Hello Everyone,
After about 40 hours of firing the wood kiln, we have all nearly recovered. It was not the smoothest firing. It seems the kiln decided not to cooperate but we won't know for sure until we unload it on Wednesday. The beginning of the week found Phil and me wrapping up loose ends as we finished packing the kiln. The weather was decent so we were hopeful it would remain that way for the firing. The kiln is outdoors with a semi open shed. Margite and Thomas came on Wednesday evening. They are both very lovely people. She is finishing up a pottery course in Denmark but plans to set up a pottery in Estonia after graduation. Margite was Phil's apprentice about a year ago. She is busy planning her final show at college. She broke her hand over Christmas break so that set her behind a bit. It is better now but she has a lot to catch up on.
Phil lit a fire on Thursday to warm up the kiln. It burned all day and on Friday the inside temperature was about 200 C. On Thursday Lynne and I spent most of the day in the kitchen. We had invited a few people over to dinner that night. We made appetizers like pesto and tapenade, pizzas with everything from scratch, a few different salads, bread and some pies (apple and strawberry rhubarb). We had enough food left over to eat the next day while we were firing. Joining us for dinner was Lynne and Phil's friend Pauline (who used to be on the planning board for the Aberystwyth Ceramics Festival with Phil) , Jason, Julianne and their friend Katrina whom we had met when we helped Jason fire his kiln. We had a great time, ate too much and felt good and ready for the firing. I'm sure Margite enjoyed seeing everyone as she had spent time with all of them while she was living with the Rogers'.
Phil officially lit the kiln again about 6:30 am on Friday. The kiln has three chambers, the firebox, the main chamber and the salt chamber. We started by stoking the firebox. Ideally in a wood kiln, long flames pull through the whole kiln creating nice flashing marks on the pots. Unfortunately, the wretched weather returned for us on Friday and Saturday. There was 50 mph gales and horizontal rain and hail. Since the kiln shed has a metal corrugated roof, the sound of the hail being blown against it at such a strong speed was defening! We put wood into the firebox for most of Friday into the early morning. We took turns stoking. Each side of the firebox has a stoke hole with a hinged door on it. One person opens the door while the other person throws the wood in. There is a pyrometer which is a temperature gauge that has a probe inside the kiln. A digital readout tells you what temperature the kiln is at. I am used to fahrenheit so the celcius reading was a little wierd for me. Basically, we watched the pyrometer to make sure the temperature was rising. When it started to fall, we put in more wood. You have to get into a rhythm, otherwise the temperature may stall and not rise as much as you want. You have to be careful not to make it rise too quickly. All throughout a firing, there are chemical and physical changes happening within the kiln. If you fire it faster than the clay and glazes want, you risk interfering with the natural progression of those transformations. In short, it can make the pots look pretty dreadful.
On Friday Phil's friend Guy came to help. Guy made all the metal bracing and doors on the kiln. He met Phil when he went on one of Phil's summer pottery workshops. Guy is great with wood and metal and helped with a few projects when the kitchen was being renovated. Tomas had never fired a kiln before but he really got the hang of it. He seems to have a very mathematical brain (something most potters don't!) He was figuring out how many degrees would rise and fall before we needed to stoke. He and Margite made a great team. We took turns going in to eat. Trays of tea and coffee were brought out every so often to re-energize us. I told Phil that wood kilns actually require two types of fuel- lots of wood to keep the temperature going and lots of caffeine to keep the potters going!
I went to catch a few hours of sleep around midnight on Friday. When I came back several hours later the kiln had only risen about twenty degrees- not good! There was this one brick in the first chamber and several on the firebox that Phil would take out when he wanted the temperature to rise. Doing this creates a damper that sucks the heat through faster. The only trouble is, Phil was worried there was too much air going into the kiln. To make his glazes work, Phil needs the atmosphere to be reducing (meaning there is more fuel than air. The fuel doesn't compust as fast and it creates a lot of carbon). If too much air goes in, the atmosphere will oxidise and the pots will turn out all light colored, not at all what Phil wants. So, he opted to keep the bricks in for a while to insure reduction, thus the temperature stalled. Eventually it did start to rise very slowly and we also started stoking the main chamber.
Around 5 am it looked like we might actually have a nice day. The sky was blue and the wind died down. However, it was just tempting us and soon turned stormy again. It was actually worse on Saturday than it was on Friday. After a while, I did not even notice if it was raining or blowing. The kiln was nice and toasty and I could stand near it and be very warm. Jason, Julianne and Katrina came back on Saturday to help us. Guy also came back. We stopped stoking the firebox and only worked on the last two chambers; Margite and Tomas on the main, Phil and me on the salt. It was a real struggle to keep the temperature climbing and keep the right atmosphere inside the kiln. Phil said it had never acted like that before. His theory is that something was wrong inside the kiln that we could not see. Between the firebox and main chamber is a bag wall, a half wall of brick used to direct the flames upward. There are some holes in it to keep the flame pulling through. Phil blocked up a few holes to try and make it heat a spot that was always cool. He reckons that he blocked up too many and therefore, the heat was not getting through efficiently. Once the kiln starts there is not much you can do to change the inside so you just have to go with it and hope it works. The weather was not helping either. The wind was blowing right down the chimney putting cold air in and also drawing hot air out too fast. Phil said to Jason, "I don't know why we put ourselves through this, its such a bloody pahlavah" (meaning such an awful fuss). It certainly was a pahlavah! Oh dear, oh dear.
The lambs were not liking the weather either. Phil found another dead one that had gotten too wet. The farmer came and took a few away that were very small. I was walking by a window in the house and I saw a lamb lying down in a funny way and there was a crow near it. The crows always go after them if they are wounded or dead. I yelled to Lynne and she jumped over the fence and ran towards the little guy. I put on my wellies and went too. When she picked it up I thought it was dead because its head was tilted back. He was alive though not in the best condidtion. He was having some kind of fit with his eyes rolled back and a little foam coming out of his mouth. He was a pretty big one so it seemed strange that the cold should bother him like that; its usually the newborns that can't cope. We brought him inside and wrapped him in a towel. I sat with him near the heater and rubbed him to warm him up. The reason why his head was tilted back was because he could not breathe. His nose sounded blocked up and he could not open his mouth. No matter what we tried he could not breathe right. Once he warmed up he seemed better but he was in such a state, it did not seem hopeful. He was really struggling, kicking his feet and such because he could not catch a breath. It was so frustrating not being able to do anything. Fortunately, the farmer came to do his rounds and we flagged him down. He said a few other lambs had the same thing and although he took them to the vets they could not diagnose what it was. The farmer took him home, put him under a warming lamp and gave him some medicine. We found out the next day that he made it through the night but died in the morning. The farmer thought it was probably pneumonia brought on by the weather conditions. Lynne said, at least we saved him from the crows and made him comfortable. It was still very sad.
