flowering fields

stubble fields which have not been sprayed are full of flowers at this time of year. the tiny field pansy is underfoot everywhere.

this is probably mayweed, I think I would be ambitious to pronounce it corn chamomile, but I should have checked to see if it is aromatic or not. or even smelly, in which case it would be stinking chamomile, or if pleasantly scented, scented mayweed. I need to go back and do my homework.

this is field speedwell, introduced from Asia.

and borage, very hairy, even downright bristly.

there are even still some poppies in flower.

this field is over fluvio-glacial deposits of sand and gravel, and every so often there are excavations when hardcore is needed for the farm tracks. amazing that one could grow anything over this stuff.

the weather has been very beautiful – gentle sunshine and south westerly breezes – and the light is gorgeous. Cake’s lane looks lovely.

on the roadside, the hedges are still loaded down with blackberries and rose hips.

the kind weather has allowed work on the sheds to be almost finished. the tiled roof looks superb.

the rose which had grown over the verandah, roof and all, has been cut back, and I must try to prevent it from getting that high again. we have used old doors and windows which keep the effect rustic.

then there is the grain silo industrial section, which is the stainless steel duct for the kiln and a hopefully fairly fire-proof galvanised metal gable end. the duct is wrapped in high temperature ceramic insulation blanket, with two layers on the top where the heat will hit it most.

and the old chimney is fitted inside the bottom end of the duct and suspended above the kiln flue. I will no longer have to climb up on the roof in the dark or the rain to open up the gap and drop the chimney down onto the kiln. we have kept the old flat roof inside as it is pretty fire-proof – 2 layers of galvanised roofing with rockwool insulation between them, and there is the same insulation between the kiln shed and the rest of the sheds.

I hope to build a small wood-fired fast-fire kiln next year, outside, under a simple kiln shelter, and keep the gas kiln for biscuit firings.