Week Seven

Hello Everyone,

We got the first snow of the season today here in Rhayader. It started out as sleet but turned into snow. When I walked the dogs at dusk it was very slushy. I think it is still snowing now; perhaps it will accumulate. I always get a little excited at the first snow. Phil says it never snows this early; usually it does not arrive until december. On Monday, Phil came into the workshop and accomplished some tasks. He slipped some pots and threw a bunch of tops for the press moulded bottles. I was so happy to see him in there working. He has good days and bad days. He gets pretty stiff and still has a lot of soreness in his body. I'm sure he is looking forward to the day when he can take long walks, drive the car and throw a nice tall bottle. Until then, he's doing a pretty good job keeping busy with other things and staying positive.
I worked on making teapots (again). This round of them came out well; the true test will be when I pour them. I understand why potters charge what they do for teapots- they take forever to make! They are a complicated form since they combine the elements of lid, spout and handle but it was a welcome challenge. I will continue to make them while I am here.
On Wednesday night Lynne drove me over to Jason and Julianne's. I spent the night there and rose early to help fire Jason's kiln. Jason recently retired from being an art department head at a private high school in London. They bought a house about 30 minutes from Lynne and Phil. It is a huge 16th century farmhouse. It was the summer home of the Bishop of Hereford at some point and Phil joked that I might see his ghost floating around at night. When they bought it, it needed a lot of work. They have made it into a very charming and comfortable place. It has huge flagstones, fireplaces and exposed beams. They have yet to install central heating so I was a bit chilly when I spent the night. I slept in a sleeping bag, under the quilts with 2 hot water bottles in the sleeping bag. It really made me think about what life would have been like for people hundreds of years ago before the days of modern conveniences.
Jason's kiln is interesting. He warmed it up with gas, fired with wood until 750 C then switched to oil. Since he once-fires his pots there was alot of steam escaping out of the kiln for several hours. I had never experienced an oil-fueled kiln before so it was a good learning experience. It is so much louder than firing with gas or wood! The burners were a bit sputtery and sometimes it sounded like the kiln had a heartbeat. I much prefer the snap, crackle and pop of woodfiring. Phil got dropped off later in the day and helped Jason out with the kiln's settings and cycle. It was only the second time Jason had fired it so there was still alot of experimenting and guesswork. He has never made pots full time and is trying to transition into that. I always enjoy the community atmosphere of firing a kiln. Julianne periodically brought us out little snacks and hot drinks as it was pretty cold. We sat around and chatted about all kinds of things. It was great to hear Phil talking to Jason about the kiln because he has so much experience and I can learn a lot from him. We did not stay for the whole firing. As we later learned, it stalled a bit at the end and it didn't get shut off until 3:30 am! Lynne came by the Braham's house after work and we all had a nice dinner together.
We've had a few frosts this week and they were absolutely breathtaking! There is something about the moist atmosphere here that allows the frost crystals to be really big. In the mornings when I walk Tess and Libby everything looks so still, white and silent. Winter is on the way!
I figured out how to put all my photos on the web. If you go to http://picasaweb.google.com/nhthrower you can see all the photos I've taken plus read captions. I hope this will be easier for you and will allow me to share more of the pictures I've taken. I hope you all enjoy them. Have a great week!