Soon after the lamb incident, Jason and his crew went home. By this point we were mostly just stoking the salt chamber and getting it up to temperature. Phil puts the salt in when the kiln is at its hottest. You can't even believe how much wood we used! That huge pile Lynne and I stacked was used by early Saturday and we had moved onto a secondary pile. Sometimes we were stoking as often as every 4 or 5 minutes so it goes pretty quick. The kiln was so hot inside the wood would combust as soon as it entered the stoke hole. By about 8 pm it was time to put salt in. Phil uses between 8 and 10 pounds of salt. Margite measured it out and packed it up in brown paper baggies. Phil would either toss them in or put two at a time on a board and drop the board in. He did this over 1 1/2 hours. The salt gets so hot it turns into a vapor and covers the pots in a glaze. It was interesting for me as I had never seen it done before. Unlike the rest of the firing this part went really well. Phil has not been at all happy with past results from the salt chamber but this time he said he felt the most in control he's ever been. At least one part of the firing went that way! By the end of it we were all so tired and a bit loopy. As Lynne would say, we were all going a bit doolally. Around 9:15 pm, 39 hours after starting, we stopped stoking, pushed in the dampers and placed all the bricks back in. It was finished!!! When we got inside Lynne had made us some food but we were all so tired we weren't that hungry. I told Phil I was SO EXCITED to unpack the kiln. He said we can take a peek on Monday but won't unload until Wednesday. He said, "Kari, it might look terrible so curb your enthusiasm". I'm still looking forward too it although I am trying to curb by enthusiasm.
On Sunday, we slept in. We had to move the clocks ahead so that meant we lost another hour of sleep. I made a big celebratory batch of blueberry oatmeal pancakes. We went up to Guy's house because he built a big pond last year that Phil wanted to show us. Of course, the weather was beautiful and warm. Guy and his wife Anne have really done a lot with their garden. They have planted all kinds of flowers and made stone walkways. It is all tiered as they live on the top of a hill. Guy dug a huge pond at the base of the hill that he hopes to put fish in. They have planted some water plants that will look nice once they've grown and filled in. All around their house is a very old forest with mossy, twisted trees. It was a lovey place although it was a bit windy up on the hill.
We had to get home because the groomer was coming for Libby and Tess. They have very thick coats and with all the mud and water their fur was getting quite matted in places. For most dogs gettin groomed is no big deal. For Libby it is a thoroughly traumatic experience. Phil and Lynne warned me that she hates it and will hide under the kitchen table for days after. The table is her security blanket.
Sure enough, Christine came with her folding table and tools. Phil managed to get Libby on it but once she got her footing she wrestled away and jumped off. No joke, it took three of us to hold her while Christine brushed and trimmed her. The whole time Libby was shaking and licking her lips a lot. We were all patting her and whispering to her to help her calm down. She tried a few more times to escape and nearly managed to once. It is strange because they've had her since she was a pup and she was never abused. Libby is just a bit of a drama queen with a streak of being neurotic. She had so much undercoat it took over an hour and a half to finsh. Mind you, when it was all over she looked much better. She will surely feel better too as she will not be so hot all the time. She got off the table, gave herself a mighty shake and made a beeline straight for the kitchen. Tess was next and she was no trouble at all. I don't think she liked it much, but it was nothing compared with her sister. They both looked very smart when they were done. You've never seen so much fur! Phil says we could have made a whole other dog from it. Oh the joys of dog ownership. As Lynne predicted, Libby is still giving me grudging looks as if to say, "I thought you were my friend". She will not sit near me or get on the couch with me. She probably thinks I will go after her with a brush and clippers.
This Friday I am going away for two weeks. There is a potter in Devon named Nic Collins who is also a wood firer. I may get to help him fire his wood kiln. Nic and his wife Sebina live pretty simply out in the countryside. I will be staying in a yurt which is like a big tent made from canvas and a wood frame. It should be quite an experience.Because of this I will be unable to send my updates. I will try to send one before I go to let you all know how the firing went. I took a lot of short videos of the firing because it is hard to time the picture right to catch the action since my camera has a bit of a delay on it. I hope you enjoy the photos. Until next time...
Take care,
Kari
Monday 31 March 2008
Sunday 30 March 2008
Take Two, Week Nine
Hello Everyone,
This past week was not the best one to be packing a kiln as the weather was wretched! Everyday it was rain, hail, snow and wind in any order or combination. As the saying goes, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change." So for all of you who thought I was taking it easy in the sun and daffodils, it's actually really cold and damp here. I think the worst part is that so many lambs were born; we humans go in our nice warm houses but the sheep just stand there and get soaked. They are not the brightest animals. The ewes stand with their newborn lambs in the absolute middle of the field where there is no protection from the wind. Although they a bit dim they are such lovely creatures. On Tuesday the weather was really bad and the farmer came to check on the sheep. He had to take a few lambs and ewes home as the ewes were not feeding their lambs properly. The farmer held the ewe and Lynne and I had to catch the lambs. I got to carry them across the field in the driving rain. I felt bad for them because they didn't know what was going on but they were so cute and nice to hold! One of them I was holding kept bleating, then its mom would bleat then the lamb would do it again. They did it the whole time until they were both together again. I hope they all get strong and healthy (although I know once they do they will be lamp chops...sadness.)
This week was spent loading the wood kiln and glazing pots. We are still not done loading the kiln; it takes a long time. The main reason why many potters like wood firing is because it gets so hot inside the kiln the wood ash flies around, lands on the pots and melts, making a glaze. Because of this each pot has to sit on something refractory so it does not stick to the shelf. Most potters use wads which are little balls made of of refractory material. It takes a long time to load because each pot needs several wads stuck to the bottom. If the pot has a lid, wads need to be placed on the lid seat so the lid does not stick. It does take a long time to roll all the wads and stick them on the pots but Phil has a little shortcut. He had me make little biscuits out of the refractory material. Each flattened biscuit has three raised lines that radiate from the center. The pot sits on these raised lines and does not stick to the shelf. Instead of having to roll three or more little wads you can just set the pot on the alumina biscuit. It cuts down on the time and you can re-use them over and over. It is a trick he picked up in Japan.
