Yesterday turned out to be a really wonderful day. I’ve been working towards two firings for the last month or more so began my Friday by getting out to my kiln shed and glazing all the earthenware pieces that I’d waxed the night before. It turns out that Greenbarn’s acrylic-type wax resist needs to rest overnight anyway (and even then doesn’t really repel glaze like real wax would). The commercial glaze I’ve adopted for my D’Arcy clay pieces and for the the Wonder White plates needs a further night to dry completely also. There’s no speedy work system here.

The sun was shining all of this April day so I couldn’t resist photographing the Spring flowers that are volunteering in my garden. My neighbour has two fabulous but fleeting camellias and this was their perfect day. I’ve already posted those photos on Instagram and Facebook.

Then it was time to head out to help with the other firing I’ve been working towards. I delivered 13 pieces plus 4 possible re-fires to the ‘Steam Plant’ at Shadbolt Centre on Wednesday and got them wadded.

Yesterday was the day to help with spraying the dissolved Soda Ash into the very hot kiln. It had been candled overnight I believe and turned up that morning. When I got there at 2pm Tony told me that things were a little delayed – who knows what affects the speed of warming? – so I had an hour or so to kill. It was a perfect day to walk around Deer Lake and again I took photos and they’re posted too. I’ve just included one in this blog, a view of our ‘Lions’ on the North Shore as seen from the meadow beside Deer Lake. It was a treat to wander along, listening to and finding the Redwing Blackbird, sunning turtles, skunk cabbage and finally check out Deer Lake Art Gallery (closed, but with remaining ‘Luminescence’ pieces outside) and enjoy Burnaby Art Gallery’s garden.

At 3.30pm I joined some other TriCity Potters members as techs Tony Wilson and Linda Doherty reminded us about the system for introducing soda.

I withdrew an early draw ring – always a thrill! and then took my turn carrying the bucket of dousing cold water and taking out bricks, or squeezing the trigger to spray in the dissolved soda ash. Mariana took these candid photos of yours truly.

By 5.30pm we’d used up the prepared soda solution, decided that the draw rings indicated that enough orange peel and melt had been achieved, cleared the air for a few minutes and turned off the kiln.

Alan was out for supper with a friend so I finished my day by taking my tired self off to this month’s Port Moody Film Society offering, ‘Florida’.  Set in glitzy and colourful but troubled present-day Florida it featured a worn Willem Dafoe and some amazingly talented child actors. An odd but parable-like tale.

Now, this morning, I loaded my electric kiln with as many pieces as can fit in and off it goes! I won’t be able to peek at the fired contents until at least Monday, and Tuesday is the day we open the soda kiln. I’ll have to think of something else until then. As the soda kiln was being loaded on Thursday Jay phoned me to tell me that my 17″ heron vessel is really too tall to justify a whole shelf to itself so he asked if I minded it being put right in the front of the kiln, just inside the door, so I shall be particularly interested to see what effects it will have acquired.