Pottering a Plenty

We have spent part of the week when it wasn't too frosty or snowing, preparing the beds on the allotment. I have planted a tayberry and a red currant bush. The gooseberry bushes and blackberry bushes in the Artful Garden have been pruned. 

The grape vine in my home garden has also been pruned.

It is amazing how high the grapevine grows within a year

My potatoes, Pink Fir Apple and Sante which are main crop, and Nichola a first early have all been put to chit in seed trays as I have run out of egg boxes.

Chitting ie. potatoes put to sprout

On a trip to Carlisle the daffodils were in full bloom on West Walls.

A carpet of golden daffodils

The snow on the Pennine hills looks beautiful as it enhances all the contours.

The view from my back garden

My two little pottery birds are surviving the freezing weather.

Two little birds are we

I have spent several long days making my pottery. First I design the object then make it in clay. It is left to dry before painting with glaze stains, a coloured powder mixed with slip. 

The colours always look different when they are fired

This is my table top pottery.

Painting the pottery

Here is a selection of flowers, bird houses, and lady gardeners I have recently made. They are now ready for  the first firing, biscuit firing. I apply a contrasting coat of glaze stain before the final stoneware firing.

Most of these designs can be mounted on bamboo canes

A selection of shells I brought back from New Zealand. Such a variety, beauty and abundance on the beaches of the Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea.

Lovely colours and shapes

Pumice stone found on the beach.

Bubbly pumice

I was given this card by a friend. 

Watch out there may be a gardener about

A Gander in Gameblesby

Sunday was fine and mild so I had a walk along the country lanes around Gamblesby in the Eden Valley. The sun was illuminating the fields.

A view looking towards the Pennine hills

As I walked along the lane I saw that a gorse bush was in flower.

Bright yellow gorse buds

The air is very clear and there was a lot of moss and lichen on the tree branches.

Moss covered branches a sign of pure air

Also on the dry stone walls.

Mottled patterns of lichen on a dry stone wall 

I found some catkins that had come into flower.

Cats tail catkins

Watercress was growing in the stream.

You need flowing water for watercress to grow

This small building was in a field, I could not work out why it had been built.

Sandstone building in a field

Crabapples were in the verge.

Green crab apples providing food for wildlife

I was surprised to see new born lambs in the field. The breed of sheep is Dorset and these sheep can breed throughout the year.

 A bonny faced Dorset mother with her lambs

In the Eden Valley it is traditional for a field of turnips to be grown and the sheep feed of these in the winter.

Sheep amongst the turnips

A wonderful sandstone gatepost.

The hole was used either to hang a rail of to put a bar in to suspend the gate

This petrol stain was in the road.

Metallic patterning

At this time of the year there are some amazing sunrises and sunsets.

Illuminated clouds

Blues and gold

Glorious sunset

The plane was like a silver dart in the sky.

Silver dart

Here are some of my leeks which I have harvested.

Made into leek and potato soup

New artwork has appeared in the Artful Garden.

Floral butterfly

 Textured flower

This is the second stage of making my pottery houses. I let the clay dry then I paint it and is now ready to be biscuit fired. I have nicknamed this second chance firing.

The colours are always very pale until after the second firing