I have just finished eating a Crunchie which I treated myself to after lunch. As I paid for it at the local garage/supermarket the young cashier asked me if I’d like to use my points, it just so happened that the points covered the cost of the Crunchie so I responded with a gleeful yes and said ‘thank Crunchie it’s Friday!’ to which she looked rather nonplussed. I suggested she look for the ad online to see what I was talking about and scuttled home!

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On Freedom

Last Friday I had fully intended to write, but had begun a hand building project in the studio which I was so enjoying that I thought ‘bugger it, I’m going to just carry on’. I love writing here, but since I don’t offer a paid subscription I appreciate the liberty I have to write or not as it suits me. I built the little jug from coils and was so relaxed and happy by the end of the day - it was an excellent reminder of why I began the whole pottery lark in the first place!

One afternoon as the proverbial cats and dogs rained down outside recently I also gave myself permission to hunker down inside and finally made some long planned cushion covers. I bought the fabric for these covers 16 YEARS AGO! I mean I’m sure there are many who have procrastinated longer than I but still - why on earth did it take me so long to get around to making them?!

I know I have had that fabric for 16 years because I bought it just before we left South Africa so that I would have something to remind me of our three years there. Obviously I have lots of things to remind me of that era - objects, memories and photos - and indeed of all the other places we’ve lived. All these things tell the story of our lives and I treasure them.

However, this week I bought a vintage textile which would have been somebody else’s treasured memory - a collection of Japanese art prints which were collected on a couple’s honeymoon in the 1950’s. I’m going to have the piece framed and would have liked to add the original owner’s name somewhere at the back of the frame, but their son (who sold it to me) felt his father would not have liked that. I absolutely respect this of course - but now find myself wondering if there’s some fabulously intriguing story that I’m missing out on!

In The Garden

I am declaring the wild flower garden at the front of the house a triumph! What were two patches of mossy, weedy ‘lawn’ when we moved in have spent two years looking considerably worse than that, but have proved themselves this spring. We have had weeks and weeks of pleasure from the Oxeye daisies which sway in the breeze and give a beautiful light as the day fades away.

The cornflowers and poppies, amongst others, are starting to make their way through now and while the daisies are slowly going to seed the birds are having a heyday. I have spent many happy minutes, or longer, watching the sparrows dip in and out of the flowers, stopping to perch now and then, as they nibble away.

The rest of the garden is gently coming into bloom. I think, in truth, I’ve been rather late in getting some things out of the plastic palace and into the ground - mostly for fear of them being drowned or blown away - but last weekend was highly productive and this week’s warmth and rain has been perfect. I must however ask you to remind me in the autumn that I will be concentrating on perennials next year. No more annuals! Except cosmos obviously. And sweepeas of course. And perhaps the most beautiful verbascum……

In The Studio

While I was waiting for my kiln to be repaired (it is now back in order, but not really suitable for firing at the high temperatures I favour) I bought myself a bag of terracotta to play with. I thoroughly enjoyed making a variety of vessels with it, and while the wheel itself looks as though it might have been used for a chocolate fountain the rest of the studio looks like a bit of a crime scene!

I managed to bisque fire one kiln full of pieces and as soon as everything is dry will have another one ready to go too. I have lots of tiny bowls and cups, some of which I’m planning to subject to the Obvara process which I’ve enjoyed before. If you haven’t come across it, it is an ancient Baltic technique which involves heating bisque fired (first firing to partially vitrify the clay) pieces up to around 850°c in a raku kiln, removing and rapidly dunking into a large bucket of ‘sourdough batter’ and then into a second bucket of water.

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Obvara doesn’t result in a functional surface by today’s standards (though I’ve risked coffee out of my cup) but it’s fun and very satisfying to create interesting pieces with such basic ingredients.

Though the very thought of it is giving me mild palpitations, but I’m going to invest in a bigger kiln which will be better suited to high temperatures and will thus allow me to experiment further with ash glazes. Needless to say there is a 10-12 week lead time, which is frustrating, but in the interim I have found another potter locally who has a gas kiln and will let me put a few pieces in his next reduction firing - another technique which produces exciting results, but is out of my reach for now.

Going Cuckoo

I have spent a disproportionate amount of time over the last week or so worrying about the cuckoo I hear on my walks. In my mind, it is unusual to hear one much beyond the end of May, yet even at the beginning of this week he was still calling away, and I couldn’t help wondering whether he has yet to find a mate.

I happened to bump into the local Nature Recovery Ranger, who explained that changes in the landscape have resulted in fewer Willow Warblers nesting locally (these are the particular nests that cuckoos favour). I know their house-hunting habits leave a lot to be desired, but all the same, I would be very sorry if I were no longer to hear their call each year.

Right, the sun is shining and I have more seedlings to prick out and pot on, and some more (salad) seeds to sow. I must also check the drying progress of a charmingly wonky terracotta wine cooler which Mike asked me to make - well he didn’t request the wonky element but I’m sure he’ll embrace it!

Wishing you a week ahead filled with things that make you smile.

With love, Vx

I have spent the best part of an hour prevaricating over whether I will write anything today; I simply feel as though I might rather do something else. This could be because I’ve had a full day and I do actually have many other things to do (my squash plants are slowly making their own way out of the plastic palace and must be planted imminently), but it could also be due to the fact that I have spent hours photographing and uploading pots for sale onto my website. It’s not that there are so many of them, but rather that my output is infrequent and, as a consequence, I forget how to do it each time.

The thought of writing and asking people to look at the things I’ve made, or even consider purchasing them, remains excruciating to me. I am ill-suited to any form of self-employment that requires me to sell anything, or indeed pretty much any other form of employment, in truth - and I have tried many!

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I’ve been listening to Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act, which I hoped would help me with my enduring lack of confidence regarding anything I make. Though it is an excellent book, it has so far only served to reassure me that it’s entirely normal to feel this way. I now accept that I’m in good company in this regard, but that doesn’t somehow make it any easier.

But here we are. I’m writing, my webshop is live, and here is the link. Please try to overlook any photographic inconsistencies or glaring typos - no AI involved there! Gosh, I hadn’t even thought about asking AI to do it for me. I wonder if it could?!

In The Past

This morning I was tagged in an Instagram post by somebody who reposted some of the images I made of my parents back in 2020. It was a lovely reminder of the pictures which I haven’t looked at recently, and she actually cited me as inspiration for the work she is now making which is truly flattering and made me smile.

As a child I spent many hours watching my parents get dressed and ready for the day ahead, and probably many more tucked up in their bed between them and alongside my sisters. These were tender and important moments that they were kind enough to let me capture retrospectively and I still love them.

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In The Garden

Having spent last week carefully shading my many plant babies from the sun and trying to keep them cool and moist, this week has been spent wondering whether I dare open the door of the plastic palace at all. It was 10 degrees when I went out first thing this morning!

I did plant out some things last weekend. The sunflowers and cosmos are surprisingly resilient to the wind and rain, thank goodness, and even the sweet peas have begun flowering, which is always enormously rewarding. The tomato plants are flowering too, and I’m cautiously optimistic that I may yet be making tomato sauce to bottle in a few weeks.

Much of yesterday afternoon was spent with the chap who came to re-map the garden for Cressida (our mower robot). It proved to be unnecessarily complicated and had me once again wishing I could simply do these things myself. I’m sure this man is quite lovely and very able in many ways, but frankly it took some time for ‘us’ to get to grips with organising the mowing schedule despite his expertise, and there were other things I could have been doing much more productively. As it is, I saw Cressida first thing this morning and not since, so I need to go and investigate what’s going on...

In The Studio

Yet another week with less time than I’d hoped in the studio, but in fact, until my kiln is fixed, there is perhaps not too much pressure to make tons of stuff since I can’t fire it. I have a kiln technician coming next week so hopefully will be back in action shortly.

I have, however, spent today with my designer friend Becky Harrison, who has helped me plan a bit of reconfiguration and come up with some good suggestions for increasing worktop and storage space. I have already arranged for someone to come and measure up so that the flooring situation can be improved (the existing concrete is impossible to keep clean), and I may even be able to put down some underfloor heating beneath it, which would make winter much more bearable.

Needless to say, it will be weeks before anything happens, but it feels really good to acknowledge that having somewhere nice to work is important, and I can’t wait to make this little space feel more welcoming and efficient.

En Vacances

Having finally pinned Mike down as to when he will be able to take some leave this summer, I was disappointed to have it confirmed as the middle two weeks of August. This is pretty much my least favourite time to go away since it will be too hot in many places, too busy in almost all, and prices will be outrageously inflated everywhere.

Still, I’m trying to put my mind to somewhere lovely to visit in the UK (or maybe Ireland) where we can take Gertie with us.

I’m a tough client, since wherever we stay has to be at least as nice as home is, or I’d rather remain here - and home is really rather lovely. In reality, we will probably be moving out of Mike’s place in Surrey and into an apartment in Munich, so I’m allowing myself to dream of somewhere hot and sunny in the winter months instead.

Right, I’m off to dig holes for these squash plants and to take some photos to pop in here. As ever, I wish you a weekend filled with things that please you and put a smile on your face.

With love,

Vx

P.S. Finding this letter a tad dull, I scrolled through all my open browser windows to see if there was anything interesting I might share with you — but they’re all either plants, seeds, or pottery related, so I genuinely am that dull. I mean, there were the eleventy billion potential wedding outfits sent by my daughter, but I don’t think you’re after that here!

Leaving a ♥️ for me not only buys a smile, but might even allow others to see this post - one step further in my bid for global stardom 🤣

How can it feel as though it has been both a quiet and busy week? In any case, here we are, and it’s Friday.

I’ve been reflecting on just how good getting away last week, being creative with other people was genuinely restorative for me. I came back with a different mindset and have been really productive, both in the studio and the garden, I even got up at 4:30 one morning at the weekend and went into the garden with my camera, so there are more photos than usual in this post - if the newsletter is truncated in your email you should be able to click on "view entire message," and you’ll be able to see the whole thing.

I regularly harp on about the positive side of social media, ‘though don’t get me wrong I have many concerns and complaints about it too and massively dislike the pressure of feeling I should be making videos for Instagram. But its power to connect people with similar interests and outlooks from widely varied ages, backgrounds and parts of the world is remarkable.

This morning I received a message from Jackie, whom I met almost ten years ago. We don’t know each other especially well, but she was working just down the road from me at the time and we’ve stayed connected virtually over the years. I once attended a fascinating birdsong recognition workshop she ran and hugely admire her commitment to teaching about nature and the outdoors.

Jackie and her colleague Sophie are running a retreat in June in the Wye Valley - a glorious spot if you don’t know it - and it sounds wonderful: a chance to step away from daily life, pause, rest and reset. It’s a new venture for them, offered at a very accessible price, and they’ll also help participants find accommodation.

If I hadn’t only just been away, and if organising care for Gertie and the garden weren’t such a faff, I’d be very tempted myself. Anyway, I wanted to share it here in case it appealed to you too.

In The Garden

When we moved here three years ago the garden was full of a bright blue campanula, it was generously distributed and softened many edges, but I didn’t really like the blue. I longed for Erigeron and its pretty pink and white daisy like flowers. The joy of Erigeron is that one only ever needs to every buy (or beg) it once and the rest is done for you; every time I see another little patch of it appear in the garden I smile. I’m sure our successors in years to come will curse me, but that’s their problem!

Last weekend, on the ‘almost hottest day of the year’ I decided - in a notable lack of wisdom - that it was time to clean up the garden room and its surrounds. I seriously can’t remember when I sweated so profusely and frankly it almost killed me, but it all looks and feels much lovelier now and I think the various family members who came to supper on Saturday evening have forgiven me for telling them all it was time to go home so I could go to bed!

This weekend’s mission is to clean out the shed. Behind these doors hides a shameful mess of pots, soil, poorly maintained tools and many, many cobwebs. It is not a job for the faint-hearted, but it must be done for I can’t persuade Mike to help me move a large table into it for potting purposes until it is. If only I were the sort of person who would, once it is beautifully clean and tidy, keep it so.

The hydrangeas will be blooming soon, and though there were lots of alliums amongst them last year none seem to have appeared this year which is odd. Still, another couple of weeks and this lot will hold their own and look pretty magnificent. I do wonder whether a perennial geranium beneath them at the front might be pretty though - any thoughts?

