End of 2024.

I started term 4 very strong, in good health! And had a very successful day of throwing clay where I made 5 actual things, 2 turned into mugs.

The following week I learned how to pull handles and attach them to mug bodies.

This is a happy event each week, the kiln booty laid out when I arrive.

This is when your clay does not throw and you end up with 5 lumps of mud. 

However I did get one bowl that week I think, and the following week I did a tachnique with carving and coloured slip that I saw on instagram and that worked very well. 

A colleague and I went to the open studios and pottery market and it was a total joy. A perfect activity with the perfect companion.

My garden bloomed.

I did a job I have planned for years. I boguht a hole cutter bit for my drill and turned my unused bokashi bin into an inground compost. This is working brilliantly. I still haven't filled it up. The worms can just wiggle in and out through the holes so it never needs to be emptied, you just wait for the worms to eat it down and then resume filling.

I also decided that this was the year I would get ceiling fans. It cost about 2k and involved a lot of running around, and I'm still waiting for Beacon to replace a wonky light, but it was an achievement. I try and do one big expense each year, on the house or maybe buy a musical instrument or something, so 10 years it took to do fans! 

Speaking of achievement, I got the excellence award at work at the end of the year. I thought after 10 years I might get an award soon but I expected the other one, so this was nice.

The last 2 months felt over-busy. November has a lot of birthdays, and the rehearsals for Chrismtas music events started, which I have resolved not to do next year. My joy in Christmas carols etc was quite low this year. Anyway, I got slightly sick and really enjoyed taking a week or so off, which is always a sign, when you enjoy being sick and cancelling your life, that you are doing more than you want. But, it's all good stuff, it all got done, fans are installed, carols are sung, eyes are checked, pottery is finished.

This is me in the midst of a busy day in a busy week, couldn't resist adding sunflower picking logistics into the day.

 Christmas went off smoothly, and my sister organised a visit to Lake St Clair near Singleton a couple of days later, which we all went to, and picnicked and paddled, it was quite pleasant.