My wheel

A thing of solid beauty, and now it works again. I am much indebted to Chip (John Chipperfield of Brockdish Norfolk http://www.suffolkcraftsociety.org/default.asp?p=4&type=3&user=323) for opening my eyes to the delightful practicality of Potters Equipment wheels, and giving me the courage to fix it. He has many of these wheels and uses them for much of his amazing work. He also runs splendid raku firings and is quite inspirational. Okay, enough gushing, and down to the mechanics of the wheel.

pine cone pendants

My beautiful daughter made me this pendant from the base of a pine cone found at Castle Rising. I love it, it is my second favourite necklace. The boys make endless cutlasses and swords with hazel twigs and masking tape (children and masking tape...sigh), but my six year old girl adorns things. Like a magpie she espies the brightest, the most vibrant and distinctive of natures largesse and accessorises her and my world with it, I am much improved by this.
With the window finished (and still awaiting glass), I am busy trying insulate my stable against the vagaries of winter and next I shall get on with the servicing of my potters wheel.

Madson Jam

Time of fellow mruitfulness. And the hedgerows are in abundance. So I have made jam; plum and damson, not especially well (as ever). One year I left for a walk, leaving it bubbling (it was taking ages to set), got waylaid by locals, and only remembered when a friend told me she'd popped round and smelt sugar burning. This year I transported the delectable Victoria plums that I had 'half inched' from my Ma and Pa's trees, in the top box of my (lovely) motorbike. Not a good idea it transpires, for they ended up somewhat battered, just as well I was making jam.

Here is a photograph of sloes, all about to be made into sloe gin (very easy: prick the sloes with a darning needle fill an empty gin bottle about 1/2 full, pour on a 1/4 bottle of sugar and fill up with gin, turn the bottle regularly until ready to drink). It is always a race to plunder the blackthorn in this part of Norfolk, I think all the villagers are particularly partial to sloe gin. Next I will make pear and apple chutney, to bring to the Hunter-Gatherer shebang.

Harvest Interlude

Another interlude. The full moon a little while ago (was it only last week?-school holidays are such a joyous blur), coincided with harvesting, and then a harvestmen showed in up in the house. Over a period of days I spotted it in all the rooms. Was it the same one, or part of a family, or an individual of many clones? I do not know. However, I find the sheer long-legged improbability of these arachnids, delightful and beautiful. Here it is (one of them anyway) on my limed clay-lump walls.

Nearly finished window

Right now the window has had one coat of gloss paint (but been preserved, primed and undercoated). Hinges have been purchased (probably cranked hinges-if that is the term), and I am ready to order the glazing units. Most important of all, and learned from bitter experience, always measure at least twice, if not more, and check with the glaziers, how much gap you must allow between the glass and frame. I stick the glazing units in with silicon sealant and then pin in glazing bars which have been preserved, primed and painted. I will post the in situ window, later. Oh, and because it will be double glazed, I shall also put in a vent in (easy to purchase from diy stores). A doddle, but also an on-going learning process...

now to the overlap

I do apologise to anyone reading, for the lack of correct terminology, I really am an amateur. In the past I have created sash openings which are flush with the rest of the frame. But they do provide a small egress for wet and wind. To avoid this I am attempting an overlap, hence the sash sitting proud of the main frame. I have attached a moulded piece of beading around the edge (mitred at the corners), I am not sure this is the best method, and I am sure I will attempt another in the future. In fact, I am disatisfied with the end result, and may well build a new sash opening, which has a routed overlap.

A fittingly hinged-sash

Once the sash has dried, trim back the joints and check it fits into the opening in the main frame. The picture here shows the hinged sash is slightly proud of the fame (maybe 10mm) more about this later. If the frame does not fit, plane a little so that it moves easily within the opening. I also plane a slant on the bottom (parring some off the inside edge), so any water inadvertently getting under the hinged sash, is directed back out, rather than inwards.

Here, I have also added the rebate for the glass to sit against. I have found the simplest method is to use lengths of mitred quadrant mouldings, as before.



Although it is possible to rout the rebate in, I have not chosen this approach (although I know a man who has). And I do know that gluing in extras does not improve the water-resistance of the frame. However, the solution is to fit everything together accurately, and failing that, fill in all gaps.

I also rout a drip channel (for want of better terminology) all the way around the inside of the hinged sash. Centrally placed, about 6mm wide and 3mm deep.