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The view from the kitchen window has pleased me endlessly; despite the front garden looking a bit of a neglected wasteland for the past couple of years it is finally doing what it was meant to. Watching the Oxeye daisies sway in the breeze while I wash up is joyful - could I be more middle aged?!

In The Studio

Well, you won’t believe this, but after I wrote last week I did indeed go and get some glazing done, and when I opened the kiln I was actually rather delighted! I most definitely managed to set aside the perfectionism which has weighed me down and slowed my progress for years, and found a way to finish vessels which felt more expressive and free.

I have photographed everything to add to my webshop, but it’s going to take a while to actually load it all (one day I’ll find a rhythm and routine to all this), so in the meantime here are a couple of images.

I’ve also managed to be pretty productive on the throwing front this week - lots of tiny bowls and tea-bowl style vessels. I may manage to get them fired next week, but glazing will have to wait until my kiln has been serviced. The last glaze firing took so much longer than anticipated that I finally worked out that it needs new elements. In truth it is an entry-level kiln which I fire to temperatures that ask a lot of it, and it may be time to consider upgrading.

The studio is a very irregular shape and thus far I’ve managed with a variety of shelves made from whatever we had lying around, but the time has come to improve it a bit. More shelving, better storage and a floor that is possible to clean since the current painted concrete is pitted and gathers the clay in an unhealthy way - unlikely to kill me in the short term but not ideal in the longer term. I’ve asked my interior designer friend Becky Harrison to come and help me plan and organise for I need someone objective to avoid the possibility of my simply taking everything out of the space with the intention of reorganising, only to run out of steam and decision-making ability.

On The Home Front

These little curtains in the kitchen window are nothing more than a little dressing really, but I finally got around to it and they were a labour of love since the muslin is so lightweight and open-weaved that it stretches in every direction. Still, sitting in the shade stitching the hem one afternoon was delightfully ‘Edwardian Lady’ (had it not been for the bottle of cold beer at my side!).

Right, onwards and towards the weekend. As ever, I hope that whatever you’re up to for the next couple of days is pleasurable and puts a smile on your face now and then. There’s always plenty to worry and moan about, but the verges are full of buttercups and daisies so it’s not all bad!

With love, Vx

Some years ago I ran a business hosting creative workshops (The Simpson Sisters) and one of the things I regularly said and wrote was that there is magic in being in the company of like minded people. This is clearly not rocket science and nothing new, but this week has been an important reminder to me of just how enormously beneficial being immersed in an inspiring environment, alongside a group of warm and friendly people, with experts to share their knowledge and experience is.

The trope of the struggling artist may initially bring to mind starving painters in Parisian garrets (for me at least), but in truth I think it is the mental anguish that anyone creative struggles with the most. For me the battle with perfectionism and lack of confidence in my abilities will be life long, but much as I’ve learned to adjust my gait due to crumbling joints I’m finally beginning to acknowledge that I must continue creating alongside my demons, not for them.

A Castle in Scotland

Many months ago I received an email from Sarah Statham letting me know that there was to be a rather special workshop with herself, Eva Nemeth and Frances Palmer - a florist, a photographer and a ceramicist - and she wondered whether I’d be interested. It was the perfect trifecta and it didn’t take me long to say yes and figure out a way to pay for it.

So on Monday this week I flew up to Inverness from Bristol and joined a wonderful group of people to stay at Aldourie Castle, a WildLand property, owned and managed by wealthy Danes whose vision is to restore and rehabilitate the vast areas of the Highlands under their care. We slept not in the castle itself but in the most beautiful cottages in its grounds. We came together to eat and drink, to be shown around the Tom Stuart-Smith designed gardens and were even treated to a fascinating room by room tour of the castle which is available for exclusive use hire should one win the lottery!

We spent time watching and learning from each of the three experts on hand, and as the only potter of the group I was lucky enough to pick Frances’ brains on glazing issues - the answer being mostly just to stop worrying and try again. Frances had made each of us a vessel in which we could arrange flowers during the workshop, and which I very (very) carefully carried home in my hand luggage.

I have loved being inspired by both the surroundings in which careful design and attention to detail is visible everywhere, and by those who have devoted themselves to a craft. Eva is a wonderful garden photographer whose work I love (though can only aspire to her dedication to the art for mine doesn’t often enough include a 4:30am shoot); Sarah’s skill in choosing the perfect flower for the right spot in each and every arrangement is enviable, and her gentle encouragement to trust one’s instincts welcome; and Frances’ energy and total commitment to her ceramics has lent me the resolve to plough on.

This week has reminded me that there is no shame in seeking beauty and that creating it around us, in any way we see fit, is valid and valuable. I may not always feel that I am adding in a hugely meaningful way to others’ lives in this phase of my life, but neither am I detracting.

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In The Garden

While I’ve been away since Monday we did work really hard in the garden last week and everything is happily growing both in the borders and the flower beds. There are many more seedlings to prick out, pot on and to plant and the weekend ahead looks perfect for doing so - although perhaps I’ll be anxiously trying to keep things a little shaded so they don’t suffer sunburn.

I plan to pick up my camera and document the changes in the garden more regularly, the phone is a wonderful tool in itself, but I know that I take more time and care when composing an image with the ‘proper’ camera in my hands. I know many of you don’t use the Substack app, but I do often share photos here on Notes and also on Instagram and I’ll be sharing more photos from the week.

In The Studio

The kiln finally cooled enough to unload it before I headed off. Within was a plate Mike had asked for which I had experimented with glaze wise and it looks pretty good, there were also several bud vases which are not quite the colour I had anticipated following my assiduous glaze testing, but they’re simple and sweet - perfect for the most delicate stems of something to brighten a corner - and I’ll get them on the website next week.

I have quite a few ballerina bowls waiting to be glazed and further to a trial pair feel able to get on with it. My days of deliberating too long are over (please remind me now and then), if they don’t work out then they will simply become crocks in the bottom of pots in the garden.

A Little Freshen Up

It’s time to head into the studio now, to have a little tidy up and sort out before I begin, and at some point there will have to be a shower for Gertie. We walk around the fields down the lane this morning, but the muck spreaders have been out and after a thorough badger hole investigation she returned with what can only be described as a face full of pig poo! Needless to say she managed to sneak onto our bed before I realised, so I’m grateful that it’s a good day for drying laundry too.

This post almost didn’t happen. I spent the morning writing when suddenly everything ground to a halt, my fingers on the keyboard produced nothing on the screen and then it went blank, everything deleted without any instantly obvious way to retrieve it. Had it not been for the week I’ve just had I may well have closed my computer, walked out of the study and never returned, but a little indulgence and creative inspiration have led to resilience and though I began from the beginning again I did then work out how to restore a draft.

Wherever and however you spend the weekend ahead (a long one for us in the UK) may you find things to make you smile.

With love, Vx

ps. A click on the ♥️ will be the cherry on the top of my week, thank you. x

Welcome to those of you who are new to The Post House Chronicles, it’s lovely to find you here. If you want to know more about where you’ve ended up you could read this, otherwise feel free to read on.

I’m writing this in the garden where it is finally just about warm enough to sit in a sheltered spot and not freeze - this week has been so cold! Gone are the days when we popped the heating on with impunity, so I actually found myself lighting a fire on Monday evening. In May!! The thought of heating did however make me finally go and check the contents of the oil tank, it’s a job I put off for there is no guage and the task involves lugging a stepladder up narrow gap along the side of the garage and climbing up to peer in. Sadly I couldn’t put off ordering oil any longer - and frankly who can predict whether the price will next be up or down in the next 20 minutes.

I absolutely meant to write last week - I had a plan to do so on the train as I returned from 24 hours in London - but the train was rammed (previous one cancelled), I had dreadful backache and was also listening to an excellent audiobook.

The original purpose of my trip was to visit Ceramic Art London, an annual showcase featuring a fabulously diverse array of ceramics, some aspirational and some not - it’s all a question of taste of course. Happily, I was able to combine this with seeing a photographic exhibition curated by a dear friend and entry to the Hyakko exhibition at Japan House. The creativity and variety within each exhibition was truly awesome and left me feeling both hugely inspired and deeply inadequate, but what has really stuck with me is just how poorly we value excellent craftsmanship as a society.

Even I found myself balking at some of the prices displayed, but the reality is that making really high quality, interesting work takes a great deal of investment in both time, money and a steadfast refusal to be thwarted by such trivial matters as disastrous glaze firings!

In The Studio

You wouldn’t believe how long it takes a kiln to cool down sufficiently, such that the lid can be opened without risking the sound of cracking (been there, done that), so I am feeling slightly twitchy as I type, anxiously hoping that this time the process will bear fruit not failure. Yes, yes, I know failure is all part of it but it can still reduce me to teary despair. In theory all should be well as I have tested each glaze and absolutely definitely haven’t repeated the firing programme. Let’s see.

I have been washing and drying wood ash for the next batch of tests which I plan to do over a textured surface coloured with oxides, it may take some experimenting but either I simply haven’t quite found my own style yet, or the thrill of regularly trying something new will never leave me.

I haven’t in fact spent a huge amount of time in the studio, partly because my back has been so bloody sore and partly because when I have been able to move comfortably I’ve been trying to keep up with the garden.

In The Garden

Well I’m exceedingly grateful that I haven’t been preparing for Chelsea! I can’t imagine how stressful it must be to have such unexpectedly cold weather in the preceding weeks. I have been to Chelsea once, but honestly as a shortie I spent most of my time shuffling around with my nose pressed into other people’s backs. The show gardens are always wonderful I know, but for my money I’d rather be at home and view them on the telly.

Though I am not preparing for a show of any sort I have been carefully moving things in and out of the plastic palace and delicately draping the dahlias I planted out last weekend in fleece. Said dahlias were romping away happily until I popped them in the borders, where one or two are now looking like the equivalent of the dying swan - I’m holding my breath!

It was Garden Group again this week (it seems to come around quickly) and I hosted a seedling swap here. It was a really fun evening, in part I think due to the wine and nibbles that were collectively shared or donated by those without seedlings. Plants and bits of equipment were distributed and the kitchen was full of happy chattering for a couple of hours which was lovely - though did make me think that I must get on with making some curtains for it was quite noisy.

I now have more tomato plants than I can accommodate, but will undoubtedly feel compelled to keep alive. The resultant glut will then mean that I am forced to bottle endless passata #tradwife! Actually on that note has anyone read Yesteryear? I kept seeing it reviewed and advertised, but in truth don’t think it’s one I’d put on a list of recommendations.

The wildflower ‘meadow’ in the front garden is really beginning to take hold, although on pointing out the lovely Oxeye daisies to our cleaner this week he responded that it looks like a patch where nothing has ever been done! On relaying this story to a friend last night she suggested that a path cut through the flowers would make it all look more intentional, so that’s a job on this weekend’s list - more accurately that will be on Mike’s list for wielding the strimmer is beyond my back’s capabilities right now!

What the hell shall we eat tonight?

I am a completely useless meal planner, I find it painful to the point of impossible to sit down and plan a week’s meals, yet I quite like cooking (for more than just myself) and we have a lovely collection of books for inspiration. However, I very often find myself googling for ideas rather than flicking through books - but may have found a solution!

I have yet to commit, but have come across an app called CookShelf which catalogues all the recipes in your own collection of books and can search through them all on your behalf, suggesting all the relevant recipes and even sharing the page number of the book in which you can find them. If you’re already familiar with this app I’d love to know if it’s working for you? If only I’d scanned all our cookbooks into it when we put the house back together after the kitchen renovation!

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Prickly Joy

Much like hearing the cuckoo, stumbling upon a hedgehog is something truly joyful. It’s odd to see one in the daylight, but this youngster had its head in the long grass and brought to mind toddlers playing hide and seek - if I can’t see you then you can’t see me! Did you see the BBC short film of the King writing to David Attenborough? I loved the hedgehog letter rack!

As ever, I wish you a weekend filled with things to make you smile - be that hedgehogs, cuckoos or anything else. I will be cursing my sciatica and delegating!

