Author: Linda

We are living through times that are radically different from any that we have experienced before. Overnight seemingly my whole life was curtailed . Shows and classes were cancelled. Galleries closed. No more gallery duties for the foreseeable future. Like everyone I was in shock to begin with. I started planning new ways to work. Online classes and an online shop. Then my mother died and everything seemed too much to cope with for a while. Throughout it all I have continued working on new designs and pieces. It is how I cope with things when they are difficult. I have not been working as much as normal but I have kept going, in between looking after my family and helping them to deal with their new lives. For a while finding the food we normally ate was a challenge, especially as I wanted to restrict the amount of times I needed to visit supermarkets. Still we have evolved and changed. I now use farm shops and order boxes of meat, vegetables, fruit and salad which are either delivered or we collect locally. This has been a good change and we are really enjoying both the quality and variety of food. As it is a random selection, every meal is like an episode of Ready Steady Cook with a combination of ingredients to assemble into a meal. With more time available and my family around this has been fun. However, this is about the work I have been doing and the stories behind the pieces I have been making.

There is more than one story behind these. When I started enamelling back in the 80s I used to make a number of bird designs. I remember large cloisonné on copper parrots and toucans brooches that I used to sell at local craft fairs. I made them in the evenings after my day in an office and sold them on Saturdays at several events a month. I have always had a fascination with birds particularly large and colourful ones. When my son was small he used to love birds and we used to visit Birdworld in Farnham, Surrey. We used to take a picnic and I used to try and draw them and encourage him too as well. My mother has always loved birds and animals too so when someone suggested I make a Cockatoo I jumped at it. I decided to try a different style for me and make it very simple. This is the result. I didn’t engrave the background I order to give it a more minimalist feel and the pendant is in one of my simple silver moon settings that are my own design and the earrings are just little fine silver blanks with a recess. The lack of separate setting makes them very light to wear and I think, they both look rather fun. Just right for the times we are living in.

I have been remembering visits to Botanical Gardens, especially Kew Gardens which is a real favourite. I remember going with my mum and grandparents when it cost one old penny to visit. Years later when I was working in London I remember a picnic after work to celebrate a colleagues birthday. There were champagne and strawberries on a glorious July evening. Somehow we managed to get locked in having failed to hear the little bell they used to walk around with. Some two hours or so later when we tried to leave the gates were locked. We had to walk all around the boundary before we found a gardeners cottage and asked him to let us out. He wasn’t amused! The name is taken from a recent audio book I was listening to in the studio. Somehow it all came together and these are the result.

I have made a number of Rabbit and Hare pieces over the years. I think I started when we got a gorgeous little rabbit called Bilbo as a pet for my son some twelve years ago. He used to spend much of his time sitting on the rug in the living room and I used to sit a draw him. He used to like to crawl up husband’s legs when he was sitting in his chair and nibble his moustache to groom him. He really was adorable. When he passed away we got the dog but that is another story. Anyhow, my fascination with rabbits stemmed from here and this one is similar in design and feel to the Cockatoo and represents another experiment.

These are very much based on Kew Gardens, particularly the amazing glasshouses. The combination of the striking Victorian structures with the lush foliage from plants all around the world is an irresistible combination. Many of the plants of course are endangered and Botanical Gardens like Kew are vital to protect the diversity of our planet. We visited last summer to see the Chihuly Glass exhibition and I was entranced. It was simply breathtaking and you may notice one of his striking blue glass structures nestling on the edge. I was trying to capture the vibrancy of colour and the subtlety of the variety of greens. I have lots more designs in my head and I intend to do more on this theme.

I plan to put these pieces in my online shop. They are all new pieces that I have conceived in these rather unique times. Some may be the first in new collections whilst others will remain as one off pieces. I hope you have enjoyed hearing the stories behind them. Everything I make has a story because without stories we are just random entities. Stories bring us together and for me, they are what makes us human.

In Attendance:

Me – Chair, Designer, Maker, Publicity, Website, Everything else

Jyp – Head of Security and Apprentice

Husband – Maintenance Officer

Son – Technical Support Officer, Chief Food Taster.

