Brightening Up

By mid morning it was :-)

Sparaxis elegans, a South African cormous plant related to the Harelquin Flower, Sparaxis tricolour, which is sold cheaply in shops and garden centres.  In the wild Sparaxis are winter growing plants, flowering in August and September, spring in South Africa.  The horticultural plants sold here are prepared for spring planting and summer flowering as the corms are not fully hardy, only surviving a winter outside in very favoured warm, dry spots.   I grow my South African bulbs under cold glass as winter growers, thus they flower through the winter and into the spring.  Living so close to the sea, damaging frost is very rare.  If nothing else this species is a zinging, bright colour.

A fun day.  Jane, John and Jack came around this morning, stopping for a light lunch and freshly baked scones.   We all then adjourned to pottery where Ruth and I had a go on the wheel.  Jane's daughter Kate had done pottery at Jill's pottery with Ruth about fifteen years ago and now Jane and Jack are keen to have a go.  Next time they are here for a week we will arrange something.   Ruth hadn't seen Jack since he was six, now he's six feet!   This from Easter 2012 of them when Jack was little.

Ruth and I stayed at pottery until nearly six o'clock.  Ruth persisted with the wheel.  I made one, rejected, wonky pot before moving on to glazing and making slab pieces .... and did a lot of cleaning up!   Food, a walk for Meg, a little more clay play at home.  Bedtime soon.