Dark Bamboo Vase

This is another of Estelle's pots from our Retrospective Exhibition of 2005. It has been made of McPherson's 21 clay, from Nelson, which fired best towards the rear of the anagama. This high iron bearing clay (12% iron) built up this magnificent metallic sheen as the iron migrated to the surface. It accepted very little ash and hence was this lovely reddish/purple colour all over.

The Wreck

This boat was from one of our earlier firings and was subjected to a very hard time. It does hold water and can be used for flowers but it is not to everyone's taste. Although it was not what was expected when it came from the kiln I have grown to respect it for what it is.

Suiban

Not a very good arrangement but I wanted to try with these iris and a water lily. Unfortunately the lily closed up overnight and to get another from the pond was too difficult. A suiban is a summer ikebana container where the water shows in the wide form, giving a cooling look to the arrangement.

Red Poppies

These poppies are self seeding and just grow wild around my garden. They do not last long but make a bright splash of colour when they are flowering.

Single Flower Container

Estelle and I both made these vases and when a group was placed together they seemed to take on their own personalities. With a stem of miscanthus and a single flower they make a lovely display and are so simple to arrange.

Historic Aircraft

This historic aircraft is a DH60G and was flown from London to Sydney in 1934. It was then shipped to Auckland and flown to Bridge Pa Aerodrome to land here on the 13th. November, 1934 - exactly 75 years ago. The restored plane was back to celebrate the occasion last Friday and was accompanied by several Tiger Moth aircraft and several of the H.B.E.C club planes. The historic plane was flown by the daughter of the pilot who originally flew the plane from London to Sydney

Old Lombok Bowl

This is a genuinely old Lombok bowl as its provenance says that it was found amongst many pieces from a wrecked ship some year ago. We used it to serve something and then put it in the dishwasher only to have all the ingrained dirt removed. I liked it better when it was dirty.

Liriodendron Flower

This lovely flower is from my very large Liriodendron tree. I am not sure that I have spelt its name correctly but it has the common name of "Tulip Tree" and has many flowers showing at the moment.

Bizen Brush Container

This brush container was made by Estelle and is part of a series she made in the form of "tin cans". Although called a brush container it makes a lovely small flower vase.

Natural Rock Kogo

This is a natural rock artefact which is very like a Japanese incense box. We found this on the West Coast of the South Island many years ago long before we started making Kogo from clay. A pity it is not complete but I feel that the Japanese would use such a piece if at all possible.

Wildflower Garden

This garden is just self sown and makes a pretty sight most of the year.

Square Bottle from Mashiko

We found this press-moulded square bottle when we visited Mashiko in 1978. It has typical Mashiko glaze colours and is a very sweet little pot.

Another Picture of the Full Moon

Another Full Moon picture! It is hard to get the exposure just right but I quite like this result.

White Wisteria in Kakehana

From yesterday's blog I thought I would show you how a small hanging vase called a "Kakehana" makes an ideal receptacle to show these pendulous bracts of wisteria.

White Wisteria

This lovely pendulous wisteria is at its best now. There are three different wisteria in my garden - this one, another white one with larger flowers and the more usual purple flowering one which comes out earlier than either of the two white varieties.