The meeting started at 10 am after our daily exercise

Officers’ Reports

Chair.

The Chair reported that she had been continuing to work and that she was very excited about the new pieces that she has completed and the new work just begun. This is good. She also reported that sadly no more progress had been made on the online shop. This is not so good. The Chair reported she is continuing to do her Ballet classes online and had taken up the clarinet again. She had also tried to continue her Tap classes and was trying to master the Time Step so she could impress her teacher when she returns to classes once they are able to restart. This wasn’t going so well especially as the Head of Security was apt to act very inappropriately when she started bouncing around! The Chair reminded Jyp that this was frankly harassment which was actually a very serious workplace infringement! If this continued there would be a written warning! She was however very happy with the continued Emotional Support given by the Apprentice and asked for this to carryon as required.

Head of Security

Jyp stated that he and the Maintenance Officer are continuing to carry out a patrol of the perimeter every morning. There is a very small hole that has appeared in the neighbours fence but this appeared to be too small for Jyp to fit through. The Chair reminded him not to think about eating the wood around it in order to enlarge it as this was likely to result in serious consequences, loss of treats and the very real risk of pieces of him requiring stitching back together if next door’s Head of Security caught him! Jyp said he suspected the hole may have been created by a terrorist cell who were carrying out recognisance around the possible new site for a safe house within the garden area. He wasn’t sure yet if they were members of foxy faced or the stripy faced gang. He stated he was carrying out regular patrols but suspected that most of the activity occurred at night. Was there any chance of relaxing the kitchen door policy in order to facilitate nighttime operations? The Chair reiterated there was no chance of this!

Apprentice

Jyp stated he had been kept very busy doing Emotional Support and Head of Security duties. He also reported that he had been undergoing training in Search and Rescue with the aim that he could search for pieces of metal and gem stones that the Chair had dropped whist working! Both him and the Chair were very excited about this. The Chair said perhaps he could practise when she wasn’t working and look for the (very) small 18ct gold star, a garnet trillion and several random earrings that had escaped during finishing over recent years. Really good treats would be paid for success. If all goes well she intends to hire him out to other Jewellers as she suspects there could be a real market for his services, once we are out of quarantine of course.

Maintenance Officer

Husband reported that he was continuing to carry out a daily inspection of the boundaries with the Head of Security. The new fence panels should be arriving today and he will arrange to fit those at the earliest opportunity. He was also pleased to report that all the little veggies were growing beautifully and soon there would be some salad leaves available. He had also very successfully carried out a complete reorganisation of the Herb and Spice drawers and all that were stale or out of date had been replaced. They were all now being regularly used to provide exciting new meal ideas.

Technical Support Officer

Son reported that he was continuing to work and progress was very good on his assignments. He had also begun learning German and started playing his violin again with the aim that he could play at his grandmothers funeral like he had done for his grandfather. The Chair was very appreciative of his efforts. He also expressed approval of all the meals that were being cooked and the many new recipes being experimented with.

General Business

Dog hair on everything continues to be a problem and increased grooming and hoovering was required. It was suggested the culprit for this might like to get his paw out and perhaps try and help in this regard! The farm shop food boxes are proving a real success and all are happy with the meals that result from them. As they are somewhat unpredictable as to the exact contents this is resulting in lots of different recipes being tried. The Chair was very pleased to report that these had been very well received. Even the cauliflower and Brussels tops that no one thought that they liked had actually been delicious! Frozen red chillis and the fresh garlic supplied in them had been very useful!

The meeting ended. The next staff meeting is scheduled for a weeks time unless anything very important comes up before.

In Attendance:

Me – Chair, Designer, Maker, Publicity, Website, Everything else

Jyp – Head of Security and Apprentice

Husband – Maintenance Officer

Son – Technical Support Officer

The meeting started at 10 am after our daily exercise

Officers’ Reports

Chair.

