Green Fingers

On Friday I delivered a pottery order to Birds of a Feather on Main Street, and thats when my temperature started to climb. Because the sun is back out on a regular basis and I think everyone around town has a case of March Madness. One of my first symtons is always a craving for nasturiums. On the way to Bonnie's I stopped at our garden center and found myself swooning over bags of compost and flowered garden gloves, which I never wear. I like to get soil on my hands and my knees damp through my jeans.

For the last few years I've been using the Hit or Miss gardening method. I have planted and lost, but I am not deterred. All arrows point to woody herbs, shrub roses, scented geraniums and the afore mentioned golden lovliness of nasturtiums.They grow so well here that I feel like an accomplished gardener as I tuck them in every available space around the fence. Even though I know in my soul of souls that even Charlie Brown could succeed with them. All my garden horizons are dripping with froths of Magnolias in blossom, clematis exploding over doorways, and cabbage roses so enormous I could lay my head on them to rest from all my gardening glories. In the meantime I've got the rustics.

I left the garden displays long enough to take pictures of some of the lovlies Bonnie collects for her shows. A gardening friend.

This is only a smattering of the ribbon.

A rural looking bird cage that relembles a cottage.

Can a person get heart palpitations over a garden hat? Yes, I'm living proof they can.

http://www.2birdsofafeather.com/

Candlesticks from Bonnies. With dark cherry wood showing through worn putty colored paint.
And though my house is beginning to be mistaken for a florists shop, I couldn't resist the potted deliciousness of this homespun nasturium, 'Black Velvet' . Its so much more than a pretty face.

I wanted to share Lesley's work from Bird Ahoy. I sure was fortunate to win this beautiful necklace of carved stone, which is so light! The stone is carved with a key, and the second stone asks as a fastener. Simple and the kind of piece that goes with everything. The earrings too, light and simple, and a surprise from Lesley, they are going to go with all the grey I wear. Yup, love the greys. Thanks so much, Lesley! Both pieces are beautiful.

http://www.birdahoy.blogspot.com/

http://www.birdahoy.etsy.com/

Spring

The Spring comes in

when no one is looking.

You're lying in bed

with a cold in your head,

Or you may be cooking;

Putting new covers on the chairs,

When, suddenly, taking you unawares,

A thrush in the orchard starts to sing,

and once again, you have missed the spring.

Reginald Arkell

xx and happy planting

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Keeper of the Bees

For the past year I've been peering closely at my rosemary plants conducting my own personal bee count. Good news first. Bee count is up. But I'm biting my lip because I've given the lavender and rosemary bushes free reign, and they've taken over the front garden, along with a robust mint. All three are rudely pushing all comers out of thier way. But the bees are happy.

Support your local beekeepers. If you eat local honey, it fends off allergies. Then there is a natural antibacterial bonus too, so slather plenty on your biscuits. Beekeepers do, and that working group suffers less from arthritis than any other worldwide.Bees are drawn to blue flowers. The girls are obviously aware it shows off their yellow stripes to best advantage.
Pots of edible honey have been unearthed from Egyptian tombs. So I guess its safe to finally uncork this dark honey from Ambleside that I've been saving for ten years.


There's fun in the community too. The worker bees preform a circular dance in a particular direction according to the position of the sun. This tells the other workers the direction and distance to the closest nectar source. Bee's like yellow flowers too. Brilliant of them.

Keeping modesty in mind, I do think the bees approve of me. I rescue them when they zig-zag into my studio and I shun pesticides in my garden. On a grander helping scale, enourmous swaths of farmlands in europe have been designated as 'Recovery zones' to help against the collapse disorder, where nectar bearing plants flourish without pesticides. And in 2008 the Beekeepers of England in their protecive suits, and even carrying thier smokers, descended on Parliment and marched to Ten Downing Street to hand over a petition demanding more research for what was called in the 19th century 'Dwindling disease'. And its working. The losses are down 20 percent in the last year. I did a bee dance all my own when I read that news.

This plate, painted with a super that looks just like a clapboard cottage, is the image I painted on my very first piece of pottery. I'm still painting them every spring.

I am not at peace, though. I hanker after one of my own bee houses, vibrating with activity. And one of these wide brimmed hats with the flowing netting. If my neighbors call me the mad beekeeper of Cambria, so be it. In fact, maybe I'll get my first tattoo (strictly henna) to commemorate my hive. A bee? a skep?

nuh-uh. Just the beekeepers motto and the three words that I adore: Nothing Without Labor.

Now and then the honey bee

Laden with her treasure

Darting from the clover blooms

Hums her drowsy measure.

xx

julie

For Mr. Toast!
www.goodteatoo.blogspot.com

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Farm fresh

Lately, I've been giving some serious leeway to my inner farm girl. Planting mounds of bulbs, filling the pantry with dry goods and painting roosts of chickens. Its my grandpa who is responsible. He who always smelled like half and half pipe tobacco and could be found in his woodshop or tending his sprawling garden. If I prodded, he'd tell me stories of life on Lakeview Farm in Munsonville. Tapping maple trees for syrup, then boiling what had dripped into the tins in vast kettles on the cast iron stove. Gathering blueberries, which his mother put to use by making a few pies before breakfast on a New Hampshire morning, before the family set their hands to the milking.