Phil's wood kiln has three chambers meaning there are three rooms if you will, that contain the pots. Each chamber is a little higher than the last which helps draw the flame and heat through the kiln. We have been loading one chamber at a time starting with the biggest main chamber. That chamber will get plenty of wood ash and flashing. Flashing is markings on the pot created by flame. Next, we loaded the firebox. As you can guess, this is where the majority of the wood goes. Pots that go in the firebox usually have a lot of ash on them and they can be pretty chunky and rough. Phil did not have good results from the last firebox pots but I am trying to be positive and hopeful that this lot will come out better. He knows what he needs to do to make them better, let's just hope the kiln cooperates! The last part to load is the salt chamber. We started loading today (Monday). The difference is that when a certain temperature is reached packets of salt are dropped into the chamber. It is so hot inside the kiln, the salt turns into a vapor and covers the pots with a certain sheen and texture you don't get from an ordinary gas kiln. These pots will look distinctly different from those in the other two chambers. Phil is most well-known for salt glazing as he has done it nearly all thirty years he has been a potter. He wrote a book on the process called Salt Glazing that is very good. Salt glazing is not new; it was probably started in 13th century Germany. Salt glazed pots look very similar to soda glazed pots. Soda glazing is a newer technique that was started because it was thought to be more environmentally friendly. It is debatable which is better for the environment but they both remain popular firing methods. Phil has also had trouble getting the right results from the salt chamber. Again, he knows what he needs to do; let's just hope the kiln cooperates!
Phil hopes to have the kiln loaded by Wednesday so we can light a small fire on Thursday. This will warm the kiln up and we will probably start the regular firing on Friday. It usually takes 36 hours to fire the wood kiln. All kilns are different; some Japanese kilns fire for seven days or more! Others are much shorter and can finish in 4 hours. It all depends what results you are looking for and how simple or complex you want to firing to be. On Wednesday, Margite and Tomas are coming from Estonia. Margite was Phil's assistant before me and Tomas is her boyfriend. They will be helping during the firing. As you can imagine, it takes a team of people to conduct a 36 hour firing. Phil and I have been coming up with new definitions for pottery vocabulary. This is Phil's favorite definition at the moment- "Firing- the opportunity to wreck a lot of pots all in one go." Although it can be that, it can also be an opportunity to get a bunch of good pots in one go. We're bound to have pots we don't like but let's hope they are not all hopeless. In the mean time, I'm sure Phil's body is protesting as he has to squeeze his 6' 5" frame into each chamber to load all the pots in. They shelves are pretty heavy too.
I had a nice Easter. Phil's dad Ray came from Newport for a visit. Lynne got Phil and me big chocolate eggs. Cadbury chocolate started in Britain somewhere so there are always lots of their products in the shops. I went to the Easter service at the Protestant chapel and experienced something new- singing the traditional hymns while an accordion played the music. It was like an Easter polka or something. Although it was cold and windy at least the sun was out. Phil and I had a day off even though I know Phil wanted to keep loading the kiln. Instead, we watched one of Phil's favorite movies, The Great Escape that is apparently on every holiday. It is based on a true story where a bunch of POW's try and escape from a German camp. Also, Lynne and I made hot cross buns, something I had heard of but never actually tried. They were nice with a cup of tea.
Well, its down to the wire with kiln loading. It will be an early start tomorrow so we can finish loading the salt chamber by Wednesday. Also, I realized I can put short video clips on my web albums. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!
Take care,
Kari
www.kariinwales.blogspot.com
http://picasaweb.google.com/nhthrower
This past week was not the best one to be packing a kiln as the weather was wretched! Everyday it was rain, hail, snow and wind in any order or combination. As the saying goes, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it will change." So for all of you who thought I was taking it easy in the sun and daffodils, it's actually really cold and damp here. I think the worst part is that so many lambs were born; we humans go in our nice warm houses but the sheep just stand there and get soaked. They are not the brightest animals. The ewes stand with their newborn lambs in the absolute middle of the field where there is no protection from the wind. Although they a bit dim they are such lovely creatures. On Tuesday the weather was really bad and the farmer came to check on the sheep. He had to take a few lambs and ewes home as the ewes were not feeding their lambs properly. The farmer held the ewe and Lynne and I had to catch the lambs. I got to carry them across the field in the driving rain. I felt bad for them because they didn't know what was going on but they were so cute and nice to hold! One of them I was holding kept bleating, then its mom would bleat then the lamb would do it again. They did it the whole time until they were both together again. I hope they all get strong and healthy (although I know once they do they will be lamp chops...sadness.)
This week was spent loading the wood kiln and glazing pots. We are still not done loading the kiln; it takes a long time. The main reason why many potters like wood firing is because it gets so hot inside the kiln the wood ash flies around, lands on the pots and melts, making a glaze. Because of this each pot has to sit on something refractory so it does not stick to the shelf. Most potters use wads which are little balls made of of refractory material. It takes a long time to load because each pot needs several wads stuck to the bottom. If the pot has a lid, wads need to be placed on the lid seat so the lid does not stick. It does take a long time to roll all the wads and stick them on the pots but Phil has a little shortcut. He had me make little biscuits out of the refractory material. Each flattened biscuit has three raised lines that radiate from the center. The pot sits on these raised lines and does not stick to the shelf. Instead of having to roll three or more little wads you can just set the pot on the alumina biscuit. It cuts down on the time and you can re-use them over and over. It is a trick he picked up in Japan.
Phil's wood kiln has three chambers meaning there are three rooms if you will, that contain the pots. Each chamber is a little higher than the last which helps draw the flame and heat through the kiln. We have been loading one chamber at a time starting with the biggest main chamber. That chamber will get plenty of wood ash and flashing. Flashing is markings on the pot created by flame. Next, we loaded the firebox. As you can guess, this is where the majority of the wood goes. Pots that go in the firebox usually have a lot of ash on them and they can be pretty chunky and rough. Phil did not have good results from the last firebox pots but I am trying to be positive and hopeful that this lot will come out better. He knows what he needs to do to make them better, let's just hope the kiln cooperates! The last part to load is the salt chamber. We started loading today (Monday). The difference is that when a certain temperature is reached packets of salt are dropped into the chamber. It is so hot inside the kiln, the salt turns into a vapor and covers the pots with a certain sheen and texture you don't get from an ordinary gas kiln. These pots will look distinctly different from those in the other two chambers. Phil is most well-known for salt glazing as he has done it nearly all thirty years he has been a potter. He wrote a book on the process called Salt Glazing that is very good. Salt glazing is not new; it was probably started in 13th century Germany. Salt glazed pots look very similar to soda glazed pots. Soda glazing is a newer technique that was started because it was thought to be more environmentally friendly. It is debatable which is better for the environment but they both remain popular firing methods. Phil has also had trouble getting the right results from the salt chamber. Again, he knows what he needs to do; let's just hope the kiln cooperates!