The Chair reported that she had been continuing to work and that she was very excited about the new pieces that are in progress. She had also made another new video and this had been published on YouTube. There are also links to these on her website which feels like a huge achievement! She was grateful for the advice from the Technical Support Officer. She had been wondering whether she should be aiming to do some paid for classes online but frankly at the moment this feels like too much of a monumental challenge. Technical Support had suggested offering people the opportunity to donate for treats for the Security Officer and this is now in place. She was happy to have made any progress in any direction to be honest and is very happy that people seem to like the videos. She is also really pleased to have made contact with an old Enamelling friend from the past and together they have been sharing lots of interesting stuff concerning Enamelling. This is good. She was also very happy with the Emotional Support given by the Apprentice and asked for this to continue to be provided as necessary.

Head of Security

Jyp stated that he and the Maintenance Officer carry out a patrol of the perimeter every morning. There haven’t been any new holes since it was mended but the other day there was an incursion by a foxy faced visitor. The visitor didn’t get the opportunity to hang around because he had chased him away over the fence and only just missed having a mouthful of ginger fur! Jyp said he suspected the foxy faced visitor of carrying out undercover surveillance with a view to establishing a safe house within the boundaries. He thought this because he emerged from the orchard area where there had been rather a large hole dug. Jyp affirmed said that if he dares to come back he will definitely have him next time! To help this aim he asked if there could be a review of the kitchen door policy. The Chair reiterated there was no chance of this!

Apprentice

Jyp stated he had been kept very busy doing Emotional Support and Head of Security duties. He has tried his paw at filing pieces but he had found the files very tricky to hold. The Chair agreed that he had made a real effort and she would continue to look for tasks that he could undertake.

Maintenance Officer

Husband reported that he was continuing to carry out a daily inspection of the boundaries with the Head of Security. He has also ordered some new fence panels to further secure the boundaries. He will look to install these when they arrive. He also reminded the Chair that he was ready and willing to carry out any maintenance duties required as frankly he was starting to get a little bored. The Chair suggested he sow some more seeds and that he go and plant something somewhere! She also agreed that there were plenty to kitchen duties available if he found himself at a lose end.

Technical Support Officer

Son stated whilst he was happy to help he was very busy and he didn’t have a lot of time available as he had two assignments and a dissertation to write.

He also asked when lunch was and what was for dinner!

General Business

The Chair expressed a concern at the increasing amount of dog hair that is appearing on furnishings, floors and in her studio. She stated that dog hair and Enamelling didn’t go well together and asked if he could hang onto his coat in the house and make more effort to shed it in the garden! Quite frankly dog hair should be on the dog and not sticking to every thing else all over the house. Jyp apologised and said it wasn’t his fault the weather had improved and that he had no control over it. The Chair suggested he try harder or that the clippers would be utilised for a very close shave indeed.

The meeting ended. The next staff meeting is scheduled for a weeks time unless anything very important comes up before.

In Attendance

Me – Chair, Designer, Maker, Publicity, Website, Everything else

Jyp – Head of Security and Apprentice

Husband – Maintenance Officer

The meeting started at 10 am after our daily exercise

Officers’ Reports

Chair. The Chair apologised that last weeks meeting was cancelled this was due to the very sad and unexpected loss of her mother and she hadn’t felt like having a meeting. Jyp interrupted to ask if that was the lady who always forgot his name and thought he was a girl. The Chair confirmed this was the same person. Jyp said he was very sad because he always used to jump up at her very carefully so as not to knock her over in order that she could reach to stroke his head. Jyp asked if she had died as a result of the Emergency and also asked whether that was why he had been doing Emotional Support duties and the Chair confirmed that both were the case and asked for him to continue to make himself available as required. Jyp was happy to confirm that he would.

The Chair reported that she has been managing to work a little and had made two new necklaces and earrings which are both completely new designs. She is really pleased with them and hopes that they may find new homes soon so she can buy more treats in recompense for the Emotional Support duties. She also said another necklace had flown off to the USA and she had received an order to make a new necklace for the same client and that she had began work yesterday and also ordered new chain which she would need but was likely to take a very long time to arrive because of the current Emergency situation.

