'Snow Dog'

Always love Hayling Island, but it was extra specially lovely today as the sunshine was so warm, the water clear and and the light sparkling.

Flo is sporting her new hair cut and clearly enjoyed the expanse of beach and getting her feet wet.  Topped off with a picnic on the breakwater and an ice-cream…..an unexpected delight.

This creation was meant to be a Christmas pressie, but when I finished it today I was laughing so much I couldn’t keep it to myself.  Also, where on earth would I hide such an enormous hat!…..I’m not sure it would fit under the bed!

I followed the pattern exactly, even managing my first ever ‘Purl’.  It is technically sound, which I am very impressed by and the pompom is beautiful (although also maybe a bit large).  Perhaps I used the wrong chunky wool, maybe the pattern was an April Fool, but one thing is for sure….I have created a monster!

If the pompom swings, it is likely to pull poor Julian off centre….“Oh Dear Sir, you seem to have fallen over, are you ok……Oh yes, I’m fine……it’s just my rather enormous hat!”.

Shall I been mean and make him wear it?……..not when out with me obviously.  Or I could cut make a hole in either side and make a fetching tea cosy.  Actually, does anyone have a tea pot big enough?

Although I am suffering from Potters Blokc, it is reassuring to know that my flare for bizzare creations is not restricted to ceramics…..it also rears it’s ugly head in wool……

The phone give you some idea of the scale of this knitted wonder.

The sweet chilli jam recipe is perfect as the main ingredients are chillies, peppers and tomatoes….as you can see, I had plenty of these…..so it’s a real potted triumph of this years greenhouse successes.

Chilli Fiesta

Sweet Peppers

Lovely tomatoes

More chillies...on the way to the airing cupboard for drying

Sweet chilli jam....a true greenhouse triumph.

Great to see this project through to the (almost) final stages.  It seems a while ago that Geoff and Julian were eyeing up the apple blossom and fantasising about brewing their own magical cider.  The next and final stage is probably the most significant….the tasting, but for that you will have to wait at least another 3 months.

What better way to prepare yourself for a 12 hour flight to Hong Kong and 6 month exploration of Asia and South America than some hard-core apple pressing.  Thanks James for your help…..we will try to save you a bottle for your welcome home.

The taste of the juice was supurb….if it ends up an alcoholic version of that….we are onto a winner….

Must mention Mr Todd, the next door neighbour who kindly donated the press and masher after many years of enjoyable use himself (I wonder if he is also after a bottle??  with 14 gallons, I think we can spare one!)  I wonder if he ever attempted to press 125kg of apples in one go….I did only notice 1 tree in his garden.  There was some mention of wishing for a larger press….i.e. one of those ones you see that is powered by a dizzy donkey….but that would have spoilt the fun and ‘hands on’ participation.

Good fun….hoping for ‘drinkable’ cider and impressed that we have managed to make more Food (drink) For Free….

The press in action.....steady flow of lovely apple juice being collected in the bucket below.

The apple masher.....harder than it looks (apparently!!)

The press full of mashed apples, ready to do it's thing....

It can't be that hard...Geoff is smiling! or is that because we are getting near the bottom of the crate of apples.....oh nope....there's another dustbin full....

Refuelling the press...

More pressing....

All hands on deck now as we near the end of the apple chopping.....this is the last batch to go in the masher.

Phew....Julian is smiling now the mashing has finally come to an end

Squeeze out the last few drops...

Wey Hey.......that's it. 14 gallons of lovely apple juice.....which will hopefully turn into delicious cider.

We just have to wait and see now.......at least 3 months of patience in store (is it me....or is it a funny colour?)

This batch was named 'Strictly P***ed'......they are hoping it will be ready in time for the Strictly Come Dancing final....traditionally a rather drunken affair...although usually confined to cocktails!

All pressing completed in time to wave the intrepid explorer off on his 6 month tour of Asia and South America. He's hoping by helping today, we'll save some for his return....I guess it all depends on how good it tastes. If there is some left for you James at the end of March......maybe it wasn't that good?!

