Best laid plans
pain, rain and a kitten, and it all goes awry
Hi! How was your week?
Today, I am writing to you from Portugal, where I will be staying for a month. More specifically, right now, we are near Tomar, a town about 140 km north of Lisbon, at the house my grandfather built, where my grandparents lived most of their lives and I spent many a Summer holiday when I was a child. My grandfather worked the land here and, at some point, we even had pigs and sheep. But that was a very long time ago.
The calendar tells me it’s almost July but, if I look out the window and close my ears to the myriad birdsong, I could believe it is November. Yesterday, it rained all day and today, though the rain has stopped, the sky remains overcast and the air is cool.
To borrow a phrase from
’s most recent post (in her own words, she writes about death and birds and you might think you don’t want to read about that but — just trust me — you do), what a year this week has been!Actually, it has been over a week since I last wrote to you. I had planned to write. In fact, I had made many plans for the last almost two weeks before leaving on holidays. Pottery related plans, gardening, cleaning, seeing friends… However, literally as I got up from my chair after sending out the June 15th newsletter, something in my left leg felt wrong. I started limping and a few hours later I could barely walk. For the next two days I couldn’t stand, I couldn’t sit and I couldn’t really lay down either. I was in constant pain. It was my first sciatic nerve pain and I am hoping it will be the last.
I am fully recovered now, but it took over a week for the pain to completely be gone.
Unfortunately, what this meant was that I was not able to spend any time in the studio. I didn’t finish the espresso beakers and I didn’t start the kiln. I apologised to the lady who had ordered them, and let her know I would not be able to deliver them in person but would send them by mail before mid-August.
I didn’t do any of the other things I had planned to do either. There are things in life which are just out of our control. Most things?
And, speaking of the futility of making plans… Today we were supposed to join my brother who needs to move and go see an apartment about an hour from here. Just as I was getting ready, the bell rang and a lady handed us a miserable looking flea ridden kitten. “Is it yours?”, she asks. “It was on the road, there, outside your gate. I almost ran him over.”
No, the kitten is not ours. We don’t even live here and tomorrow we will be gone. It doesn’t matter. Maybe there are people who would just say “no, sorry, not ours” and walk away. Maybe. But we are not that kind of people. So the lady left and the kitten stayed. I fed him (for a while we thought it might be a girl, but no, it’s a boy) and gave him some water. Then, we found an open vet — not easy, because it’s Saturday — and drove there.
Back home, fed and treated for the fleas, he ate some more and then took a nap. After which he ate some more, took a bath against his will and went back to napping. He is still napping. I suspect it’s the first time the poor kitten is able to sleep in peace, free of fleas and in safety.
Unfortunately, we are leaving tomorrow, back to Lisbon, and, after that, we are leaving again, this time for two weeks. There is no way we can take the kitten with us, much as my daughter would like to (and, I must admit, as would I, but don’t tell anyone). We need to find someone who will take care of him, at least until we can come back here.
Back to last week… Thankfully, my pain was gone in time for me to be able to attend the workshop I had signed up for with Anna Zamorska, a renowned Polish ceramist. At least that plan worked out! It was the first time I tried to hand-build with porcelain (many years ago I tried throwing with it on the wheel with equally disastrous results) and I have to say I did not enjoy it. Porcelain is soft, plastic-like, feels too wet to work with but then, as soon as you start, it dries on you. Finicky. Too sensitive. I had a lot of fun, though, and it was a pleasure and a privilege to meet Anna.
And, amongst other things, I learned I want to try something called “Egyptian paste” (more on that as I explore it) and, more importantly, that porcelain is not for me.
Not now, at any rate. Perhaps it will grow on me. More likely it won’t. For one, I would have to thoroughly clean my studio and keep it free of any other clay to avoid cross-contamination, which would ruin the porcelain pieces. Also, porcelain has a much higher firing point than I am currently comfortable to take my kiln to. Unless, of course, I decide to explore mixed materials in sculptural or decorative work… Does sound intriguing, may be worth exploring…
Wow, I went from “never again” to “hmmm, I could try adding sand and the red clay and…” in less than two minutes… Amazing!
Anyway, for now, for a much more successful first attempt at throwing porcelain on the potter’s wheel, see
’s post Cressida had an accident!. While you’re there, check out her beautiful garden, too!It seems almost impossible these days to write to you in one go... It is now Sunday, and we are packing to go back to Lisbon, where we will only stay for two days before flying to the island of Porto Santo.
I am happy to report the kitten is doing much better. Free of fleas and after a good night sleep, he is lively, playful and cute as only a kitten can be. We found someone who will look after him until we come back, and then my parents will take him in. Hopefully, Farrusca, will not object.
I leave you with some pictures I managed to take during the short periods it wasn’t raining.
I had planned on going for walks and taking many more pictures but, as we have seen, my plans are not worth much when life has other plans for me. I guess staying flexible is the key, accepting that, sometimes, whatever is happening is what is supposed to happen.
This quote from
’s What Am I supposed to Do? seems appropriate:For all those other moments, when life’s demands tug this way and that, I have to make a choice. To let go of the doubts and the second-guessing. To let what I can do be enough. I live in a world that I can neither predict nor control, despite all my very best efforts. It is the very same world where all the plants, and the animals, and the times and the tides live and breathe and rise and fall. And ultimately, like all of them, I too am a part of everything that is always doing just what it’s meant to be doing at any given moment!
One more thing… I am not sure how the coming newsletters will look like; I may not be able to send out one every week during July, and when I do, they may not be pottery related… Unless I find a clay workshop… One never knows.
As always, thank you for reading. Until next time, stay flexible, smell the flowers and have a wonderful week!
Sara xx
ps: A very warm welcome to the new Clay on my mind subscribers! Thank you for being here, it’s great to have you! I hope you enjoy reading and I would love to hear from you in the comments!
pps: Here is a link to our first chat thread, in case you missed it! If you like receiving snail mail postcards, there may something in there for you!
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(thank you, Emily!).If you would like to see my work
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The kitten seemed to thrive with your care!
My partner had sciatica and he was off work for several weeks, glad you recovered so well.
I had a look at your Etsy shop, your products are lovely!
Such a lovely letter Sara. I enjoyed reading so much. I have had sciatic pain before but nothing so severe as you describe, and I am glad that you are now recovered. It warms my heart to think of the little kitten you have rescued, I’m intrigued to know if you chose a name for him? 💛