The Chair reported that there had been one more incursion into next door by the Head of a Security but since then the neighbour has been putting up a new fence which it is hoped will make the boundary secure. The Maintenance Officer is checking the boundaries every morning to check that no new holes have appeared. He thinks the damage may be caused by a black and white stripy face enemy agent. The Chair stated that we don’t have any objection to wild life in the garden but she does wish it wouldn’t damage the fence every time they pass through.

Head of Security

Jyp stated that he had been carrying out regular patrols of the boundary and was happy to report that there hadn’t been any incursions during the time he was allowed out. He did ask if he might be allowed out more particularly at night. Perhaps the kitchen door could be left open to allow access at any time? The Chair stated categorically that this was not possible and that frankly she didn’t trust him to remember not to jump on top of the fence or compost heap and into next door. She also didn’t want him mixing with the Stripy faced visitors as she strongly suspected this would result in Jyp requiring a visit to the Vet to get stitched back together. Jyp reported that on one excursion next door he had liberated a ball from next doors Head of Security. He suspected this may be a spying device so he was carefully and vigorously inspecting it to ensure it was safe.

Apprentice

Jyp stated he had been kept very busy doing Emotional Support and Head of Security duties. He had though very much enjoyed discussing the new designs with the Chair and hoped his opinions had been useful. The Chair agreed that he was excused on this occasion but hoped he would make an attempt to learn the trade in the coming weeks and Jyp agreed he would.

Maintenance Officer

Husband reported that he was carrying out a daily inspection of the boundaries in order to try and find any holes before the Head of Security did. He also said that frankly he was a devious and slippery fellow and on at least one occasion had been caught enlarging a weak spot in the fence, on one occasion at least by eating the wood! He confirmed that the Head of Security would need to be continually monitored and there was no question of changing the policy of the kitchen door at this time. He also asked if all equipment was working satisfactorily and asserted he stood ready to assist at any time should he be required. Indeed he currently had more time than usual due to the Emergency so would welcome any additional maintenance duties. The Chair thanked him for his diligence and promised to let him know immediately should any action be required.

General Business.

1. Social Distance

The Chair reported some improvement in this in that the Head of Security had been exiting her studio every time she wanted to enter. It did get a little tedious on occasions when she popped out to get something and however short the time Head of Security had moved in necessitating many passings in a very narrow doorway. On other occasions he lay immediately outside meaning she had to keep stepping over him every time she wanted to go somewhere. This was however a slight improvement so she congratulated him. However, she did express concern that the other day she was in the bathroom scrubbing a piece of work in the sink and the Head of Security ran in and jumped in the bath and stood quivering. She couldn’t coax him out and had to get the Maintenance Officer to call him in his Happy voice to assure him that he wasn’t in trouble. Jyp looked sheepish and apologised but said he thought he had heard him get cross and thought he would hide just in case! He was reminded for the need for a back bone and also that there had never been an incident of violence towards him by any member of the household. Jyp agreed this was the case and promised to try.

The meeting ended. The next staff meeting is scheduled for a weeks time unless anything very important comes up before.

In Attendance:

Me – Chair, Designer, Maker, Publicity, Website, Everything else

Jyp – Head of Security and Apprentice

Apologies – Maintenance Officer

The meeting started at 10 am after our daily exercise

Officers’ Reports

Chair.

Early yesterday morning there was an incident when the window cleaner arrived and decided to clean the windows. The Chair is concerned the Head of Security barked incessantly during this procedure. She stated that although they were undoubtably touching the windows, in her opinion there was absolutely no chance that one would want or be able to enter through them. Jyp said they wouldn’t want to try with him barking so loudly and continuously and that he felt his attention to security kept the house safe. The Chair said even if he happened to be out they still hadn’t tried to break in but Jyp said that was because they remembered how ferocious he sounded and didn’t want to risk it. He asserted he would continue to bark as loud as he could and that would keep everyone safe. The Chair thanked him for his diligence but did say could he ‘tone it down a little’ in future because it gave her a headache to be so rudely awakened early in the morning. Jyp promised to try but couldn’t guarantee to remember when they next came in a months time.