Phil hopes to have the kiln loaded by Wednesday so we can light a small fire on Thursday. This will warm the kiln up and we will probably start the regular firing on Friday. It usually takes 36 hours to fire the wood kiln. All kilns are different; some Japanese kilns fire for seven days or more! Others are much shorter and can finish in 4 hours. It all depends what results you are looking for and how simple or complex you want to firing to be. On Wednesday, Margite and Tomas are coming from Estonia. Margite was Phil's assistant before me and Tomas is her boyfriend. They will be helping during the firing. As you can imagine, it takes a team of people to conduct a 36 hour firing. Phil and I have been coming up with new definitions for pottery vocabulary. This is Phil's favorite definition at the moment- "Firing- the opportunity to wreck a lot of pots all in one go." Although it can be that, it can also be an opportunity to get a bunch of good pots in one go. We're bound to have pots we don't like but let's hope they are not all hopeless. In the mean time, I'm sure Phil's body is protesting as he has to squeeze his 6' 5" frame into each chamber to load all the pots in. They shelves are pretty heavy too.
I had a nice Easter. Phil's dad Ray came from Newport for a visit. Lynne got Phil and me big chocolate eggs. Cadbury chocolate started in Britain somewhere so there are always lots of their products in the shops. I went to the Easter service at the Protestant chapel and experienced something new- singing the traditional hymns while an accordion played the music. It was like an Easter polka or something. Although it was cold and windy at least the sun was out. Phil and I had a day off even though I know Phil wanted to keep loading the kiln. Instead, we watched one of Phil's favorite movies, The Great Escape that is apparently on every holiday. It is based on a true story where a bunch of POW's try and escape from a German camp. Also, Lynne and I made hot cross buns, something I had heard of but never actually tried. They were nice with a cup of tea.
Well, its down to the wire with kiln loading. It will be an early start tomorrow so we can finish loading the salt chamber by Wednesday. Also, I realized I can put short video clips on my web albums. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!
Take care,
Kari
www.kariinwales.blogspot.com
http://picasaweb.google.com
Sunday 16 March 2008
Hello from Wales (take two) week eight
Hello Everyone,
Its hard to believe a week has gone by already! When we got back from St. Ives the weather turned stormy. In the beginning of the week we had very high winds and driving rain. It has been quite chilly and damp. The focus this week was glazing. We will be firing Phil's wood kiln the last weekend in March. Phil and I both glazed pots. This means taking a pot and dipping it in a liquid glaze. The dry, porous pot absorbs the glaze and it adheres to the surface. I learned how to glaze teapots which was a little tricky, especially when you have two different color glazes. Its tricky because if you get the inside color on the outside of the teapot it can look pretty bad. I mixed up a few new batches of glaze and some glaze tests. I also learned how to make ash glazes. Phil collects wood ashes from his fireplace. They are soaked in water, mixed up vigorously, the water is drained off, then fresh water is poured back on them. This is done several times until the finest particles are suspended in the water. It takes a few days to wash the ash. Phil had me put the big chunks of charcoal, etc that were left over around his apple trees. Once the ash is all washed, I mixed it into the rest of the ingredients. Phil is known for his ash glazes as he wrote a book on them called Ash Glazes. Washing the ash is a long process and it is caustic stuff so you have to be careful not to get in on your skin or in your eyes (it burns if you do).
Phil and I reloaded the bisque kiln and fired it. This will be the last time before the wood kiln is fired. I helped Phil take some photographs of pots by Hamada and Shimaoka. He finished up the catalog for the upcoming exhibition/sale he is hosting in May. You can view the catalog on his website- www.philrogerspottery.com. You have to download it as a PDF file. It is nearly 100 pages long! He has so many pots for the exhibition- it will be a good one. Last year people wanted the pots so badly one person slept in his car in the Rogers' driveway so he could be at the front of the line! Hopefully that does not happen this year.
Every morning when I walk Tess and Libby in the fields I check the sheep and see if any lambs were born during the night. Sometimes the farmer leaves these pellets called sheep nuts. They are special nuts that help the pregnant sheep lactate. If he leaves them in the barn I have to bring them out to the field and feed the sheep. Normally they are very shy creatures but when I shake the bag they all come running and bleating. There is one very friendly ewe with a white face who will eat the sheep nuts right out of your hand. I really love feeding them because I get to see them up close. They will follow you up and down the field if they think you have food. A ewe gave birth to a pair of twins on Thursday night. I did not see them up close but I could see them walking all wobbly-legged from far away. It was such a rough week weather wise for lambs to be born. Lynne looked out the window this morning and there were two dead lambs in the field. They were probably born in the night during all the rain and died. Even after the farmer removed the little bodies the poor mother ewe stayed in that spot all day smelling the ground and bleating. The farmer is going to try and find an orphaned lamb for her to take care of. Even though those two died there are still three lambs in the field and there are certainly more to come.
On Saturday, Lynne, Phil and I helped out with a 20 mile road race in Rhayader. We stood at the 4 mile mark and passed out water to the runners. It was pouring rain and very cold but the runners were so polite! They all said, "Cheers" or "Thanks for helping out" or "Ta" (which is somehow short for thanks). I've done a fair share of running myself but you've really got to give credit to these Welsh runners because it is so hilly here. Even walking around here is good exercise so running 20 miles must be wicked exhausting! It was a fun job to pass out water. Brian, the husband of the woman who organized the race, had a loud horn he would honk when the runners got close. He kept saying things like, "Well done! The hardest part is over now, not far to go". He is a really funny guy. When he and Phil get together my face usually hurts from smiling and laughing too much.
Later on Saturday the Welsh team played in the Six Nations Rugby game. They won last week and this week were scheduled to play France. If they beat France then they would win the trophy. I was upstairs doing something but when I came down, Lynne and Phil were both sitting on the edge of sofa with worried looks on their faces. It was halfway through the game and the score was 9 to 9. In the end, Wales pulled ahead and beat France by more than double. It was a really, really good game. The Rogers' were so happy, yelling and shouting for Wales. It reminded me a little of when the Boston Red Sox won the world series a few years ago. After it was all over Phil said he was exhausted from cheering them on. I'm suprised more people don't get hurt because the rugby players don't wear any kind of protective gear.
Today Phil and I went to Hay-on-Wye for a day out. It is a great village with tons of bookshops and galleries. I went there with Lynne on my last trip. On the drive there, all the rivers were brimming full with water right up to their banks. There were also daffodils everywhere and lambs jumping and running about. It was nice to go out for a bit especially since the next two weeks will be very busy preparing for the kiln firing. This upcoming week we will be glazing and will start packing the kiln. On Saturday we cleaned up the area around the kiln. Phil got rid of a bunch of pots he did not like. It was really hard to chuck them in the bin bag but its what you have to do. Phil said if he didn't get rid of them they would end up on ebay. Until next week....
