Flaming June

In a sitting by the woodburner sense!

Mid June at our nearest beach. Nothing flaming about June whatsoever when bundled up in jumpers and raincoats!

Hello, how has your week been?

I hate to start with the weather, but seriously, it’s really not what it should be is it? All those wistful daydreams of summer evenings in the garden seem laughable when we’ve had the wood burner alight for the last two evenings!

It seems to have been a week of various appointments for me alongside pottery, gardening and photograph, some fun like getting my nails painted, others like opticians and orthopaedic surgeons less so. My left hip which has been giving me increasing problems and pain has, of Wednesday, been deemed ready for replacement. I could try a steroid injection to delay the inevitable for up to six months if it worked, but frankly I’d rather get it done as quickly as possible and get on with life for it is seriously impeding my mobility right now. So, for all my sniping about the corporate world to Mike I am enormously grateful that one of the perks of his unwavering dedication to the company is private healthcare. I should be able to have a new joint in August, or perhaps before if a cancellation means a slot is available. Having had my right hip replaced twelve years ago I know what to expect and am confident that I’ll quickly be enjoying gardening and dog walks again.

The Garden

I just popped into the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and from the window there watched a rather handsome little sparrow have the most thorough wash in the birdbath. My parents gave me the bath for my birthday last year and it has brought me an unexpected amount of pleasure to watch the various birds perform their ablutions there. One day I’ll set the camera up on a tripod and hide around the corner so I can capture the birds in action.

While the bird bath is often full of welcome life, the box behind is full of unwelcome caterpillars!

While much of the garden is happily romping away, there are of course plants that come to the end of their lives or succombe to pests. The box in the front garden (as you may be able to see above) is again a chosen habitat for the most unwelcome box caterpillars. Last year we sprayed with Xentari which kept them at bay, but it doesn’t feel like a sustainable solution in the long term so with a heavy heart I have decided we should let nature take its course and will think about this area again when the inevitable happens.

Pretty and fragrant even on a wet day, but slowly dying.

The lavender in the back garden also seems to be dying in parts, so while it’s happily flowering now much of the middle of the plants looks pretty dead. My plan is to let it flower, then have a go at taking some softwood cuttings which will hopefully allow us to dig up the dead plants and replace with their offspring. I also have an idea that a couple of lollipop olive trees would look lovely amongst the lavender, does anyone know how successfully they’ll live in an outdoor border?

Mud, Smoke and Fire

Tchaikovsky apparently said “inspiration is a guest that does not willingly visit the lazy”. I might bastardise that slightly to “inspiration is a guest who willingly visits the insomniac, but sadly they’re just too bloody tired to use it”.

I have woken up at 4am every morning for the last week for no good reason, and despite breathing exercises, visualisations and meditations I have spent hours of the early mornings awake, only to fall asleep again just before 7am when the rest of the world is getting up. It’s frustrating to say the least, but I am not alone for my mother and sisters are often awake at a similar time - perhaps you are too?

Still, for me it is often a time of day when my mind is full of ideas and possibilities, some of which I am occasionally able to remember later in the day. One from this week was the idea of a visual alphabet of ceramics to photograph and share, both here and on Instagram where I sometimes find myself scratching around for some theme. It was really nice to get my proper camera out and shoot something intentionally, so without further ado, here is A for Aprons, Ash, Accessories and Alchemy!

A is for Aprons, Ash, Accessories and Alchemy

I seem to be a very messy potter if Instagram is anything to go by (which is probably isn’t!) and despite my apron I frequently find myself covered in clay far, far beyond my hands. Ash can be used in glazes and I have tried some test samples, but as yet haven’t been happy enough to use it on anything. As for accessories, let’s be honest, one of the pleasures of a new hobby is the collecting of things that we either genuinely need to practise it, or believe we can’t possibly manage without! The alchemy which occurs in the kiln is seemingly unpredictable, sometimes magical and often humbling as it forces me to remember I simply can’t control everything.

Tomorrow we’re off to collect the fencing I bought at the auction last week, so fingers crossed it will fit in the trailer we’re borrowing…

I wish you a warm and happy weekend, thanks for reading - I know there are plenty of alternatives out there!

With love,

Vx