Vx

ps. Audiobook which distracted from writing last week was The Women by Kristen Hannah - I highly recommend.

pps. Will you be watching Season 2 of Rivals this weekend?! I most certainly will.

Firstly, welcome to those of you who are new to The Post House Chronicles, it’s lovely to find you here. If you want to know more about where you’ve ended up you could read this, otherwise feel free to read on.

April and May really are the very best months aren’t they? Everything properly greened up, the days ever longer, the birds singing their hearts out - it is apparently Dawn Chorus Day on Sunday should you wish to set your alarms and leave your windows open.

I tried very hard to be a little more disciplined and productive this week, and though I’m not really sure how to assess my success the days have been - full although perhaps marginally slower on my part due to my ongoing degenerate spine.

Corporate Power

Since the beginning of the year we have been living with a degree of uncertainty over Mike’s job, fortunately not concerned with losing it but rather where it was going to be located in future. Having been asked twice already to take on a regional role it was difficult to refuse again, and from August he will be located in Munich. I am genuinely proud of his career success, but I had perhaps relaxed into the idea that our relocating days were over and had rather hoped he could stay put as he slipped gently into retirement.

He has commuted weekly for the past eleven years now, not because we actively chose to live this way but rather to accommodate the girls finishing school where they were, and then somehow we just carried on. I don’t relish him being away so much, and now the girls have well and truly left home the house can feel rather quiet and empty.

When the move was first mooted I toyed with the idea of joining Mike for a couple of years in Munich, but in reality he will be travelling frequently and what would I do with myself there? And what about the house and garden? It all feels too difficult to leave or indeed to move out and let - and frankly I don’t think I have the energy for another big house move!

So once again the corporate world somehow controls my own vicariously, and after a very early start for an airport drop off (of daughter) this morning I found myself feeling teary and resentful of the situation. It won’t really be so different from the last decade, but somehow being a flight apart rather than a drive feels much more distant, and the hurdle of finding dog and garden care results in my travelling more regularly feel like hard work. We’ll figure it out of course and two years will fly by. But still, I feel a bit meh about it all today so I forsook healthy choices, enjoyed cornflakes and a couple of chocolate hobnobs for breakfast and headed out for a walk!

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Power Play

I am mostly ridiculously feeble when it comes to doing anything with power tools, persuading myself that Mike will do the job better than I and waiting for him to be at home. But this week, in light of the above, I decided it was time to get a grip and embrace the many tools at my disposal. First up was to install the new water butt that had been sitting in the hall since the weekend. I would like to say I was successful, I mean it is in situ and the butt is connected to the downpipe, but it has yet to rain and prove that the joint is good. Fingers crossed!

Second job involved the angle grinder, the tool of choice when faced with bits of ceramic material welded onto kiln shelves by unimaginably runny glazes in an over hot kiln!

Third were the power secateurs and a mini chainsaw. These are a recent investment which have given me a whole new scope of jobs in the garden; my arthritic thumb has meant that for some time cutting woody stems is quite painful - but this is a game changer and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed chopping and snipping my way through a large pile of prunings from last year which are destined to become an ash glaze.

It occurs to me that I am not the only woman I know who isn’t wholly confident with power tools - probably because we were given prams and ironing boards as children rather than hammers! I heard The Salvage Sister being interviewed on Radio 4 recently and wish there was something in person and more local. Are you a demon or a disaster with a drill?

Orchard Tales

The orchard, planted with cider apples in the early ‘80s, is looking rather sad. So many of the trees are dead or dying due to the enormous mistletoe burden they carry. When we moved here three years ago I did hope we’d be able to save them, but it’s too late really and any intervention would have cost thousands. I console myself with the knowledge that dead wood is valuable in orchards for its role in encouraging biodiversity, and we’ll let them gently go on their way.

I read somewhere this week that native bluebells (rather than Spanish sort) are an indicator of an area having previously been ancient woodland; the orchard’s border sport many of the blue beauties and make me question whether we should replace the fallen trees with native woodland trees rather than more cider apples? We are not, after all, cider makers and the orchard is too small for commercial makers to be interested in.

In The Studio

Suffering from post-bisque existential dread I still have a pile of wares waiting to be glazed. I have made more tests (without melting anything onto the shelves this time) and know I simply must gird my loins and get on with it! But, in a slightly procrastinatory way I am in the middle of an experiment with slip and soft clay on some vessels I threw this week and am itching to get them bisque fired and see if they look any good.

I surprised myself this week, having a large pile of reclaimed clay waiting to be kneaded and used I decided to have a go at throwing larger pieces that I do usually and rather enjoyed it. Working with two or three kilos of clay can feel daunting if you’re used to throwing with less than half a kilo regularly, it was challenging but mostly mentally since the basics are really no different - centre the clay, open it out, pull up the walls and add shape (ish).

In The Garden

The plastic palace hokey cokey (thank you to for the turn of phrase) is a twice daily occurrence now - taking all the seedlings outside for the day and back in at night to harden them off. The squash I sewed have all propagated happily and I’m now faced with the question of where I can plant them in due course. There are three large beds in the veg garden, but one has been appropriated for onions and shallots (I’m grateful he’s given up on potatoes) and the other two are destined for flowers.

I don’t want to create yet another bed and as I stare out of the window I find myself wondering whether they would get sufficient light beneath the hydrangeas? Alternatively, since the once ‘big empty border’ is now partially empty once again perhaps they could act as a placeholder there while I figure that whole mess out - and squash are surely preferable to Sticky Willy and Ground Elder!

The predicted rain this weekend will be most welcome here, the ground is cracked and with all the energy being pushed into lush spring growth everything is in need of a stiff drink.

Disaster Planning

As I turn the page of my planner to May I see that I have diarised emergency box; some time ago I heard Professor Lucy Easthope discussing the sense of having some basic disaster survival supplies stored in the home, and while I don’t think I could class myself as a survivalist or prepper given the current ‘situation’ globally (scrunching face and waving arms around vaguely) maybe it’s not a bad idea.

So, I will be spending the long weekend researching wind up radios and imagining gourmet meals created from tinned food - may your weekend be equally if not more thrilling!

With love,

Vx

ps. Thanks once again for the ♥️ - each one makes me smile. xx

It has been one of those weeks that feels full to the brim, but looks empty.

Hello from a wonderfully sunny Somerset,

I’m grateful to have gathered some new subscribers this week - so welcome if that’s you!

I don’t entirely understand where the time goes - beyond the daily tasks of household drudgery, walking the hound (am I too chatty with people I meet consequently elongating walks?), tending my plants, checking on the sheep and ensuring we eat I can’t quite think what I’ve done.

In my defence I did actually manage to pull my back on Tuesday (changing a toilet roll) and have as a result been walking somewhat slowly and crab-like since, but still… I resolve to be a model of efficiency and productivity next week. Possibly.

Going Cuckoo

This morning I heard the sound of what, for me, is the epitome of Spring. The cuckoo. Every year for just a couple of weeks or so I hear its call up on the hill and it never fails to put a smile on my face, and indeed of the other dog walkers I encountered today.

The sound of the cuckoo will never fail to bring to mind my Grandfather who for a period had a minor obsession with recording its call, I fondly remember him walking up and down the lane outside the house with a large tape recorder upon his shoulder. I haven’t heard the cuckoo from the garden here since I was a child, but I messaged Mum this morning to tell her I’d heard it and she immediately recalled her father too!

Just in case you don’t get to hear one around you here is a poor quality recording via the Merlin Bird ID app! Listen carefully from around 9 seconds…

In The Garden

As I type this I’m feeling increasingly anxious about the seedlings I left outside the plastic palace this morning to begin hardening off, I fear they may just have been fried and must now run (crablike) up to check on them.

Panic over, they’re all okay! I have yet more seeds to sow, and some to resow since germination has been poor (Nigella oddly). The tomato seedlings are now in the beds of the plastic palace and I have underplanted with basil propagated from a supermarket plant which is rather satisfying. The garden is already so dry though, last night I actually watered a few things - rhubarb included since it was looking somewhat despairingly floppy.

Monday evening saw the village Garden Group meet again. My lovely neighbour over the road (and professional gardener) kindly shared her knowledge of propagation with us all, even providing a crib sheet for those of us with non existent memories. I’m going to try several plants over the weekend and have planned the meeting next month to be a plant/seedling swap in the hope that we’ll all have lots to share.

In other news we finally bit the bullet and cut the box hedging around the front garden, I’ve left it alone for the past couple of years since it has looked considerably healthier than most box around and I didn’t want to stress it. Still, it now looks much tidier to Mike’s delight, and I’m just hoping that with a feed this weekend it will continue to survive both blight and bugs.

In The Studio

Shamefully little action in here this week beyond one more batch of test glaze and a couple of firings. One bisque firing which is usually fairly stress free, and a repeat of the cocked up firing currently cooling. Keep your fingers crossed please for at least a couple of successful results so that I can finally get on and glaze everything I have sitting on shelves.

I can’t quite believe that last summer I managed to devote 12 whole weeks to full time pottery, and I even toyed with the notion of entering the Great Pottery Throwdown in order to focus my attention once again. But I don’t think I’d really enjoy the stress and in any case what would I do with Gertie?!

Next week I hope to spend more hours in the studio than the garden and have more to share on that front.

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Vive la résistance

It is virtually impossible to pick up one’s phone these days without reading a report of older women enjoying strength training, and given all my orthopaedic misadventures it’s important for me, but bloody hell there is nothing like others’ zealous enthusiasm to make me dig my heels in.

What is the matter with me? I know full well how much I would (indeed have previously) reap benefits from resistance training. Until a year ago I was doing regular kettle bell classes, only stopping after the tooth removal incident that created an hole between my jaw and sinus resulting in my nose bleeding each time I bent over for a period thus making classes impossible.

However, I have made excuses for many months now, becoming flabbier and less comfortable in my trousers week by week. I am steeling myself for action…

But in truth this is an issue I experience in many realms of life, the more I am told I ‘should’ do something, or sometimes even if I really want to do something, I will find a way to avoid doing it for a ridiculously protracted period. I’m sure there is a good psychological explanation for this but it can be rather frustrating.

Having written this post I now have the pleasure of ticking at least one thing of my list for the week. I hope if you’ve made it this far you’ve found something to relate to. I leave you now with wishes for a weekend filled with things that make you smile.

With love,

Vx

ps. thanks to all of you who kindly clicked the ♥️ heart button last week - maybe it’s your support that is gently increasing my subscriber numbers. xx

Notes from the house, the garden, and the studio.

Hello again,

As ever, I will be largely ignoring the general state of the world — not out of ignorance, but because I don’t think anyone will benefit from my rantings. Instead, I hope you might find a few minutes immersed in someone else’s life a welcome distraction.

I find myself conflicted at the moment — trying to reduce my time online and my exposure to all the awfulness about which I am powerless, while still wanting to stay connected to the people who have become part of my network.

Those who check in when I’m quiet on Instagram, who cheerlead and encourage my photographic and ceramic endeavours; those I learn from, and those who simply make me laugh.

I’m very grateful they’re still out there.

Ta Da!

The kitchen is finished!! Or finished if you don’t count painting the woodwork of the patio doors which we can’t do yet because it has been persistently too cold or wet to leave them open for the necessary time.

It has been two and a half months of builders and tradesmen (where were the women?), dust, rubble, paint and patience. There have been inevitable hiccups along the way - blocked drains, leaking plumbing, unfittable lights etc etc - but to say we’re thrilled with the whole hall/kitchen project is an understatement.

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The kitchen is really beautiful and will surely be the the starting point for many wonderful meals, and opening up the hall has improved the feel and flow of the house immeasurably. We do need a rug, and ideally a well loved, slightly shabby, two seater sofa which I acknowledge is likely to become little more than a bed for Gertie. I’ve been scanning Facebook Marketplace but have to be steely willed not to look at anything else on the platform since it seems to be 99% adverts or hate posts these days.

The splashback was finally tiled this week and I absolutely love it. The tiles were hand painted by a small business in Cornwall (Decorum Tiles) which makes them feel really special - I think I will smile every time I see them for quite a while yet.

Oh, actually I do have some curtains to make before we can really call the project complete, but I have at last cleared the dining room table of all the detritus that had made its home there over the past couple of months, so I have room to get sewing and no further excuses.