Take care,
Kari
Its hard to believe a week has gone by already! When we got back from St. Ives the weather turned stormy. In the beginning of the week we had very high winds and driving rain. It has been quite chilly and damp. The focus this week was glazing. We will be firing Phil's wood kiln the last weekend in March. Phil and I both glazed pots. This means taking a pot and dipping it in a liquid glaze. The dry, porous pot absorbs the glaze and it adheres to the surface. I learned how to glaze teapots which was a little tricky, especially when you have two different color glazes. Its tricky because if you get the inside color on the outside of the teapot it can look pretty bad. I mixed up a few new batches of glaze and some glaze tests. I also learned how to make ash glazes. Phil collects wood ashes from his fireplace. They are soaked in water, mixed up vigorously, the water is drained off, then fresh water is poured back on them. This is done several times until the finest particles are suspended in the water. It takes a few days to wash the ash. Phil had me put the big chunks of charcoal, etc that were left over around his apple trees. Once the ash is all washed, I mixed it into the rest of the ingredients. Phil is known for his ash glazes as he wrote a book on them called Ash Glazes. Washing the ash is a long process and it is caustic stuff so you have to be careful not to get in on your skin or in your eyes (it burns if you do).
Phil and I reloaded the bisque kiln and fired it. This will be the last time before the wood kiln is fired. I helped Phil take some photographs of pots by Hamada and Shimaoka. He finished up the catalog for the upcoming exhibition/sale he is hosting in May. You can view the catalog on his website- www.philrogerspottery.com. You have to download it as a PDF file. It is nearly 100 pages long! He has so many pots for the exhibition- it will be a good one. Last year people wanted the pots so badly one person slept in his car in the Rogers' driveway so he could be at the front of the line! Hopefully that does not happen this year.
Every morning when I walk Tess and Libby in the fields I check the sheep and see if any lambs were born during the night. Sometimes the farmer leaves these pellets called sheep nuts. They are special nuts that help the pregnant sheep lactate. If he leaves them in the barn I have to bring them out to the field and feed the sheep. Normally they are very shy creatures but when I shake the bag they all come running and bleating. There is one very friendly ewe with a white face who will eat the sheep nuts right out of your hand. I really love feeding them because I get to see them up close. They will follow you up and down the field if they think you have food. A ewe gave birth to a pair of twins on Thursday night. I did not see them up close but I could see them walking all wobbly-legged from far away. It was such a rough week weather wise for lambs to be born. Lynne looked out the window this morning and there were two dead lambs in the field. They were probably born in the night during all the rain and died. Even after the farmer removed the little bodies the poor mother ewe stayed in that spot all day smelling the ground and bleating. The farmer is going to try and find an orphaned lamb for her to take care of. Even though those two died there are still three lambs in the field and there are certainly more to come.
On Saturday, Lynne, Phil and I helped out with a 20 mile road race in Rhayader. We stood at the 4 mile mark and passed out water to the runners. It was pouring rain and very cold but the runners were so polite! They all said, "Cheers" or "Thanks for helping out" or "Ta" (which is somehow short for thanks). I've done a fair share of running myself but you've really got to give credit to these Welsh runners because it is so hilly here. Even walking around here is good exercise so running 20 miles must be wicked exhausting! It was a fun job to pass out water. Brian, the husband of the woman who organized the race, had a loud horn he would honk when the runners got close. He kept saying things like, "Well done! The hardest part is over now, not far to go". He is a really funny guy. When he and Phil get together my face usually hurts from smiling and laughing too much.
Later on Saturday the Welsh team played in the Six Nations Rugby game. They won last week and this week were scheduled to play France. If they beat France then they would win the trophy. I was upstairs doing something but when I came down, Lynne and Phil were both sitting on the edge of sofa with worried looks on their faces. It was halfway through the game and the score was 9 to 9. In the end, Wales pulled ahead and beat France by more than double. It was a really, really good game. The Rogers' were so happy, yelling and shouting for Wales. It reminded me a little of when the Boston Red Sox won the world series a few years ago. After it was all over Phil said he was exhausted from cheering them on. I'm suprised more people don't get hurt because the rugby players don't wear any kind of protective gear.
Today Phil and I went to Hay-on-Wye for a day out. It is a great village with tons of bookshops and galleries. I went there with Lynne on my last trip. On the drive there, all the rivers were brimming full with water right up to their banks. There were also daffodils everywhere and lambs jumping and running about. It was nice to go out for a bit especially since the next two weeks will be very busy preparing for the kiln firing. This upcoming week we will be glazing and will start packing the kiln. On Saturday we cleaned up the area around the kiln. Phil got rid of a bunch of pots he did not like. It was really hard to chuck them in the bin bag but its what you have to do. Phil said if he didn't get rid of them they would end up on ebay. Until next week....
Take care,
Kari
Hello from Wales, Take two, Week Seven
Hello Everyone,
I had a great trip in St. Ives! The Rogers' and I left on Wednesday and headed south for a place called Farrington, England. We spent the night with Nigel and Eileen Dutt, some pot-collecting friends of Phil and Lynne. Their house is decorated in a very modern style. There were many big windows so the rooms were full of natural light. The building was a converted cow barn/dairy so it had very high ceilings and arched doorways. They own many paintings, pots and sculptures. After we arrived there we went to visit a raku potter named Tim Andrews. Tim used to work at the Leach Pottery when he was first starting out. He brought out several pots and tiles which were somehow connected to the Leach Pottery. The village he lived in had a few houses with thatched roofs. One building had a bricked up spot where a window once existed. Lynne said there used to be a window tax so people would block their windows so they would get charged less. No wonder the colonists moved to America!
The next day I went into St. Ives with Lynne and Phil. On the drive there we saw entire fields of blooming rapeseed and daffodils. Also, since Cornwall used to be a tin mining county, there are these tall brick chimneys that were used to melt the tin. Cornwall's landscape is very rocky and craggy. Instead of hedges they have really beautiful stone walls. I saw so many lambs in the fields jumping about. When they are feeding their tails wiggle involuntarily. I'm still waiting for the lambs in Phil's fields to be born.
The Leach Pottery was re-opening into a museum. Without going into too much detail, Bernard Leach was arguably one of the most important figures in the craft movement. He was a great potter and philosopher. His Japanese friend Shoji Hamada was also very instrumental in the studio pottery movement. Together, they connected pottery from the east and west aesthetically and philosophically. In 1920, they opened a pottery in St. Ives (the Leach Pottery) that became a learning center for artists from all over the world.The Roger's had an invitation to go to the official opening. While they were there, I walked around town and on the beach. There are many galleries and shops in St. Ives. Many parts of the narrow streets are still cobblestone.The sea in St. Ives is a beautiful greenish color much different from the New England coast. The rooftops on the houses are covered with an ochre colored lichen. St. Ives is a picturesque seaside village with colorful boats and screaming seagulls. I walked on the rocks and found some lovely limpet shells and seaglass. I even found some broken pottery shards.
