Taming the garden

This is a kind of patio area that used to have a large dog run built on top of it. Thankfully that was gone when Andy and I moved in. It's been a bit of a mess since then as since Andy died, my own future here has been tenuous. I've spent the last few years trying to hold my head together and  there has seemed little point in putting a huge effort into something I may have to leave behind.

 

Last year, before Joe moved in, Brian-next-door helped me to cut down the worst of the nasty knot weed stuff, which was a beast. Since then, Joe has taken an axe to it several times and dug up the main roots. It seems to have been vanquished at last.

 

So even with the future being uncertain, we made a start on tidying it up properly earlier this year. Joe lifted the slabs. 

 At last a nice sized plot was revealed. I began digging it over.

 

And even though there hasn't really been any money for plants or seeds, I have managed to grow a few things and it looks a lot better.

The potatoes at the back should break the earth up (not for nothing are they known as 'pioneer plants'). The courgettes and beans seem happy enough.

As you can seem a lot of rubble has been removed. It will take some work and a lot of manure this winter to turn the earth around. And there is still a patch at the back which I am getting to grips with. It is thick, dry clay mingled with stones and rubbish, so I am doing it bit by bit, inch by inch. 

 

There are tomato plants growing at the side. It all looks a little bare, but at last it looks as if we'll be able to stay here for a while and maybe next year I will be able to plant out the large herb patch that I have secretly dreamed of. 

With everything that has happened, and being in a rather fragile state of mind most of the time, I still find it hard to contemplate a more reassured future. This little corner of the garden is the one part that is slowly taking form, with some herbs and creeping succulents. I look out on it often and try to take hope.

Little flower head

 

Last month I received my first 'head' commission.

 It was to be in the style of Frida Khalo with a  flower crown.

 I didn't make it a portrait, but did my research and emulated the general style.

She was, naturally, named 'Fleur.

Staffordshire cats at the Potteries Museum

On the first day of July, I was up at 5am to arrive early in Stoke-on-Trent for a workshop at the Potteries Museum. Thankfully this time the train journey was relatively short, and I was at the museum at around 8.30am. As you can see, our British weather can be rather temperamental; the mini heatwave was over and we were back to being moist and overcast.

  

I set up as usual in my designated space, then went for a little prowl around the museum before it opened; there was something quite delightful about being the only visitor, before the doors were open to the public.

The ceramics collection covers all periods of the Potteries history. 

Some fabulous 20th century work, much of it from the Midwinter studio - 

 - on to the more ostentatious Minton pieces - 

But my favourite collection was of course, the Staffordshire work. 

and these - 

Who wouldn't want a  frog mug? 

A final quick peek of the antique slipware collection, before hastening back to start the workshop. 

So we commenced the day's project, which was to make a needle felted Staffordshire style cat, rather like this one I made earlier in the year. 

They were a lovely group and great fun to work with. For most of them this was their first time needle felting and I think I may have thrown them in at the deep end, as this was not the simplest of things to make. But at the end of the day, when they had all worked their fingers off, everyone had a cat, each with its own personality. 

Another enjoyable workshop - not everyone takes to needle felting, but I think a few people were inspired to carry on with it.

  

My next workshop is scheduled to be on August12th at the Village Haberdashery in West Hampstead, London - more cats, but of a different kind; my circus kitties from the recent 'Mollie Makes' cover. All details and links on my workshop page here.

Journeying to Norfolk

It has been a very quiet time since I last posted. But June saw me making a rather long journey from our little patch in Shropshire, near Wales, to Norfolk, on the far east side of the country. Suddenly I was catapulted into the 'real world'. Norfolk isn't an area of the country I know, so I took several snaps from the train.

It is, as many people will know, extraordinarily flat. There are wind farms and windmills. Canals and dykes. A vast, open landscape with big skies. It must be a bleak expanse in the winter, though I imagine still beautiful.

But this was high summer and it was looking very pretty,  especially the nice little station of Acle.

I stayed at Great Yarmouth, at the pleasant and friendly White Lodge Hotel. I have to admit I was shattered after several hours of traveling, and had just enough energy to find some chips and fall asleep.

The workshop was at the studio of Sticky Prints not too far away. I took my usual picture of the calm before the storm.

It was one of the hottest days of the year, possibly not the best weather to be needle felting baby hares. But our hostess, Sarah, had laid on a lovely keg of chilled elderflower cordial and I for one drank my weight in it.

Despite the heat and a long working day, everyone made lovely little hares and a good time was had by all. It was nice to be out and socialising again, after such a long time. 

Back at the hotel, I treated myself to proper fish and chips and had a potter on the beach which was almost across the road. At this time of the evening, it was fairly empty, apart from a couple of people who had set up stall near the edge of the tide.

I haven't been near the sea in a few years, so I took my sandals off and had a little paddle.

The Sunday return was a ghastly day of constant hot and crowded travel, via three trains and a coach. I did manage to get a better snap of the windmill while I was being kindly ferried to the train station. 

So a last glimpse of Norfolk, the large agricultural fields full of pickers and workers. By the time I returned to Shrewsbury I was dropping with exhaustion, but Brian-next-door was waiting to pick me up and take me home to Joe. Back to the quiet cottage to recover from all the excitement and to start preparing for my next workshop, which was to be at the Stoke Potteries Museum.