Bouncing Back

Today the sky is the sort of heart-stoppingly beautiful pale blue that should be reserved for tiny wild flowers growing in grassy meadows.  The japonica bush is hung with pink flowers that look warm in the sun, and two small birds are peering into the flowers, attracted by the sweet nectar.  It is spring and nature is running in wild circles like a dog on the beach.  Even the air seems to bustle and swirl with urgency and life.  The garden has been reborn.  It seems like an artist has awakened and is splashing red, yellow, orange and green in the places winter had turned brown, black, and beige. How lucky we are to have the contrast between winter and spring.  How much more joyful spring can be, because it is replacing what was cold, dark, dead, sleeping and silent with colour and life!

I am getting back into throwing on the wheel again after rather a long time away from my studio so these are practice really in the form of 1 kg pots, each one made from the same weight of clay.

Regarding my health, things have taken longer to come right than I thought, I had another setback last weekend with what was probably a return of the infection.  Another trip to the doctor and more antibiotics and I appear to be progressing better now.  I did try to do some work in my studio late last week, the first day managing only to clear some things off a table and give it a wipe before realising that I was already too tired to continue.  Laura wisely gave me a book to read, put the cat on my lap, and I fell asleep until lunchtime.  The last three days of this week have been a lot better, and I have managed half a day of throwing on the wheel each day. I have also been out for a short walk in the late afternoon, trying to extend the walk a little each time and to build up some strength again.  It is important to get outside and to breathe fresh air, to set some goals, and also to see new things. 

I continue to get a huge amount of pleasure from listening to music.  YouTube has been a real asset of late.  There are some really exciting, and weird, musical instruments out there too!  I like to track down some of the stranger looking ones.  It is fun finding ancient instruments with three necks, or violin-like things with keys to press instead of pressing the strings directly.  I am currently in love with the baroque Lute and the hurdy gurdy. 

"The Wren"

Hurdy-gurdy concert by virtuoso players Patrick Bouffard and Gilles Chabenat

Above should be links to music played on the hurdy gurdy.  The hurdy gurdy is a stringed instrument, and the sound is made by a wheel turning on the strings, a bit like a mechanical violin, with the wheel replacing the violin bow.  The instrument has several drone strings that make it sound a bit like the bagpipes, and the melody is played by pressing wooden keys which activate a simple mechanism for pressing on the melody strings to change the pitch of the note. 

It is fascinating to do a search and to listen to a large selection of pieces for the hurdy gurdy, there are so many musical styles and interesting sounds.

Sorry to those of you who's blogs I usually visit and sometimes leave comments on... I've been rather neglecting everyone of late.  I will return!!