home sweet home in strange days – In a Vase on Monday

‘The sun at home warms better than the sun elsewhere’ Albanian Proverb

We are living in strange times, every week brings changes and grim news.   I am trying to stay in the moment, focus on the things I can influence – keeping me and my family safe, helping friends where I can and being kind – kind to myself too.  The sun is still shining, the flowers still bloom and Spring is here – and it’s warm.  I am grateful for so much in my life at the moment.

In a Vase on Monday – daffodils, tulips and wallflower

I took these photos of this week ‘In a Vase on Monday’ on a glorious Monday afternoon.   It was taken right outside our patio door in the late afternoon sun, there’s no filter on these photos.  The flowers are:

• tete a tete daffodils
• a very frilly daffodil – same size as tete a tete
• red, cream and an orange tulip
• yellow wallflower

As usual, I’ve lost the labels.

Any suggestions from the tulip lovers among my readers? 

I’m definitely taking photos of the seed packets I’m planting at the moment so at least I’ve got a record.

Thanks to past me for planting so many tulips – I’ve got more coming through over the next month or so.  I’ve got my fingers crossed for more vases 🙂

I’m joining Cathy from Rambling in the Garden who has gone for a green and white palet this week with some lovely, frilly white narcissi – In a Vase on Monday – stark contrast. It’s a simple idea, pick flowers and plants from your location and place them in ‘vase’

Join us next week?

I’ve been doing this on and off for over five years.  It helps me to focus on the moment, the flowers, acknowledge the changes in my garden and remind me how far I’ve come.   Twice over the last five years, I’ve spent weeks at a time around my house and garden, when I was unwell, recovering and working from home.  I replenished my resilience, found new routines and activities. I found what mattered to me creatively too.  My Chap, my garden and yoga were always there.

Green raku vase made at CreateBolton – www.createbolton.org.uk

I glazed this pot at CreateBolton in 2018 – it’s raku glazing.  I had the most fabulous day layering the glazes, drying and then firing the pots.  It involved firing in an outdoor kiln, plunging the hot pots into sawdust and newspapers, covering with metal buckets – and waiting. You don’t know how the pot will come out until it’s cooled in water, scrubbed and cleaned up – everyone had such different results.
I enjoyed it so much I went back again in early 2019 – it was a wet day and the glazes came out very different to this – much more red and not as shiny due to less oxidation.  I must upload more photos of what people made 🙂

raku kiln – blue oil drum, propane gas fired.

That’s the thing with pottery, you never ‘quite’ know how it will turn out – all sorts can go wrong in the first firing, the glazing, the second firing – cracks and colour changes.  Obviously it is much easier to control things with an electric kiln – CreateBolton have two.

I’ve been watching the Great Pottery Throwdown this Spring.  I have so much respect for the potters and the gorgeous pieces they made, the triumphs and the disasters.   Definitely my kind of reality TV.

I’ve written about pottery at CreateBolton on this blog. I enjoy pottery but I can’t do any throwing as it’s too much for my arthritic hands.  I can glaze pieces and do hand build project; here’s a selection.

• Never too late to be creative – flowers, silver clay jewellery, beads, pottery
• Making a pottery Daisy – Miniature Roses In a Vase on Monday
• Make a clay garden planter with lace decoration

Our week in lockdown

Since last week’s vase, I’ve been furloughed for 2 months with just one day’s notice, so I had many handover notes and briefings to do.  I wasn’t surprised and fully behind this move.  I understand why the organisation did this in these very uncertain times. I’d been working from home with the rest of the small team for a couple of weeks. I’ve worked at home often in previous roles.  Frankly, it was a relief not to get on the tram to go to work – I could feel my anxiety levels rising.  So I’m joining My Chap on furlough too – he’s expecting at least two more months.

I am hoping not much will change for us – we are following the rules, taking care of ourselves and others.  We like pottering in the garden, there’s plenty of DIY for My Chap to do, he has his guitar, we both love cooking too.  We are listening to music, watching films, masterchef and cookery programmes.  We are happy in each others company and we are #bettertogether.

I’m also enjoying my one hour a day walk and watching the blossom trees open up around our neighbourhood.   I fear that outdoor exercise will be curtailed soon because of the numpties who can’t follow the rules… ho hum.  We are so fortunate to have our little garden and I can see three gorgeous blossom trees from my front door.

However, I’d remind everyone to do what they can, follow the rules, be kind and together we will get through this.

Carpe Diem,

Love Bec xx