The Chair reported that progress on new work although slow during the lockdown has been continuing. One new necklace went to its new owner this week and they were very happy. Additionally work had began on several new designs and also she was practising and developing her engraving skills. She was happy to report she had sufficient stocks of materials to continue for some time and also would be taking orders for new work. She was however concerned that her Apprentice was showing very little willingness or indeed aptitude for learning or performing even simple workshop tasks. Quite honestly he needed to step up and make more effort or consideration would have to be given to looking elsewhere and bringing in a new Apprentice. More treats would be on offer for satisfactory completion of tasks.

Head of Security

As stated above Jyp said he thought he was doing a good job with security and definitely deserved more treats. He also stated he was patrolling the garden fence at regular intervals to ensure that next doors Head of Security didn’t try to enter our premises. The Chair interrupted at this point to say that this task should only be performed on our side of the boundary and not under any circumstances on the other side of the fence. Jyp looked a little sheepish and said he was only making sure that Head of Security next door understood the importance of keeping to his side of the fence. The Chair pointed out that as Jyp was considerably smaller and had relentlessly teased the neighbour’s Head of Security it was likely to be a very bad tempered meeting of the two should one take place which would very likely result in having to collect pieces of Jyp to take to the vet! So far it was only luck that the two hadn’t met but the fence was there for a reason so that Heads of Security kept to their own properties and didn’t encroach onto the neighbour’s side of the fence. Future breaches would be treated very severely with even more extended stays in ‘bed’ and no more treats!

Apprentice

Jyp stated he was trying to learn but he found it very difficult getting his paws around the tools. He was however still very keen to please and to be involved at all stages. He also said that his Head of Security duties at times left him feeling rather tired in the day and thus needing extra naps. He was also enjoying the opportunity for more exercise with more members of the family choosing to include him when they took their ‘daily exercise’. He really enjoyed this but was quite frankly exhausted! The Chair said they would continue for a while longer and she would persevere in finding tasks he could perform. She did however appreciate the conversation opportunities during the day and also his company.

Maintenance Officer

No work or repairs had been required.

General Business.

1. Social Distance

The Chair stated that this wasn’t being observed by staff. In particular it should be noted that the studio was too small for more than one person there being less than two meters of floor space. This means that Head of Security/Apprentice may not enter whilst work was being carried out and should move promptly from the door way area when people were trying to enter or exit. This as he will be aware is a rule from before but even more important now we have the ‘emergency situation’. Head of Security stated that whilst most of the time he is happy to abide by this sometimes things were scary. Sometimes the Maintenance Officer in the house actually ‘gets out his computer’ and then sometimes whilst using it he ‘sighs’ or otherwise sounds mildly irked. This was so terrifying he felt the need to shelter in the studio where he felt safer. The Chair enquired whether there had ever been any instances that had justified his fear and Head of Security agreed that whilst there hadn’t been he wasn’t taking any chances! He also asserted that in the very distant past before he came to live in his present home, he had been with people who hadn’t been so caring and considerate of his welfare and this meant he wasn’t willing to take any risks. The Chair pointed out that the Maintenance Officer and the Head of Security were actually the very best of friends so could the Head of Security man up, grow a pair and actually acquire a backbone because being in the same very small area with someone using very hot, burning things was extremely dangerous, quite apart from the necessary ‘social distancing’ that was required now. Head of Security agreed to make an effort but couldn’t make any promises. His willingness to try was appreciated and could result in more treats if progress is made. In his role as Apprentice he asked how this would work and the Chair asserted that tasks could be given to him to perform on the carpet outside and that as he was a dog he didn’t actually require the use of a workbench.

The meeting ended. The next staff meeting is scheduled for a weeks time unless anything very important comes up before.

The design was inspired by a moghul carpet in the V&A

I finished this pendant last night. It is engraved silver set in silver with a pierced ammonite design on the reverse. It has 18ct gold Cloisonne and a bezel set opal and tourmaline on the front along with a fine silver ammonite. I have left the finish a soft matt to add contrast. Eventually it will be part of a necklace but I can’t decide which beads at the moment. Roman glass, Red Creek jasper or the African Turquoise Jasper? That is the question.