Miscalculations and Programming Errors

Should you have read my last post you may remember that I had been challenged to try making a porcelain light shade, which I did, but although they’re cute looking objects my shrinkage ruler sadly doesn’t seem to have done a good job. What I’m left with is two small ‘bowls’ with holes at the bottom so while I will be trying again with some different porcelain I’m left scratching my head as to what I might do with bottomless bowls - answers on a postcard please.

As for glazing, well…. I have spent weeks slowly planning and organising myself; making test tiles, bisque firing test tiles, making test glazes, recording the glaze recipes, glazing the test tiles etc etc. It’s a slow process but I finally got them into the kiln and on their way on Sunday afternoon. I checked the kiln on Monday morning while it was cooling and planned to empty it later that day. But when I looked again in the afternoon, I was more than a little concerned to see the temperature rising. Frankly I was bloody horrified and plunged into despair. Cue pitiful sobbing in the cold, dark garage for a few moments before I pulled myself together and tried to work out what I’d done wrong this time.

It transpired that in unsuccessfully trying to add a cooling segment to the kiln’s firing programme I had inadvertently asked it to repeat the firing. Why I would ever want to repeat a firing immediately I remain clueless about, but it certainly wasn’t my intention. I switched the kiln off and sulked for 24 hours.

When I finally plucked up courage to open the kiln I was enormously relieved to find that nothing had melted and that the kiln at least was undamaged. The test tiles will have to be remade as they are not an accurate representation having reached a temperature far above the 1280 degrees celsius I’d planned for. But, having given myself time to digest the situation there is much I can learn; firstly I will obviously never make the same programming error (others can’t be discounted), but I have also been able to appraise the glazes and clay bodies. I’m not sure that many of you are potters so I won’t bore you with the details, but I will definitely be experimenting further with ash glazes.

In The Garden

As I write, it is grimly dark for mid-afternoon and pouring with rain. I’ve probably mentioned before that I’m a fair-weather gardener, and despite now owning waterproof trousers, I’m not much given to weeding while rain puddles around my knees.

The garden is however doing alright. It is far, far from how I imagine it might unfold - please note I will never mention the word finished in relation to the garden as I don’t believe they ever can be really - but I have been gradually ticking things off the to do list which is satisfying.

The plastic palace is heaven, seedlings are happily growing and in fact I really must get the tomatoes into beds tomorrow before they break out of their seed snails and make their own way. The ranunculus I planted in the autumn are flowering and bringing me unexpectedly great joy, they really are the prettiest flowers and the photo below is the bringing together of my various skills, such as they are, in the way I had envisaged and hoped - flowers, pottery and photography all by me.

Essential Maintenance

I’m sure I’m not alone in finding that, much like an old house, my body seems to require ever more attention to keep it going. The past few years seem to have involved one issue after another, all of which require doctors appointments, specialist referrals, numerous investigations (I’m now so comfortable in an MRI machine that I can happily embrace the napping opportunity) and consequent invasive treatments.

I try not to wang on about it too much here — other people’s ailments are usually terribly dull. However, recent issues with a hip resulted in a suggestion that I return to reformer pilates which I had enjoyed some years ago, and I was delighted to find that there is a studio not too far away from me here.

I have long wished to be someone who loved exercising in the way that so many people do, but try as I might I’m simply not. However, reformer pilates is definitely more palatable than other forms and I am once again reaping its benefits - the only downside is the excellent but expensive farm shop right next door!

And Finally

For the Gertie lovers amongst you here’s a photo of her clearly fantasising about her model life!

I wish you a weekend filled with all the things that make you smile.

With love, Vx

ps. If you’ve got this far and feel inclined to click the ♥️ button then Substack might share my post a little further - who knows who I could meet this way!

Kitchen Diaries

Each time I sit down to write, I have a look at what I last wrote, since my memory is such that I can barely remember yesterday, never mind three weeks ago. It’s actually not a bad way to reflect on what progress has been made in the intervening period — and in the case of the kitchen, we’ve made good headway and are on the home straight now.

In fact, this time next week I should be able to start packing everything away in its new home, though having packed into a quite ridiculous number of receptacles now scattered throughout the house, it may take longer than I imagine.

I have spent many (many) hours painting over the last few weeks and I hardly dare say that I think I’ve finished with the emulsion — for now. This is not strictly true, since the newly opened hallway adjoins the corridors and stairs, but still… who ever complained about a little skirting board and window frame painting? 🤣

No, I’m not really moaning, it’s all very exciting - the floor has been sanded and stained, the stone floor has been laid, the kitchen units fitted, the lights wired and the oven ‘gleamed’. I will get my proper camera out and take some photos of it when the worktops etc have been installed.

I’m beginning to envisage myself eating something other than toast in the near future!

Hen Heaven

Last week Laetitia shared a post about the death of one of her sheep which took me right back to our days in Belgium. We had a small flock of garden hens whom we were all very fond of, they were excellent layers and we had hatched several of them from eggs. Our dog at the time, Betty, was partial to sneaking into their run to steal the stale bread kindly donated by the bakery next door, but knew she had to be quick to avoid being pecked and chased by a couple of the more rambunctious birds.

One morning I looked out of our bedroom window and saw far too many feathers blowing around the garden, it was a school morning (the girls were still in primary school and I really didn’t have time to investigate before getting them on the bus) and when I did take a deep breath and venture down what I found was a heartbreaking scene of fox related devastation - feathers everywhere and all but one of the hens brutally massacred. Foxes are awful, I could forgive them one of the flock but to simply kill them all seems unnecessarily barbaric.

I sobbed and sobbed as I dealt with it, wishing beyond anything that someone — anyone — would come and help. I’m a pretty practical person on the whole, but dead birds and vermin are my bête noire, and the whole situation was just awful.

Anyhow, aside from the sadness of Laetitia’s post I think you’ll enjoy her writing - she certainly makes me laugh usually. Laetitia and I actually know each other, not well, but have reconnected very recently when she commented on one of my posts recalling that I used to babysit her! She is now a proper grown up with her own children so I feel rather old.

Tricky Transitions

I don’t often write about our expat lives (we lived in various countries for the best part of 20 years), but it can be a lonely experience; regular moves require the building and dismantling of the family’s lives, the needs of the children are paramount and the practicalities of life take time and energy to figure out. It’s in these situations where one would usually lean on friends and family, but when there are none around a good deal of grit (and gritted teeth) is necessary.

There were of course lots of wonderful things about the places we lived, the people we met and experiences shared as a family and I don’t regret it, but I will never allow others to unfairly glamourise the situation.

In truth the hardest transition of all was coming home - I could probably write a book on it - and I know I’m not alone in this experience. I can hardly believe we’ve been back for 11 years now but it is probably only in the last couple of years that I have truly begun to find my feet. I’ve had to build a life for myself, with a husband working away each week, and there have been times it’s felt too hard.

Starting from scratch in my mid forties with no profession, no career prospects, no established network of friends and two teenage daughters was challenging, but here I am in my mid fifties with a variety of skills under my belt and a lovely local community that I feel part of.

In The Garden

I had a wonderful seed sowing frenzy last weekend and have been keeping anxious watch since waiting for signs of germination, the plastic palace is beautifully warm when the sun shines and I even dragged a chair up there so I can study seed packets with my feet up!

The lovely Pheasant’s Eye narcissi are all cheerfully smiling out at me from the hydrangea border, the trees are blossom adorned, the roses are growing and the tulips might just be perfectly timed for Easter. The ladies of the church Altar Guild kindly ask each Easter, Harvest and Christmas if I’d like to decorate a window. I always say yes and then panic about what on earth I’ll come up with. Do any of you do likewise?

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In The Studio

I’ve had fun in the studio this week; Mike challenged me to try making a porcelain lamp shade for the light inside the new larder cupboard and since I had a little sample of porcelain (which I don’t usually throw with) I had a go. I found I loved its smooth texture and plasticity and can imagine myself using it more in the future, but I will reserve judgement until I see how it fires and glazes - and whether I’ve calculated the shrinkage of the hole for the light fitting correctly!

In fact I’ve been mostly playing in the little time I’ve had in the studio, experimenting with shapes, textures and thinking about alternative glazes/finishes. I’m acutely aware that I need to really get a firm grasp on glaze chemistry and am working out how I can do so. I failed O’level chemistry so the degree level knowledge required to manipulate glaze formulations is well beyond me - for now.

Less Insta more Real Life

Feeling out of control in terms of having started the year with a surgery and then a fairly major renovation has somehow helped me feel less pressured about pottery, I mean I absolutely do want to make beautiful pieces that people will buy and love, but I don’t feel quite so rushed about it. I’m more comfortable with it taking the time it takes and letting it evolve, crikey, perhaps I’m becoming a grown up?

In my last post I mentioned the Instagram challenge I planned to take part in, and I did, sort of. I rather gave up on the prompts, but have been posting more regularly and enjoying the comments and conversations over there - and indeed the creative process of filming little clips to share. I’ve even been brave enough to do what is apparently known as a ‘talkie’ ie. talking to camera; the horror of seeing myself on screen is slowly reducing.

I don’t think I’m vain but it’s hard not to appraise oneself when sharing on a social media platform. My taste in clothes is far from designer, I prefer natural fibres and if I can afford to buy from UK brands I will, but I do not buy a lot of clothes and frankly most of the time I’m covered in mud, compost or clay. I don’t seem able to function in my usual habitats looking as though I’ve stepped out of an Instagram grid - mostly I look grubby and slightly dishevelled at best - no wafting around in a pretty dress in a sparkly clean studio for me!

Mini Eggs

Right, that’s enough blathering from me, I will wish you a happy weekend and indeed a Happy Easter for the following if you celebrate it. May you all have a generosity of Mini Eggs - but not so many that nausea follows!

With love,

Vx

It has been an intense few weeks. Building works in the house are disruptive, and the project seems to have taken over every room. We are living in a slightly misty haze — I believe I am now approximately 87% dust.

It is exciting though, seeing the space beginning to take shape. The builders have left for the time being and it’s now up to me to get painting before the flooring gets underway next week.

Design Dilemmas

If I were an excellent planner like my friend Becky, I would have made all the decisions about paint colours and internal cupboard finishes before we started knocking down walls. Sadly I’m not, and Becky — rather inconsiderately — is running the perfect day-long workshop next week when it’s already too late for me!

Still, my choices are made and I’ve committed to them. Below is more or less the paint colour, along with a sample tile for behind the cooker, which I love.

I think Becky may still have a space on her workshop and if you’re about to embark upon a project I think it would be great one to attend - and it’s being held at The Pig just outside Bath which is rather lovely! Have a look at it here.

Roller Disco

There is no way of persuading myself (or anyone else I think) that painting ceilings is fun. I have just finished the second coat which I sincerely hope will suffice, and frankly I’m pretty impressed with myself!

I invested in a new roller with long handle and actually took the time to speak to the staff at the decorating centre. They kindly advised a smaller roller with less fluff (this was not the technical term he used ,but I’m too tired to remember what he called it). I have to say that this has made the job a little easier and definitely less splatty, for which I’m grateful.

Since I last wrote I have discovered that it was Fix Radio playing on the Makita radio, which seems to be standard issue kit for any tradesperson. It’s apparently the station for builders, and I found myself singing along on more than one occasion — to the extent that I’ve continued listening while sanding and painting this week. If you need to know anything about trade gossip, just let me know.

As I type this I am worrying about whether the plaster on the walls is sufficiently dry to mist coat. There are still one or two slightly darker patches, but I’m running out of time before the floor sander arrives next week and the kitchen units shortly after. There will be more photos when it’s all looking lovely.

In The Garden

Well — in the village hall last Monday, where we held our inaugural Gardening Club meeting. I think there were at least fifteen people and it went really well. A local cider maker came to speak to us about pruning apple trees, and I already have the next couple of months organised.

It was really lovely to be amongst a group of people with varying levels of experience and different interests, but a shared enthusiasm for gardens and gardening.

In our own garden we have begun the job of moving things out of the big border. The bed initially looked really promising but has proved too shady for things to thrive, so I have rethought things (I’m not sure “rethunk” is a real word!), which has also involved shifting plants around in the courtyard.