I caught up with Nigel and Eileen and we met Phil and Lynne at a pub called the Tinner's Arms. When the three of us walked in Nigel and Eileen saw a potter they know named Clive Bowen. He is the artist who made all the tiles for the Rogers' new kitchen. He was talking to an elderly woman near the fireplace. She was introduced to me as Jessamin Leach, Bernard's only surviving daughter. We sat down with Lynne and Phil and ordered some lunch. As we were waiting, a whole bunch of Leaches walked in. I met Jeremy, Simon and John (all sons of David Leach). There were also a few cousins and spouses there; it was like a big reunion. Simon Leach who now lives in Spain, sat and ate lunch with us. He was very friendly and excited to meet Phil for the first time.
After lunch the five of us checked into the Gurnard's Head. It is named after a piece of land that juts out into the ocean. It was a big bed and breakfast with a lot of local art on the walls. I had a cozy room with the softest, most comfy bed. There was even a little painting on the wall of a man making pots at a wheel. From there we went back into the downtown for a special ceremony at the Guild Hall. While walking to the hall Lynne saw her friend Emmanuel Cooper. She introduced us and I told him that my ceramic art history class used his book Ten Thousand Years of Pottery as our main text. He also wrote a biography on Bernard Leach. The ceremony was in honor of the re-opening of the Leach pottery. There were pictures of Bernard everywhere and a video playing. Phil talked to a woman who used to work in the pottery's shop. Emmanuel Cooper made a speech, so did John Leach. In John's speech he read a letter Bernard's stepmother had written him when he was 17. He had just told his folks that he wanted to be a potter and they were not very happy about it. It was pretty funny considering how successful Bernard became. In contrast to that, John also read a letter Bernard had written him. John had asked to be an apprentice at the Leach Pottery; Bernard encouragingly welcomed him on board. After a few more speeches, Tomoo Hamada (the grandson of Shoji Hamada) got up and made a little speech. He said he wanted to build bridges between the east and west just as his grandfather and John's grandfather had done. I felt really overwhelmed and honored to experience such a historic event. I felt a bit like an outsider since I'm not British but at the same time, I am part of the pottery community that touches every part of the globe. That night I was so exhausted! I was nearly asleep as my head hit the pillow.
The next morning at breakfast I discovered one of the most revolting British foods. Phil ordered a full English breakfast with black and white puddings. Usually, pudding means a dessert or sweet. When I asked Phil what black pudding was he told me it was a sausage made from pig's blood and fat. No thanks, I'll stick to some toast and tea!
On Friday, I went into the Leach Pottery. They had restored the old part and built a new addition. Jack Doherty is the new head potter. They will take on several students to work making a production line of pots designed by Jack. The old part had Bernard's kickwheel and many tools/equipment. There was a damp cupboard to keep clay wet and a heated cupboard to dry pots out. There was a fireplace where Bernard used to sit and discuss his philosophies with all the potters. The old anagama kiln had been restored. It was interesting that the earthy colors of the building and rooms at the pottery were mirrored in the pots themselves. After touring the pottery, we spent the day visiting galleries and shops. We drove out to a place selling prints by an Irish man named Breon O'Casey. The Rogers and the Dutts have some of his work already. That evening there was an opening for John Leach. He makes functional wood fired pots.
On Saturday, Phil had his opening at St. Ives Ceramics. There were about eighty pieces in the show ranging from large bottles to very small cups. It was a really beautiful display of pots. Each of Phil's pots are so individual. You could spend a long time with a single piece, absorbing all its nuances yet there is still a thread running through them that makes them distinctly Phil's. Phil said its all about exploring each idea until there is nothing more you can do with it, squeeze out every last possibility. He did skip out briefly to check the score of the big rugby match. Wales was playing and they won! Despite very poor weather Phil's show was well attended.
On Sunday, we stopped by John Leach's home in Somerset. His house has a thatched roof on it; it was the first time I had been in a house like that. John is very animated and loves to tell stories. At lunch, he had us all roaring with laughter.He gave us a tour of his pottery. I think his three chambered wood kiln is the biggest I have ever seen. It takes him 36 hours to fire it and he fires it every two months! He has been to the states many times. He got out a Stetson hat from Texas and told us a funny story about it. When we left he shook my hand and said, "Potters of the world ignite!" He is a really fun person. The place where he lives is known for apples that are made into juice and cider. After finally coming home, I was completely knackered. I was able to meet so many people and I got plenty of fresh sea air.
I apologize to the non-potters who are reading this as its filled with a lot of nerdy pottery stuff. I hope you are all doing well and staying warm. I've been having some technical difficulties with my computer but once I get it sorted I will post my pictures from St. Ives. Until next week....
Take care,
Kari
Tuesday 4 March 2008
Take two, week six
Hello Everyone,
Sorry this week's update is a few days late. With all the traveling and what have you its been extra busy. This past week was very full. I spent several days mixing up a REALLY big amount of what Phil calls the "pink clay". It is pink when its wet but it fires to a brownish color. When I was done the pile of clay was about 4 1/2 feet tall. Phil will leave it in the shed unused for a few months to let it age. Clay is similar to wine in that the older it is the better. Remember how last week we cleared out the barn to make it ready for the clay delivery? Well, the delivery came unexpectedly at the end of a day as we were finishing up work. In college, Will from Portland Pottery used to deliver the clay in a big truck (or lorry as they're called here) that had a hydralic lift. He also had a giant dolly to move the pallets of material. This guy pulled in with his lorry but he had no lift or big dolly. So, after parking directly in front of a big mud puddle he opened up the pallet and passed Phil and me the 50 lb bags of China Clay. I'm not sure why, but it was hilarious and I could not stop laughing. One of the bags got a hole in it and the white powder got all over my jumper which made me laugh harder. I guess it was just the absurdity of it all. There was over a ton of clay, about 40 big bags and we managed to get it all unloaded despite my unstoppable laughter. Phil kept saying to the lorry driver, "You'll have to forgive her; she's American". The next day we moved all the bags again so they were in their proper place in the barn. I do like the physicality of being a potter, lifting stuff and engaging one's body. Phil always says, "In the next life I'm going to be a jewler and everything won't be so bloody heavy!"
Phil continued to have me work on my repetition throwing, this time with bowls. He made a large and a small form and I made a bunch of each. I decorated the inside with a white slip; while some of them were still wet I dragged my fingers through the slip to make a spiral design. I liked the way they turned out. When we fire the kiln we will stack them inside each other.