Here are a few unwritten codes to being a farmie.

1. Homemade jam on your toast, yellow flowers in the house, and very strong tea. I let mine steep until the spoon stands right up in the cup.

2. Chickens are treasures and the backbone of the farm. They even have names; Hannah, Billy, Maude. And Goliath for the rooster.

3. No turning your nose down at cracked dishes. "There's life in the old girl yet" is the farmer's refrain.There's the man himself. After working the farm all day, him and his brother would creep down the stairs with their ice skates , join their friends and jump barrels on Granite Lake. Grandpa held the record, thirteen barrels. Just takes momentum, moonlight and New Hampshire grit.

By the way, I don't care if I'm pushing it, I've decked out the house for spring. Can you get any more farmy that this? I guess you could, if there were some live chickens in this shot.

I might not be able to watch as grandpa digs around his potato vines, or listen while he helps with the washing up while Burl Ives croons on the Hi Fi, but every time I plant a bulb, roll out pie dough or even paint a chicken, I sometimes smile to myself. I'm a farmie at heart, just like him.

Happy early spring

xx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Like two birds

Yesterday, we decided to fly away, just the Mister and I.

First, I cut a boquet, the first of this year.
I pulled a scarf from the rack by the front door.........

We boarded our donkey. (Wait, that part I made up.)

And like two birds we flew away.

I needed to stop at the ranch to see if the white pelicans were back. They were not, but I did have a stare down with a squirrel. He won.

I stalked the wine section at Cost Plus, and evesdropped while the clerk raved to a customer about a certain red, the best they had at the moment. It just so happened thats exactly what I needed for Saturday night supper.

Stopped at the beach too. The big waves tossed up more rocks than I'd ever seen there.

More seaweed than ever before too. Enormous tentrils, wrapped around the rocks like vines

Home again, home again. My prized bottle of wine, to go with
steak, brussel sprouts and scalloped potatoes. Shortbread for dessert

And for our winged friends, that's fresh wild birdseed in the jar.

Happy Saturday friends!

xx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

A Cup a Day

A cup a day. A vessel, beaker, potion, goblet, mug, demitasse, chalice and taster. Every day. That is the plan. To be posted on Flickr, starting tomorrow morning with this cup.

Now this is supposed to look like a piece of patched material. So loved by its owner that she couldn't bear to throw it away, and added snippets of fabric to the worn spots. The fact that its clay is just a side issue.

Here is something from the Victoria and Albert Museum. Its so delicate, so eighteenth century. Can you imagine holding a butterfly for a handle? I can, and there is already one made and drying in the sun, which is gratefully beaming on us again after six inches of rain this week.

V and A again. Designs for cups. about 1800.

From the pinnacle of design, to this humble enameled cup, made in Mexico.

And just in case you wondered, the word 'cup' is from middle English, 'cuppe' about 1150.

Now its my pleasure to introduce you to someone, just in case you haven't met.

I wanted to tell you about Viv at Hens Teeth, in case you didn't know her works. I'm holding a needlecase here, so beautifully crafted and the best size, the kind of needlecase that makes you run for your sizzors and pin cushion so you can get started Making.
The back is just as pretty as the front. Viv and I swopped. I feel very lucky today that she likes my pottery.

I'm going to use this sketchbook for my cup designs. All these stitches are single thread, the craftsmanship is stellar and the size again is just right for sketching. The papers are a wonderful quality. Viv's blog is delightful and links to her Etsy shop.

http://www.hensteethart.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping in for a visit, and wishing you a very happy, healthy 2010

xx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Winter Bird festival

Over 200 species of birds. That is the winter bird count in Morro Bay, on the Central coast of California. The Audobon Society lists it as one of the top five areas for birding in the United States. So where do you think I took myself on Friday, along with my husband and sister? To the Winter Bird Festival right down the road.

There's sighting walks, and boat rides, hikes, and a Common Room with bird related things for sale. This work above is by a pottery friend, Paula Teplitz. I thought seriously about one of her mortar and pestles to grind herbs. Aren't they wonderful?

I turned a little dizzy I looked through so many books.

Here's the one I chose. And one of Paula's tiny cups painted with a beetle.

In the late afternoon I did a little birdwatching on my own. Can you see the group of birds sitting on the rock? Black cormorants. This rock is usually crammed with white pelicans, so this was an interesting sighting.

Here's the ranch where I go birding, just a couple of blocks from our house

Looks like I found a bird egg. But its a sea rock, rolled and tossed into an egg shape over many years at sea.

It came home with me too.

The Bird Festival is every mid January in Morro Bay. If you want to attend, I'll share the best places to camp or stay, and restaurants too. Don't forget your birding binoculars.

xx

julie

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com

Away away

Last night I dreamed
that I was swept
up to the blue
where stars are kept

It could be the flocks of birds I've seen lately, or some I've been making out of clay, or maybe I'm just feeling happy at the start of this new year. It seems as clear and lucid as a pool of fresh rainwater.

I've been dreaming alot about flying. I looked it up, and the combined wisdom writes that meanings include: Inspriation, relief from tension, or striving for something better.

And of course the desire to get away, for a bit, and just soar up there.

So tuck a bird feather under your pillow and dream away, and I promise you'll land safely again.

Listing today in my shop, some flying pieces and down to earth ones too.

xx

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com