produces cider with an alcohol level between 5% and 6%. Tim says brewing cider at home is easy and fun. If you fancy brewing your own and need some tips, you know where to come!

The fermentation process begins vigorously, and in a warm September, it can be completed in just three weeks. This allows Tim to bottle the cider in October, making it ready to drink by Christmas. He does, however, leave some cider to mature longer and bottles it in January for Easter. When bottling, Tim adds a bit of sugar to each bottle, which results in a completely clear cider with a slight sparkle. Although he hasn’t experienced any exploding bottles yet, he has had a few fountains over the years. This year, Tim produced 36 gallons of cider, while he typically averages around 20 gallons per year. Sounds like it’s been a bumper year for Tim and his cider-making! Perhaps we’ll all be getting a bottle in our stockings this Christmas?!

When he’s not working as an optometrist, Tim keeps himself very busy with his hobbies and community work. We know he makes a positive contribution to the Respectacle team. And to see him make a positive difference in people’s lives outside of work makes us feel very proud.

Look out for more blogs about the Respectacle team, coming soon! In the meantime, you can find out more about the faces behind the frames on the ‘About Us’ section of our website.

 

Further reading:

Respectacle Company Optometrist Celebrates 40 Years in the Optical Industry

Respectacle Company Takes a Team Building Trip to the Cotswolds

Respectacle Company Announces a New Addition to Their Optical Team