Wood drying under a foot of snow.
Making clay with the aid of the wood stove.
We had about a foot of snow over the new year period and though it’s pretty much all gone now it’s cold and wet outside and next to impossible to make and dry clay without it freezing solid. For the last couple of years I’ve been drying the clay in the winter in front of the wood burner in the workshop and it actually works quite well so long as I keep moving the clay around to dry it evenly. It always amazes me the difference in climate between Bizen and Tamba though they are are only 2 hours apart. In 5 years in Bizen I think I saw snow settle once and that was gone almost straight away. Here we usually get 20-30cm falling maybe half a dozen times over the winter. Going down to Bizen the other day it surprised me how the kiln wood often isn’t even covered over the winter, just left out in the sun, the weather is that good. I hate to think what condition my wood would be in if it wasn’t under a roof. As it is I stack it as openly as possibe in the hope of it drying out somewhat by the spring, Still at least the workshop is nice and toasty!
年明けからの2日間は雪が積もりましたが、今はほとんど溶け寒くて湿った天気です。このままだと土は乾くどころか、凍った大きな塊になってしまうので、この2,3年は薪ストーブの前で乾かします。車でたった2,3時間なのに丹波と備前の天候は違い、備前に5年住んでた間に雪を見た事は数えるほどで、降ってもすぐに溶けてしまっていました。ここ丹波では、一冬で5,6日以上は雪の日があります。備前では冬の間、薪置き場を覆うことは無く太陽の下で乾かしますが、丹波の天候では考えられません。とにかく、次の春の窯焚きまでに薪が乾いてくれるのを願います。工房の中が薪ストーブのおかげで暖かいのが、救いです。
