What can you do when you can't get on your planned walk?

 It was a lovely day today - cold and frosty. What was needed was a walk so we decided to go to Wheldrake Ings. This is a waterlogged flood plain stretching along the bottom course of the River Derwent and attracts millions of water loving birds all year round. It is a protected site of scientific interest. However, when we got there, we couldn't even get into the fields to start our walk - the water was right up to the road. You can see where the footpath disappears into the water on the photographs!

But we weren't put off - because not far from here is another unusual natural site of heathland - Skipwith Common. So we went there instead. It's not as dramatic as the Ings and there were a lot of people there, but the exercise and fresh air did us good!

After Christmas

 It always seems to take us a long time to get started again after Christmas. We usually spend the week between Christmas and New Year visiting friends - going out and about, doing some walks - but this year it has been different

 

Today saw Gerry back in the pottery - he had some ideas for some teapots. These had parts thrown on the wheel and then the bits will be assembled together.

 

 

We were given some hyacinth bulbs by my granddaughters, so I was able to find a plant pot and get them planted.

 

 

 

And then we applied for  new driving licences - we still have the old paper ones!!! The self employment grant now requires you to produce a photo licence in order to claim - a sudden change in the rules....

Happy Christmas!

 

Happy Christmas.! I hope things get better for everyone next year.

Nearly there...

 

So, today I have just finished icing my Christmas cake. I made four this year for various members of my family. My mother used to do this, but since she developed altzheimers, has been unable to do so - it looks as though I have taken over the task.

I made about 50 of these little stockings during the Pandemic and gave them out to my neighbours in their Christmas cards. One of them sent this picture of hers, already hanging on her tree with chocolates in it.

And now I am just going to relax!!!

and so the village is getting ready ....

 Paul, a builder in our village, has made a Santa Scarecrow and put it up outside the pub...... It's a reindeer Santa!

We now have lots of lights and decorations in the village. Let's hope we can all enjoy it though......

Smoke gets in your eyes!

Today we had the raku firing that had to be rescheduled from Saturday due to the rain. I had made some ceramic leaves back in the summer by rolling the clay onto some sycamore leaves that I had picked in Fangfoss. They had been biscuit fired to 1,000C and  had been waiting to be raku or pit fired ever since.

I have also been making some little Christmas tree decorations and they look lovely finished off in raku - so that's what made me decided to proceed today.

 

                                                       

Tree planting

Today we spent the morning planting trees at Jubilee Park. We had obtained 105 trees through a grant obtainable from the Woodland Trust. They are supporting a campaign by the government called "Plant Britain" which is hoping to plant a tree for every child strating primary school this year. In our village that would only be about 20 trees - so we have planted a tree for every child in the school - 105 of them!

Christmas is coming...

 

 

 Today we went down to the Park to hang up some more Christmas decorations for people to find. There was some glazing to do because Gerry wanted to fire the kiln, and I had to pack up three orders that are due to go out tomorrow. 

 

 

Then we put up the Christmas tree, switched on the outside lights and put up the nativity crib that my dad made for us many years ago.

 

The Christmas Decoration Hunt!

 For the last few years we have put out some ceramic Christmas decorations in Jubilee Park in Fangfoss. We hang them on trees and hide them for people to find. If they discover one they can take it away to hang on their tree as a memento of their visit to the Park.

We refresh them everyday so that there are always about ten or twelve to find each day.

A melted pot!

 In 40+ years of being potters, Gerry and I have never seen this before! Gerry was asked by a student to fire a jug which she said was made of stoneware clay. It has been decorated on the outside but not glazed inside and she asked if a white glaze could be applied - which Gerry did!

He put it into the kiln along with some of his pots and fired it up to 1280C - the whole thing melted. It had been made from earthenware clay! The liquid clay then dripped down through the gaps of the kiln shelves onto any pots that happened to be underneath. It completely stuck onto the pots that surrounded it........

Still, it could have been worse, because the student had asked us to fire a few of the pots but Gerry had only put one of them in!!

A good shopping weekend

 We have just had a fantastic weekend by opening up the pottery to other makers in our village.

What was really nice was the support we actually got from the people who lived here. They came out and spent money with all of us. To some, it was the first time they had been shopping....

 

 

Gerry and I had made the pottery as safe as we could. We provided sanisiters and masks for anyone who had forgotten them and frequently wiped surfaces down with cleansers. We  had a one way system around the pottery - one way in and you followed the arrows around and exited through another door. It was certainly safer than those who went shopping in York!

 

 

 

The finishing touches

 Well- we're almost there... Tomorrow we are welcoming people into our pottery to see the work of the artists in Fangfoss. So we have spent the day getting things ready, and now it looks nice....

Making the pottery "Covid Safe"

 We are having a festive fair in the pottery this weekend, with a candlemaker, painter, printer, and a card and gift maker joining us. They all live in the village so we are quite a creative hub.

Today we have been cleaning up the pottery and moving tables arpound to give everyone more space. To make it safe we are operating a one way system so Gerry had been sticking arrows on the floor and I have been making labels.....

A traditional teapot.....

 This is our traditional teapot. It is a product bought to be used. It has to saisfy certain criteria, not only functional , but also aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could detract from it....