Sun Time

This week has been all about sun and time, making sundials for sunny gardens.  These ones are mini sundials, small, pretty stones with a solid brass dial, inscribed 'Sun's Time' with a happy sun face and roman numerals.

Sundial - Yorkstone - 6" dia. x 6" ht. © Jennifer Tetlow

 

Before watches and clocks the gentleman traveller would take with him a portable sundial, a brass instrument, which, if opened up and positioned correctly, would tell the time.  After seeing one of these exquisite and highly ornamented antiques, I had the idea of making a small sundial for gardens, one which could be easily moved and adorn any small space.

Sundial - Yorkstone - 6" dia. x 6" ht. © Jennifer Tetlow 

 

On sunny days it is a simple, but happy pleasure, to gaze upon a sundial to check the hour.

Sundials - Yorkstone

6" dia. x 5" ht. & 4" ht. © Jennifer Tetlow

Snails in my Garden

During my gardening work I have come across a multitude of snails, it seems every time I move a stone there is one stuck underneath, or a family of them.  I've seen varied shell shapes, some colourful patterns, some tiny brown ones and others with yellow stripes.  It has slowed me down as I check each time I move anything, to avoid crushing and squishing - I pluck them off and find a safe place to put them.  I feel sorry about disturbing their chosen spot and hope they will survive the move. 

Jennifer Tetlow Snail carved in Yorkstone © 2011

 

I remembered a piece of stone in the workshop with swirly iron-ore marking, which I thought looked just like the snail shells.  It was my hope that the banding would come perfectly  in the coil of the shell, but I missed slightly, and it ended up on top!

Jennifer Tetlow Snail carved in Yorkstone © 2011

Taking Shape

Every spare minute I've been getting on with a bit of gardening, such perfect weather, to prepare my vegetable area.  Yesterday I spread the last of the manure, and now I have three raised beds which are almost ready.  I have heard so much about the merits of raised beds that I thought I would try them, and I'm also rather enamoured of the 'no dig' methods of Charles Dowding.  He talks of the soil as a living organism and the soil food chain, which I like, and I'm learning masses.

Another reason for choosing raised beds is that I had a lot of soil that came from my foundation excavations (I'm extending the workshop and building a lean-to section to my main work area).  The stone edging all came from this clearing too, so both jobs have fitted together very neatly.   

One of the beds ended up being very deep at one end, as the ground is on such a slope (I made the bed horizontal), and I might design this differently if I did it again.   However, I'm very pleased with the new growing area and can't wait to do some planting - after a bit of cement mixing and buiding!

                                

Sounds of Spring

What a beautiful day!  How the birds sung this morning their early chorus, but two bird sounds really stopped me in my tracks.  The Curlew calling, flying low in search of nest sites, so plaintive and haunting and then the Woodpecker, drumming the fresh spring morning in.  It is such a rolling, repeated reverberation, a sound so clear and woody that it mesmerises and excites all at once.  I used to think it came from the hollowing out of nest holes in the trunks of trees, but apparently it is to signal to other woodpeckers that this territory is taken, and to entice the female woodpecker close.  I wanted to be close, and hear more, and feel it rippling through me.

Woodpecker - Collagraph Print

Happy Equinox

A bit late I know, but happy day anyway.  Officially, the Equinox was at 23.21 yesterday, but I was snugged up asleep and unaware of the point in time, so I'm celebrating today.  It is a morning of early sunshine and mist - very beautiful.

Nowruz Zoroastrian - image from en.wikipedia

I'm so happy to have longer days, and spring feeling days too.  The strength of this feeling is captured in the wonderful Bas-relief stone carving in Persepolis.  On the day of an Equinox, the power of an eternally fighting bull (personifying the earth), and that of a lion (personifying the sun), are equal.