I had a good productive week.

This month so far I have made lots of things. When I say lots, I mean it. I have loaded the kiln for bisque firing.

Lower shelf

Top shelf

It was a busy but good week for me. Shy and quiet Forest boy I sent to LA on the Friday before, arrived there on Wednesday! That was quick! He went to the loving home of an artist.

Forest Boy - Sold

Emily is also in her loving home now.

Emily  - sold

Thursday evening we went to  PV at the Sidney Cooper gallery, to see the exhibition of old South east seaside photos. We had a good chat with Marianne and Chris who had visited Japan a few month ago.

Having tired from the night before, we went out for dinner on Friday. I had once a month steak-moment. We both got cheerful. :D

Yesterday morning, Mike finally made scones for us, using a recipe by Mary Berry. If you remember, I bought this special jam to try with scones. Even though I asked Mike to get a small tub of double cream, he bought the large one because he said they didn't sell small ones. So we had cream tea for lunch. Ow, it was delicious. Jam was lovely, but I must say I couldn't taste any champagne. And I have just noticed the label saying aristocratic fruit!I Is it from aristocratic soil?

   

Our dogs had a good walk yesterday. We went to see flowers on the meadow patches on campus.

Pearl found something, and she was very keen.

What's that? 

Topaz found something, too. And she rolled on that! 

Oh, something smells good!

As soon as we came home, we shampooed Topaz in the garden, and Pearl in the shower. Now both smell cheap chemical! :D

As Pumpkin the chicken looked at them whilst dust bathing herself, she thought dogs deserve shampoo and cheap chemical smell!   

Pumpkin the great chicken

   I hope you had a good weekend!

Floods in Canterbury

Hello everyone. Yesterday it was a lovely sunny day. In the afternoon, Mike and I took Pearl and Topaz to River Stour to see the flooding in Canterbury. We have had one or two typhoon-like storms a week for the last two months. The level of ground water is high and there have been lots of floods in Southern England including Kent. Luckily flooded area in Canterbury is limited to parking and parks.

River Stour  after diverge

Water level is high and current is strong. 

Water was hitting the point the river diverges hard, 

Westgate Gardens was closed due to flooding. So we headed for Sainsbury's where Mike saw flood in its car park earlier that day.

Riverside path

 Path is under water.

'Mum, we can't go farther!

 The reflection of the trees was beautiful. It is a bit strangely magical despite dotted rubbish bins!

Path is under water

The ray of sunshine was pointing at the bench.

Pearl and Topaz were not impressed.

'We can't walk. There aren't any squirrels. Boring.'

We went to the other side of the river. Trees were uprooted here and there.  

A big tree fell.behind swimming centre

Despite everything, crocus started flowering in our garden and everywhere. I love them. They are the herald of spring.

In the raised flowerbed at the river side

Walk in the Blean woods and Mike's peas

Hello everyone. How was your weekend? We had a hot one! Yesterday morning, I popped in the studio with Mike. He moved the second chicken sculpture into a kiln for me. After tweaking the back, I became a bit cautious. After that I had stayed at home, and kept myself cool, but Mike was busy doing errands.

In the afternoon, we took our dogs to Blean woods. I thought it would be cooler. It was in the shade. I was looking for the beach tree. We couldn't find it. Next time, I will re-trail the route we took last November.

a rotten tree

'Not only my ears are long, but my tongue, too!'

Our garden is full of wild birds. Amelanchier has lots of ripe berries. It attracts various birds, such as black birds, green finches and wood pigeons. Fruit trees attract blue tits, a flock of longtail tits and so on. There are of course, regulars, like sparrows, dunnocks and robins. We saw more birds in the garden than in Blean woods yesterday.

Young Black bird

Garden flowers are also in bloom. Silver flowers stand out under the apple trees. 

 Mike's veg are doing very well, too. We have harvested our first peas yesterday.

I popped peas out of the pods. Pearl stayed with me,  just in case I might drop some. Yes, I did! She loves peas. They are very sweet!

