Tuesday 10 May 2011

Back!

Hello everybody

Well I made it home! It's been long time since I blogged, I've been feeling pretty odd since getting back to the UK and I've been laying low. I'm only just starting to get back into making pots again, it's a good feeling.

The States are amazing- so much space, so much beautiful countryside and so many great people that I didn't get to spend enough time with. I love the place and can't wait to go back there. I made some great friends out there, some of whom I've known for years in this virtual world, it was so cool to meet them for real. The USA was nothing like I'd imagined it would be - I grew up thinking that the whole of America was like it is on Starsky and Hutch - how wrong I was.

It's difficult to blog retrospectively, but I'll share a few pictures and see how it goes, starting at the very beginning


Here we are with Hollis and Dee,who were our first hosts in Cape Cod. It seems such a long time ago since we arrived there, tired and excited. Hollis introduced me to baseball and gave me his Boston Red Sox cap, so they are now my team. I try and follow them on the internet, although I don't entirely understand the game.
This is Hollis and Dee's house. Hollis' workshop is at the extreme left, my bedroom was above it. I'd forgotten how cold it was on the Cape when we arrived, the trees were bare and every night there was a frost. In the mornings I awoke early, to beautiful dawn chorus, the bird's songs, very different from those back at home. The unusual types of bird continued to be a fascination to me throughout the visit, Cardinals, Bluebirds and a Robin that is much, much bigger than ours. Dee is a great gardener, I was sorry not to see the garden in full bloom, it was still fairly dormant, a few shoots just beginning to show - maybe I'll get to see it next time.


This sweet little building is Hollis's showroom


And this is the inside


These are the pots that Hannah and I brought home. It was a brilliant time. Here's Hollis' account.


And this is back home. The lanes have filled out with wonderful spring flora.
The trees in the orchard are full of blossom
And the workshop is hidden behind roses and hollyhocks, which look like they're going to provide a wonderful display this year.

And some pots at long last.


A bit of a disjointed blog post, but it's a start and now I've got started again, I intend to carry on, so please don't give up on me and check back soon.

Bye for now

13 comments:

Ron said...

You're doing better than I am. Maybe I'll blog tomorrow. Look forward to more. Great to see all the green.

Anna M. Branner said...

So, I bet you're glad to have your fingers in your OWN clay. None of the crazy stuff you had to use here....And its great to hear you blogging about NEXT time!!

Dennis Allen said...

Glad you had a good time Doug.We did too.

Hollis Engley said...

Spring is finally here, Doug. None of that late winter stuff you two had on the Cape. Come on back and enjoy the flowers.

Becky said...

Disjointed? No way. It's wonderful for those of us who attended the last workshop of the three to see what went before. Wonderful pix and great narrative.

I got a kick out of your fascination with our US birds. On our first trip to England, I nearly caused hubby Fred to run in to a ditch (he was trying to get used to driving the rental car on the "wrong" side of the road) when I saw my first magpie! I spent most of our vaca there watching for them.

Love that you came home to greening and blossoming. Hope you will post more pix of your hollyhocks once they begin showing off.

Anonymous said...

Good to have you back,glad you had such a good time,it's hard to get back in the swing after a really good break.Have got a little fremington clay for you,found before it was lost,ripped my shorts climbing over the fence.
Tim

Hollis Engley said...

Good game last night, Doug. Went into extra innings and Carl Crawford, who you wanted to see play the night we all watched the game, had the game-winning hit in the 11th inning.

Dan Finnegan said...

Nice to get back to whatever 'normal' is!?

Paul Jessop said...

Great to here it from the horses mouth, i'll be down to see you some time next week. for a cuppa and a chin wagg.

Carol Ross said...

Great post - Ioved hearing about your adventure from your point of view! I'm sorry I couldn't attend any of your workshops, but I read all the descriptions greedily! I'm in Missouri - the "Midwest" - maybe you'll be able to venture further west "next time!". Glad to hear you're back home and starting to re-adjust (also really really glad to know the US is not all like Starsky @ Hutch!!).

Elizabeth Seaver said...

It was lovely to meet you and Hannah in Fredericksburg. Thanks so much for my "Elizabeth" mug. Coffee (sorry, not tea) never tasted so good! Folks are still talking about the "British Potters"--yes, in caps--you all left quite an impression.

Unknown said...

Hi Doug, cheers for the lovely comments. Yes, a shame we couldn't have crossed paths, great to read about both your journeys though....maybe next time you're both out on the follow-up tour!
A x

doug Fitch said...

Thank you all :-)