I once threatened to make a video of the garden and one of these days I’ll get around to it so that you can better picture what I’m describing. In any case, I think it will all work out well but, much like the house, everything is currently in a state of mild chaos.

After many, many weeks I finally have the irrigation system in situ in the plastic palace. A combination of missing parts, incorrect parts and plumber availability tested my patience, but now it is simply a case of downloading an app and linking it to the control unit.

Simple. In theory.

Perhaps with a glass of wine this evening… and then I will be sneaking away from the paint pots and rollers to get my seed bed filled.

Speaking of seeds, when I popped up to the PP yesterday I literally squealed with excitement to find that not only did I have an anemone flowering, but the tomatoes have begun germinating too. It really was disproportionately pleasing.

If you haven’t come across seed snails before, you can see the tomato seedlings in them below. I’m hoping they’ll prove both practical and successful. I can claim no credit for the idea — I saw it on Instagram here.

In The Studio

I’m happy to report that I have made it back into the studio, and have managed to throw a small series of the little footed ‘ballerina’ bowls (I think they look like tutus when upside down).

I’ll be emptying the kiln tomorrow morning and will then be popping test piece in with a new glaze - fingers crossed.

Socially Challenged

The month of March on Instagram sees many makers and creatives join the four week posting challenge of ‘Meet The Maker’, and for the first time I have finally felt credible enough to take part.

I’m usually hopelessly inconsistent on social media, but I do genuinely want to have an engaged audience who might like to buy my pottery so I’m trying hard.

The first post was an introductory one, so with the help of my daughter I finally have some photos of me. In case you don’t know what I look like here I am! My account is here if you use Instagram.

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What if?

Despite my commitment to the challenge — and the lovely connections I’ve made online — I found myself wondering earlier what would happen if social media companies simply switched off their platforms for one day each week.

I think it would be rather wonderful — a little like old-fashioned Sundays — if we all spent that day without the distraction of our phones.

I try hard to control my time on social media, but I am not immune to the reels of miniature donkeys and other such irresistible nonsense.

What do you think — how different would your day be without it?

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Let me wish you a happy weekend ahead, I know there are many horrifying things to worry about, but I firmly believe making space for the little pleasures matters.

With love, Vx

Hello!

It feels like an age since I last wrote, but there truly has been little to share. No matter how hard I try to appreciate the gentle, quiet work of winter, I find these months challenging (to put it politely). The constant, rain-laden skies and sogginess underfoot are testing my resilience and making me gloomy. Spring can’t come fast enough this year.

With Surgical Precision

My horrid operation was duly carried out on 15th January and, contrary to all my catastrophising, it wasn’t quite as bad as I feared. I would certainly not wish it upon anyone I was even vaguely fond of, but the pain and swelling weren’t as awful as I’d imagined, and I haven’t been left hideously disfigured.

It’s never totally plain sailing though. I’ve had three courses of antibiotics in the last four weeks and still feel a bit under par — though I suspect I am not alone in that at this time of year.

I’m enormously grateful that I only needed one night in hospital (and indeed that they found me a bed). I couldn’t imagine being there without my phone to keep in touch with family and friends, and to read, listen and watch things during the inevitable waiting. However, I wouldn’t dream of playing music out loud or taking call after call on loudspeaker; I found others’ seemingly complete unawareness of their surroundings quite unfathomable.

Alongside the cacophony of beeps, peeps, grunts, snores and crashes, I could only be grateful for my earplugs… and opiates.

A Shameful Confession

I feel sad and slightly shameful that I haven’t made it out into the studio. Well, that’s not quite true — I tried one afternoon but quickly ran out of energy and enthusiasm, and I am struggling to get going again.

I had plans — I even wrote them down — and I know what I want to make this year, but I have simply not really felt well enough.

It’s all about the flowers, really. I want to start building a collection of vessels throughout the year that suit what I have growing in the garden month by month. The mini bud vases have been perfect in January — snowdrops look exactly as I had hoped sitting in their narrow necks — and I’m planning more of the little bowls for February. If it ever stops raining, I will dash out and pick some hellebores or crocus to experiment with.

Still, as I become older and wiser (ish), I understand that creativity ebbs and flows. Winter is rarely my most creative season, but I trust that my pojo (my new word for pottery mojo!) will return.

In The Garden

I am literally itching to start sowing seeds. My stash of beautifully illustrated, gently rattling packets is growing at an alarming rate, and I worry that I won’t be able to resist ordering more until I begin sowing and remember how much space they consume — and how emotionally invested I become in each and every tray of possibility.

This year was meant to be all about flowers, but I seem to have quite a collection of salad, tomato, chilli and pumpkin seeds nestled amongst the blooms. I’m beginning to think I will have to succumb to a spreadsheet in order to have any control over the whole situation. There are simply so many decisions: indoors or outdoors? Ground or trays? Chilling or heat mat? Succession sowing? And can I even begin to imagine how the beds might look once everything flowers?

Are you a seed sower? Would you like to know where I buy mine from?

Both Alma Proust and She Grows Veg are small female-owned businesses which I’m always happy to support.

The hedge laying I mentioned last time has been completed and looks wonderful. It is very satisfying to know that we are helping to keep a traditional skill alive whilst creating thick hedges that are brilliant for wildlife. I fully expect the hedgehogs to line up for a photoshoot in gratitude in years to come.

That aside, I have made progress on the village gardening club. I finally posted in the village WhatsApp asking if anyone would be interested and received a wonderfully enthusiastic response, which means I have now had to put my money where my mouth is and make some plans. We meet for the first time on the 23rd. I’m grateful that many experienced gardeners will be there and seem happy to share knowledge — and hopefully seedlings too.

I feel well out of my comfort zone at the prospect of running a meeting… but a challenge is usually a good thing, right?

On The Home Front

The totally unexpected happened two weeks ago when our builders phoned to ask if they could start early. I was fully prepared for delays, but certainly not this. We had a slight scramble to move, rehome and sell the contents of our ‘room of doom’, which is to become a light and welcoming hallway — as it was when I lived here as a child.

So it is that I write to you amidst the sounds of angle grinding, scraping, banging and an indeterminate radio station drifting up from downstairs.

Every doorway and the stairs are covered in plastic and taped up, resulting in me only being able to access a loo this morning by exiting the back door and walking round to the front. Gertie is most decidedly not living her best life in this environment; she despises the crinkly plastic and will only move from room to room if escorted by someone to swish the offending curtains aside (that someone is, of course, me).

The project has inevitably grown into something bigger than we first envisaged, but it is exciting to reveal the original flow of the house — and it’s going to make the most brilliant party space. If I could invite you all, I absolutely would.

Soggy Socks or Muddy Bottom?

My winter footwear needs upgrading — despite my deep dislike of shoe shopping. My walking boots are no longer waterproof and, although my welly repair has held, they now have absolutely zero tread. My current choice is therefore sliding around with dry feet or staying upright with soggy socks.

If you have recommendations for comfortable, grippy, attractive walking boots or wellies (I am very fond of my current red pair), I would genuinely love to hear them.

Writing to you has once again been a pleasure. It puts a smile on my face, and that is probably reason enough to continue. I hope it makes you smile too.

And more than that, I hope that whatever tomorrow (14th February) means to you, love is present in some form or another. Grand gestures of romance are mostly fiction in my experience, but a cup of tea in bed and a day spent with Mike and Gertie will do perfectly for me.

With love,

Vx

Hello, hello!

It has been (unintentionally) a month since I last wrote. I had absolutely planned to write again before Christmas, and doing so remained on my list until Monday 22nd, when our entire household succumbed to a disgusting and mildly debilitating bug. Though most of us were more of less on our feet again by Christmas day it knocked the stuffing out of everyone, and no amount of turkey and mince pies quite restored us. Even now I feel weary, but then it’s January; exhortations to rest, relax and take time to hibernate ricochet around every type of media I consume - I assume they reach you too or am I simply in an algorithmic echo chamber?

It makes absolute sense in so many ways; the daylight hours are short, the nights are long and once your feet are wet in walking boots it’s time to step inside; yet how many of us really do down tools and rest over the ‘holidays’? I’m perhaps just not a very restful person, but December always feels rather busy! I confess that on a couple of occasions I did sneak off to my bed for half an hour or so though - lovely as it is to have someone other than the dog as a bedfellow (just the husband, should you be confused!) the respiratory orchestra and resulting insomnia don’t make for a restful night’s sleep and I am slowly embracing the notion of a restorative nap.

You’re very welcome to follow along as I share life in the studio and garden each week - a recent subscriber shared these kind words about The Post House Chronicles - “It’s motivational without the fluff, grounded without being heavy, and full of the kind of beauty that makes you want to live life more intentionally.”

New Year, New Me

Or perhaps not! I am not going to reflect on my last twelve months with you, nor share resolutions and goals; I’ve never quite managed to hang onto a word for the year though if I had to pick one for the month it might be hopeful - that the year ahead might be more peaceful around the world, that leaders behave responsibly and with dignity, that more people experience prosperity than poverty and that the gods of glazing look upon me favourably!

In truth the year has begun in a vague feeling of limbo for I am scheduled to finally have the repair made to the hole in my jaw (should you be remotely interested you can read about it here, here and here). It is not really something to look forward to, in fact I’m rather dreading it. I know it will probably all be fine, but this does not stop my mind wandering to every ghastly outcome I can imagine - the best I’m hoping for is that a sore mouth might aid in reducing my winter waistline!

In The Studio

I had planned to get back into the studio on Monday this week, full of enthusiasm and armed with ideas of what I would throw. However despite the heater it remained Baltic in there, and though I gamely tried throwing with hot water to try and counteract the freezing cold clay it a) wasn’t successful and b) was no fun whatsoever. So, I have busied myself with other things this week - time will pass, the weather will warm and I still have a few things for sale on my website in the meantime.

Just before Christmas a friend and I spent a very happy afternoon firing things in my raku kiln, little carved houses and match pots on my part and some lovely pots on hers. It was so nice to spend pottery time in company and I’m looking forward to getting together again in the coming months.

And Out of The Studio

I am very much hoping I may be accepted on one of our local Arts Trails this year, I’ve previously enjoyed the variety of work shared by people and think that maybe I’m ready to try and share mine this way too. I actually chatted about it to a neighbour who paints and who might join me in the quest - perhaps we’ll even amalgamate a group of us and hire the village hall? I’m sharing this for accountability as much as anything and will keep you updated on any progress in that direction.

In The Garden

There is always, of course, something happening in a garden but it all feels quite subtle at this time of year. I’m watching the snowdrops outside the kitchen window with a keen eye, waiting for the first flower to appear as I think they will be the perfect bloom to sit in my tiny bud vases; buttercups too but they’ll be a while yet. I have sown a batch of sweet pea seeds and will repeat in a couple more weeks to try and ensure I have some of my favourites for as long as possible over the summer.

In the orchard this week the next stretch of hedge is being laid, it’s looking good, and although it feels a bit brutal in its initial approach, the sections laid in the last couple of years are already thickening up nicely and providing a wonderful habitat for birds and other creatures. My mind is also turning to getting the big border moved away from the hedge and rejigging that whole area a bit. It’s quite a big job but the next few weeks are the time to do it if we’re to do it at all for the plants are largely dormant and still young enough to survive being transplanted. I think it’s one of those jobs we’ll thank ourselves for in the future if we can just make the effort now.

One of the two paid Substacks I subscribe to is Jo Thompson’s The Gardening Mind which has masses of information and inspiration which I intend to really dig into (ha ha) as I recuperate on the sofa next weekend - there may be more roses…!

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Animal Antics

Anyone who knows me well will know that I am forever mystified as to where the days go, time seems to be so slippery in my hands but I must acknowledge that quite a lot of it has been spent animal wrangling recently. The cold spell had me convinced that Gertie, being 60% sighthound thus thin-skinned and low on fur, must be feeling the cold and should definitely wear the rather fetching fleece I have for her. Gertie feels differently; on approaching her with any form of garment she metamorphoses into a woodlouse, curling her head and limbs inward such that there are no protuberances to catch hold of and poke into whatever charming outfit I might have for her. Disappointing.

