I like this kind of day, when there’s a good balance to my activities. As usual I have been making work because there’s an incentive – I am a procrastinator. Some lovely person wants one of my large ‘Watering Can-ards’ right away. I thought I had all of February but now Ron Kong at Circle Craft says she’d actually like to take it with her on a flight on Feb 19th. Hmm. I have almost a kiln load this time so I am going to try to get it made and fired by then. I threw the 3 parts on Tuesday, assembled them yesterday and pulled a large handle. Today the handle is on and I’ll leave the bird to even out overnight. If I can get it painted tomorrow and get it drying then well, I have a chance to make it.

Meanwhile I had a trailer load of composted horse manure delivered here on Tuesday, and spread all over my flower beds. My long-suffering perennials will be so grateful come the Spring! The tulip bulbs that have managed not to be eaten by squirrels were already showing their optimism and I’m sure can push their shoots through the manure. I have a very few snowdrops up and now a crocus. My Ottawa cousin plans to visit on Monday so of course I want to make her jealous of our climate.

Today felt good because even though we had frost last night today has been cloudless. I completed that big bird, put a handle on another, assembled a bird-feeder (I’ve decided that as I get so much fun watching birds at mine I will make some for friends who come to my Open Studio in April) and then cleaned the red earthenware clay out of my wheel. It is now ready for me to throw with stoneware for a hoped-for salt firing in March. Then I went outside to take the first dry pieces down to my kiln and stayed out to rake up leaves from under my Arbutus tree. Cuppa tea now and I hope to get back to the studio where 2 jugbirds are ready to be painted. Rain is forecast for tonight and for the next few days but that’s just fine!