I have never paid much interest to these little blighters….Sloes, the fruit of the Blackthorn tree.  Unpalatable direct from the tree, they are intensely bitter.  I hear some sugar and a litre of gin sorts that out though, so we are giving Sloe Gin a whirl.  Add it to the growing collection of Blackberry Vodka, Rhubarb Schnapps and Apple and Cinnamon Schnapps, and I think we will be fine if we get snowed in again this winter!

It is suggested that the best time to pick sloes is after the first frost, as this reduces the bitterness, but who know when this will be and whether other eager hunter gatherers will have got their first (doubt it!),  so we’ve picked them already and stuck them in the freezer overnight instead.

As usual, far too many sloes were picked, about 4, so we also now have Sloe and Apple jam, and the rest were given away to other experimental gin makers…..

The recipe is as follows, you need to shake it every couple of days for the first month, then leave it for 3 months (in time for Christmas) to a year to mature.

450g Sloes

70cl Cheap Gin (I used Tesco value)

100g Granulated sugar

2-3 drops almond essence (optional)

Picked nearly 3kg of blackberries on Sunday.  Poor Flo thought she was going for a walk, but instead stood bemused as we kept stopping to delve into the thorny undergrowth to retrieve juicy berries.  A successful walk if measured on fullness of bucket, but not if scoring on miles travelled.  She doesn’t seem to like blackberries either, so not much to interest her at all.

What delectations can be produced with such a mass of free fruit…..well stand aside Paul Hollywood from the Great British Bake Off, who said blackberries are not ideal in cakes.  This blackberry and apple cake……oh yes…with crumble topping would give you a run for your money.   With the rest we have a bounty of blackberry jam and in time for Christmas, a little tipple of blackberry vodka….. and there was still some left to put in the freezer for a blackberry and apple pie treat sometime soon.

It is apparently a bumper year for Autumn fruits due to the late Spring and early heat wave.  We’ve certainly been making the most of the harvest.  Julian was also relishing in the prospect of ‘puffball on toast’ for Sunday lunch, having foraged a few from the common on the way home…….luckily he thought he would check first in the fungus book before smothering them in butter and garlic and was disappointed to find out that what he collected were in fact the far less palatable and indeed poisonous Earthballs.  Identifiable by their black insides.  He had to plump for a ham and cheese toasty instead, but at least he was rewarded with blackberry cake for afternoon tea…..

Colander No. 1

Jam Making

Quickest and easiest jam ever. 30 mins - all done.

Blackberry and Apple Cake.......one to lock the door and eat in private!

Blackberry Vodka

After a pot free month, a few disasters in the kiln, some glimmers of hope, but mostly pots worthy of the bin, I have diagnosed myself with ‘Potters Block’.  I am also shocked to see that my last blog post was a month ago.  It’s not that there has been no activity, just that it has not been pottery related.  I will share my pickling and preserving delights with you later…..

One person has described it as a ‘Creative Slump’……a term I can relate to, but reassuringly goes on to say he came out the other side of it a better painter (maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel?)

Some research puts forward the following (non-exhaustive) suggestions as offerings of help:

• Do something entirely different for a while (doesn’t say how long!….there is only so much jam one can make….)
• Try to remember that it’s just a pot and nothing more. The world will not end if your pot comes out badly….am used to this…..
• Whisky?  (again doesn’t say how long for…..)
• Doodle….
• Imagine the pot in your mind without touching a piece of clay.
• Start with something small and simple
• Work in a group (tried this, but ended up chatting and eating cake….made nothing! – (had nice time though)
• Be reassured that it is normal and the drought will come to an end
• Clean up your studio…..(not that desperate yet!)
• Copy the work of someone you like….tried this….funnily enough…did not end up with a replica Picasso : (
• Indulge yourself in other work that appeals to you

I particularly like this website which gives tips for helping with creative block.  Press F5 each time for a new tip. http://creativeblock.monomoda.com/

Someone else suggest that his creative blocks usually occur when there is “nothing to feel down about or he feels happy with life”. Well maybe this is true, where does that leave you when the only thing that is getting you down….is the lack of pot production……