Take two, week three

Hello Everyone,

Where did I leave off last week? Ah yes, John and Sue had left and it was up to me to guard Marston Pottery and the dogs during the creepy, dark Rhayader nights. I managed alright (even if I did sleep with my light on a few times). I was met with an interesting problem on Monday, the day I was to start doing tasks for Phil. He had asked me to do three things- make 12 press molded bottles, mix up four batches of clay and pug about 500 pounds of aged clay so he could use it. I thought I would mix the clay up since it was a nice day Monday and the shed I would do it in is unheated. Lo and behold, I went to open the old wood door and it was jammed shut. It seems that during the howling winds, the door slammed shut so hard it went past the door frame and was royally stuck. What was I to do? All of the tasks he asked me to do required my entry to that shed. I leaned, I pulled, I prayed but the door did not budge. When Phil called to check up on me I told him my predicament. He sounded quite cross about it but did not really have any advice except to "pull really hard" (been there, done that). Despite the fact that he got a bad cold in America, he said the workshop went well. He even joked that some of the ladies there liked him so much, they threw their knickers at him (it would seem in that case that Phil Rogers is the Tom Jones of pottery). For the rest of Monday I made press molded bottles with the small amount of clay I had left in the workshop. I got a friendly call from Lisa Hammond in London checking to see how everything was. She knew I was on my own for a bit. I love that potters are so helpful towards one another; I have found it to be true in the states as well.
The next day, with a newfound determination, I tackled the problem of the door. I found an old hammer and attacked the door with it. There is a space between the top of the door and the doorframe so I sort of hung onto the door and whacked it from the inside with the hammer. Eventually, it stubbornly opened. I won the battle. I was able to pug all the clay and make the press molded bottles for the rest of the week. I had been able to make a bunch of teapots and a new series of forms. I threw a wide, short cylinder with no bottom. After the clay stiffened, I altered the shape into an oval or square then added a slab bottom. I made two big casseroles and 15 smaller boxes with a flange and a slab lid. I am very excited about these and feel I will be able to explore them more.
Phil and Lynne arrived home Friday at noon. I made some nice soup, floury herbed rolls and banana blueberry bread for lunch. Tess and Libby were so excited to see them! The weary travelers were nearly knocked over by the overexcited pups. It was good to have them back! They brought me some nice presents including a cookbook put together by the staff and artists at Clay Art Center, the place where Phil did the workshops. By nine o'clock Phil and Lynne were both dozing on the couch; they had after all missed a night of sleep. Between his cold and jet lag Phil was absolutely knackered.
This Sunday the three of us drove to Newport, Wales, the hometown of Lynne and Phil. Lynne's dad, Ramon was turning 80 and they had a family party for him. It was a lot of fun. They treated me like one of the family, they even made me get in the big family photo. Claire, the Rogers' daughter was there with her husband and two little sons. The party was at Lynne's sister Barbara's house. She has three sons who were all there. Lynne's brother Chris was there with his daughter Beth and Phil's dad Ray was there too. It was a happy party. Claire hired a stretch limo to pick Ramon up from his house. He was very suprised and loved it! Claire also made a special cake that looked like a rugby pitch. It was complete with a Welsh flag, little rugby players and goal posts. Lynne and Phil got Ramon a digital photo frame. Lynne spent the entire day before the party scanning and photoshopping old pictures to upload to the frame. Raymon and his wife loved it. When they did a birthday toast Ramon acknowledged my presence by singing, "Here come the Yanks". He is quite a cheeky guy and a lot of fun. It was great to meet all of Lynne's family and see Clarie again. I hung out with her five year old Mattie a lot and read him a few stories.
Phil and Lynne both grew up in Newtown and met when they were teenagers. It is a very industrial town quite different than Rhayader. It is in south Wales sort of close to Cardiff. It was about two hours away from Rhayader. It was a nice party and we all had a good time. This week I think I have more press molded bottles to make and some clay to mix up. Hopefully nice weather will continue. Crocuses and daffodils are coming up everywhere and Phil's pond is full of frogs making noise. We even had one day in the 60's! Sounds like the snow is really coming down back home in NH! Have a great week and be safe on those snowy roads!

Take care,

Kari