To Autumn

To Paul, congratulations lovely. He and his runner Steven Smith cam first in the team event at the Hardrock Challenge on sunday. It's a ten mile run and a seventeen mile bike ride round the red route of one of our local mountain bike routes. Second and third place were taken by two other riders from the same club as Paul, Ross Green and Ryan Fenwick, both quite young lads but exceptionally talented. Ryan came third even though just shortly into the ride he snapped his saddle right off the rails and so just completed the rest of the technical down right tough ride standing up the whole flipping way. Paul won a great cycling mug by Christine which now sits on the hanger next to the cycling one Christine made for me when I met Paul while we were both out cycling (actually we met in the car park but that's a whole other story).

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Keats.

I love autumn, I think I've raved about it every autumn since I started this blog, I just love the fresh crispy-ness in the mornings and the sharp clearness you get and the crispy leaves and the colours that they are and the falling fruits. Paul thinks going for a walk with me at this time of year is like taking a five year old for a walk. It appears I stop every half a meter to look at something or pick up some acorns or conkers or spinning jennies. I tend to leave little clusters of collected things all over the house in little bowls and in pockets, maybe I was a squirrel in a former life. Most of them get planted I have to say, I try to grow a dozen or so trees each year from them. In the mean time though I just love having them around and looking at them, hence the collection that have gathered in the candlestick in that picture. I've some more plant pots to make soon to get them planted in and so they can sit waiting for spring.

Busy day, lots of throwing been happening, too much really sore shoulders as a result but then I started trailing the jugs for my upcoming show in Manchester, The Funny Little People are back!

This is all on one jug, it's about 8" high I think. Oh I so like these people, I'm starting to make up stories and scenarios for them and am trying to work out how to get them to work well enough.

Apple collecting today, conkers and acorns tomorrow...

Here's a copy of the picture that was just in Country Living magazine, the October issue. That particular jug us already taken but it's a lovely set up and great getting my work in that magazine again. Thank you to all at CL.