Day Four

The frost was the craziest I've ever seen this morning after the freezing fog, with massive spikes covering everything.
That's not a close-up picture above - those little spikes are about 10-15mm long each.

The world was pure white.
I was ridiculously overjoyed to find the ducks had laid two eggs after going on strike the last while - a source of food! Hurray! I won't starve.
Other things I've learned - don't make porridge in the microwave. (Even if you couldn't be bothered defrosting the gas...)
...beetroot cake is still delicious the second day...
...beetroot soup is also still delicious on the second day (but I'm wondering if day 3 and 4 might find it less appetising)...
...I'm thankful that I kept these measly pots of coriander - they are my only fresh veg now...(except for the stick of celery, but I'm saving that for tomorrow's dinner - curried celery...delightful...and seems an apt meal for budget day tomorrow)...

I'm also wondering did the government manage to arrange this - the biggest distraction from bailouts and the budget they could possibly have imagined...Suspicious.

Snowed in...

Day three...not quite at stir-crazy stage yet...the last of the fresh veg is gone...the fruit ration has three satsumas left...beetroot soup made...beetroot cake made (actually a great recipe and particularly good with orange blossom icing)...many bean based meals already eaten....many bean based meals to come...much defrosting of gas done...much defrosting of ducks done...

That's the road below...
'nuff said.

'Tis beautiful of course too. But also bonkers - after last year's month-long cold snap it seems strangely normal to be snowed in. There's enough food to last me several months, as long as I'm happy to live on bread, prunes and legumes, the water is finally drinkable and I've got the cats to talk to ("Oh no" says you, "the solitude is getting to her, she's talking to the cats!" "No, no" says I, "sure I was always talking to the cats.")

Anyway, I thought I'd put some pictures up, seeing as I've no excuse now for not updating the blog! I hope you are all warm and cosy somewhere.

SENDHELP
SOON!!!

Ceramics and light

There's been some beautiful skies recently, between the rain and wind (of which there has been plenty.)The forest park, just a few minutes down the road, was looking particularly gorgeously autumnal last week when I took this. Since then the trees have turned another corner and begun looking more wintery. The light here has been amazing.
I have been making ceramics, and am in love with the colours of some of the glazes.
Tiles for the bathroom, candlesticks for the craft shows.
I love the depth of colour in the spots below - its hard to tell in the photo, but when you look closely, its almost impossible to say what colour the glaze is - there are yellows and blues and reds. It reminds me of colour in nature - it is so rarely one single colour, but many varied hues that make a colour up.

Put a lid on it

I will have a couple of pieces in an exhibition made entirely within jars in the Galway Arts Centre next week called Put a lid on it.

Here they are - a giant felt tooth and a tiny house complete with lighting.
I was quite pleased with the felt tooth - it had a few adventures before heading off to Galway. Here's a shot for size.