Meanwhile we also have Apollo, our daughter’s large fluffy cat, staying with us. Gertie and Apollo have a rather uneasy truce within the four walls of the house - in large part because he communicates his need to be escorted by a human from room to room and to the front door and back quite clearly! I can usually manage this situation fairly easily, but I currently have a friend’s spaniel staying too which is most definitely complicating life somewhat. Spaniels are wonderful, but my goodness they’re busy dogs and a completely different kettle of fish to Gertie who is really much like a cat once inside the house (more wild dog out of the house). Apollo is deeply suspicious of the spaniel, and I can’t count how many times I’ve had to shut the dogs out to move the cat from one location to another today…..!

Too much?

Gosh, now I’ve finally started writing I could go on and on, but I appreciate that everyone’s time and attention is limited so I’ll wind up. I certainly won’t be writing next week and am in fact wondering if once a month is a better rhythm for this missive? I’m acutely aware of just how much stuff arrives in our inboxes daily; I personally have had a real purge on unsubscribing to the many retailers who endlessly bombard me. But I’d love to know how much or how little you’d like to hear from me? I enjoy writing, but to write in the knowledge that recipients of my chronicles smile rather than roll their eyes would be good.

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So, I will once again remind you that I really love to hear from any of you - via comment on Substack or reply via email - the connections I find here are what motivate me to write.

I hope the rest of January (in case I don’t write until next month) will feel hopeful for you, that you will find plenty to make you smile and that your feet are warm and dry.

With love,

Vx

ps. While writing I have been snacking on some roasted pistachios, I can’t tell you how disappointing their lack of saltedness was as the first one hit my mouth. Unsalted roasted pistachios are a con!

Hello, how has your week been? I’m writing on Friday again; suddenly Mondays felt all wrong somehow, and instead of sitting down at the end of the day to write it is just 11am and I’m fresh from a dog walk.

I came back from my dog walk to find a small pile of parcels waiting. Most were expected, but among them was a little hamper from nearby neighbours who’d been using our drive during their summer building works. Such an unnecessary gesture - we weren’t remotely inconvenienced - but so thoughtful, and it reminded me once again of what a lovely community we live amongst. Also, the biscuits are delicious.

I’ve had a sort of restless feeling about me this week, I can’t quite put my finger on why but I feel twitchy and find myself endlessly moving from one thing to another without making much progress. Reading has felt impossible despite the armchair in the corner of the kitchen (recently moved from elsewhere) being the perfect spot to do so and having several books on the go that I genuinely want to enjoy. It has also been a week of 5am wake-ups which makes the days rather long, but I’m reassuring myself that this phase never lasts - sooner or later I’ll be fumbling for the alarm from a deep sleep.

In (and Out of) The Studio

When I last wrote I shared a link to small tiny little bud vases which I had much enjoyed making, and quite unbelievably I sold them all within a week! I can’t tell you how delighted I was - it feels like real progress and a very welcome counter to the many ceramic challenges of this year (we all know I mean glazing, right?).

I made some more tiny vases for I think they will look just lovely with a single, simple snowdrop in them during January/February; I’ve been searching for images of old ink bottles and am pondering experimenting with different colours. Meanwhile, I have made a small batch of ash glaze using ashes from our wood burner, ready to test in the next firing - fingers crossed please.

The obvara firing I mentioned last time was on the whole successful, though I don’t think I’ll pursue the idea of trying to create vessels that are properly functional. I experimented with combining glaze and obvara, but I think I’ll stick to objects that don’t need to contain water — like the match pots pictured below.

I’ve spent a disproportionate amount of time trying to bulk-buy matches without an £85 minimum spend, only to realise I couldn’t post them anyway. But I have finally figured out the shop section of my website I think, so will add a link and will be only too happy to try and remedy any snags should you like to purchase a pot.

In The Garden (and house)

Nothing much to write about here - a little pruning of the roses in pots and the wisteria, careful monitoring of Ranunculus claws, which are finally showing some signs of life, regular feeding of the birds and beyond that mostly walking around thinking about what I can ‘forage’ to make decorations with. I need to go and find the long loppers and snip the best bits of hawthorn from the hedgerows - I’m looking for supple, gently arched branches with just the right amount of berries. Ivy is everywhere and is very versatile when it comes to decorating, there are lots of berries on some of it - though I’ll leave plenty for the bees who feast on these at the merest hint of winter sunshine. This year I’ve treated myself to some lovely ribbon from VV Rouleaux on the basis that all the other materials I need for a wreath or swag will be freely gathered.

Our lovely next door neighbour has a couple of huge firs which he generously allows me to go and snip from at this time of year, and since I decorate a church window too I’m grateful for lots of greenery ‘though I think I’ll have to order some flowers as I have nothing to offer now. Perhaps a collection of Cyclamen instead? What do you think?

Tomorrow our Advent Window needs to be finished and lit for any wandering visitors in the village. I have a vague plan and really hope I can pull it off; otherwise it’ll be Mike in one window and Gertie in the other, both in Santa hats!

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The Season of Wardrobe Anxiety

It is of course ridiculous, and I’m sure I’m not alone, but somehow I always get to early December and realise that I have nothing ‘festive’ to wear beyond a rather old Christmas jumper that is, in truth, a little snug these days. This worry can take on ridiculous proportions at 3am and lead to bouts of online shopping and resultant returns, for nocturnal retail is rarely successful.

I know we shouldn’t be buying new things and that capitalism will be the end of us etc, but gosh it’s hard to avoid the pressure isn’t it? I truly do try looking in charity shops, but all I can say is that small rural town charity shops have yet to produce a vintage treasure for me. We do have a couple of Christmas party invitations which is lovely, so yesterday (having dropped off my returns) I popped into a nice little shop in Wells for something else entirely and came out with a top that I hope will feel celebratory rather than completely ridiculous. It’s hard to describe but has a sort of Big Bird from Sesame Street goes to a funeral vibe…. maybe I’ll get someone to take a photo of me in it!

In truth of course none of us really remember what anyone else wears, and on Christmas day itself an apron is usually the most important garment to don isn’t it?

Until Next Time

Thank you for reading, I love the little connections made via these letters. I hope the week ahead will find a smile on your face as you begin to approach (or avoid) the onslaught of Christmas!

With love, Vx

Thank you, as ever, to those of you who kindly click the ♥️, it is much appreciated.

Hello and how are you on this dreary November evening? Are your radiators warm and candles alight? Or perhaps you’re soaking up the spring sunshine in the southern hemisphere in which case please bask an extra few moments on my behalf.

We were treated to a couple of truly beautiful frosty mornings this week, I would have loved to take my camera outside and enjoy snapping away in the garden but had to get out and about early on both mornings so a quick snap sufficed, but doesn’t a blast of sunshine put a smile on the face at this time of year!

You have no doubt been anxiously awaiting an update on the leak status of my most favourite red wellies…. and I’m delighted to confirm that a bottle of ‘rubber glue’ (provided via a well known online retailer whom I shall not name because we all know we shouldn’t support them) has done the trick. Next up for a repair attempt is Mike’s old Blundstones which I thought he had disposed of, but on hearing of my success he confessed they were on a hidden shelf in the garage! By hidden I mean above my eye level which usually constitutes the same.

In The Studio - I actually have pots for sale!

Well, I am properly delighted to report that I have had more success than failure in the studio this week! This is not to say that there haven’t been breakages and unforeseen outcomes, but I am really so pleased with these little bud vases that I am going to sell them. They are glazed in a satin matte blue/grey that I haved named ‘Self Doubt’ for it pretty much sums up my general state of being when glazing, this is a glaze that I have been happy with in the past but had a complete disaster with in the summer in Dorset and rather lost confidence in. In truth the problem lay with the kiln rather than the glaze, but it made me nervous and maybe naming glazes after feelings is as reasonable way as any other - I mean nail varnishes and paints have good form on eccentric naming right?!

There are only 10 available and you can see photos of each vase here. I have priced them at £25 each plus £5 p&p, but of course if you live nearby you can pop in for a coffee and collect one. Since I have yet to set up a proper shop on the website please just email me if you are interested and I can send a payment link etc.

I also enlisted Mike’s help this weekend and finally managed to do some more Obvara firing which was both fun and satisfying, I’m going to photograph it all this week and will share with you next week.

In The Kitchen

My enthusiasm in the kitchen waxes and wanes to be honest, but I did enjoy making some mince pies for the freezer and finally got around to putting a Christmas cake together last night too. I haven’t made a cake for several years actually, but we have all four of our parents joining us this year and they’re all partial to slice of ‘well fed’ (read doused in brandy) fruit cake and I love icing them if nothing else!

I’m still stewing apples for breakfast and when I finally run out of fruit from the garden I still have jars of dried apple rings from last year, so there’s no danger of starvation round here just now.

As I began writing this letter I realised to my slight consternation that there really are only four more weeks left this year which is making me think perhaps I really do need to plan a Christmas shopping day somewhere. It seems often easier to simply order online, but there is definitely something to be said for a festive vibe in the shops to enjoy while browsing.

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In The Garden

I confess to feeling a little smug since I have not only managed to lift the dahlias at an appropriate time of year, but have even labelled them so I have a vague chance of replanting the ones I liked and parting company with those I didn’t next spring.

Next job is to get the tulips planted in pots and deciding which to put where, I do have some from last year which we took out of the border - I have labelled them ‘useless floppy red tulips’ so I’m not entirely sure why I have kept them, but now feel obliged to plunge them into soil somewhere for a second chance.

Now I’ve realised just how close it is to Christmas I must go out and snip some holly while it still has berries on it (yes Mum, I’ll save some for you too), it stores well in a cold shed or garage and is so pretty to decorate with - though I’m always sure to leave plenty for the birds. If you follow my Instagram stories you may have seen that I finally managed to capture a robin bathing outside the kitchen window this week, something that brings me great pleasure and always stops me in my tracks as I pause to watch.

Well, I have just put a match to the fire and my tummy is rumbling, so I’ll wish you, as ever, a week ahead filled with things to make you smile.

With love, Vx

Hello,

Welcome to those of you who are new to The Post House Chronicles, it’s lovely to be writing to you along with some of my most loyal subscribers who have kindly followed me through various iterations over the years - my Mum and sisters mostly! Like many of us I have been many things in my lifetime, but the briefest way to describe myself right now is potter, photographer, gardener and aspiring flower grower, also loyal dog walker and semi professional orthopaedic patient (spent this morning having a steroid injection in my thumb and planning another in my spine with the back consultant!)

When I sit down to begin writing each week I inevitably find myself scrolling through my photos to try and rekindle some memory of exactly how I’ve spent the last seven days. I often find myself thinking how unremarkable it all is, but frankly I suspect I should feel more grateful for that fact than I sometimes do for I have no dramas, traumas, floods or famines to report, just my fairly humdrum life ticking along for which I’m mostly glad.

However, a lack of photos won’t stop me remembering how enthralled I was by DJ Sara Cox’s huge accomplishment last week for Children in Need - 5 marathons in 5 days. It clearly took every single ounce of her northern grit and determination to complete the challenge and much like the rest of the nation I am in awe.

A Tradesman in the House

This heading sounds so old fashioned doesn’t it? Last week I had a carpenter here to do several small but highly impactful jobs around the place, the first of which was to change the side on which the front door hinges; since we moved in we’ve felt the entry was rather awkward as opening the front door precluded easy entrance to the hallway but sort of directed people straight upstairs - I’m ever grateful to all the lovely delivery people who make my life easier, but I draw the line at taking them into my bedroom! Anyhow, the door now opens the other way around (is this making any sense to you?) and it has completely transformed our entryway which will only be further improved by knocking down a wall which we plan to do next year.

This carpenter is excellent, to the extent that I wonder if I’ll ever share his name with anyone in case he gets too busy to ever return which is very nearly the case with our lovely electrician. He has built us shoe storage out of old floorboards languishing in the garage loft and utilised various other bits of wood that were lying around in the garage to make me shelves in the study and my studio - I can’t overstate how much better it feels to have somewhere to ‘put things’.