Mike's peas

 Mike cooked pasta with peas, spring onion and pancetta. The recipe is from the River cafe book. He only cooks this dish when our peas are in season. This year, we grew spring onions, too. So both are in this dish! Very delicious and quick to cook!  It goes well with Australian white wine.

Mike's pasta with pancetta, peas, and spring onion

A walk through Canterbury to the studio

Hello everyone. I walked to the studio today. It was another glorious day. Very sunny with cool breeze.

Westgate garden - Great Stour

 Westgate garden has been open to public for about 600 years.  It is one of the oldest English parks.

Westgate

I walked through two gardens. It takes five minutes longer than walking on the High street, but what a pleasure!

The office of the Lord Mayor

A gate to the garden behind

Backside of the building

When it is hot, people relax on the lawn.  Dogs were allowed on leads. This is the place Bargain Hunt often use for their end shoot when they come to the Canterbury auction.

I exit the garden from here.

This is the a back gate house.

The great Stour diverges to two in Canterbury. This is another branch of the river. This side used to have a couple of friaries.

I spent three hours in the afternoon and a couple of hours in the evening in the studio today. Disappointingly the chicken head I built doesn't look right on the body. So I will make the head from scratch again. I usually make smaller sculptures. When I make larger works, I have to change the building method, and that's when something could go wrong. It is a learning process, but still frustrating.

These two masks are finished, and waiting for the next bisque-firing. Yes, I made another cheeky rabbit and a mask inspired by a pot I made. : ) 

Cheeky rabbit with Topaz's ear tips

 I imagined if this vase were a human. : D

Beach walk and Ice baby guardian for Perin's baby

Hello everyone. We are having summer in England. It is so lovely! We took our dogs to the nearest beach, 10 minute's drive, this morning. Even though we got there before ten, it was already quite hot, well, just 23 C in fact, but sunny and no wind. Dogs didn't like it. They panted and didn't want to walk. It was too hot for them!

Whitstable beach

Just behind the beach, there is this house. This house has name, 'Fishermans arms'. I wonder how it got the name.

On the beach there are several flowers. Today I chose yellow ones. 

Probably Brassica family. 

This looks like poppy

Dogs didn't like walking. Topaz kept drinking water.

My black coat soaks up heat!

 Pearl kept sniffing around.

It smells of something here, here and here!

Once back home, they slept until late afternoon. 

Let a sleeping dog lie.

While dogs were asleep, I made this. Perin commissioned me to make Ice baby guardian for his baby. I am going to put some personalized motifs on the body, like plants and animals which have special meaning to him and his wife, Kath. I am thrilled to make this guardian for the new baby. I am putting lots of good wishes while I made him. I felt like I were a fairy godmother!  

Ice baby for Perin's baby, due in January

Progress on big chicken, and a lovely walk at the end of the hectic day.

Hello everyone. It has been hectic recently. I start working about seven in the bed, and usually finish about a half past nine in the evening. Of course, I will take lunch and dinner breaks, and I walk dogs twice between them. Yesterday and today I went to studio for a couple of hours. I should slow down a bit. June is supposed to be a quiet month for my day work, but not this year. As the Wimbledon starts, lots of business people go to see it, so it might become a bit quiet. You can see them in corporate boxes in jackets. : )

In the studio, I was assembling my chicken. I had to carry the head on my lap in the car.

A chicken head on my lap! 

Kind James helped me to try different angles.

He has a long  slim arm!

This looks better, but will it be safe?

So, the final attachment will be tomorrow.

I rushed back home just after NYSE opened. Financial markets have been volatile this year. That keeps me busy!  I quickly walked the dogs, and went back to work.

The market closes at a half past four. I needed to relax. I decided to take Topaz for a long walk to meet Mike. I was in such hurry that I only noticed that my jumper was on back to front after I had walked about 100 meters.  Uh-oh. I thought the neckline was a bit tight today. (Hair needs combing, too!)

My back to front jumper

 On the way back, we noticed this.

Balancing logs

 Topaz was very happy. She was hopping and jumping in the long grass. She had a good walk!

'I feel as if I were a puppy again! '