Red riding hood, wolf and snow

Hello everyone. What a cold March here in England! They say it's the coldest in 50 years. We had snow yesterday. Maximum temperature is 1-4 C, just above freezing. This weather will continue to this week. We may have White Easter!

It's the start of one month break from the University. I am planning to go to the studio as often as I can during the holiday. This weekend I have had a great fun creating my little world. I started with Peter, then Red riding hood and the wolf.  

Red riding hood

 She has a little rabbit button I made in summer.

The wolf. 

Topaz reluctantly posed for me when I made this wolf. She seemed to say "Why Pearl models for a pretty whippet, and I for the wolf?" But when I gave her extra cookies for the work, she seemed convinced that it's not as bad as she thought.

Ah? Peter? I forgot to take a photo of him!

Yesterday morning, we, fab four (Mike, Midori, Topaz and Pearl) ventured to walk to the post office in the snow. I am so glad that lots of people have taken the advantage of the current cheap shipping. I have been to the post office everyday last week to ship orders. After Easter, shipping will increase due to the Royal Mail price increase. So if you have something in mind, this week is the last chance to get them from my Etsy shop with the current shipping fees. 

Church next to the post office

No sign of cherry blossom.

Good night from the eternal winter of Canterbury.

The cat and the whippet who sits on my chair

Hello everyone. It has been very cold here in Kent. There has been a freezing dry wind blowing. The wind reminds me of that in Tokyo in the winter. Tokyo winter is often sunny, but it is bitterly cold due to the Siberian wind.

I have been busy preparing for tomorrow evening's presentation lately. I am almost ready. Tomorrow I will pack all my sculptural works. I hope nothing will break during transit! Although I wanted to take photos of assembled works, as I mentioned earlier, I was not able to because it was too dark, and because I haven't got a set up for a larger work ( I just found!). Mike offered to help me tomorrow afternoon when he will be off work.

So all I could show is the cat. It is now complete. I like him! He reminds me of the last cat I had in Japan a long time ago.

Cat

The middle part is going to be reduction fired, and others are oxidation. That's a plan.

When outside is like this...

Yesterday morning

The best thing is to snuggle up with a warm whippet! Pearl comes up to my office every afternoon to share my chair. It was ok when she was smaller. Now I have to perch at the edge of my chair, still being pushed out gradually.

Moi? 

She always puts her tongue out when I take photos. She seems to feel a camera pointed is threatening, even though I do my best baby talk to make her relax!

The magic of snow.

Hello everyone. Snow has half melted. A funny thing is that items suddenly appear from under the snow during the walk. There was a candy still wrapped in a pink paper, a woolie hat, a woolie glove and so on. Roads are muddy with melting snow. But our dogs are happy either way.

I would like to show you the photos I took during a walk with Pearl yesterday. Topaz had a back ache, so I left her at home (thankfully she is back to her old self today). This is the University of Kent ground. Both Mike and I graduated from it, and I have known this scenery for 20 years, and Mike 30 years. Even so, under snow, it's another world. It looks magical.  

The first field with the oak tree.

Left side

The second field

Wooded area

Pearl found a mole hill.

My favourite area with sliver birches. 

Two trees together.

We are on the way home now. This is the oak tree you saw in the first photo. Pearl was nicely tired. Topaz was jealous. But don't worry, I took her for a quick short walk afterwards.

Pearl with the oak tree.

The magic of snow is over, at least, for now.

Snow!

Hello everyone. Yesterday it snowed all day until late evening. Our dogs, Topaz and Pearl, were very happy. They love running around in the snow. They pulled all of the way to the University field just a minute's walk from our house.

Pull pull pull!

Another turn, we will be at our playing field!

After running, we graze frozen grass. 

But it was too much for Topaz. She is nine years old. She must have tweaked something. Both had slept and rested so well until later in the afternoon.  Pearl was keen to go out again. We let her run, but we kept Topaz on the lead. Pearl ran with a large spaniel, and also went to greet a terrier. She sniffed everywhere. She even retrieved a dog biscuit she had dropped in the morning!

Sniff sniff sniff, I can smell something good!

Pearl will come back once she hears 'Biscuit!. People think she is called Biscuit!

Give me a biscuit!

Grazing again.

We, humans, did some throwing on a potter's wheel, but we both couldn't make anything much. The clay was too soft. In the evening we did some mega cleaning of our studio. It was overdue. We felt positive to reclaim space!

Everyone has their own memory of snow. Mike said when he was boy, he rushed out to play with a sledge, as soon as it was deep enough. When I was young girl, my favourite thing to do in the snow was to look up to the sky to see how snow flakes fell. It was mesmerising and infinite. I felt it was similar to see inside folded mirrors. Soon I realised that there was rhythm in their falls. But once a while, a bit of wind picked up; they suddenly change their dance. They added more twirls and swirls in their steps. It was in total silence, but if I tried so hard I could almost hear their footsteps, or were they their whispers? What is your memory of snow?      

More snow and Mike's baking

Snow on Japanese acer buds

 We had about 15cm snow.

Topaz sprained her right front foot (lifted)

Mike's baking - Fruit bread and walnut cookies

My favourite! Close-up of Walnut cookies.

Carrot cake without carrots (substituted by apples and raisins)

Snow!

Mummy pulling a sledge

A dove on a lamp post

Camelia

Whippet foot print and tail print!

Whippet foot print and tail print (front)

Happy Mike

Cordyline in the snow

Mike and girls

Run!(Topaz chasing Pearl)

On the campus

Two laughs, and how to make a carrot cake without carrots

When I woke up this morning, there was a bit of snow on the ground. Mike told me that the ground was very slippery, obviously there is ice below the snow, when he took our dogs out first in the morning.

Pigeon's foot print

I looked out of the window, and remember that when I was a very sleepy child, my mother used to say ' It's snow!' to wake me up. It did work for a while, I used to jump out of the bed to run to a window. When she said 'It's snow!' in July, I finally realised that I grew up, and said 'Whatever!'. That morning was the beginning of my adulthood.

Brrr Cold!

When we took dogs for morning walk, Mike made some noise. I looked back, Mike was on his bottom! I laughed out loud. He seems to be likely to fall often. He insisted it wasn't a fall, but he was pulled over by excited Topaz....

How to make a carrot cake without carrots

After having had pasta in leek and bacon cream sauce at lunch, Mike started baking carrot cake. He measured ingredients and mixed some, then shouted into the fridge, 'Where are those carrots?'. Ahhh, I used them to cook fried rice a couple of days ago. 'But there were loads!' I used them all. 'How could I make a carrot cake without carrots?' he moaned. I laughed out loud again. Today must be my laughing day! I suggested that him to used sultanas and apple instead. It was delicious, and I didn't find much difference from genuine carrot cake in taste!!! We have already had a half.

Mike threw cups on the wheel, and I started decorating two my models. I continued for about three hours, had a rest watching a rugby match (England won!), and continued until now, half past nine in the evening. I will do the rest tomorrow.

10cm snow is forecast here in Kent. I will take some photos of snow tomorrow. Now I peeked from the window, snow has already started. Keep warm, everyone! Good night.