It’s been a month since I last wrote a blog. The day after TriCity Potters’ November meeting Alan and I left for Cuba. We joined a ten-day Art Tour sponsored by UBC’s Museum of Anthropology which took us to Havana, and rural towns to get a feel for the country and to see museums, the Art School and to meet artists who mainly work in the Afro-Cuban tradition. The country is fascinating and we learned lots, but sadly the trip was compromised for me because I must have picked up a bug on the outgoing flights, then Al and I and 1/3 of the group were attacked by food poisoning which lost us two days of interesting expeditions and the remaining days I just didn’t feel like my usual enthusiastic, energetic self. Too bad. When I have time I will prepare a Picasa album of our photos. Al has taken some excellent ones.

After all that my doctor says that we were then vulnerable and we caught a non-flu-shot-variety of flu and only now am I getting back to normal speed. Sadly I had to miss TriCity Potters’ annual party on Dec 10th but I’m told they had a fun evening. And we planned to fire the salt kiln last week but Dave and Herman kindly agreed to postpone until now.

So finally I glazed the inside of my bisqued pots the other day, applied wadding to all the work yesterday and spent some of today rolling up the required salt burritos. This time they each contain 1/2 lb of rock salt and I’ve made fifty so we could use as much as 25 lbs. In the firing last February we only needed about 17 lb, I seem to remember, so we’ll just be guided by the draw-rings. I must admit to being very excited.

Meanwhile, the house is all tidy because Alan put up Christmas lights and decorated our tree for last Saturday when we hosted SFU Archaeology Department’s annual Christmas party. So apart from trying to keep the house clean and tidy, sending our cards and encouraging my husband to do some final shopping I can concentrate on getting October’s stoneware pots all fired and juicily orange-peely! That’s my Christmas treat!

A couple of Granville Island shoppers are hoping for some items in this firing.

Circle Craft, bless them, decided to suggest that shoppers might like some birds for gifts.

And Primavera Ltd, in Cambridge, used my Cardinal jug bird in their Christmas promotion. I am embarrassed not to have restocked my galleries for the season but I promise to get more work made in January, honestly! I think people who want jugbirds actually buy them for themselves when they’re available. It’s been a while since I’ve gone berserk in the Fall for Christmas sales, and I must acknowledge that I’m lucky not to have to.

I spent the afternoon rolling half-pound burritos of rock salt in newspaper. There are more than 80 ready to go so that’s over 40 lbs of salt. We’ll see how much we use.

We plan to fire the salt kiln on Wednesday, on what looks like a very hot day. And then we’ll wait until the weekend to see results. There’ll be so much to learn from the pieces we each will have contributed, and our choices of slips and glazes. Can’t wait!

Meanwhile I wanted to post some good photos of the two pots we bought at Tam Irving’s studio last week.

Our dining-room sideboard now has enough on it! Tam’s sculptural piece has joined our strong Walter Keeler jug form with the yummy orange peel surface and our recent Wayne Ngan vase. Walter and Tam have been really influential potters to me.

We have planned a Vancouver Island holiday later this Summer, including a couple of nights on Hornby Island so we’ll take the chance to visit Wayne Ngan there, and will look for Heinz Laffin too. Maybe we’ll see Gailan Ngan and Rachelle Chinnery at the local market, and I hope there will be a chance to stop in at Gordon Hutchens’ studio on Denman Island en route.