On Thursday night, Lynne and I left for Newport to stay with Raymond and Sylvia, her mom and dad. They are such sweet people to spend time with. Although it was late when we got there they made us tea and we stayed up late chatting. After a proper English breakfast Lynne and I set out to go to Claire's in Cranleigh. Newport was halfway there which is why we stopped for the night. After a few hours driving on the motorway we arrived. We were enthusiastically greeted by the newest member of the Elliott family- Princess. The Elliott's rescued the little black lab mix; her previous owners did not have time for her and kept her in a crate all the time. She is such a lovely dog. She is quite small and gets very excitable about food. I made her a treat- some parsley wheat doggie biscuits. I don't even think she had time to taste the treat because she chomped it down so fast. Princess is nearly a year old and pretty well behaved.
Lynne, Claire and I walked to the boy's schools to pick them up. For Mattie it was a special day as all the students got to dress up like characters from a story. He was a prince of some kind with a velvety cape and a feather in his hat. There was a special assembly at his school that we went to. There were kids dressed like princesses, humpty dumpty and Oliver Twist; it was very cute. After we collected Charlie we stopped into a cafe to get some hot cocoa as it had started to rain on the walk home. The boys really love their new pet and she is very good with the boys. At bedtime I slept on the pull-out sofa with princess in the next room.
I woke up the next morning when I heard Mattie singing as he came down the stairs. I got up to fold up the sofa and put it all right again. It was still a bit dark as the curtains were shut and I was still groggy from sleep. I moved to the edge of the bed, swung my feet over the side and stepped in a messy present Princess left me on the floor. Mattie came down and proceeded to wake everybody up by yelling, "Kari stepped in Princess' poo!" Everybody came rushing down; I was laughing really hard between gags as I washed my foot off. We got it all cleaned up as Princess guiltily lay in her doggie bed. What a way to start the morning! I told Claire not to worry- it's all memory making and it's a funny story too! Princess is still quite young and accidents happen sometimes....
After I showered and thoroughly sanitized my left foot Lynne dropped me off at the train station. It took me about an hour to get into London and I switched trains several times, eventually ending up on the tube (the underground subway). The Royal College was a bit of a dull building compared to the grandiose Albert Hall that neighbors it. Once I got inside however it was full of what I like- pots! It was a very big show and well lit too. There was so much to see. I recognized a few faces from Oxford and some of Phil's friends. A man named Jack Doherty did a demonstration of throwing porcelain. He is the president of the Craft Potter's Association. I saw Lisa Hammond and her assistant Yoji Yamada who seemed to be quite busy selling her beautiful soda-glazed pots. I left for a few hours to go exploring London. I walked around in the giant Hyde Park which was right across the street from CAL. It is a really beautiful park with many gardens and trees. Many of the early spring flowers were out and covering the ground. There was pretty flowering trees and lots of brazen squirrels and pigeons. I did some sketching and got nearly knocked over by two big, black, wet, swampy smelling dogs who left a few muddy smudges on my trousers (it was not a good day with dogs). From Hyde Park I walked a few blocks the the Museum of Natural History. The great thing about London is that all the public museums are free! The Natural History Museum has a lot of things like fossils, dinosaurs, stuffed birds, cool rocks and hands-on exhibits. I did not spend too much time there because it was really crowded with school children who were visiting on their Saturday off. I went back to CAL late in the afternoon and sat through a rather dry lecture by Dame Elizabeth Fritsch who is a sculptress/potter. There were also a few videos that I watched that were really good. I liked how CAL was more than just a show; it had lectures, demonstrations and videos. It was all around a really great experience. I got back on the train at about six. It took me twice as long to get back to Cranleigh as on of the lines on the tube had closed and it was all backed up. Eventually, I did make it back, exhausted but happy.
On Sunday it was mother's day. Again, I was awoken by Mattie who was chattering excitedly about his present for his mum. He said, "She is going to be so happy she will just BURST into tears." With presents and cards in tow the boys went up to Claire's room and piled into her bed. I remember doing that when I was little. Simon brought up tea and biscuits and the boys tried their hardest not to get crumbs in the bed.She did like her gifts and cards although her reaction was not quite as dramatic as Mattie would have liked. After a proper breakfast we all went for a long walk in a big estate field behind Simon and Claire's house. Princess seemed to have an endless source of energy as she chased a ball. Mattie and Charlie showed me their very cool hideout, a completely hollow tree. I always wanted one of those when I was a kid. Simon pointed out that most of the trees in the field were older than America.
After we got back from our walk Lynne and I said our goodbyes to the Elliotts and drove again to Newport. We went to Lynne's sister Barbara's house for a big Sunday lunch of roast beef, veggies and yorkshire puddings which are kind of like popovers with holes in the middles. Ray and Sylvia were there as well as Barbara's husband Stewart and their youngest son Alex. Stewart's mom June was there as well. It was a big friendly lunch which was very nice. It felt a little wierd to have mother's day in March. After gifts were exchanged, Lynne and I left again for another 2 1/2 hour drive back to Rhayader. Finally we were back home! Libby and Tess seemed glad to see us as usual. I forgot to say last time that Libby had the lump removed and after doing a biopsy the vet said it was cancerous. The are hoping they got it all. The danger is that the lump was near Libby's lymph nodes so if it spreads there it could get pretty nasty. Libby seems perfectly fine so let's hope the vet got all the cancer out! Phil had been very productive in our absence and we are nearing readiness to fire the kiln. The three of us are leaving again tomorrow to go to the south coast of England to a place called St. Ives. Phil has a solo show there and the Leach pottery is reopening as a museum and artist studios. I will write more detail next week. Things are really busy right now! Until next week,
Take care,
Kari
www.kariinwales.blogspot.com
http://picasaweb.google.com/nhthrower
PS- several people have asked for my mailing address here at the Rogers'. It is as follows
Kari Olstad
c/o Phil Rogers
Lower Cefn Faes
Rhayader, Powys
LD6 5LT, UK
Sorry this week's update is a few days late. With all the traveling and what have you its been extra busy. This past week was very full. I spent several days mixing up a REALLY big amount of what Phil calls the "pink clay". It is pink when its wet but it fires to a brownish color. When I was done the pile of clay was about 4 1/2 feet tall. Phil will leave it in the shed unused for a few months to let it age. Clay is similar to wine in that the older it is the better. Remember how last week we cleared out the barn to make it ready for the clay delivery? Well, the delivery came unexpectedly at the end of a day as we were finishing up work. In college, Will from Portland Pottery used to deliver the clay in a big truck (or lorry as they're called here) that had a hydralic lift. He also had a giant dolly to move the pallets of material. This guy pulled in with his lorry but he had no lift or big dolly. So, after parking directly in front of a big mud puddle he opened up the pallet and passed Phil and me the 50 lb bags of China Clay. I'm not sure why, but it was hilarious and I could not stop laughing. One of the bags got a hole in it and the white powder got all over my jumper which made me laugh harder. I guess it was just the absurdity of it all. There was over a ton of clay, about 40 big bags and we managed to get it all unloaded despite my unstoppable laughter. Phil kept saying to the lorry driver, "You'll have to forgive her; she's American". The next day we moved all the bags again so they were in their proper place in the barn. I do like the physicality of being a potter, lifting stuff and engaging one's body. Phil always says, "In the next life I'm going to be a jewler and everything won't be so bloody heavy!"