Cold Feet

Well, wet feet really, but then they’re almost immediately cold too aren’t they? I had suspected my wellies had a small leak for the past few weeks and had been gently ignoring my marginally damp left sock, but last week’s rain proved without doubt that my wellies are no longer watertight and I have had to develop a system of rotating my favourite dog walking socks in various stages of dryness. I have tried fixing the hole with a puncture repair kit and Duck tape, both of which proved unsuccessful and I am now awaiting a delivery of rubber glue for a final attempt before I cave in and buy new boots. I am hesitating for having put my walking boots back on while my welly dried out I discovered that one of these leaks too - not an ideal scenario!

I spend probably 70% of my life in either wellies or walking boots so don’t begrudge the purchase of a new pair too much, but the boots I love the most are not cheap (until calculated on price per wear) and I do not want to purchase before I absolutely have to.

In The Studio - The Statistics of Pottery

I confess I am no mathematician (actually I can’t even spell it and had to rely on spellcheck there!) but have been reflecting and calculate pottery life to be thus:-

• 63% tidying and cleaning

• 39% waiting for things to dry or rehydrating them

• 9% glazing

• 23% anxiously worrying about glazing, including actual nightmares

• 47% weeping over failed glazing

• 0.37% dreamily throwing on the pottery wheel à la Ghost

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This week I spent a considerable amount of time doing some glaze testing and while the kiln was on thought I might as well pop a couple of pieces in with a reliable glaze, well it seems to be reliable on white stoneware but clearly isn’t suitable for the ‘toasted’ stoneware on which it is matte to the point of exfoliating levels and now leaves me with half a bag of clay I’m not that keen on using! Still, plenty there to experiment with I suppose.

I had another disappointment with my second attempt at an Obvara mix which once again didn’t mature, I did wonder if it simply isn’t warm enough for it (beside the radiator in the kitchen) so tucked it up in my plate warmer but it was perhaps already too late and I eventually threw it onto the compost heap with the first batch. I will try again of course, but should you ever stop to wonder at the cost of handmade items you should know that they are probably vastly underpriced in overall terms.

One day I’ll surprise you all with a letter full of photos of successful pots!

In The Garden

My favourite rake is missing, it’s the cheapest, poorest quality rake we have but being lightweight plastic makes it infinitely better for raking slightly soggy leaves from long, wet grass. I made do with the next best rake and the hydrangeas are now nestled in a sea of gloriously coloured leaves that will surely nourish them as they gently decompose. I also had the genius idea of utilising the rotten wood from the base of the old polytunnel to create an edge at the back of the border, at least I hope it’s genius and doesn’t simply create a haven for slugs and snails - we’ll see.

The plastic palace is now replete with border edges and is being gradually filled with soil and compost ready to begin planting; I have ranunculus and anemones in a dark shed until they begin showing shoots, I have sweet pea seeds ready to sew and a couple of roses which I’m going to try in there too. If anyone can suggest somewhere to buy young greens/salad plants from I’d love to know as I suspect it’s too late to germinate anything now?

We worked so hard in the garden this weekend, planting roses and creating small borders around them from a pile of stone at the bottom of the orchard, hopefully they’ll flourish here and look wonderful next summer - or perhaps more realistically the summer after.

I’m determined to have a better year of flowers next year and have been consulting both Milli Proust’s Seed to Bloom and Rachel Siegfried’s Cut Flower Sourcebook regularly for inspiration. Meanwhile, should we be treated to another gloriously sunny day this week I will begin pruning my roses and perhaps even follow oft offered advice at this time of year to clean and sharpen my tools.

And Finally

I’m just about to do some further research and planning on window decorating for the village Advent Window Walk which promises to be a lovely community project - I’m trying not to get carried away though angelic hosts is a recurring theme in my mind right now - but before I go I wanted to share this cat’s Instagram account because if there’s one thing social media is good at it is cat content and this really made me laugh.

Wishing you all a week of dry feet and things to smile about.

With love,

Vx

ps. I hope you won’t mind that the links I’ve provided to books are now done so via a bookshop.org affiliate link meaning I will earn a small commission should you purchase the book this way - and thank you if you do so.

Hello, how has the last week been for you?

I began this week to the sound of our house alarm ringing out, it’s not a noise I’m used to and nor is the procedure of disarming it. I stumbled downstairs to jab at the keypad (was amazed I could remember the number tbh) but having neglected to don my glasses as I leapt out of bed even my best guess as to which numbers I tapped upon was hopeless, so back upstairs it was to find my glasses and get the job done properly ‘though not before all our neighbours were treated to an early start too I fear! Glasses on I discovered that the cause of the alarm must have been a power cut, resulting in my having to figure out how to reset the oven clock too (a task I usually rather lazily delegate to Mike). Tea in hand I returned to bed to wake up properly, this being one of my favourite rituals of the day - catching the headlines, perhaps a chapter of the book by my bed (currently A Thousand Feasts by Nigel Slater), deleting emails (most of them at any rate) and trying to resist the lure of scrolling Instagram. Are you a slow starter in at the beginning of the day or more of a leap out of bed and get to it sort of person?

Best Laid Plans

I aspire to be one of those people who plans things well ahead and executes said plans at the appropriate time, alas despite my investments in a seriously broad range of planners and apps over the years it doesn’t come naturally to me. I quite like the process of thinking about what should be planned, but finishing the task is a challenge and actually carrying out anything I have carefully diarised remains unlikely. I’m thinking mostly of Christmas right now, but of house renovations and holidays, planting plans and socialising (or lack of it these days). The fact that I manage to write these missives more or less weekly is nothing short of a small miracle, ‘though I should tell you that I may move it back to a Friday which somehow feels a more natural time to reflect on a week.

However, with a houseful for Christmas I’m determined to get ahead and make good use of the time between now and then to make life easier over those intense few days. Last year I bought, and recommended, The Get-Ahead Christmas Cook by Jane Lovett and I have it sitting on the kitchen table awaiting my attention; I made many recipes from it last year and rate it highly - for the Twice Baked Cheesy Potatoes if nothing else! Meanwhile I am busily trying to empty the freezer in order that I can accomplish my pro level preparation goals - so redcurrant jelly straining and various slightly odd meals likely this week.

Paint Job

I finished!! An undercoat and three layers of eggshell finally saw the woodwork in the boot room done and I’m pretty pleased with how it’s all looking. I have a carpenter here this week to put together some shoe storage with old floorboards we found in the garage loft - fingers crossed they’ll work out well.

In The Studio

I finally got myself back into the studio! I wish I could tell you that I had successfully glazed and fired all the outstanding bisqueware on my shelves, but lack of conviction has determined that further glaze testing is required before I commit myself. It’s ridiculous for it’s only clay and I am well aware that I am being far to precious about these objects, but this year has seen me open so many disastrous kiln loads that it’s hardly surprising that I’m hesitant. Still, I have written out a list of the tests I’m planning to make tomorrow and Wednesday, and I have glazed some items so will load the kiln up with everything, press go and keep my fingers, toes and everything else crossed.

On a more positive note I decided to have a go at making some tiny bud vases, partly because I’m aware that smaller items are ultimately easier to sell (if they make it through glazing!!) and partly because the arthritis in my thumb is causing me increasing pain. I actually need a joint replacement, but until I’ve had my dental/sinus woes fixed they won’t touch it further than a steroid injection next week. Anyway, what I really wanted to say is that I so enjoyed the two vases I initially experimented with that I made a further ten, I had such a happy time at the wheel and only hope I have made the openings big enough that they’ll still accommodate a stem once they’ve shrunk in the kiln. I did also throw Gertie a bowl which I will give her for Christmas so shhh!

In The Garden

I can’t pretend there’s been a whole lot of gardening going on in the last week, ‘though I’m very pleased with myself for planting the Paperwhite bulbs I saved from last Christmas at the weekend. I splashed out on a digital calendar produced by Grace Alexander which helpfully reminds me of the right dates on which to do things in order to enjoy flowers of some sort around the year, for £7 it has so far proved itself a good investment.

The dahlias are still gamely flowering despite being somewhat rain bedraggled and even the cosmos still have a few blooms on them which feels astonishing for such a delicate looking flower. My morning view from the bathroom window has been so pretty for the past week or more, beautiful tones of orange and yellow, but the leaves are falling rapidly now and it won’t be long before the colour has gone. Still, then there are fairy lights right?

A Creative Challenge

I’m off to the village pub this evening to attend an ‘Advent Window’ meeting. The idea is that 24 houses in the village and adjoining hamlet will progressively add a decorated window, I’m not sure what the grand finale will be - a walk around the village I guess - but I’ll keep you updated! In the meantime if you have any genius window decorating ideas please tell me all about them.

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Right, I’ll leave it there and, as always, wish you a week ahead filled with things to bring a smile to your face.

With love,

Vx

ps. I hope you won’t mind that the links I’ve provided to books are now done so via a bookshop.org affiliate link meaning I will earn a small commission should you purchase the book this way.

Hello,

I’m back again following a small and unintended pause; the last couple of weeks were extremely full and I found neither time to write, or indeed get into the studio. There were trips to Yorkshire, then London, decorating, preparation for the new plastic palace, photo shoots, various medical appointments (am gently crumbling), visits from family, and of course the endless merry-go-round of domestic chores and dog walking.

However, this week is rather pleasingly sparse in terms of appointments and commitments so I’m relishing the prospect of sitting down to reflect and to write. I hardly ever know what sort of words will spring from my fingertips as I begin; if I were a serious content creator I suppose I would have a yearly plan of seasonally appropriate topics to share with you, and I’ve certainly tried in the past to plan the things I share but I never once managed to stick to my goals - it took all the fun and spontaneity out of it for me.

Guilt Throttles Creativity

There has been shamefully little time in the studio these past few weeks, and I was beginning to feel bad about it, but you know sometimes creativity takes a little hiatus and while it can feel worrying as luck would have it my friend Jane Lindsey spoke about creative fallowness in her YouTube film last Friday. She made some wonderful analogies about growth taking place beneath the surface, of composting and of the benefits of keeping hands busy with other things, but what has really stayed with me is the idea that guilt throttles creativity. It has really helped me reframe a period of non making, and in fact observe that my creativity has in fact been put to good use in both the house and garden of late and I’m grateful to have the been able to do so.

In fact I was thinking about guilt more generally recently, specifically in terms of the discomfort I regularly feel about our good fortune. I am ever aware of my privilege; we don’t choose where, when or to whom we are born to and neither Mike or I were handed anything on a plate, still, we have so much more than most. However, I am making a conscious decision to embrace gratitude over guilt, it has no productive benefits to me and I think feeling grateful must be a considerably healthier vibe to carry around with me through life.

In The Garden

I am ridiculously excited by our fabulous new plastic palace - and this one is truly worthy of the palace moniker I feel! I have so much room to grow in and many plans afoot, I have already got some Ranunculus and Anemone corms in trays and hopefully by the time they’re sprouted I’ll have beds ready and waiting for them. I’m imagining early Sweet Peas (seeds ordered from Alma Proust this year), winter salads (with luck), abundant tomatoes and myriad other flowers to arrange in whatever vessels I manage to create for them. We did vaguely mutter about building it ourselves, but thought our money would be better spent on paying Haygrove Garden Tunnels to do so than on a divorce - that husband and wife team have clearly perfected the art and still appeared to be on speaking terms by the time they left!

I have also planted some mini Narcissi in bowls which I hope will brighten the window sills early next year, and even managed for the very first time ever to plant some Amaryllis bulbs at the right time! Whether they will actually be flowering for Christmas remains to be seen, but I’ve a fighting chance at least.

There are more roses on the way - ‘tis the season of bare root planting - some to adorn the arches we have added to the Yew corridor, others for the courtyard and now I’m wondering if I shouldn’t pop a couple in the PP where they might flourish without being battered by rain or attacked by greenfly - will ponder on that along with the notion that we really ought to have a Quince tree here somewhere because I love Membrillo with cheese!

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Things I Know (but have to remind myself about)

Recipes ALWAYS take longer to cook than stated, and woodwork ALWAYS needs three coats of paint rather than the two suggested on the tin. I am however hopelessly optimistic - should you ever come for supper you should definitely expect to eat later than I might have indicated, and it is entirely possible that I’m enjoying sitting here writing so much because it is the perfect distraction from the third coat of paint required by tomorrow at the latest in the boot room which I’ve been busy decorating.

