May, Apparently

Wood fires and wild flowers

Oxeye Daisies about to do their thing

Welcome to those of you who are new to The Post House Chronicles, it’s lovely to find you here. If you want to know more about where you’ve ended up you could read this, otherwise feel free to read on.

I’m writing this in the garden where it is finally just about warm enough to sit in a sheltered spot and not freeze - this week has been so cold! Gone are the days when we popped the heating on with impunity, so I actually found myself lighting a fire on Monday evening. In May!! The thought of heating did however make me finally go and check the contents of the oil tank, it’s a job I put off for there is no guage and the task involves lugging a stepladder up narrow gap along the side of the garage and climbing up to peer in. Sadly I couldn’t put off ordering oil any longer - and frankly who can predict whether the price will next be up or down in the next 20 minutes.

I absolutely meant to write last week - I had a plan to do so on the train as I returned from 24 hours in London - but the train was rammed (previous one cancelled), I had dreadful backache and was also listening to an excellent audiobook.

The original purpose of my trip was to visit Ceramic Art London, an annual showcase featuring a fabulously diverse array of ceramics, some aspirational and some not - it’s all a question of taste of course. Happily, I was able to combine this with seeing a photographic exhibition curated by a dear friend and entry to the Hyakko exhibition at Japan House. The creativity and variety within each exhibition was truly awesome and left me feeling both hugely inspired and deeply inadequate, but what has really stuck with me is just how poorly we value excellent craftsmanship as a society.

Just one example of the fabulous work shared at Japan House

Even I found myself balking at some of the prices displayed, but the reality is that making really high quality, interesting work takes a great deal of investment in both time, money and a steadfast refusal to be thwarted by such trivial matters as disastrous glaze firings!

In The Studio

You wouldn’t believe how long it takes a kiln to cool down sufficiently, such that the lid can be opened without risking the sound of cracking (been there, done that), so I am feeling slightly twitchy as I type, anxiously hoping that this time the process will bear fruit not failure. Yes, yes, I know failure is all part of it but it can still reduce me to teary despair. In theory all should be well as I have tested each glaze and absolutely definitely haven’t repeated the firing programme. Let’s see.

Washed wood ash drying out in the studio

I have been washing and drying wood ash for the next batch of tests which I plan to do over a textured surface coloured with oxides, it may take some experimenting but either I simply haven’t quite found my own style yet, or the thrill of regularly trying something new will never leave me.

I haven’t in fact spent a huge amount of time in the studio, partly because my back has been so bloody sore and partly because when I have been able to move comfortably I’ve been trying to keep up with the garden.

Fabulous foxgloves - they grow like weeds here and I’m embracing every one!

In The Garden

Well I’m exceedingly grateful that I haven’t been preparing for Chelsea! I can’t imagine how stressful it must be to have such unexpectedly cold weather in the preceding weeks. I have been to Chelsea once, but honestly as a shortie I spent most of my time shuffling around with my nose pressed into other people’s backs. The show gardens are always wonderful I know, but for my money I’d rather be at home and view them on the telly.

Though I am not preparing for a show of any sort I have been carefully moving things in and out of the plastic palace and delicately draping the dahlias I planted out last weekend in fleece. Said dahlias were romping away happily until I popped them in the borders, where one or two are now looking like the equivalent of the dying swan - I’m holding my breath!

It was Garden Group again this week (it seems to come around quickly) and I hosted a seedling swap here. It was a really fun evening, in part I think due to the wine and nibbles that were collectively shared or donated by those without seedlings. Plants and bits of equipment were distributed and the kitchen was full of happy chattering for a couple of hours which was lovely - though did make me think that I must get on with making some curtains for it was quite noisy.

I now have more tomato plants than I can accommodate, but will undoubtedly feel compelled to keep alive. The resultant glut will then mean that I am forced to bottle endless passata #tradwife! Actually on that note has anyone read Yesteryear? I kept seeing it reviewed and advertised, but in truth don’t think it’s one I’d put on a list of recommendations.

This rose must surely please even those who don’t appreciate wildflowers?

The wildflower ‘meadow’ in the front garden is really beginning to take hold, although on pointing out the lovely Oxeye daisies to our cleaner this week he responded that it looks like a patch where nothing has ever been done! On relaying this story to a friend last night she suggested that a path cut through the flowers would make it all look more intentional, so that’s a job on this weekend’s list - more accurately that will be on Mike’s list for wielding the strimmer is beyond my back’s capabilities right now!

What the hell shall we eat tonight?

I am a completely useless meal planner, I find it painful to the point of impossible to sit down and plan a week’s meals, yet I quite like cooking (for more than just myself) and we have a lovely collection of books for inspiration. However, I very often find myself googling for ideas rather than flicking through books - but may have found a solution!

I have yet to commit, but have come across an app called CookShelf which catalogues all the recipes in your own collection of books and can search through them all on your behalf, suggesting all the relevant recipes and even sharing the page number of the book in which you can find them. If you’re already familiar with this app I’d love to know if it’s working for you? If only I’d scanned all our cookbooks into it when we put the house back together after the kitchen renovation!

Prickly Joy

Much like hearing the cuckoo, stumbling upon a hedgehog is something truly joyful. It’s odd to see one in the daylight, but this youngster had its head in the long grass and brought to mind toddlers playing hide and seek - if I can’t see you then you can’t see me! Did you see the BBC short film of the King writing to David Attenborough? I loved the hedgehog letter rack!

As ever, I wish you a weekend filled with things to make you smile - be that hedgehogs, cuckoos or anything else. I will be cursing my sciatica and delegating!

Vx

ps. Audiobook which distracted from writing last week was The Women by Kristen Hannah - I highly recommend.

pps. Will you be watching Season 2 of Rivals this weekend?! I most certainly will.