Phil continued to have me work on my repetition throwing, this time with bowls. He made a large and a small form and I made a bunch of each. I decorated the inside with a white slip; while some of them were still wet I dragged my fingers through the slip to make a spiral design. I liked the way they turned out. When we fire the kiln we will stack them inside each other.
On Thursday night, Lynne and I left for Newport to stay with Raymond and Sylvia, her mom and dad. They are such sweet people to spend time with. Although it was late when we got there they made us tea and we stayed up late chatting. After a proper English breakfast Lynne and I set out to go to Claire's in Cranleigh. Newport was halfway there which is why we stopped for the night. After a few hours driving on the motorway we arrived. We were enthusiastically greeted by the newest member of the Elliott family- Princess. The Elliott's rescued the little black lab mix; her previous owners did not have time for her and kept her in a crate all the time. She is such a lovely dog. She is quite small and gets very excitable about food. I made her a treat- some parsley wheat doggie biscuits. I don't even think she had time to taste the treat because she chomped it down so fast. Princess is nearly a year old and pretty well behaved.
Lynne, Claire and I walked to the boy's schools to pick them up. For Mattie it was a special day as all the students got to dress up like characters from a story. He was a prince of some kind with a velvety cape and a feather in his hat. There was a special assembly at his school that we went to. There were kids dressed like princesses, humpty dumpty and Oliver Twist; it was very cute. After we collected Charlie we stopped into a cafe to get some hot cocoa as it had started to rain on the walk home. The boys really love their new pet and she is very good with the boys. At bedtime I slept on the pull-out sofa with princess in the next room.
I woke up the next morning when I heard Mattie singing as he came down the stairs. I got up to fold up the sofa and put it all right again. It was still a bit dark as the curtains were shut and I was still groggy from sleep. I moved to the edge of the bed, swung my feet over the side and stepped in a messy present Princess left me on the floor. Mattie came down and proceeded to wake everybody up by yelling, "Kari stepped in Princess' poo!" Everybody came rushing down; I was laughing really hard between gags as I washed my foot off. We got it all cleaned up as Princess guiltily lay in her doggie bed. What a way to start the morning! I told Claire not to worry- it's all memory making and it's a funny story too! Princess is still quite young and accidents happen sometimes....
After I showered and thoroughly sanitized my left foot Lynne dropped me off at the train station. It took me about an hour to get into London and I switched trains several times, eventually ending up on the tube (the underground subway). The Royal College was a bit of a dull building compared to the grandiose Albert Hall that neighbors it. Once I got inside however it was full of what I like- pots! It was a very big show and well lit too. There was so much to see. I recognized a few faces from Oxford and some of Phil's friends. A man named Jack Doherty did a demonstration of throwing porcelain. He is the president of the Craft Potter's Association. I saw Lisa Hammond and her assistant Yoji Yamada who seemed to be quite busy selling her beautiful soda-glazed pots. I left for a few hours to go exploring London. I walked around in the giant Hyde Park which was right across the street from CAL. It is a really beautiful park with many gardens and trees. Many of the early spring flowers were out and covering the ground. There was pretty flowering trees and lots of brazen squirrels and pigeons. I did some sketching and got nearly knocked over by two big, black, wet, swampy smelling dogs who left a few muddy smudges on my trousers (it was not a good day with dogs). From Hyde Park I walked a few blocks the the Museum of Natural History. The great thing about London is that all the public museums are free! The Natural History Museum has a lot of things like fossils, dinosaurs, stuffed birds, cool rocks and hands-on exhibits. I did not spend too much time there because it was really crowded with school children who were visiting on their Saturday off. I went back to CAL late in the afternoon and sat through a rather dry lecture by Dame Elizabeth Fritsch who is a sculptress/potter. There were also a few videos that I watched that were really good. I liked how CAL was more than just a show; it had lectures, demonstrations and videos. It was all around a really great experience. I got back on the train at about six. It took me twice as long to get back to Cranleigh as on of the lines on the tube had closed and it was all backed up. Eventually, I did make it back, exhausted but happy.
On Sunday it was mother's day. Again, I was awoken by Mattie who was chattering excitedly about his present for his mum. He said, "She is going to be so happy she will just BURST into tears." With presents and cards in tow the boys went up to Claire's room and piled into her bed. I remember doing that when I was little. Simon brought up tea and biscuits and the boys tried their hardest not to get crumbs in the bed.She did like her gifts and cards although her reaction was not quite as dramatic as Mattie would have liked. After a proper breakfast we all went for a long walk in a big estate field behind Simon and Claire's house. Princess seemed to have an endless source of energy as she chased a ball. Mattie and Charlie showed me their very cool hideout, a completely hollow tree. I always wanted one of those when I was a kid. Simon pointed out that most of the trees in the field were older than America.
After we got back from our walk Lynne and I said our goodbyes to the Elliotts and drove again to Newport. We went to Lynne's sister Barbara's house for a big Sunday lunch of roast beef, veggies and yorkshire puddings which are kind of like popovers with holes in the middles. Ray and Sylvia were there as well as Barbara's husband Stewart and their youngest son Alex. Stewart's mom June was there as well. It was a big friendly lunch which was very nice. It felt a little wierd to have mother's day in March. After gifts were exchanged, Lynne and I left again for another 2 1/2 hour drive back to Rhayader. Finally we were back home! Libby and Tess seemed glad to see us as usual. I forgot to say last time that Libby had the lump removed and after doing a biopsy the vet said it was cancerous. The are hoping they got it all. The danger is that the lump was near Libby's lymph nodes so if it spreads there it could get pretty nasty. Libby seems perfectly fine so let's hope the vet got all the cancer out! Phil had been very productive in our absence and we are nearing readiness to fire the kiln. The three of us are leaving again tomorrow to go to the south coast of England to a place called St. Ives. Phil has a solo show there and the Leach pottery is reopening as a museum and artist studios. I will write more detail next week. Things are really busy right now! Until next week,
Take care,
Kari
www.kariinwales.blogspot.com
http://picasaweb.google.com
PS- several people have asked for my mailing address here at the Rogers'. It is as follows
Kari Olstad
c/o Phil Rogers
Lower Cefn Faes
Rhayader, Powys
LD6 5LT, UK
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