Decorating a small but highly functional room involves a ridiculous amount of upheaval, in this case it has involved moving several large pieces of furniture around in the kitchen which in turn has resulted in a variety of miscellaneous objects scattered around the house in entirely inappropriate places. Still, with another piece of furniture arriving on Wednesday I really will have to finish the painting tomorrow and I’ll be glad to get it one step closer to being completed.

Wall Printing

I was to have taken part in a wall printing workshop this coming weekend with Elle Kemp (Ridge and Furrow) but I have unfortunately had to postpone it until January when she’s running the day again. One of our lovely, long time neighbours died recently and I want to be at his funeral on Saturday, both for his family and so I might have a chance to bid him farewell in our beautiful village church. So, if you might enjoy adorning your walls (no woodwork involved!) do take a look and perhaps you can profit from my place?

Princess Gertrude of The Post House

Her ladyship has developed quite the prey drive as she has grown up and I find myself avoiding certain walks in the certain knowledge that she will disappear for some time in pursuit of a small furry or deer. I worry about whether I should let her off the lead, but in my heart I believe that she is a dog who needs to run (sighthound cross) and that she is doing nothing more than following the instincts she was bred for. In the house she is the easiest hound to have around on the whole, contenting herself happily with a comfortable bed (usually mine!) and a crust should she hear the toaster in action.

On my mental list of things to do is ‘find new dog walks’ but I have yet to truly master the OS app and would really find it more fun to be shown by someone else. Is there such a thing as a dog walk ‘dating’ app I wonder?

Right ho, I’ll bid you farewell and a week full of things to make you smile…

With love, Vx

PS. Have also been reading ’s new book Home which in fairness accounts for some of the time not spent writing over the last couple of weeks! If you, like me, love your home and enjoy primping it then you’ll probably enjoy it too. xx

Hello,

I write today from West Yorkshire, Hebden Bridge to be precise, but more of that to come.

Back Home

Mallorca seems so far away already, it was truly lovely to get away at this time of year and while much of last week was spent working for Mike I was able to indulge in a little reading by the pool alongside some solo exploring. I could write about the cathedral, the Arab baths, the old town, the tapas, the wine, Chopin’s piano….. but I’m not a travel blogger and I don’t think that what you’re here for ?

To be honest, by the middle of last week I found myself missing an opportunity to do something with my hands beyond lifting food or drink to my face! I wished I had taken something creative and even found myself googling places where I could perhaps have done some throwing. The hotel we stayed in was just lovely and it felt utterly ridiculous to feel a little homesick, but I think I did. I missed Gertie and I felt slightly bereft without the girls here or any purpose beyond relaxing - turns out I find that quite tricky!

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We spent the weekend catching up in the house and garden, along with the inevitably enormous pile of post holiday laundry. Cressida (our mower robot) had clearly had an incident while we were away and needed a replacement part in order to function again, with great luck we were able to procure the missing piece and get her going again and she is happily keeping the grass under control once more. It was quite an investment to make but despite the odd hiccup it has been entirely worthwhile in order to have the lawn kept tidy without our involvement. Little does she know that I have plans for her greatest expanse of turf over the winter!

Up North

The reason I’m writing from the border of the Yorkshire Moors this evening is a day spent with Sarah Statham of Simply By Arrangement; Sarah is a flower designer and teacher, but also an excellent photographer and sharer of sage advice. I have wanted to attend one of her workshops for many years now, but have always had some date conflict or just missed a place, and I’m delighted to have finally met her in person. We spent a very happy day chatting and flower fettling (her expression), playing with some of her truly enviable ceramics collection; she generously allowed me to choose vessels from her stash in which to have a go with (I chose one made by the very talented Borja Moranta) and even snapped me with one of my arrangements. Check her Instagram stories for more photos.

Since my desire is to create beautiful pots in which to display the flowers I grow it felt important to have a bit more of an idea as to how I might go about putting it all together, and I have come away feeling reassured that I have at least the first clue of how to begin doing so. Now I simply need to be more successful in growing the blessed blooms!

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Homeward Bound

It’s a short missive this evening, for I’m tired and have a long journey ahead of me tomorrow- I guess finding a long drive potentially exhausting is a symptom of middle age - and I need to get a good night’s sleep.

As ever, I wish you a week ahead full of things that make you smile.

With love,

Vx

Hola from Mallorca again this week, I hope those of you in the UK have survived Storm Amy without too much damage? I know we’ve had a couple of trees down in the orchard and will discover more next weekend when we’re home.

I write to you today from the rooftop pool terrace of the lovely hotel in which we’re spending a few days while in Palma; it’s in the old town and I’m lying in the sunshine with a huge church flanking my right side, the stunning cathedral is just over my left shoulder and I’m enjoying every second of it as I can see the clouds gathering over the sea of rooftops to my left. There is a school on the opposite side of the square on which the hotel sits and I’m listening to children play in their rooftop playground - necessarily caged in to prevent loss of balls (or children!). I’m well aware of the dangers of too much sun on our skins, but apricating in the warmth of the autumn rays feels like banking some happiness for the winter months to come.

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En Famille

Our girls have left us now, returning home to work and their own lives, but it was just so lovely to have them both in our fold again for a week and indeed to get to know a boyfriend a little better. We chatted, ate, played games and explored the north of the island just a little.

All my life I have had a firm memory of something I wasn’t sure was real; of being a small child standing on the edge of a water pool in a cave, lights glowing, boats and music. I had nothing to which I could attach this vague recollection and while I may have mentioned it in passing to my parents I had perhaps never expressly asked them about it. However, while perusing how we might spend our time here I came across images of the Drach Caves and got goosebumps for I knew this must be the origin of my enduring vision; my parents confirmed that we had visited the caves when I was two or three years old. Clearly a rerun visit was on the cards and it was every bit as magical as my memory albeit amongst the inevitable hoards of tourists encountered everywhere these days. The short concert performed by musicians on a boat was really rather lovely since fearsome security guards diligently ensured no cameras (phones) we held aloft throughout.

The weather has been ‘mixed’ but we did enjoy an afternoon on the beach where instead of an ice cream vendor we were assailed by calls of “pineapple, mango, melon” and had enjoyed a juicy, sticky, fresh treat while gathering sand on our skin.

Hare Tails

Last week I briefly mentioned Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton which I’ve now finished. It is such a beautiful book chronicling Chloe’s experience of rescuing an leveret, and then ensuring its survival in the most hands off way. It left me longing to see a hare - an unlikely scenario whilst accompanied by Gertie on any walk - a not common in any case. So, while wandering around the garden of the villa last week in the heat of the day when something hopped out from a shady spot beneath a planter I told myself it must be a rabbit, but I did have a lingering doubt since rabbits would usually be in a burrow in the heat of the day. I kept looking out at the scrubland surrounding us, scanning for movement at dusk; I was not up at dawn (I am on holiday!) until our last morning when I spied something at the bottom of the garden. Watching carefully I made out one larger and one smaller long eared creature, I told myself I was deluding myself that they were hares yet I understand a rabbit wouldn’t bring her young out to graze. So, I am allowing myself to believe that the magic of a little knowledge of hares gave me the opportunity to recognise a serendipitous sighting - I’m still smiling.

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Jack of All Trades

Did you know this is the full expression? Until just a few days ago I did not, but how immensely reassured I am to know it, for as you know I have often worried about my inclination to try and juggle many interests at once. I can’t quite believe it has taken me until the ripe old age of 55 to learn this.

Right, I’m off in the hope that Mike will soon finish working (he’s never truly on holiday). I’m going do a little research in the hope of finding a pottery studio to visit and have a new book awaiting me on my Kindle.

I’m sending you sunny vibes and warm wishes for the week ahead.

With love, Vx

Hello,

I hope the last week or so has treated you well? I’ve somehow gained a few new subscribers to this newsletter, so welcome to you and thanks for tagging along. My greatest motivation for writing here is for the connections it gives me, so feel free to comment below or reply by email.

Stormy Weather

I’m writing to you from Mallorca where we are on holiday; we arrived on Sunday evening with both our daughters and a boyfriend and it’s just so lovely to have everyone together under one roof for a week. The weather is warm but a bit stormy and soggy - something we’ve come to expect on family holidays which have seen us encounter various unexpected and unusual weather events over the years. It matters not, we’re here to relax, take stock of life and allow ourselves time to dream.

The villa we’re staying in is just outside a small village south west of Alcudia, it’s pretty much in the middle of nowhere with no adjacent neighbours for us to disturb with our raucous jigsaw puzzling! I hesitated to bring a puzzle on holiday for it’s not very rock ‘n’ roll, but each one of us spent time yesterday completely immersed in seeking out the very specific piece required - success in doing so is a disproportionately satisfying thing.

Like all holiday villas we’ve ever encountered this one has its quirks (a huge number of fake roses displayed in each and every room!) but once the weather perks up it has a lovely pool area for us to enjoy. My only real gripe is the size of the bath towels - I do like a generously sized one in which to wrap myself post ablutions!

Yesterday afternoon, post siesta time, Mike and I set off to the supermarkets to procure supper, finding fresh herbs for the recipe I was determined to use was harder than we anticipated but we struck lucky in the fourth shop which happily supplied us with both basil and dill. The poached chicken salad recipe I’d seen on Instagram was delicious, so I’ll link it here in case you’d like some inspiration.

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In The Garden

The garden here is full of olive and citrus trees; I do love the glaucous leaves of the olive trees and while it will be sometime before those I planted in front of the garden room at home look this substantial it makes me glad I did so.

On the home front I could tell you that there is little more than the dahlias left flowering in the garden, but it’s actually amazing what can be found to cut when challenged to do so; a quick wander around the garden with my secateurs provided anemones, cosmos, hydrangeas and plenty of foliage. On Saturday evening we joined friends/neighbours for a Harvest Supper at which we were asked to contribute only homegrown or locally bartered items, it was an excellent idea and prompted much creative planting; though the peanut farmer was stymied and the wheat growers struggled we enjoyed a fabulous spread. We were able to contribute our sloe gin, a blackcurrant fool and a flower arrangement which was very satisfying.

In my usual way I haven’t yet got around to ordering all the bulbs I might like to see next Spring, but reassure myself that despite the endless email entreaties in my inbox there is time. I did sow Phacelia on the beds we’ve cleared in what will, I hope, be a more successful flower garden next year; it’s an excellent green manure that germinates easily and provides both ground cover to prevent some of the other weeds and soil nutrients.

In The Studio

It seems I failed to make any photographs of this week’s clay related endeavours, but I did manage to finish the footed vessels I’d been working on and get both them and a large rhubarb leaf into the kiln and fired before we left. I also tested a glaze combination that I’d wanted to try and think I’m happy enough with it to try it out on some bisque ware I have waiting.

I’m hoping to find some ceramic studios here in Mallorca to visit, it’s always so good to see how others work with the medium and where they take their inspiration from. On our return I’m really looking forward to testing out my raku kiln with a batch of Obvara, and then at some point in the future I am going to have to be really brave and try selling a few more things at which point you will, of course, be the first to know

Exposure

It struck me as I was thinking about the size of the bath towels here that I don’t like the feeling of being exposed, I feel the same way when sleeping below just a sheet - preferring the weight of a blanket or duvet to feel secure. I often question my purpose in sharing my life the way I do here and on Instagram, and frequently feel vulnerable about exposing myself in this way, but when chatting with Mike yesterday I told him that I’d prefer to be a creator than a consumer and it’s somehow stuck in my mind. What I share is very safe I know, mundane even, and perhaps I’ll become more courageous in sharing my opinions in the future, to show my face more often and even speak to camera - for I’ve done it all in the past, but these middle years are tricky to navigate aren’t they? We change in ways we don’t expect and it can be hard to make peace with them - maybe you can identify?

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Anyhow, in the spirit of being brave I took myself off to a Social for independent creative people on Friday and despite almost chickening out I had a lovely time!

Hasta Pronto

On that note I will sign off, wishing you a week ahead filled with the things that bring a smile to your face.

With love,

Vx

ps. I’m reading Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton which is beautiful - I recommend.

pps. A click on the ❤️ button will bring a smile to my face - thank you.